The other people living under your ancestor’s roof may be telling you something. Boarders, lodgers, servants, relatives, and seemingly unrelated household members can reveal family connections, migration patterns, occupations, and relationships you might otherwise miss. When you find an ancestor in a census, directory, or other household record, it is natural to concentrate on the […]
Your ancestor’s neighbors may have been relatives, friends, coworkers, or fellow migrants—and sometimes researching them can tell you more about your ancestor than another search for the ancestor’s name. Neighbors are easy to overlook in genealogy. We find our ancestor in a census, directory, land record, or other source, extract the information we need, and […]
A record made soon after an event may be excellent evidence—but being first does not automatically make it right. The Myth Genealogists are often taught to favor records created close to the time an event occurred. There is good reason for that. Memories can fade, stories can change, and information recorded decades later may be […]
Are you doing Florida genealogy research and looking for Free Online Florida Genealogy Records? Click on a link for your desired category’s free collection links: NewspapersYearbooksBirthsMarriagesDeathsBMD RecordsAlumni RecordsCemetery RecordsChurch RecordsCoroner RecordsCriminal RecordsDigital ArchivesDirectoriesDivorce RecordsImmigration RecordsInstitutional RecordsMilitary RecordsMortuary RecordsNaturalizationsObituariesPhotosProbate and WillsSchool RecordsTax RecordsVoter Records Good Luck and Happy Hunting! Want All of the Florida’s Genealogy Resources […]
An ancestor’s occupation can reveal far more than how they earned a living—it can point to records, relationships, locations, and major changes in their life. Occupation is one of those details genealogists often collect almost automatically. Farmer. Carpenter. Teacher. Miner. Railroad worker. We add the occupation to our family tree and perhaps enjoy knowing a […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Swedish given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Anders And. Anna A. Åsa Å. Bengt Bgt. Birgitta Birg. Carina Car. Cecilia Cec. Christer Chr. Daniel Dan. […]
A courthouse fire may have destroyed important records—but “burned courthouse” does not automatically mean “nothing survived.” The Myth Few discoveries discourage a genealogist faster than learning that an ancestor lived in a “burned county.” The courthouse burned. Records were destroyed. Therefore, the records you need no longer exist. Sometimes records truly were lost. Fires, floods, […]
An address can be much more than a place where your ancestor lived—it can connect people, records, and different periods of a family’s life. Addresses are among the easiest details in genealogical records to record and forget. We enter a street address into our family tree, note where someone lived, and move on to names, […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Spanish given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Adela Ad. Agustín Agn. Agustina Agn. Alejandra Al. Alejandro Alej. Alfonsa Alf. Alfonso Alf. Amalia Am. Andrés Andr. […]
A military headstone in a cemetery may honor a veteran whose remains are not buried anywhere beneath it. The Myth Finding a veteran’s military headstone or marker in a cemetery seems to answer an obvious genealogical question: This is where the veteran is buried. Usually, a headstone does mark a burial or interment. But the […]