The Blog
Guides, tutorials, and deep dives into genealogy research, DNA testing, and family history.
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Research Skills
87 Genealogists Reveal What They Wish They Knew Before Starting
Look, I get it. You just discovered your great-great-grandmother's maiden name and you're ready to trace your lineage back to...
Genealogy Life
The Ghost in Your DNA: Why You Feel Connected to Ancestors You’ve Never Met
It's 2 AM. Again. You're hunched over your laptop, squinting at a baptism record from 1847. Your eyes are wet....
Research Skills
8 Census Records That Hide Extra Information in Plain Sight
Let me show you something most newbies completely miss. Right there, in plain sight, in some census records, there's hidden...
Latest Posts
History & Heritage
10 Reasons Everyone Suddenly Becomes Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
Every March 17th, America turns green. People who couldn't find Ireland on a map will swear on their grandmother's grave...
History & Heritage
25 Forgotten Meals That Got Your Ancestors Through the Coldest Winters
Your ancestors didn't have central heating. Let that sink in. They had a wood stove in the kitchen, maybe a...
History & Heritage
25 Old-Country Recipes Our Grandmothers Brought to America That Nobody Makes Anymore
Your great-grandmother carried something across an ocean that customs couldn't inspect. Not in her suitcase. Not written down. It lived...
History & Heritage
16 Bizarre Valentine’s Day Rituals Your Ancestors Thought Were Totally Normal
Your great-great-grandmother didn't just send a Hallmark card. She might have wandered through a cemetery at midnight. Planted seeds by...
Research Skills
12 Signs You’re Looking at the Wrong Person in That Census Record
Your great-great-grandmother didn't have 23 children. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this. Here's a fun fact...
History & Heritage
20 Ways Your Ancestors Survived Snowstorms That Would Seem Insane Today
Your great-great-grandparents didn't check weather apps. They didn't have heated seats or DoorDash or the luxury of "working from home"...
Research Skills
The One Line on Death Records That Genealogists Always Check (And You’re Probably Ignoring)
You know that feeling when you're stressed out or nervous and someone asks you a question and your brain just......
History & Heritage
19 Forgotten Irish Christmas Traditions
Your great-grandmother's Christmas looked nothing like yours. No inflatable Santas. No Amazon packages stacked by the door. No turkey stress-ordered...
History & Heritage
Your Scandinavian Grandpa Wasn’t Actually Named Johnson
Your Scandinavian ancestor didn't have a surname the way you think of one. And that created one of the biggest...
History & Heritage
How Your Ancestors Actually Cooked Christmas Dinner 200 Years Ago
Your great-great-great-grandma didn't have a meat thermometer. No timer on her phone. No quick trip to the grocery store on...
History & Heritage
Why Your Ancestor Changed Their Name (And No, It Wasn’t Ellis Island)
Here's what you think happened: Your great-grandfather stepped off the boat at Ellis Island. A cranky clerk couldn't pronounce "Wojciechowski,"...
History & Heritage
The Mysterious ‘Boarder’ Who’s Actually Family
Between 1850 and 1950, nearly every American family tree hits the same weird snag. You're scrolling through a census record,...