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.
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.…
One of the most challenging stumbling blocks to genealogy research is tracing female lines. The tradition of women taking their husbands’ surnames means that a woman loses that link to her family line when she gets married.
In the past, female ancestral lines meant little because women held little importance. The male line was all that mattered for inheritance purposes and for carrying on the family surname.…
One common challenge in genealogy research is how often people neglect to label their photos. You might have a shoebox filled with old photos with few of them actually labeled with first and last names of those pictured.
Fortunately, there are ways of figuring out who these people are. Technology can help, but most of these tips involve getting assistance from other people in a variety of ways.…
I’ve researched my family’s genealogy for more than two decades. Genealogy is a fulfilling and somewhat addicting hobby that’s easy to start and doesn’t cost much money to continue.
One of the challenges of genealogy research is making sure that your information is accurate. How do you know whether a source is reliable?
I’ve created this list of 10 common genealogy research sources and rated their general reliability on a five-point scale.…
It’s easy to see why furniture makeovers are such a popular topic on Pinterest. Almost everyone will have an extra piece of furniture at some point.
Or, you might need a certain piece that you can’t find in stores, but could make from a cheap thrift store or flea market find. There might also be an item of sentimental value that you don’t want to get rid of, but would like to make use of somehow.…
I love finding ways of recycling clothing and household items. For my latest upcycling list, I’ve put together 10 amazing ways to upcycle old t-shirts.
You don’t have to throw out your family’s old t-shirts anymore. Start keeping a box of shirts that kids outgrow or anyone in the family discards. Soon, you’ll have enough of a pile to make several of your favorite T-shirt crafts.…
You may have already figured out that Google probably knows more about your dead relatives than you do. Among Google’s many free tools is their image search platform. It might help you figure out who is in some of your old, unlabeled photos.
Once you’ve checked with everyone who could possibly know who is in your photos, it’s worth checking to see if Google might have the answer.…