The Blog
Guides, tutorials, and deep dives into genealogy research, DNA testing, and family history.
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10 Ways Your Ancestors Kept Cool Before Air Conditioning
Your great-grandparents survived 100-degree summers without AC. They weren't superhuman. They were just smarter about heat than we are today....
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16 Everyday Items Your Grandparents Couldn’t Live Without
Remember walking into Grandma's house? That distinct smell. The sounds. The things that made it feel like home. Those everyday...
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10 Pantry Items Your Grandma Used Daily (That Time Forgot)
Remember opening grandma's pantry? That mix of mysterious smells and forgotten jars. Half the ingredients looked like science experiments. But...
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14 Tools Your Grandpa Used That Still Work Better Than Modern Ones
"Power tools are for people in a hurry". Your grandpa wasn't in a hurry. He was right. When my grandfather...
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10 Kitchen Gadgets Your Grandmother Swore By (But You’ve Never Heard Of)
Your grandmother could whip up a Sunday feast with tools that look like medieval torture devices. No buttons. No cords....
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10 Foods Everyone’s Grandma Made (But Nobody Eats Anymore)
Your grandma's kitchen smelled different than yours does. Not just the cigarette smoke and Aqua Net. The food itself was...
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The ‘Cherokee Princess’ in Your Family Tree And Why She’s Probably Not Real
How many times have you heard this story? "My great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess." Or maybe: "We have Native American...
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The Family Tree Trap: How Amateur Genealogists Are Creating a Massive Web of Lies About Your Ancestors
Your great-great-grandfather wasn't a Civil War hero. He wasn't born in 1695 and living in Cincinnati in 1911 either. And...
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8 Ninja-Level Methods to Unmask Mystery DNA Matches
You've got a DNA match with no tree attached. Just initials or a cryptic username staring back at you. Frustrating?...
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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...
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The Decline in Cursive: Why most kids today can’t read it
A Harvard professor discovered something shocking in her Civil War history seminar. When she showed students photographs of original Civil...
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No Family Tree? No Problem! Sleuthing Your Way to Identify Anonymous DNA Matches
You've taken a DNA test. The results arrived. Now you're staring at a list of DNA matches. Some have detailed...