City Directory Abbreviation Index City directories are often an underutilized resource for genealogical research. I will explain some of the many ways that city directories can give your research a big boost.City directories are basically a big address book for everyone living in a community. They were used before telephone books...
If you have wondered what words sound like in another language, there are some tools out there to help you. I have found that I like ivona.com the best. Not only can you hear what the words sound like, you can pick a voice (male or female). In order to hear...
I find that people often go for the civil vital records when researching for their ancestors, but this is not the best idea to only look for civil records. First, civil records in the US were required by different States at different times in history, some as late as the early...
As we all know by now, documents are not always accurate especially when it comes to surname spelling in online indexes. So you are searching for immigration information via ship's manifest for your family on one of the online databases and one of your results show a page with detained individuals....
If you are new to genealogy research, you may or may not have heard the terms "Primary Source" or "Secondary Source". So,what are these terms and how do they relate to your ancestral research?Primary sources come from records that were created by someone who is required to document accurate records, an...
Online documents are great, but if you don't know how the name was spelled, how can you search online? Online databases are indexed by human beings, not some magical force. People come from all number of countries and differences in their languages introduce spelling variations in official documents in addition to...
Records Room of the Belknap County, NH Registry of DeedsAre you trying to find the Deed that goes with the land that your ancestor owned, but your search comes up empty in the Deed Registry Office? Consider this... There may not be a Deed if the land was transfered to your...
Image used from Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation LicenseGenetic genealogy is the application of genetics to traditional genealogy. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level and type of the genetic relationship between individuals. From wikipedia.With all the mystery that had surrounded who my biological grandfather...
Although I did not actually have any research to do in the State Archives in Poland, I did get to the Warsaw State Archives for Metrical records. I had actually been by this building a number of times during previous visits in 2004 and 2006 and never knew it was the...
Once you have landed on the ground in Poland, how are you going to get around? If you will be meeting with family then this person will probably end up being your chauffer. Help pay for the fuel. Prices in Europe are much higher that they are here in the US....
The all important souvenir (pamiątki). When we travel somewhere we all want to get something to remember our wonderful time, but with the new airline regulations this does not allow us much, especially if you are at or near your limit for baggage. Of course if you have money to spend...
I have an upcoming talk for the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts about my recent research trip to Poland. I thought that this may be a good time to blog about some of the ins and outs of the trip. This will be the first part in a series of Research...
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