It was exciting to work on the Tim McGraw episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?”. A lot of hard work went into determining which stories could be used from the research conducted by ProGenealogists (a Division of Ancestry.com), Ancestry.com, ShedMedia, and some local researchers. Southern States work is not easy and numerous records [...]

I felt that Rosie O’Donnell did an amazing job on TV during her quest to learn more about her ancestry. I could tell from the beginning that she really wanted this; that she had questions about who she was. As she continued to ask many of the right questions during the show, she gradually uncovered the truth about [...]

1. Where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah!
2. What initially got you interested in family history?
An American Heritage class I took my freshman year of college. We were asked to write a paper on our first ancestor to come to the United States. I knew who was the first to [...]

What is a “conditional baptism”?
Consider the language of the following baptismal record from 1913 in Quebec Province, Canada:
“We, the undersigned parish priest, have received the abjuration from heresy of _____, Protestant, adult: also her profession of the Roman Catholic Faith. We have given conditional baptism and absolution.”
This individual was a Protestant being received into the [...]

I recently posted a short article relating why ProGenealogists is the ideal research team to take on our clients’ British ancestry projects. I’ve been meaning to put a brief article online on this topic for a while. At ProGenealogists, we’re invested in helping people make the next step in their family history. We find that [...]

One of the key tasks of every professional, especially in the field of genealogy, is to help the client understand exactly what the professional, or the firm, can do for them. On occasion, the client needs to be reminded that they chose to engage the professional because that professional knows more about the situation (in [...]

Occasionally when discussing NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” with other genealogy enthusiasts they express dismay that only celebrities are featured on the show. Usually these people find it ironic and maybe a little unfair that celebrities like Tim McGraw (who will be featured this Friday at 8/7 central), Steve Buscemi and Rosie O’Donnell [...]

In a day and age where Hollywood constantly rewards mediocrity with ridiculous TV shows that highlight ignorance (i.e. an incompetent and spoiled Jersey girl named Snooky (yes really, that is her name) or a teen that has found herself in the unfortunate circumstance of getting pregnant and landing a TV deal for it), it is [...]

This morning I did something that I’ve never done before. I printed an Application for License to Marry from the Salt Lake Couty Clerk’s website and filled out my half, the bride’s half, of the form. I am getting married soon, you see, and my fiancé and I are getting our marriage license today.
As I carefully printed [...]