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Just Starting out?

I remember when I first started doing Genealogy....there was so much information and what do you do with it all...DO NOT be discouraged....go slow one person at a time.... get each person done as thoroughly as you can, Full name if possible, if they have a nick name, put that in "quote marks" IF they do not have a middle name put NMN (no middle name) If you are unsure of something put it in pencil so you can erase it when you find out for sure.If you are doing your family tree online, on a progr
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Who is Aunt Sara?

gwl.jpg

For years, this picture had haunted my father. Two of the figures he knew quite well, one was his aunt, the sparkling and witty Fanny as a teenager standing next to her mother, his grandmother, but the other two were total strangers. The only clue we had was the phrase written on the back of the picture in his father's handwriting that simply stated, "Mom and Aunt Sara". He'd discovered the photos while cleaning out my grandmother's apartment after she had a stroke, long after his father had pas
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Figuring this out...

Hi everyone,I was never a part of Facebook (althought I've seen a little of my kids' pages) so I'm trying to figure out how this works. I'm really hoping this doesn't become something that I become so wrapped up in that I never have time for research! Looking forward to meeting lots of new friends!
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Kentucky Settelers

I have family that moved over from Wales to Kentucky. Without knowing many dates, how does one find out where they came from originally? I have been looking for answers for a few years now, and no one in the family is able to find out or remember anything.
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Researching your family tree can be a rewarding experience, not just for you, but also for other living members of your family and those members yet to be born. The first step in preparing to research your family tree is to write down all the information about your family that you know. Include names, birth, marriage, divorce, and death dates and locations. Occupations, residences, schools attended, medical information, and anything else you find pertinent to your family tree should also be incl
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Understanding Patronymics

The Dutch were much slower than the English in adopting surnames as we know them. Patronymics in New Netherland (present day New York) ended theoretically under English rule in 1687 with the advent of surnames, but not everyone followed the new guidelines.The most common Dutch naming custom was that of patronymics, or identification of an individual based on the father's name. For example Jan Albertszen (who later took the surname Bradt) is given the patronymic of Albertszen, after his father, A
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Okay, let's try the blogging function ;-)Less than year after Chrome, Google introduces Chrome OS.The article Chrome OS discusses common misconceptions, warns against some all to easy misinterpreations, points out some easily overlooked facts and a implications, such as what the expected delivery schedule implies for Linux users, provides a brief analysis of the what and why, and discusses how Chrome OS fits in the netbook market between Windows 7 and Android.Article mentions what you may want t
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My colleague Elyse Doerflinger at Elyse's Genealogy Blog has started a dialog concerning the future of genealogy societies and how bridging the "technology divide" can mean sink or swim in terms of society survival.In her post, Elyse discusses many different ways a genealogy society can leverage technology and social media to not only increase membership but also to expand services and functions - all at low-cost or no-cost to the society. If you've been following societies such as the Southern
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Many people are interested in researching their family history but hesitate because they are unsure how or where to begin.These are 6 Steps, which will help the beginning family genealogist lay a foundation to build upon and see rapid progress.Do not expect to answer all the questions all the time. The further back you go, the harder the information becomes to collect. You will continually add information as you conduct your research. Sometimes, it takes years to find out even the simplest answe
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Cemetery Desecration for Profit

There are no words to describe the barbarous levels of inhumanity corporations will sink to, in order to make a dollar.In the early days of Jefferson County Texas, there were several communities, which have now either been swallowed by the annexation of Beaumont or Port Arthur; or paved over so local businesses could expand.In 1824, what would become Beaumont, TX was originally just a small community called Tevis Bluff, founded by Noah Tevis. By 1838, Beaumont was Chartered and the had been desi
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Have you ever been looking though all of the different web sites with listings of gravesites and marker information and saw one that you KNEW was wrong? What did you do? These sites offer loads of great information, you can find details that may not be available anywhere else. I have found complete families buried together and other relatives I did not know of, buried nearby.If you see an error, first please be sure it is a error, look down at the bottom of the page or maybe on the first page of
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ShoeString Genealogy

Happy Dae

There are many expensive hobbies, genealogy included. I developed my web site, http://ShoeStringGenealogy.com, to help others (and me!) to find less expensive ways to research our family. Online resources are becoming more abundant, but they are not the only ones -- nor should they be -- that you should use.I have a floating menu on the left that will get you access to presentations, genealogy chat rooms, genealogy forms and charts -- some unique, reviews of books, software and cruises, and some
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I had been researching my Harris/Humbert family history for many years, unable to break through the very large brick wall that stood before me. I began to think maybe these people didn't really exist. I was mainly working off of the collective memories of my family after all. However, one day I decided to lay all my paperwork out in front of me and scour it to make sure there was nothing I was missing. I had looked over these pages many times but I just knew the answer had to be there somewhere.
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Lemmon/Repine

Lemmon/ RepineSearching for parents of Samuel Lem(m)on born ca 1812/13 in Virginia. In 1850 he was living in Bedford Co., PA with his wife Rebecca Repine (born circa 1814--possibly in New Jersey). They were probably married around 1832/33. Their children were: Samuel (born circa 1833), James (born circa 1837), Sarah (born circa 1840), Catherine (born circa 1841), William (born 1842), Henry (born 1845), and Harrison (born circa 1847). William and Henry came to Indiana after the Civil War. Father
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Understanding the methodology behind genealogy research is vital to creating credible genealogical reports. A genealogist, whether professional or a hobbist, cannot simply present dates, events, and names. The genealogist must explain or show how he or she knows the information to be true. How does he or she know that his or her great great great grandfather arrived in the United States of America via Ellis Island? How does he or she know that his or her great great uncle died in World War II? T
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Hitting That Brick Wall!

Have you hit a brick wall in your research? I am sure all of us have a brick wall on a surname at some point or another in our research. I have had several. What do you do about it? How have you broken down that brick wall?I have had a brick wall on my SUTHERLAND family and of course I am at a brick wall with my SMITH family. I had my Grandpa SUTHERLAND, my Great Grandpa SUTHERLAND and my GGGrandpa Sutherland but could not go any further. I thought it would be easy as my GGGrandpa's name was Lyc
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Welcome to CUMPSTON researchers

I am seeking contact with other CUMPSTON researchers, world-wide. Please check out my website at www.cumpston.org.ukand see if any of your relatives are mentioned there. Do contact me if you have any CUMPSTON photographs. Tell me if I can help in your research
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Family Reunion

A few weeks ago, my mom flew here from Texas, the two of us drove to Michigan to pick up my aunt, and then the three of us continued the drive up further into Michigan. Northern Michigan to be exact - to visit this wonderful woman who just happens to be our oldest living family member!According to my genealogy program - Irene is my 1st cousin twice removed. Now, after being hit with the genealogy bug for the past 2 years, I still haven't quite figured out that "removed" thing when it comes to co
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