Ancestry released their 2026 update today.

I'm interested in looking at and tracking patterns across results, so I would love to hear from you! On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being least accurate and 5 being most accurate, how do you feel about your results?

Even if you're not Appalachian or American, I'd still love to hear from you and compare what we are all seeing! 💬

I'll share the results here this weekend.

View Poll

For those of you who have done ANCESTRY DNA, the site just updated its ethnicity algorithm, and I’m really curious what everyone else is getting.

I’m interested in looking at the patterns across Appalachian families and seeing what turns up. If you're willing, drop your results/screenshots and tell me roughly what part of Appalachia your family is from and how many generations they've been here.

I’d love to compare what everyone is seeing. 👀

One of my reports recently updated and I have some new ethnic groups on both the Accurate and Discovery parts of the report. I would like to take a screenshot or download the full report to save for my records as the new results are connected to my Melungeon heritage.

Right now, the only report I can share is the "Balanced" one which doesn't include some of the ethnicities. I have tried on my laptop using Chrome and on mobile using Chrome. Does anyone have a good workaround for this?

Also- the Feedback and Share buttons are not working on the ethnicity composition breakdown on mobile. I have the "Deep Ancestry" report.

Thanks!!

I'm working on StorySitting. We put together this free guide with 52 questions for parents and grandparents, grouped by childhood, family, school, relationships, work and raising children. You can use it without buying anything.

A few starting points: What's the first house you remember? Walk me through the front door. What was a normal weeknight like when the kids were small? Is there a family story that's told differently depending on who tells it?

Pick two or three questions, ask permission before recording, and leave room for tangents. StorySitting itself is a paid AI phone interview service that turns conversations into chapters and keeps the recordings; the questions are free to use yourself.

The Eastern Cherokee Applications are a great genealogy resource. Even if you didn’t grow up with a story about native Americans in your family, some of your family members might have submitted one of these applications, especially if your family was in the Appalachian area c. 1800-1900.

Congress passed a law saying that people of Cherokee descent were entitled to compensation from the US government. 45,847 Applications were filed c. 1906-1907.

These Applications are a genealogical gold mine. The following is from the description of these records at Family Search: (emphasis added)

>The application required each claimant to state fully his or her English and Indian names, residence, age, place of birth, name of husband or wife, name of tribe, and names of children… It further required the English and Indian names of the claimant's parents and grandparents, place of their birth, place of their residence in 1851 if they were living at that time, dates of their death, … Each claimant was also to furnish the names of all brothers and sisters, with their ages and residences, and the names and residences of all uncles and aunts. Applications were required to be made under oath

These applications have been digitized and are freely available on Family Search. The problem is that they do not have a direct computerized index that is easy to use. Even though the records are free, Ancestry has a better index, so we're going to use that.

Here's how to search for and find someone's application. You should start by searching for a family member who was an adult in 1906-07.

Step 1:

On Ancestry open U.S., Records Related to Enrollment of Eastern Cherokee by Guion Miller, 1908-1910 .

Search for your person by name and location (Record Place).

Click through to the image. This is just the index with minimal information. On the left side of the images you will find the Application Number. Note that many application numbers have been truncated on the left by the scanning process: So, what looks like application number 7602 may actually be 17602, or 27602.

Pay attention to any other application numbers mentioned there. They are probably family members and thus relevant to your search. Things like “Cousin of #1234”, or “Sister of #5678”, etc.

Step 2:

On Family Search, visit Eastern Cherokee applications, August 29, 1906 - May 26, 1909 .

This is a large collection of 318 rolls of microfilmed applications. They are poorly indexed, and not directly searchable.

Take the application number you discovered in step 1, and find the microfilm roll that contains that range of application numbers. For example, #17602 would be found in

Application numbers 17601-17750 (NARA Series M1104, Roll 160)

So, on that microfilm roll, click the camera icon, and start looking through the images to find the application you want. Remember, you are not looking for a single page, but an entire file of pages, maybe 4 or 5 pages, or more.

Applications of family members were often submitted together, so take a look at the applications before and after any application you find because those may also be your family.

Step 3:

Congratulations, you found one! Download those pages, or capture the URL of the first page of the application of interest so you can find it again more easily, and can use it as a source. You can now reference it directly.

Eastern Cherokee applications can also appear in Family Search’s full text search results, but it’s kind of hit or miss. The applications are mixed in with a lot of other results. When you do a full text search, the Eastern Cherokee applications appear under the heading United States. Court Records 1906–1909.

