Genealogists may know a lot about their ancestors. There are many ways to collect facts about when that person lived, or died, or got married. It’s not as easy to discover interesting stories about that person’s life, or how your relative touched the lives of others. Unless, of course, someone has created a digital memorial for that person. This is a growing trend. Traditionally, if you want to know more about a particular ancestor’s or relative’s life, you would attempt to locate certain types of sources. You can learn a lot about a person from reading his or her obituary. … Continue reading →

Have you ever kept a diary? Chances are if you have, you have either still got it hidden safely away or you have lost, misplaced, or otherwise parted ways with it. Whether you begin keeping a diary now or simply hold onto one that you wrote years ago, your diary or diaries could someday be a rich source of information for future generations of your family. While we may go about our daily business thinking that there is nothing extraordinary or fascinating about how we pass our days, other people whether present or future would beg to differ. Just think … Continue reading →

Just as not all writers are genealogists, not all genealogists are writers. What, then, is a genealogist to do if he or she is not a writer yet wishes to write his or her family history? The first thing that you can do is to dismiss the idea that since you are not much of a “writer”, you cannot write your family history. That is simply not true. In fact, who better to write the family history than you? You are uniquely qualified in that you have done all the research and you know the information inside and out. Once … Continue reading →

If you are interested in genealogy, chances are that you are just as interested in the family histories of other people as you are in your own. There is just something about family histories that pulls you in and leaves you wanting to learn more. Perhaps this is due to the possibility that we all descended from a very small group of ancestors very far back in time, or from the notion that even by going back just a few generations on a pedigree chart you can see your connection to a group of people that can be quite large. … Continue reading →

Lighthouses are interesting! Many people, like my sister, have an interest in lighthouses. People tend to include a visit to a nearby lighthouse into their vacation plans. There are people who buy dinner plates that have lighthouses pictured on them, as well as other lighthouse decorations for their home. But, what about the lighthouse keepers? Genealogists may want to take a look at the records kept by the keeper of the lighthouse. Lighthouses are located along the coastlines, all around the United States. The original purpose of these uniquely shaped and designed buildings was to help prevent boats from crashing … Continue reading →