May/June 2022

Family Tree

The Leading Family History Magazine

Family Tree1 min read
Family Tree
Editor Andrew Koch Art Director Julie Barnett New Media Editor Rachel Christian eLearning Producer Amanda Epperson Contributing Editors Lisa A. Alzo, Rick Crume, David A. Fryxell, Nancy Hendrickson, Sunny Jane Morton, Maureen A. Taylor VP Production
Family Tree1 min read
Tree Talk
Correction: The Texas Research Guide in our March/April 2022 issue (page 37) incorrectly implied that the Battle of the Alamo took place during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). In fact, the battle took place in 1836 and was part of the earlier T
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Join Our Community!
Genealogy how-to downloads and videos, plus PDF back-issues of Family Tree Magazine Detailed online courses and webinars full of expert advice about key research subjects Our membe
Family Tree2 min read
Out On A Limb
It’s finally here! By the time you’re reading this, the 1950 census will have been released online. Records will even be keyword-searchable, though the indexes may not have the level of accuracy you’re accustomed to. Our full guide to the census is o
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Military Yearbooks Wanted
SUBSCRIPTION MILITARY RECORDS website Fold3 is inviting the public to help expand its collection of digitized military yearbooks and unit histories. These often offer unique insights into military life and are especially valuable for t
Family Tree2 min read
Tales Of The Dead
The video-sharing app TikTok is primarily known for dance-and stunt-related videos, mostly for teenagers and young adults. So how did 35-year-old Caitlin Abrams (@manicpixiemom, ) earn more than 2 milli
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Reclaim The Records Publishes N.j. Birth Indexes
Open-records advocacy group Reclaim the Records successfully lobbied for the release of an estimated 1.7 million New Jersey birth records, now available online at the free Internet Archive . The records, c
Family Tree1 min read
Find a Grave Updates Policies
Responding to longstanding requests for greater sensitivity to grieving relatives, the free gravestone website Find a Grave has updated its policy regarding memorials for the recently deceased. Effective 12 January 2022, those w
Family Tree1 min read
Profile: The Virtual Genealogical Association
The Virtual Genealogical Association (VGA) got a makeover in 2022. “When Katherine Willson formed VGA in 2018, it was a unique entity providing benefits of a local society, but virtually,” says new president Jeanette Shelig
Family Tree2 min read
Summer of Love
Now that we finally have our hands on the 1950 US Federal census, the 1950 census enumerator instructions are a must-have. This 24-page booklet is the key to understanding information entered by enumera tors. One example: A notation of REG indicates
Family Tree11 min read
Nothing But the Truth
Almost every family has them: cherished stories of ethnic origins, relationships to someone famous, or connections to important historical events. The list can go on and on. While they may be attractive—indeed, they may have been what lured you into
Family Tree1 min readCrime & Violence
Branchingout
“THE ACTUAL ENUMERATION SHALL BE MADE within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” ̇ Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S.Const
Family Tree11 min read
The Great Comet Of 1950
The release of a US census is akin to the coming of a great genealogical comet: A new one comes only once every 10 years. Family historians anxiously await its arrival. When it finally appears, it can be exhilarating. As of 1 April 2022, one such com
Family Tree6 min read
Arkansas
A STATE OF DIVERSITY, ARKANSAS AND ITS SIX distinct regions attracted a variety of travelers, settlers, developers and economic mainstays. For those with ancestors from Arkansas, genealogical adventures await. Spaniard Hernando de Soto led the first
Family Tree1 min read
Timeline
Spaniard De Soto’s expedition enters Arkansas France claims the Mississippi River Valley; four years later, Arkansas Post is founded France cedes Louisiana Territory to Spain The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France, who had re
Family Tree7 min read
One Tree To Rule Them All
As genealogists, we enjoy days filled with research and discovery. Our quests take us to distant archives and the far reaches of the internet. This searching can generate a wide variety of data and documents—so much, in fact, that managing, storing,
Family Tree1 min read
Toolkit
Cyndi’s List: Arkansas The Encyclopedia of Arkansas FamilySearch Research Wiki: Arkansas Linkpendium: Arkansas
Family Tree5 min read
Michigan
TWO PENINSULAS MAKE UP THE “GREAT LAKES State” that straddles both the largest group of freshwater lakes and the Canada-US border. Whether your family members were “Yoopers” from the Upper Peninsula or residents of the state’s famous Motor City, thes
Family Tree1 min read
Timeline
French missionary Jacques Marquette founds Sault Ste. Marie on the“Upper Peninsula” of Michigan The French found Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which becomes modern Detroit Ownership of French lands in North America passes from France to Great Britai
Family Tree10 min readCrime & Violence
Case Closed
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains references to rape, sexual violence and murder. Reader discretion is advised. The “Golden State Killer,” who was responsible for at least 13 murders and 45 rapes throughout California in the 1970s and 1980s, elu
Family Tree1 min read
Toolkit
Cyndi’s List: Michigan FamilySearch Research Wiki: Michigan Linkpendium: Michigan Michigan Biographical Index
Family Tree1 min read
Find Your U.S. Ancestors