I am working on my family tree. I have a revolutionary patriot named Solomon Stone he had a son and great grandson named Noble L. Stone. Between the two Noble Stones is Littleberry Stone born about 1817 in Grundy CO Tennessee. Littleberry was hanged in 1863 in Newton County Arkanas. I have his FG and an 1850 and 1860 census but would love to have more, especially a connection to his father Noble L. Stone. Littleberry was hanged with two other men David Flud and James Smith. The Newton Co Historical Society laid a granite marker in the area.

This is a well documented hanging and maybe some of you from that area are familiar with it or know of local records maybe even books.

He was hanged by the confederates because they thought he was hiding the two other men.

Thank you

Hey everyone, I'm digging into my lineage and trying to break through a stubborn brick wall with my 5th great-grandfather, Alpha (also spelled Alford) Jacobs.

Here is what I have documented so far:

• Marriage: Married Lucy Jane (freq. misspelled as Jean) Faddis on January 5, 1823, in Orange County, North Carolina (Bondsman: Jas. Roney). Lucy's parents are also unknown.
• Migration Trail: The family moved into or was also associated with the following locations: Grayson County, Virginia by 1830 (where their earliest children were born), then to Smyth County, VA, before ultimately settling down in Casey County, Kentucky by 1850.
• Key Children: Mary Ann, Melissa Caroline, Artelia Jane (my 4th GGM), Alpha Jr., James Wood, Andrew C., Martha, John, Francis E., and Josephine.

The Brick Wall: I'm trying to figure out who Alpha and Lucy's parents were, and how they came to be in Casey County, KY. Based on the Orange County marriage records from that era, there's a tight cluster of Jacobs men (like a Solomon marrying in 1810 and James marrying in 1819), but I haven't found the direct link to Alpha's parents.

Has anyone else researched the Jacobs or Faddis families in KY or NC from 1750–1850? Any tips on navigating records for this family group would be hugely appreciated!

Long shot but I’m a descendent of “Jane Cheraw” who married Thomas Etheridge. Although not much of her carried over into me, I’d like to know if any of you are familiar with this tribe and/or family and could tell me more. Her granddaughter was Amy Creech, one of my grandmothers from afar. Their tribe only hosted 510 and by 1768, reduced to around 50, so I’m not giving my hopes up with finding any living descendants or active tribal members being that Saura joined the Catawba Issa Tribe and moved west. Thank you!!

>Archived Resource Note: This list preserves the definitions formerly hosted on the classic USGenNet reference page, which is now defunct; it has been expanded with additional historical medical terms to assist genealogists and historians in deciphering archival death records. Compiled by C. N. Lindsay, 2026.

A – C

• Ablepsy: Blindness
• Ague: Malarial Fever
• American plague: Yellow fever
• Anasarca: Generalized massive edema
• Aphonia: Laryngitis
• Aphtha: The infant disease "thrush"
• Apoplexy: Paralysis due to stroke
• Ascites: Dropsy of the belly; a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity
• Asphycsia / Asphicsia: Cyanotic and lack of oxygen
• Atrophy: Wasting away or diminishing in size
• Bad Blood: Syphilis
• Bilious fever: Typhoid, malaria, hepatitis or elevated temperature and bile emesis
• Biliousness: Jaundice associated with liver disease
• Black plague or death: Bubonic plague
• Black fever: Acute infection with high temperature, dark red skin lesions, and high mortality rate
• Black pox: Black Smallpox
• Black vomit: Vomiting old black blood due to ulcers or yellow fever
• Blackwater fever: Dark urine associated with high temperature
• Bladder in throat: Diphtheria (Seen on death certificates)
• Blood poisoning: Bacterial infection; septicemia
• Bloody flux: Bloody stools
• Bloody sweat: Sweating sickness
• Blue Disease / Blue Baby: Cyanosis due to congenital heart defects
• Bone shave: Sciatica
• Brain fever: Meningitis
• Breakbone: Dengue fever
• Bright's disease: Chronic inflammatory disease of kidneys
• Bronze John: Yellow fever
• Bule: Boil, tumor, or swelling
• Cachexy: Malnutrition
• Cacogastric: Upset stomach
• Cacospysy: Irregular pulse
• Caduceus: Subject to falling sickness or epilepsy
• Camp fever: Typhus (aka Camp diarrhea)
• Canine madness: Rabies, hydrophobia
• Canker: Ulceration of mouth or lips, or herpes simplex
• Catalepsy: Seizures / trances
• Catarrhal: Nose and throat discharge from cold or allergy
• Cerebritis: Inflammation of cerebrum or lead poisoning
• Cerebro-Spinal Fever / Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis: Acute bacterial infection causing severe inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
• Chilblain: Swelling of extremities caused by exposure to cold
• Child bed fever: Infection following birth of a child
• Chin cough: Whooping cough
• Chlorosis: Iron deficiency anemia
• Cholera: Acute severe contagious diarrhea with intestinal lining sloughing
• Cholera morbus: Characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, elevated temperature, etc. (Could be appendicitis)
• Cholecystitus: Inflammation of the gall bladder
• Cholelithiasis: Gall stones
• Chorea: Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions, and dancing
• Cold plague: Ague characterized by chills
• Colic: Abdominal pain and cramping
• Congestive chills: Malaria
• Consumption: Tuberculosis
• Congestion: Any collection of fluid in an organ, like the lungs
• Congestive fever: Malaria
• Corruption: Infection
• Coryza: A cold
• Costiveness: Constipation
• Cramp colic: Appendicitis
• Crop sickness: Overextended stomach
• Croup: Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat
• Cyanosis: Dark skin color from lack of oxygen in blood
• Cynanche: Diseases of the throat
• Cystitis: Inflammation of the bladder

