Celebrating the joy of finding your ancestors
It’s sweeping the nation and garnishing lots of news! How can you use A. I. to make your family history better? I used Storied’s story writing platform which uses A. I. to generate stories and it was pretty fun! I’m not a good storywriter and this really helped me.
Check out this video about the process and the platform called Storied. They also have a cool way to share those stories with your family. Worth a look.
Census records are GOLD in genealogy research! Not only do they put someone in a particular place and time, they provide ages, places of birth AND best of all, the names of other family relations! But their value doesn’t stop there. They can tell you if your ancestor owned property, owned a radio, served in the military, and the list goes on and on!
It’s a good practice to find your ancestor in all applicable census records, but sometimes, they are elusive. At Rootstech I visited with Mike Mansfield of MyHeritage. His vast experience in record collections, and the issues the companies have in indexing them, provided a lot of valuable tips for searching for your ancestors in census records.
If you haven’t yet, you need to search for your family in the 1950 U.S. Census! The records were indexed in record time by the big genealogy companies, but if you’re still having trouble, check out this video for help.
Finally, if you want to know what questions were asked in the various U.S. Censuses, this may help.
Until next time… happy census hunting!
Aimee
I’m often asked what websites and books I use most for my professional research. Below is a video outlining my favorite family history websites which is premiering Tuesday 7am (pacific). The next video is about my favorite genealogy books and available now.
Here are links to the books from the video on Favorite Genealogy Books (the links below are through my Amazon affiliate account where I receive a small commission, but there is no additional cost to you).
Process Oriented Books:
Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones https://amzn.to/3teXbAB
Professional Genealogy by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3q3VLXw
Genealogy Standards by Board for Certification of Genealogists https://amzn.to/32ZnDDq
Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3JQwIiz – Older book (I have) Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3f1Uxpt – I also have (helps you build citations) QuickSheet: Your Stripped-Bare Guide to Citing Sources https://amzn.to/31CpQE34:58
DNA Books:
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger https://amzn.to/3qST1LO5:42
General Resource Books:
Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920 https://amzn.to/3n7nHrD
United States Atlas 1890 and Complete Post-Office Directory by Eleanor S. Hutcheson https://amzn.to/3t7sKvQ
Cemetery Iconography: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Cassidy Madariaga – not available – alternate – Stories in Stone by Gibbs Smith https://amzn.to/3HJWuTN
Courthouse Research for Family Historians by Christine Rose https://amzn.to/3fkIdkp
Nicknames: Past and Present by Christine Rose https://amzn.to/3q6Ln1a What Did They
Mean by That? By Paul Drake https://amzn.to/3r7vkiK10:17 African American Research:
The Best of Reclaiming Kin by Robyn N. Smith https://amzn.to/31CnQvx
A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors by Franklin Carter Smith and Emily Anne Croom https://amzn.to/3JT3jnS
Directory of African American Religious Bodies – Howard University https://amzn.to/3q3VLXw
Ari Wilkins – African American Researcher – https://www.blackgenesis.com
SOME ADDITIONAL BOOKS:
These missed the show, but I just ordered them – one on land grants, land grants and deeds are essential for genealogy research, the other on tax lists, another frequently overlooked resource for difficult genealogy problems.
Military Bounty Land, 1776-1855 by Christine Rose – https://amzn.to/3GqIwG9
The Genealogist’s Guide to Researching Tax Records by Carol Cooke Darrow and Susan Winchester – https://amzn.to/3trx3Cu
Ancestry Consulting by Aimee 