A Genealogy Weekend: Inspired by the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?', I set off on a trip which began in the small village of Fladbury.
HALLOWELL, Maine— After countless hours in libraries and on the Internet, painstaking searches through public records and a couple of trips overseas, Francis Harwood says his direct bloodline to England’s first king more than a millennium ago is confirmed.
Standing in his living room before a 4-foot framed diagram of his family line, authenticated by the venerable College of Arms in London, the 72-year-old Harwood smiled with satisfaction.
I gave them a lot of information so they could connect the bloodline” to King Egbert as well as all of the royal houses of Europe, the white-haired Harwood said. That included copies of birth, marriage and death certificates and wills. More...
Genealogy enthusiasts can find ways to branch out with a computer as a helper
Thanks to the Internet, tracing one's family background is becoming an even more popular -- and somewhat less arduous -- pastime.
The widespread desire to dig up information that goes back generations has spawned more than 250,000 genealogy Web sites, according to cyndislist.com, an index of Web-based genealogical resources. Offline, the publisher of Family Chronicle and History Magazine launched in March Internet Genealogy magazine, a six-times-a-year publication that racked up 10,000 subscribers by July, nine months sooner than expected, according to publisher and editor Halver Moorshead. More...
Among the reams of data the U.S. Census Bureau collects and generates from the national census is a list of the most popular names in the United States. Now you can find out just how common your name is. That even includes your first name since there are three listings available: by surname, by male first name and by female first name.
I checked and found that (yup, you guessed it) Smith is the most popular name in the United States out of the 88,799 surnames listed. I also checked my first name for popularity. You can do this too at:
10 Questions to ask a research facility before you visit
Whether you're planning a trip to the State Historical Society, the Family History Library, the National Archives or the local courthouse, it pays to be prepared. Avoid frustration and increase your research time by asking these 10 questions in advance of your visit.
What Dick Eastman doesn't know about Genealogy probably doesn't exist! Read on below from his amazing blog...
Health problems of world leaders have influenced many events. In one man's case, a medical problem probably changed the history of the world and affected the lives of millions of people.
Charles V had the titles of Holy Roman Emperor, King of Aragon, Castile, Naples, and Sicily, and ruler of the Burgundian territories. In Spain he ruled officially as Carlos I, though he is often referred to as Carlos V. He commanded an empire that stretched across much of Europe and included Spanish America. Conquistadores Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, and others conquered the Aztec and Inca empires and claimed vast new lands in the name of Charles V.
Unlike many kings of his time, Charles V was an educated man and spoke several languages. It was said that he spoke "Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to his horse". He was also an expert military strategist.
Doctors diagnosed Charles with gout in early adulthood. However, modern-day medical experts have often wondered if the diagnosis was correct. The causes of gout were mostly unknown in the sixteenth century.
If you are one of those people who have avoided delving into your French ancestry due to fears that the research would be too difficult, then wait no more! France is a country with excellent genealogical records, and it is very likely that you will be able to trace your French roots back several generations once you understand how and where the records are kept. More...
You might think that starting out building your family tree is going to be a daunting task. Well, it doesn't have to be. Below you will find the most common sets of records to help you start or finish your genealogy research and build that family tree. See Getting Started with Genealogy for more information
Census Records
A census is an official enumeration of the population in a particular area. In addition to counting the inhabitants of an area, the census generally collects other vital information, such as names, ages, citizenship status, and ethnic background. Each census can prove to be invaluable in painting a portrait of a family at a particular place and time.
Civil vital records—for Births, Marriage and Deaths —mark the milestones of our lives, and are the foundation of family history research. Chronicling the personal moments of our lives through the objective perspective of the public record, vital records can offer details often found through no other genealogical resource. They can be useful in proving or disproving other sources, give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find clues to earlier life events.
With these records, you can gain access to information regarding your ancestor's lives, such as the locations and causes of their deaths, the names of children or parents, their wedding dates and locations, and the many other details that help us record and remember the important moments in the lives of our families.
Church records contain information about baptisms, marriages, burials, and membership. In addition to the name of the person, church records often provide information about family members.
Some of the cemetery records included are tombstone inscriptions, burial permits, and death indexes. These records usually show names, birth and death dates; sometimes, they include information on surviving family members.
