In Podcast Episode 40: Success with 20th Century Census Records, I found three different spellings for John Curry in three censuses. Surprising because Curry is only five letters long! What did I use instead of his name to help track him through the census? What identifiers … [Read more...] about Four Ways to Track People Thru the 20th Century
Genealogy Records
Four Ways to Analyze a Death Certificate
The Pennsylvania death certificate evolved since it began 115 years ago. Yet there are four areas researchers want to pay extra attention to get the most of this genealogy record. Informant In the rush to see the deceased parents' names and birth places, many people skip … [Read more...] about Four Ways to Analyze a Death Certificate
Six Steps to Research Your Rural PA Ancestors
The one area of Pennsylvania genealogy research most people need help in is rural PA in the 1700's and early 1800's. The lack of modern birth, marriage, and death records along with a census that only names heads of households, grinds research to a halt. Below is the summary … [Read more...] about Six Steps to Research Your Rural PA Ancestors
PA Newspaper Collections
The citizens of Pennsylvania published almost 10,000 different newspapers over the past 300 years. The good news for family history researchers is that many newspapers are digitized and online. You can search them from the comfort of your own home anytime. Digitized newspapers … [Read more...] about PA Newspaper Collections
Ultimate Guide to Genealogy Websites
When it comes to researching Pennsylvania records, which major genealogy website is best? I examined the four largest aggregators of genealogy records - Ancestry, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, FamilySearch - and share what records they have for family historians. Genealogists seek … [Read more...] about Ultimate Guide to Genealogy Websites