Why Do You Do Genealogy?

Genealogy might be a hobby that you are passionate about, and your favorite way to pass the time. Have you ever taken a moment to think about what, exactly, compelled you to start doing genealogy? What fuels your desire to continue? The answers to these questions may be very personal, and will be different for each genealogist. You might do genealogy because you are searching for an answer. If you were adopted, you might be searching for your birth parents, and wondering if you have any half-siblings. If you gave a child up for adoption, you might be doing some … Continue reading →

Genealogy For Homeschoolers

Genealogy is a great topic for adults and children alike. If you are a parent who is homeschooling your children, you may want to include some family history lessons in your curriculum. There are quite a few ways that you can do this, and there are options available for children of all ages. One fun way to explore your family’s heritage is to make a family scrapbook. There are so many fun scrapbooking supplies available, and when you add these to the boxes and boxes of old photos that you have sitting around, you have the makings of something great. … Continue reading →

Genealogy Research Can Be Confusing

Putting together your family tree can be confusing. I think this is one of the reasons why many people who are new to genealogy become frustrated. Sometimes, it can be like trying to put together a puzzle. Except, you don’t actually have all the pieces to this particular puzzle. You haven’t seen the full picture of what it should look like after it all comes together. This might be your very first time attempting to put together a puzzle of this type, and there are no instructions to be found. It’s no wonder that this confuses people! Your family tree … Continue reading →

What Are Your Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions?

A lot of people are going to be making New Year’s Resolutions today. Whether their resolutions for 2011 are health related, travel related, or simply a promise to themselves to stop procrastinating, there is something about having a brand new year ahead of you that inspires people to better themselves. What are your genealogy related New Year’s Resolutions? I can share with you a few of my genealogy related New Year’s resolutions. One involves scrapbooking. I literally have a box of photographs that document a trip that my husband and I took halfway across the United States that I’ve been … Continue reading →

Reasons Why You Should Join A Genealogy Group

Are you part of a genealogy group? Sometimes, it can be nice to be around a whole group of people who all share the same interest that you do. If you have considered becoming part of a genealogy group, but have been hesitating, perhaps it is time for you to participate in one. There are many reasons why you should consider becoming a part of a genealogy group. October is Family History month. Genealogy is all about learning more about your relatives and ancestors. October is the perfect month to join a genealogy group! It might be exactly the excuse … Continue reading →

Great Reasons to Start Working on Genealogy

Everyone has their own reasons for why they have selected genealogy as their hobby. For some people, it is an innate interest in history that drives them to learn more about their ancestors. Perhaps you have a genealogist in your family, whose research has inspired you to do some digging of your own. Or, maybe you are one of the people who simply finds genealogy interesting and cannot get enough of it. Not everyone automatically finds genealogy to be a satisfying pastime, however. In part, I think this is because most people only have a vague idea about what genealogy … Continue reading →

FamilySearch has Free Online Genealogy Classes

FamilySearch is an extremely popular genealogy website. They recently added 200 million records for genealogists to browse through. If you are new to genealogy, or just interested in learning more about it, you may want to visit the FamilySearch website, and take a free class. FamilySearch, of course, is the genealogy website provided as a service from The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The more I learn about this website, the more impressed I am with the wealth of information that can be found here. The website is free to use, and new information is continually added to … Continue reading →

Top Ten Most Common Canadian Surnames

In 2007 CBS News in Canada published a list of the top ten most common Canadian surnames. They compiled this list by searching through telephone directories that were compiled by a company called infoUSA. This is an unscientific study, and it does not take into account anyone who did not happen to have a telephone number attached to their surname in that year. But, it does give a general idea of what the top ten most common Canadian surnames might be. According to this study, the most common Canadian surname is Li. This name has Chinese origin. It might mean … Continue reading →

The Top Ten Most Common French Surnames

Did someone in your family speak French as a first language? As you put together your family tree, you may have discovered ancestors who emigrated from France to the United States. The most common French surname is Martin. This name is derived from the first name Martinus, which is Latin. Martinus refers to the Roman god of fertility and war, who was named Mars. There was a popular 4th-century saint named Martin of Tours, who was very popular with people who lived in Europe during the Middle ages. It is possible that the surname Martin was adopted by people who … Continue reading →

The Ten Most Common German Surnames

One of my grandmothers had the last name of Steinberg before she got married. Her last name didn’t even make the list of the top fifty most common German surnames. She spoke a little German, and I remember to this day several of the phrases she often used. In other words, even if your surname is not one of the top ten most common German surnames, you might still have some German heritage. All surnames have their own, specific, meanings behind the name. Sometimes, surnames refer to the way a person looks. Others are patronymic, which means they derive from … Continue reading →