Strategies

Researching European Roots Stateside Premium

You don't need to hop a plane to trace your ancestors in the old country. Find out how to trace your foreign forebears right here in the United States.

Six Symptoms of a Sick Genealogy Premium

Look for these signs to spot errors in your family tree.

Research Social History Premium

Social history can bring your ancestors' times to life and help solve your genealogy riddles. Here's how to get started putting your past in context. Dozens of books can help you discover the social history of your ancestors' times and put meat on the bones of your past. See the...

What is a Smack Owner? Premium

You've got questions about discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history; our experts have the answers.

AncestorNews: Brick Wall Strategies Premium

I'm frustrated. As readers of this column know, I've been on a tear of late, trying to break down my Hendrickson brick wall. A recent trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City yielded a few clues from journal articles (in publications such as Kentucky Ancestors and...

AncestorNews: Sideways Genealogy Premium

I'd like to share a recent breakthrough—one that proves that genealogy puzzles are often solved through less-than-direct methods. I found an ancestor, Aaron Hendrickson, on an 1860 Daviess County, Ind., census. The discovery was puzzling, because most of the family was in another Indiana county—not even a...

Sign up for the Family Tree Newsletter

Plus, you'll receive our 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms PDF as a special thank you!

Get Your Free Genealogy Forms

"*" indicates required fields

7 Steps to Study Ancestral Places Premium

Focusing not just on who your ancestors were, but also where they went, can give you a research advantage: You'll learn what records they might have generated and where those records are today.

Start Your Family History Research Journal Premium

You can use a blank journal, a notebook or a computer-generated journal, whatever works best for you. Your journal might not be a daily account, since most people don't research on a daily basis. But as thoughts about your research come to you, be sure to make an entry. Consider...