The old saying that you never forget how to ride a bike is a myth – at least in my case. I had to re-learn how to ride from scratch.
Looking back on the past several months, I wonder how in the world I got from doubting I could learn to ride a bike again to going for 10+ mile rides.…
Researching your ancestors may sometimes feel like you’re reading from the pages of a historical novel. Many times, it’s a mystery novel as well. If you want to know what illness killed your relative, the diagnosis might make no sense at all. Here’s a list of old-fashioned names for common illnesses that might have killed your ancestors.
This post may contain affiliate links; please read my disclosure here.…
One thorn in the side of small-time online sellers is the yearly postal rate increase.
You’re forced to either eat the increase or pass it on to your customers. Either way, you end up paying eBay and PayPal a larger amount because they collect a percentage of the total that the buyer pays, including shipping. It’s a built-in fee hike without eBay having to announce an increase in fees.…
When researching your family history, you may wonder what life was like for your ancestors.
They might have had some of the same work, family, health and financial problems that people have today. They also probably coped with many problems and decisions that don’t exist today or happen to a far lesser degree.
The staggering number of decisions most people have to make on a daily basis in today’s world has led to the concept of decision fatigue.…
If you’re gathering together with relatives you don’t see very often, it might be a great opportunity to ask genealogy questions of your elderly relatives.
I’m not suggesting that you ambush someone and pepper him or her with questions nonstop for an hour. However, many people love to talk about themselves. If you politely request a few minutes to ask questions for your genealogy research, chances are pretty good that you’ll get a positive response.…
As part of the lead up to Amazon Prime Day 2017, Amazon is offering subscriptions to their Kindle Unlimited plan at a fantastic discount.
Amazon Kindle Unlimited offers over a million Kindle books available to borrow up to 10 at a time on your account for just $9.99 per month. However, through July 11, you can buy a yearly plan for about $80, a savings of about $40 over what you’d pay on a regular monthly plan, which calculates to well under $7 a month.…
I’ve seen a number of lists online of things that people haven’t done. I’ve actually done many of those things on those lists.
I have kids, pets, and a spouse. I’ve bought houses and cars, played a musical instrument, ridden on a motorbike, swam in the ocean, went to college, donated blood and a host of other pretty generic things.
I’ve also ridden in city buses, taxis, a helicopter, a limousine, airplanes and a trolley.…
Genealogy research is a fun and exciting hobby that you can do on your own or with family members. It costs very little to get started, too.
You can find tons of free information available online to help even the most beginning genealogy enthusiasts find ancestors quickly.
If you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall in your research or you’re just tired of the same old genealogy research sites, try these 10 brilliant genealogy hacks.…
The idea that we’re all related – all humans, that is – is hardly new. However, a fascinating genetic study from thousands of Europeans seems to show that we all share common ancestors from a lot more recently than you’d think.
The study’s authors, Peter Ralph and Graham Coop, compared genetic data from 2257 people across Europe. The researchers concluded that, with few exceptions, just about any two individuals “from almost anywhere across Europe today share hundreds of genetic ancestors from more than 1500 years ago.”…
Do you research your family’s genealogy, or are you thinking of starting?
I’ve studied my family’s history for decades, and it continues to fascinate me. Often, figuring out ancestral connections is like solving a mystery.
It’s engrossing and even addicting. Once you start down a path, it’s really hard to stop until you find the answer you seek.
I hope these 10 genealogy posts will give you a hand in your family history research and also help you to better understand your ancestors’ lives.…