Naming Traditions Across Multiple Cultures By David A. Fryxell In today’s America, where children are named after reality-show stars and parents christen their offspring Khaylee and Jaxon, it’s hard to imagine such a thing as naming traditions. But not that…
17 Types of US Records to Check for Immigrant Ancestors By Sunny Jane Morton Identifying an immigrant ancestor can be both exciting and intimidating. That foreign country listed on a census or in a vital record may finally explain why…
Newspaper Finder: A New Tool for Searching Old Newspapers (Review and Tutorial) By Andrew Koch Newspaper Finder logo over a screenshot from the website Newspapers.com, GenealogyBank, NewspaperArchive, OldNews, Chronicling America … the list of historical newspaper websites goes on and…
5 Tips for Tracing Your Early American Ancestors By Vanessa Wieland Whether you’re celebrating July 4th or simply enjoying a quiet weekend, it’s a great time to dive into researching your early American ancestors. We have plenty of tips and…
Your Guide to Finding Loyalist Ancestors in the American Revolution By Michael L. Strauss Historians estimate that one-fifth of the Colonial population (about 400,000 people) remained loyal to the Crown. Known variously as Loyalists, Royalists, Tories or King’s Men, they…
Stories of the Revolutionary War 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence announced to the world that the United States of America was its own sovereign nation. Though the message was clear, the war to uphold that declaration would last…
Genealogy Q&A: Why your ancestors left Researching European Emigration: How and Why Your Ancestors Left By Melody Amsel-Arieli In this 1901 postcard created by the Hebrew Publishing Company, traditionally dressed Russian Jews stand on European shores as their Americanized relatives…
What Is an NPE? Understanding Unexpected DNA Results June 8, 2026 By: Courtney Eberhard Unexpected DNA results can change how you understand your identity—here’s what NPE means, why DNA surprises happen, and where to turn next. DNA testing often begins…
How to Read and Understand Marriage Bonds By Katharine Andrew A marriage bond filed in North Carolina. Have you ever come across a record called a “marriage bond”? You may associate bonds with getting bailed out of jail. But…
