Charmed Life Premium
You, too, can be a truly lucky genealogist with these five strategies for creating family tree connections.
Read More
Plot Ancestors’ Lives With Online Mapping Tools
Q. I heard about a site that can help me find places in Chicago where my ancestors lived. What is it and how does it work? A. You’re thinking about ChicagoAncestors.org, an interactive online mapping tool, created by the Windy City’s Newberry Library. Type in an address, and you’ll get a map showing the location, […]
Read More
How Do You Cite Sources for Genealogy?
Q: How do you cite your sources? I know how to fill out a family tree chart, but I don’t know how to cite the information. A: “Source citation” can sound like a technical term, but it’s really just recording where you found each record or piece of genealogical information—that way you or anyone else […]
Read More
Doing Genealogy With Just a Name and SSN
Q. I’m stuck on my Dad’s family tree: I have his father’s name, birth and death dates, and Social Security number (SSN). I can’t find anything on him. I have only his mother’s first name, and I can’t get a birth certificate without her surname. Where do I go from here? Can I find out […]
Read More
7 Steps for Finding Ancestral Hometowns Premium
Don't limit your family history search to people: Get a research edge by following these seven steps for studying ancestral places.
Read More
ABCs of File Formats Premium
Don't know PDF from PNG? Use this glossary to wade through the alphabet soup.
Read MoreSign 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
Saving Old Family Newsletters
Q. My aunt found several copies of our family newsletter dating back to 1959 in an old suitcase. It appears they were run off on a duplicating machine because the typed part is somewhat smeared blue ink. The paper feels like carbon paper. Any ideas or suggestions on how to preserve these and make the […]
Read More
The Skinny on Scanners
Q I’m in the process of digitizing my family photos, and I have to wonder: Does the type of scanner or software really matter? I am not correcting any of them; they’re going in “as is” because 98 percent are in excellent shape. A Of course, the companies manufacturing such gizmos like to play up […]
Read More
Chart Challenges
Q I have Family Tree Maker 2008 software, and I can’t figure out how to print a basic family group sheet that includes all my facts. Can you help? A For this answer, we’ll turn to Family Tree Magazine contributing editor Rick Crume, who reviewed Family Tree Maker 2008 in our March 2008 issue. Crume […]
Read More
Untangling Terms of Use
Q I wanted to use a Web site such as Kodak, Shutterfly, PhotoWorks or Snapfish to order a mousepad with my ancestors’ photos on it. But all these sites’ terms of use state that I have to give up my rights to the photos! For example, PhotoWorks’ terms say, “You hereby grant to PhotoWorks, Inc. […]
Read More