The first significant Swedish migration to North America occurred between 1638 and 1655, or Nils William Olsson’s Swedish Passenger Arrivals in New York, 1820-1850 includes over 4,000 biographies of pioneering Swedish immigrants, or the Swedish Church Law of 1686 mandated that household examination records be updated every year? The oldest documented Jewish community in the[…]Read more
Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor of the reference work, Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (Progen PPS), recently chose and edited a number of selections from Progen PPS for publication in “Genealogy Pointers.” We hasten to stress that while the author of each selection is a professional genealogist, each selection should interest anyone who is serious[…]Read more
(The following article was excerpted from Chapter 7 of Sustainable Genealogy, entitled “Military Service of Ancestors.”) “When I hear of some of the wildly exaggerated claims of the military exploits of my own ancestors and anyone else’s, I am reminded of “The Battle of Mayberry” episode of the Andy Griffith Show. In one episode, Opie’s[…]Read more
(Excerpted from Unpuzzling Your Past. Fourth Edition, Updated, by Emily Anne Croom, pp. 37-39.) Naming practices vary from place to place and generation to generation. However, certain consistencies have existed for nearly four centuries in the area we now call the United States. Children were, and still are, often named for parents, grandparents, and other[…]Read more
J. Michael Cleverley’s new book, Family Stories . . . and How I Found Mine traces his family history from the present day to the time of William the Conqueror. Mr. Cleverley’s book not only recounts his family’s history but also explains how he discovered and assembled the story. Since the author was determined to[…]Read more
By Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. & Judy G. Russell, J.D., CG, CGL Excerpted from Bettinger & Russell, “Genetics for Genealogy,” Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed., Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018), 361–90. Millions of people have voluntarily undergone DNA testing. Probably millions more would do so if they were not[…]Read more
We’ve run this article by the late, great Nova Scotian genealogist, Terry Punch, a few times; however, it is such an important cautionary (and humorous) tale about the search for church records, we’re running it again today. Some years ago, when religious sectarianism was closer to the surface, people spoke of the marriage of a[…]Read more
The following essay concerning the nature of genealogical proof was excerpted by Elizabeth Shown Mills from her book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd ed. Rev. (2017), p. 17. In it, Mrs. Mills explains the difference between genealogical proof, theory, and hypothesis and offers a cautionary point lesson that any researcher[…]Read more
One of the best things about the fourth edition of The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy is that it not only tells you about the records and where to find them, but it also cautions you about the blind alleys and dead ends you may encounter along the way. Here are a few cautionary tips[…]Read more
Another valuable chapter in Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills, illustrates the different ways in which genealogists have structured their published work over the years. Chapter 22, “Crafting Family Histories,” which was written by Michael Leclerc, itemizes seven different formats for family history writing that have appeared over many decades.[…]Read more
The very popular treasury of bot mots and wise words from Elizabeth Shown Mills and Ruth Brossette Lennon, Tips & Quips for the Family Historian, is just one of four valuable titles we’ve put back into stock this month. Scroll down to learn if one of them is just the title you’ve been waiting for![…]Read more
