Hunting for ancestors has been a passion of mine for decades! I started in High School and have continued to research on and off over time. However, with the advent of computers and online access to a multitude of databases, in the last twenty years, or so, my research has been more on than off!
What is great about researching your family is that it can be done over a long period of time and one can invest (time or cash) as much or as little as they want. Now with the added factor of DNA into genealogy, people are more curious about their heritage…not to mention all the TV shows out there that focus on genealogy.
Working on your own genealogy does not have to cost a bundle…in fact there are many free research sites you can use to get you going!
Helpful free sites:
FamilySearch
Find A Grave
Massachusetts Vital Records
Boston Public Library (gives a free e-card to Massachusetts residents)
Roots Web
General Geneaolgy…thoughts, hints and family stories
| Where To Start? How to begin researching your family tree. _____________________ |  | Where to Start? |
| A discussion on how people selected names for their children. _____________________ |  | New England Naming Conventions |
| How to use Google to help build your family tree. ____________________ |  | Google: A Wonderful Research Tool |
| A discussion regarding two brick walls, and how they were resolved. ____________________ |  | Braking Down a Brick Wall |
| How to resolve two people with the same name. _____________________ |  | A Tale of Two Huldahs |
| Using a variety of sources to find information of family. ______________________ |  | The Abel Prior Story |
| A discussion about how name titles were commonly used in early New England. _____________________ |  | More Naming Conventions |
| Secondary Sources are great for finding out more information on an ancestor, but studying the source first to assess it for accuracy is important. _____________________ |  | Beware! Secondary Sources often Lie! |
| How a planning a walking tour lead to an interesting genealogical discovery. ___________ |  | Genealogy Research Uncovers a Unique Neighborhood |
| FamilySearch Family Trees- Contributing or Not. Things to think about |  | FamilySearch Family Trees |
| The benefits of using charts & timelines to help your research |  | Charts and Timelines to Level-up your searches |
| Using Census Records to grow your family tree |  | Using census records to Maximize your searches |
| A Discussion about other places you can search to find information on your ancestors |  | More Breaking Down Brick Walls |
My DNA Journey:
| The emotional dangers of DNA. People often take this test to learn about their heritage, but then find unknown family members. _____________________ |  | Warning! DNA Results Ahead! |
| Learning to use DNA to answer a genealogical question. _____________________ |  | DNA Journey of Discovery |
| Learning the many ways DNA can help find answers. _____________________ |  | DNA- The Gift that Keeps on Giving! |
| Learning a new technique to sort and understand DNA Matches. ____________________ |  | Learning About Leeds Charts |
| How using DNA uncovered genealogical information on the Kearney family. _____________________ |  | Searching for Kearneys |
| Building a large family tree helps to understand your DNA matches _____________________ |  | Building a large DNA match tree |
| Kathy had a family mystery. She wanted to know who was the identity of her birth grandfather _____________________ |  | Mystery Man no Longer a Mystery |
| Genealogy Conferences are places to hone your research skills. One DNA conference changed my mind and opened up a new research world for me. ____________________ |  | Genealogy Conferences |
Laurie L. Kearney 