There are many companies who offer DNA analysis for purposes of discovering family members. Deciding on getting tested is a complex decision. Let me help you decide. As you might infer from the image above, I feel DNA testing is over-rated for genealogical research. There is a place for it, as long as you do …
Paper degrades, photos fade and all physical records are subject to damage from fire or flood. With inexpensive scanners available, it is possible to digitize all old paper records. While it can be time-consuming, it isn’t insurmountable (I teach people how!). Almost everyone now carries a high-quality digital camera with them in their smart phone. …
How long ago was 10 generations? I’ve created a quick-glance reference chart of generations with the numbers of ancestors and rough time frames and year ranges at each generation, for my own use when traversing family trees. Note that the ranges get larger as we go back further – most families will fall near the …
When I was an undergrad at GSU, I wrote for the student newspaper, The Signal. While I mostly wrote news bits and a few features on some minor controversies. I was taken aback about a story told to me when I was making my routine stop by the Campus Police Station. I had already heard …
The Family Bible Preservation Project does great work in getting non-standard genealogical sources indexed and connected to the records of the people recorded. They also issue interesting and fun genealogical challenges – usually finding someone in an obscure reference, such as people mentioned in an embroidered sampler. I took on a challenge, from the attached …
{compiled from several sources with added entries and updates} altar tomb – A solid, rectangular, raised tomb or grave marker resembling ceremonial altars of classical antiquity and Judeo-Christian ritual. ashes – the cremated remains of a body after cremation, mostly dry calcium phosphates with some various minor minerals such as salts of sodium and potassium, …
Jean Byrd Lee Bowen Rollins 1913-2020 While it is best to gather oral histories and document during life, the event of a person’s death is a poignant time to gather the story of a person’s life. Not only is this a way to honor the person, it can be a part of the grieving process. …
I received a phone call on my cell phone recently…. with so many spam calls, I was expecting it to be annoying, however instead it was a kind voice, apologetic, letting me know she might have a wrong number… She was looking for a friend, Janet Profitt, and all she had to go on was …
On Thomas Jefferson’s grave marker, his birth date is shown as “BORN APRIL 2, 1743 O.S.”
What is this “O.S.”?
When doing genealogical research, it is not uncommon to come across information that is protected under copyright law. While government documents and very old information that is no longer covered by copyright make up a large part of genealogical research, there is much that we have access to that may be protected by copyright law. …