D – H

• Day fever: Fever lasting one day; sweating sickness
• Debility: Lack of movement or staying in bed
• Decrepitude: Feebleness due to old age
• Delirium tremens: Hallucinations due to alcoholism
• Dengue: Infectious fever endemic to East Africa
• Dentition: Cutting of teeth
• Deplumation: Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss
• Diary fever: A fever that lasts one day
• Diptheria: Contagious disease of the throat
• Distemper: Usually animal disease with malaise, discharge from nose and throat, anorexia
• Dock fever: Yellow fever
• Dropsy: Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease
• Dropsy of the Brain: Encephalitis
• Dry Bellyache: Lead poisoning
• Dyscrasy: An abnormal body condition
• Dysentery: Inflammation of colon with frequent passage of mucous and blood
• Dysorexy: Reduced appetite
• Dyspepsia: Indigestion and heartburn (can include heart attack symptoms)
• Dysury: Difficulty in urination
• Eclampsy: Symptoms of epilepsy, convulsions during labor
• Ecstasy: A form of catalepsy characterized by loss of reason
• Edema: Nephrosis; swelling of tissues
• Edema of lungs: Congestive heart failure, a form of dropsy
• Eel thing: Erysipelas
• Elephantiasis: A form of leprosy
• Encephalitis: Swelling of brain (aka sleeping sickness)
• Enteric fever: Typhoid fever
• Enterocolitis: Inflammation of the intestines
• Enteritis: Inflammation of the bowels
• Epitaxis: Nose bleed
• Erysipelas: Contagious skin disease due to Streptococci with vesicular and bulbous lesions
• Extravasted blood: Rupture of a blood vessel
• Falling sickness: Epilepsy
• Fatty Liver: Cirrhosis of liver
• Felon: A severe, painful infection at the end of a finger or an infected hangnail (paronychia)
• Fits: Sudden attack or seizure of muscle activity
• Flux: An excessive flow or discharge of fluid like hemorrhage or diarrhea
• Flux of humour: Circulation
• French pox: Syphilis
• Gathering: A collection of pus
• Glandular fever: Mononucleosis
• Great pox: Syphilis
• Green fever / sickness: Anemia
• Grippe / grip: Influenza-like symptoms
• Grocer's itch: Skin disease caused by mites in sugar or flour
• Heart Sickness: Condition caused by loss of salt from body
• Heat Stroke: Body temperature elevates because of surrounding environment temperature and body does not perspire to reduce temperature
• Hectical Complaint: Recurrent fever
• Hematemesis: Vomiting blood
• Hematuria: Bloody urine
• Hemiplegy: Paralysis of one side of body
• Hip Gout: Osteomyelitis
• Horrors: Delirium tremens
• Hydrocephalus: Enlarged head, water on the brain
• Hydropericardium: Heart dropsy
• Hydrophobia: Rabies
• Hydrothroax: Dropsy in chest
• Hypertrophic: Enlargement of an organ, like the heart

