You might think that taking the time to build a plan for your genealogy research takes the fun out of it. And many years ago, I would have been inclined to agree with you. But honestly, wandering around aimlessly and coming across the same records over and over again really isn't fun after awhile, is it?

We get to this point in our research where we keep circling the same records and databases hoping that something will magically appear. After awhile, we get bored and/or frustrated and simply...

Did you know that I transcribe every genealogy record I find? This may seem like overkill, but it has made a world of difference in my genealogy research. Why? Because it forces me to slow down and actually read every word a record has to offer, and that alone, is what leads to the answers I seek (or at least clues that put me on the right path to the answer). Plus, I get a readable digital copy that I can annotate with notes, questions, observations, and hypotheses.

Here are my top four tips...

Finding the cemetery where an ancestor is buried can be tricky for any number of reasons. Many times, there’s simply no record to indicate where the person is buried so it becomes a guessing game as to which cemeteries to look in.

So how do you begin your search?

Well, first you need to identify what cemeteries were in operation at the time and in the place where the person was likely buried.

Okay, so how do you do that?

In this article I’ll share three simple strategies you can...

Do you have a looming brick wall in your path that you just can’t seem to find a way to break through? In this article I want to talk about one of my favorite strategies for brick wall busting. It’s the FAN Club, sometimes also referred to as cluster research. I’ve used this strategy on numerous projects for myself and for my clients, and have been helping my Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy students learn how to implement this strategy to solve their tough research...

I get it...genealogy research can be overwhelming. We have a gazillion ancestors that we want to do proud by learning about their lives and sharing their stories. But, we only have so much time in our busy lives to dedicate to our genealogy endeavor. So how can we find a balance that allows us to do research without getting overwhelmed by it? In this article I’ll share with you the top three ways I ditch the overwhelm and make my research sessions more productive, even if I only have a...