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 […]
Author: Kenneth R Marks
Kenneth R Marks was born and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area, receiving a BS in Mathematics in 1968. His career was in Information Technology; with the last 20 Years as a software executive with Boeing, Pearson, and NASA. His genealogy career began in 2004. He is an expert in newspaper research for genealogy, as well as additional genealogy topics. He regularly conducts webinars on the subject and has authored three genealogy books. See the About page for more details.
The Ancestor Hunt, founded in 2008, is focused on helping genealogy and family history researchers of all skill levels to achieve their goals, by providing links to free online genealogy collections, and search tips and techniques, largely via easy-to-understand Quick Reference Guides.
Are you doing Massachusetts genealogy research and looking for Free Online Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts’ Genealogy Resources […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Russian given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Agafya Agaf. Alexander Alex. Alexandra Alex. Alyona Al. Anastasia Anast. Anatoly Anat. Andrei Andr. Anna Ann. Anton Ant. […]
The names surrounding your ancestor in a record may reveal relationships and connections that the record never explains. Names appearing around your ancestor in a record are easy to treat as supporting characters. A witness signs the document. An informant supplies the information. Then our attention goes immediately back to the ancestor. But those seemingly […]
Whether a husband’s naturalization made his wife a U.S. citizen depended on when it happened—the law changed dramatically in 1922. The Myth When an immigrant man became a naturalized U.S. citizen, his wife automatically became a citizen too. For many years, that was generally true. But it was not true throughout American history and applying […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Romanian given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Adela Ad. Adelina Adel. Adriana Adr. Alexandra Alx. Alexandru Al. Alina Alin. Ana A. Anca Anc. Andreea Andr. […]
Are you doing District of Columbia genealogy research and looking for Free Online District of Columbia 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 […]
A marriage license gave a couple permission to marry—it did not prove that the marriage ever took place The Myth Finding a marriage license for two ancestors can seem like conclusive evidence that they were married. The document may contain their names, ages, residences, and other information, along with an official date and the authorization […]
Given Name Abbreviations Historical records, newspapers, and family documents often use abbreviated given names rather than the full name. Understanding common Portuguese given name abbreviations can help you locate records that might otherwise be overlooked. Name Abbreviation Adriana Adr. Aldo Ald. Álvaro Álvr. Amélia Amél. Ana Ana Ângela Ang. Antónia Antón. António Ant. Benjamim Benj. […]
The problem isn’t always finding new records. Sometimes it’s remembering where you’ve already looked. The Insight One of the biggest hidden time-wasters in genealogy isn’t a lack of records—it’s repeating the same searches without realizing it. Without tracking what you’ve already done, it’s easy to circle back to the same databases, the same names, and […]