Blog posts

Confused by different spellings of your family surname in old records? Learn the 10 most common reasons ancestors' last names changed over time and how to trace your true family line.

Learn how to find and order your ancestor's Civil War pension record from the National Archives, plus why these files hold more personal history than any other military document.

Stuck on a female ancestor's maiden name before 1850? Learn the indirect evidence method genealogists use, from witness signatures to godparent records to the middle names she gave her sons.

From candlelit farmhouses to smartphone alarms, see what an average day really looked like for ordinary Americans in every decade since 1776. A 250 year journey through daily life.

Learn how to set up Apple and Google Legacy Contacts step by step. See exactly what a legacy contact can access, what stays private, and why this five minute setup matters.

Learn how to trace your family's history through heirloom recipes, from reading old recipe cards to understanding what ingredients reveal about where your ancestors lived and how they survived.

Learn how to find free historical maps for genealogy research, including the Library of Congress Sanborn Maps and the David Rumsey Collection, to see your ancestor's hometown as they actually knew it.

Found a confusing job title on an old census record? This genealogist's guide explains what occupations like cordwainer, cooper, and victualler actually meant in the 19th century.

Learn how to trace ancestors who migrated during the Industrial Revolution using city directories, factory records, and tenement census data. A practical research guide.

Learn how a simple color coded genealogy system can organize your entire family tree by ancestral line, on paper and on your computer, so nothing gets lost again.