I – P

• Impetigo: Contagious skin disease characterized by pustules
• Inanition: Physical condition resulting from lack of food
• Infantile Paralysis: Polio
• Intestinal colic: Abdominal pain due to improper diet
• Jail Fever: Typhus
• Jaundice: Condition caused by blockage of intestines
• King's Evil: Tuberculosis of neck and lymph glands
• Kruchhusten: Whooping cough
• Lagrippe: Influenza
• Lockjaw: Tetanus or infectious disease affecting muscles of the neck and jaw
• Long Sickness: Tuberculosis
• Lues Disease: Syphilis
• Lues Venera: Venereal disease
• Lumbago: Back pain
• Lung Fever: Pneumonia
• Lung Sickness: Tuberculosis
• Lying in: Time of delivery of infant
• Malignant Sore Throat: Diphtheria
• Mania: Insanity
• Marasmus: Progressive wasting away of body, like malnutrition
• Membranous Croup: Diphtheria
• Meningitis: Inflammation of brain or spinal cord
• Metritis: Inflammation of uterus or purulent vaginal discharge
• Miasma: Poisonous vapors thought to infect the air
• Milk Fever: Disease from drinking contaminated milk, like undulant fever or brucellosis
• Milk Leg: Postpartum thrombophlebitis
• Milk Sickness: Disease from milk of cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds
• Mormal: Gangrene
• Morphew: Scurvy blisters on the body
• Mortification: Gangrene of necrotic tissue
• Myelitis: Inflammation of the spine
• Myocarditis: Inflammation of heart muscles
• Necrosis: Mortification of bones or tissue
• Nephrosis: Kidney degeneration
• Nepritis: Inflammation of kidneys
• Nervous Prostration: Extreme exhaustion from inability to control physical and mental activities
• Neuralgia: Described as discomfort (e.g., headache was neuralgia in head)
• Nostalgia: Homesickness
• Palsy: Paralysis or uncontrolled movement of controlled muscles
• Paroxysm: Convulsion
• Pellagra: A dietary deficiency disease (lack of niacin/vitamin B3) characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia
• Pemphigus: Skin disease of watery blisters
• Pericarditis: Inflammation of the heart
• Peripneumonia: Inflammation of the lungs
• Peritonotis: Inflammation of the abdominal area
• Petechial Fever: Fever characterized by skin spotting
• Phthiriasis: Lice infestation
• Phthisis: Chronic wasting away or a name for tuberculosis
• Plague: An acute febrile highly infectious disease with a high fatality rate
• Pleurisy: Any pain in the chest area with each breath
• Podagra: Gout
• Poliomyelitis: Polio
• Potter's Asthma: Fibroid phthisis
• Pott's Disease: Tuberculosis of the spine
• Puerperal Exhaustion: Death due to childbirth
• Puerperal Fever: Elevated temperature after giving birth to an infant
• Puking Fever: Milk sickness
• Putrid Fever: Diphtheria

