Among the many exciting things about genealogy research is the discovery of unexpected connections to famous events in history. You might try to trace your ancestry back to colonial America, or even to Mayflower passengers.
In my maternal line, I can trace ancestors back to colonial settlers of Pennsylvania. My immigrant ancestors helped build western Pennsylvania from the ground up.
I’ve known for quite some time that I have several direct ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.…
If you get out of bed and feel like you might have stepped on a nail or a shard of glass, you might have plantar fasciitis. Here’s how to get some relief.
Foot pain is a common complaint that can occur at almost any age. With plantar fasciitis, the band of tissue (fascia) connecting your heel bone to your toes becomes inflamed and painful.…
Did your kids write on the walls with a Sharpie? Did you accidentally smear ink on your favorite pants? Maybe someone left the lid off a magic marker and knocked it onto the carpet.
Where ever you might have ink that it doesn’t belong, it’s one of the most dreaded stains. You won’t remove ink with any laundry detergent, spray cleaner, stain remover or pre-treatment.…
If you’re read much of this blog, you may have noticed that Findagrave.com is one of my favorite genealogy research sites.
One thing you might not realize right away is that volunteers create all of those helpful Findagrave.com pages, called “memorials.” By volunteers, I mean people who use the site and decide to contribute.
I recently began creating my own memorials on Findagrave.com.…
As an IT pro, one of the most common complaints I hear from people is slow computer performance. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with a creeping computer.
Even if you’re not a computer geek like me, you can correct many of the most common causes of computer slowness.
Here are 10 reasons why your Windows computer might be slow. Some of these tips are more involved than others.…
I frequently hear people talk about their shoulder pain, and I can definitely relate. I have injured both shoulders on separate occasions.
Shoulder pain can come from a number of different sources, including overuse, sports injuries, falls, accidents, and repetitive stress.
You could take pills for the pain, but all medications have potential side effects – even over-the-counter ones like ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and naproxen (Aleve).…
One of the great things about subscribing to Ancestry.com is the ability to contact your Ancestry DNA matches. Non-members can buy Ancestry DNA kits, see their results and look at a list of DNA matches. However, you need to be a member in order to send messages to your DNA matches.
Try Ancestry.com and get 14 Days FREE!
I’ve found corresponding with my DNA matches fun and interesting, but it seems like a seriously underused resource.…
So you’ve ordered your Ancestry DNA test and received your results. Now what?
I found a fantastic video that gives you an excellent 15-minute description of how to make the most of your Ancestry DNA results. This video shows you:
While genealogy research is endlessly fascinating, it also has its annoyances and frustrations, like any undertaking. Having researched my family’s genealogy for more than two decades, I’ve seen my share of genealogy irritations.
Fortunately, there are often ways of getting around genealogy stumbling blocks. Following are some of the most common problems you’ll run into when researching your family’s ancestry. I’ve also included tips for getting past such obstacles.…
One of the downsides to blogging is spending time and effort on a post that you think could help a lot of people and then…hardly anyone reads it.
I’ve compiled 10 of my favorite posts that didn’t draw many readers, hoping to give them another shot at glory.
These posts will help you fix things, learn things, understand things, and do things better.…