Each state-by-state guide includes: • How-to tutorials for finding records Notes on how and when key documents were kept in the state, including vital records, state censuses and land records • Historical summaries and timelines Narrative history wit
Family Tree8 min read
Let Ring Freedom
Everyone has their “go-to” record collection for research. But what do you do once you’ve looked at it? You see a name, identify your ancestor, and maybe gain other details like a location or date. What do you do next? How does finding information on
Family Tree1 min read
Treetips
BROADEN YOUR DEFINITION OF GENEALOGY “RECORDS.” Your research shouldn’t end at censuses and vital records. Think bigger—consider any document that might have mentioned your ancestor, or that grants insight into how they lived. This issue includes a g
Family Tree1 min readAmerican Government
Post-Civil War Timeline
March 3: With the end of the Civil War in sight, Congress charters the Freedmen’s Bureau, intended to operate for one year April 9: Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia surrender at Appomattox Court House. Additional Confederate surrenders
Family Tree8 min read
Directories
Ever wish you could find out what your family was doing between the decennial US census enumerations? You can. City directories and similar listings provide a regular—usually, annual or biannual—glimpse into the everyday lives of your ancestors, from
Family Tree1 min read
At a Glance: City Directories
Citation: W.A. Greenough & Co., New Bedford… Directory of the Inhabitants, Business Firms, Institutions, Streets, Societies (Boston: W.A. Greenough & Co., 1875), page 33, images online, Internet Archive (http://archive.org: accessed 4 March 2022). ■
Family Tree2 min read
IGG At A GLANCE
You can use the same investigative genetic genealogy process in your own research. Here’s an example from my own family, in which I use IGG methods to determine how I’m related to a DNA match. My father has a match named Patrick on both AncestryDNA a
Family Tree2 min readInternet & Web
Finding Resources with ArchiveGrid
1 To search for an archive in a specific place, use the search bar on the home page and choose the place you want. Now you can zoom in and out to look at the kinds of repositories that are near the cities or places where your family lived. You can cl
Family Tree2 min read
Saving Books and Magazines
1 Don’t pile—elevate. A quote attributed to Dr. Seuss advises, “Fill your house with stacks of books/In all the crannies and all the nooks. Seuss knew a thing or two about storing books—cool, dark crannies and nooks (including bookshelves, closets, c
Family Tree1 min read
Viva Italia
Have a photo mystery you’d like Maureen to investigate? Email FamilyTree@Yankeepub.com with your photo, any line, and your question may be selected for a future issue. Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Family Photo Detective (Family Tree Books). ■
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Vital Record Resources
1 Child Welfare Information Giveaway: Ordering Birth and/or Adoption Records The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provides this resource page as part of the Child Welfare Information Get
Family Tree3 min read
Now What?
Q I didn’t get any DNA samples from my parents for analysis before they died. Is there a good source of DNA to leave behind for my daughters, such as a blood spot or hair? A Scientists have reported that DNA molecules can last for over 1 million year
Family Tree1 min read
Get Organized
Track which censuses your ancestors would have appeared in—and if you’ve found them yet! In each issue, Your Turn offers a form that’ll help you preserve your family’s unique stories and organize your research. Tear out and use the form or make a pho
Family Tree2 min read
Testing Children
Q there any genealogical value in having kids/grandkids tested? A Absolutely yes. But maybe not for the reason you think. If you’ve tested yourself, then your children and grandchildren’s DNA are completely irrelevant to your research. After all, you
Family Tree2 min read
Deciphering An Old Deed
Deed from Essex, Mass. Most deeds, like this 1658 one from Essex, Mass., are fairly formulaic. Learning their anatomy, a few legal terms and some old writing quirks will help you decipher them. 1 Most deeds start with introductory language such as “K
Family Tree2 min read
Land Records
1 KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. You’ll need to know your ancestor’s name, about when the purchase occurred, and the county the property was in at the time. It may help to know the subdivision name and the property’s lot number; look on a plat map or
Family Tree3 min read
Land Records Glossary
• aliquot parts: In the Public Land or Rectangular Survey System, a description for an exact subdivision of a setion of land using directions and fractions, for example, “W ½ SE ¼” represents the west half of the southeast quarter of a section. • bou
Family Tree2 min read
Public Lands
Before state-land states became US territories, entities such as colonial governments surveyed and distributed their land. These states used the metes-and-bounds survey system, which described property boundaries using compass directions, distances,
Family Tree2 min read
Timeline Of Us Expansion And Settlement
1618 The headright system, in which land is granted to those who sponsor immigrants’ passage, is established in Jamestown. 1763 A British royal proclamation establishes the British Indian Reserve, limiting the settlement of Europeans to Crown-claimed
Family Tree1 min read
Us Territorial Acquisitions
NATIONAL ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES, US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. ACCESSED IN 2007 ■
Family Tree1 min read
Citing Land Records
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records Cyndi’

Family Tree

More Issues From Family Tree