‘Tis the season to be jolly and delve into the world of family history! If you have a genealogist in your life (or if you’re one yourself), you know the joy that comes from uncovering the stories of ancestors. This holiday season, consider these ten holiday gifts for genealogists. From tech tools to personalized treasures, this list has something for every family tree enthusiast. *Note: These are not affiliate links, and I do not earn any money by sharing what I think are great gift ideas that will put you on the nice list! 1. DNA Test Kit: Expand Your Family Tree with New DNA Matches DNA tes ..read more

The 2023 National Genealogical Society Conference is just around the corner. I’m so excited to be presenting in person on Friday, June 2, at 8:00 AM and Saturday, June 3rd at 2:30 PM. Squatters on George Washington’s Land — Pennsylvania and Virginia’s Overlapping Colonial Land Claims Session Number: F204 Long before significant settlement occurred in present-day western Pennsylvania, the French, British, and Native Americans claimed the land west of the Allegheny Mountains. Even among the British, boundary disputes between Pennsylvania and Virginia lasted until 1780, affecting settl ..read more

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center My family and I were traveling through Indiana last month, and researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center has been on my bucket list for some time. They have the second largest collection of genealogy resources (second only to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah). With over 1.2 million physical items and over 5 million digital items in their collection, I thought I’d share my tips that will be helpful for a first-time visitor. Prepare in Advance As with visiting any library or repository, the more you prepare in a ..read more

I am so excited to announce that MACY’s Genealogy now has a YouTube channel. I have filming and editing experience from high school and college, so this is not completely new to me. But I had a bit of a learning curve choosing and learning new software. It has been fun, but please be patient as I’m sure the quality will improve with more experience. My goal with the channel is to add the visual “how-to” that can be challenging by blogging only. So, when I think of a topic that would benefit from a video, I’ll create that content as well. Links to relevant videos will be included in blog posts ..read more

Update: The Pennsylvania State Archives will no longer require an appointment effective 6 April 2022! They will be open to researchers Wednesday – Friday 9 am – 4 pm. Like many archives around the country, the Pennsylvania Archives closed to researchers during the pandemic and recently reopened by appointment only. Even though in-person access is limited, many Pennsylvania Archives Online Resources are available. The trick is determining where to look. Below are some of the digitized collections that I use frequently Military Records The Pennsylvania Archives hosts many of its own military rec ..read more

Most genealogists start with a mild interest in their family’s history, which quickly leads to a full-blown passion. Unfortunately, in our inexperienced enthusiasm, we don’t know what we don’t know. It’s a classic Dunning-Kruger scenario, and at some point near the “Valley of Despair,” you realize that you need to fix your family tree. Early on, while we’re on the peak of “Mount Stupid,” we make assumptions and mistakes. We copy or import family trees, assuming the tree owner must have information that we didn’t. We accept records and hints without careful study, only to come to the shocking ..read more

Land records are a very valuable source for genealogy research. Deeds and other land records place a person in a particular location at a particular time. They identify neighbors and can establish a community. Sometimes deeds directly identify family members. But many people shy away from using them. In the past, land records were difficult to access. Once you got to the county courthouse and pulled out the dusty books, you faced a confusing index. Or worse yet, you didn’t find what you were looking for because the deed was indexed under another party’s name. And then the handwriting and the t ..read more

The holidays are approaching, and for many of us, that means spending time with family. These get-togethers may be a prime opportunity to interview family for your genealogy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard statements like, “I wish I asked my grandma about…,” or “I wasn’t interested in genealogy when my granddad was still alive. He would tell us these stories, but I can’t remember the details.” Family members from earlier generations can provide information that may not be available to the public yet. They may also provide information that won’t show up in public records. The infor ..read more

What exactly is the “U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900” collection on Ancestry.com? Perhaps this collection appeared as a hint on your tree. You accepted it, grateful that some entity was recording marriages in your ancestor’s home long ago. I know I did when I was new to using Ancestry.com. I wasn’t new to genealogy, but I thought this robust aggregator of information must have access to official records that I didn’t. If some entity recorded marriages in a variety of countries for over 300 years, it would certainly cause the genealogy community to do a collective happy danc ..read more

Anyone starting a new hobby, including genealogy, should ask, “How much will it cost?” And anyone who has been doing genealogical research for a while knows that the costs can quickly add up. From subscription services, fees for record copies, travel to do on-site research, DNA tests, courses, institutes…genealogy can be an expensive past-time! I also highly recommend a number of free and low-cost resources. Some may decide that it is time to hire a professional genealogist. This may be because they’ve hit a brick wall, or because traveling to the location to research is not feasible. It may ..read more