Last year, 2023, was the year I got serious about genealogy education, with the ultimate goal of becoming a professional genealogical researcher, writer, and educator. Then last summer, I started implementing my 3-year plan toward pursuing Board Certification. Now, not every genealogist is certified or accredited nor do they need to be. There are plenty
I got interested in genealogy when I was fourteen-years-old and discovered a weathered lime green vertical file in my grandparents’ hutch. This folder of wonders was full of little booklets, family group sheets, and various other scraps of paper of dubious origin. To me, that was like finding a treasure chest. Who are these people?
I’m thrilled to announce that the book I wrote, SALTY DOG GOES TO DENIM DAY, is now on sales at the Cherokee County (Georgia) History Museum! Synopsis “When Mama forgets her lunch before work, her clever canine Salty Dog goes on a journey through 1960s Canton to return it to her. His final destination? The
I’ve been doing genealogy for 29 years and I just made my spookiest discovery yet. And on Friday the 13th! I’m in the middle of the Research Like a Pro Study Group with FamilyLocket (highly recommend), and one of my research plan action items involves Spartanburg District, SC Court of Common Pleas cases for a
Came across a funny Ancestry transcription error today that I, clearly a 11-year-old at heart, had to preserve for posterity. Reader, the original record says “Tents, Huts and Shelters.” But this was a chain gang so…
I’ve blogged that one of my ancestors living in the (later notorious) Forsyth County, Georgia had a 14-year-old Black child named Isaac Suthard living on his farm in 1880. I wrote that blog post 10 years ago, and at the time I just assumed that Isaac was a hired hand, in the same way that
Can you help me identify these Cherokee County, GA photos?
I get a lot of my current history knowledge from podcasts, so I decided to start a new series here and on the Genealogy Technology YouTube channel on podcast reviews for genealogists. And I saved the best for first – my favorite podcast, Ben Franklin’s World! Watch my video review here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ6EsPABx4I] I hope
I’ve started a new series of history podcast reviews on this blog and over at the Genealogy Technology YouTube Channel. While podcasts are becoming hugely popular, they haven’t yet – as of this writing – quite hit the mainstream. I still have people asking me “What exactly is a podcast?” And the biggie: “How can
I recently published a two-part video series on how to bust through genealogy brick walls. Just like with any good top 10 list, they get a little more creative as they go along. You can watch the entire series here, along with helpful hints and examples. Or, if you’re in a hurry to finally find