Most people know more about their family history than they think they do. I often run into clients who assure me that the minimal information they’ve provided is ALL they know. Usually after a brief review of their information, I come up with several questions that I think they can probably answer. They usually can.
I [...]

As a genealogist, I see records everyday of births, marriages, deaths, and of other significant events in the lives of the people I research. Yet, it was not until recently that I started thinking about how significant of an event death can and perhaps even should be.
I had not thought about it much before, because I [...]

We at ProGenealogists thought it would be quite appropriate to celebrate Day of the Dead this year.
Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated by Mexicans every year on November 2 to commemorate their deceased loved ones. Other cultures also have a similar tradition of celebrating their deceased relatives. The Mexican holiday has some connection with  [...]

Last week I noticed that some records I used to be able to access on the FamilySearch Record Search website were no longer available. There was a note that stated they might be available through FamilySearch Beta.  Today I discovered how to access the images on FamilySearch Beta. I am not sure why certain collections [...]

Some of my colleagues love ordering certificates through VitalChek.com. I have had several unpleasant experiences with it in the past, but I have not given up on the idea because it really is amazing when you can get the certificate you need in just a few days rather than the weeks or months it might take to [...]

A couple of weeks ago I got to do some on-site research in Mexico. I was very excited to go down there, but quite nervous as well for several reasons: 1) I was going solo, 2) I was going to places I had never been before, 3) no one was going to  meet me down there, and [...]

Por lo general los registros de la Iglesia Católica son los primeros que se consultan para hacer investigación genealógica en México. Esto es porque es más probable que la familia haya bautizado a sus hijos pocos meses después del nacimiento del niño(a) que los haya registrado con las autoridades civiles. Sin embargo, puede tomar mucho [...]

Generally in Mexican research, Catholic parish records are consulted first because people were more consistent in baptizing their children within a few months of the child’s birth than they were in registering their children’s births with the civil authorities. However, when doing research in big cities, plowing through the hundreds and even thousands of baptismal [...]

It is wonderful that there are so many genealogical databases on the Internet! Each database has different content. Therefore, the information in each is also accessed differently depending on what the search engine allows. I have learned that it is important not to give up on your search, and I’ve learned that I can be smarter than the [...]

Starting a new year can be very exciting! It is often a time to review the events of the year that is past and to look forward to making the New Year all it can be. You can make 2010 a milestone year for your family history. You probably already gathered some new information from [...]