There are more databases online for genealogical research than ever before. Indexing projects are enormous undertakings, and I’m grateful for the massive investments of time and resources that have made them possible.
We know that the spelling of names were often not standardized generations ago, so we know that we should check records for name variations. [...]

I’ve learned a couple of basic genealogy lessons the hard way doing family history research over the years. Learn from my experience and save yourselves time and effort!
Talk to older members of your family. You may find the answers are right in front of you.
For example, my mom had a letter from her grandmother, which [...]

A prospective client posed that important question recently. He wanted to know how the cost of professional research would change if we found that research has already been done. How would he benefit? Part of my answer follows.
It is true in genealogy that we share our ancestors with others and axiomatic that, especially in American [...]

Until about 1845 German emigrants generally chose Antwerp, Rotterdam, or Le Havre as ports of departure.  By the middle of the nineteenth century, entrepreneurs in the north German ports of Bremen and Hamburg realized they could increase their income dramatically by filling ships with emigrants bound for America and other destinations.
The Hamburg Passenger Lists that [...]

In this installment of Genesis of our Genealogists, meet Karina Morales, one of our Case Managers who, among other things, specializes in Mexican, Hispanic, North American, and some Irish research.
INTERVIEW WITH KARINA MORALES
1. Where did you grow up?
I was born in San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, but I grew up in Chicago, Illinois.
2. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]