Q – Z

• Quinsy: Tonsillitis
• Remitting Fever: Malaria
• Rheumatism: Any disorder associated with pain in joints
• Rickets: Disease of the skeletal system
• Rose Cold: Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy
• Rotanny Fever: (Child's disease)
• Rubeola: German measles
• Sanguineous Crust: Scab
• Scarlatina: Scarlet fever
• Scarlet Fever: A disease characterized by red rash
• Scarlet Rash: Roseola
• Sciatica: Rheumatism in the hips
• Scirrhus: Cancerous tumors
• Scotomy: Dizziness, nausea, and dimness of sight
• Scrivener's palsy: Writer's cramp
• Screws: Rheumatism
• Scrofula: Tuberculosis of neck lymph glands (progresses slowly with abscesses and fistulas)
• Scrumpox: Skin disease, impetigo
• Scurvy: Lack of vitamin C (weakness, spongy gums, hemorrhages under skin)
• Senile Decay / Natural Decay: A common historical euphemism on death certificates meaning death caused by old age
• Septicemia: Blood poisoning
• Seven Year Itch: Scabies, a contagious skin infestation by mites
• Shakes: Delirium tremens
• Shaking: Chills, ague
• Shingles: Viral disease with skin blisters
• Ship Fever: Typhus
• Siriasis: Inflammation of the brain due to sun exposure
• Sloes: Milk sickness
• Smallpox: Contagious disease with fever and blisters
• Softening of brain: Result of stroke or hemorrhage in the brain
• Sore Throat Distemper: Diphtheria or quinsy
• Spanish Influenza: Epidemic influenza
• Spasms: Sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles
• Spina Bifida: Deformity of the spine
• Spotted Fever: Either typhus or meningitis
• Sprue: Tropical disease characterized by intestinal disorders and sore throat
• St. Anthony's Fire: Erysipelas (named for bright red appearance of affected skin)
• St. Vitus Dance: Ceaseless occurrence of rapid, complex jerking movements performed involuntarily
• Stomatitis: Inflammation of the mouth
• Stranger's Fever: Yellow fever
• Strangery: Rupture
• Sudor Anglicus: Sweating sickness
• Summer Complaint: Diarrhea, usually in infants caused by spoiled milk
• Sunstroke: Uncontrolled elevation of body temperature due to environmental heat
• Swamp Sickness: Could be malaria, typhoid, or encephalitis
• Sweating Sickness: Infectious and fatal disease common to the UK in the 15th century
• Tetanus: Infectious disease characterized by high fever, headache, and dizziness
• Thrombosis: Blood clot inside a blood vessel
• Thrush: Childhood disease characterized by spots on mouth, lips, and throat
• Tick Fever: Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Toxemia of Pregnancy: Eclampsia
• Trench Mouth: Painful ulcers found along gum line, caused by poor nutrition and hygiene
• Tussis Convulsiva: Whooping cough
• Typhus: Infectious fever characterized by high fever, headache, and dizziness
• Variola: Smallpox
• Venesection: Bleeding
• Viper's Dance: St. Vitus Dance
• Water on Brain: Enlarged head
• White Swelling: Tuberculosis of the bone
• Winter Fever: Pneumonia
• Womb Fever: Infection of the uterus
• Worm Fit: Convulsions associated with teething, worms, elevated temperature, or diarrhea
• Yellowjacket: Yellow fever

US GenNet. (n.d.). Old disease names frequently found on death certificates. U.S. GenNet Historical and Genealogical Project. Retrieved July 20, 2026, fromhttp://www.usgennet.org/usa/ar/county/greene/olddiseases1.htm
(Archived at the Wayback Machine).

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a resource that I found recently, a RootsWeb site for Appalachian Mountain Families. On this site, you will find a full list of family surnames with GEDCOM files showing ancestral lineage for families from the Appalachian Region.

While I was unable to view them in my browser, I was able to download the .zip files individually.

Families included in this database:

• Allen and Hammett Family History by Dennis Allen
• Collins & Spencer Family History by Brenda Collins Dillon
• David Copeland Family History by William Martin
• Creasy Family History by Jo Martin
• Marian Douglas Family History by Marian Douglas
• East Family History by Jo Martin
• Ellis Family History by Jo Martin
• Dwaine Goodwin Family History by Dwaine Goodwin
• Halbert Family History by Jo Martin
• Hill Family History by Jo Martin
• Hunter Family History by Jo Martin
• Inman Family History by Jo Martin
• Jackson Family History by Jo Martin
• Jessup Family History by Jo Martin
• Kloski Family History by Anelle McCarty Kloski
• Long Family History by Jo Martin
• Love Family History by Jo Martin
• Martin Family History by Jo Martin
• Samuel Martin Family History by William Martin
• Moorefield Family History by Jo Martin
• David Nutter Family History by William Martin
• NW Georgia Family History by Larry Camp
• Petree Family History by Jo Martin
• Pittman Family History by Jo Martin
• W. Shelton Family History by Jo Martin
• Slaughter Family History by Anyta Slaughter
• Skrunk Family History by Shelia Skrunk
• Strong Family History by Joyce Curry
• Vest Family History by Jo Martin

Which family lines will you be researching? I'll be checking out the Shelton, Strong, and Collins files, since those pertain to lines that I'm currently researching.

Searching your family history has never been easier. Thanks to online records, digitized archives, and DNA testing, more people than ever—especially younger generations—are discovering their roots and preserving their family's stories.

Whether you're trying to learn where your family came from, uncover forgotten ancestors, reconnect with your heritage, or build your first family tree, genealogy can feel overwhelming when you're just getting started. With thousands of websites, records, and tools available, the hardest part is often knowing where to begin.

It's tempting to jump straight into online family trees, hints, and search engines, but taking the time to organize what you might already know will make every search more productive.

Genealogy is not about collecting as many names as possible or racing backward to the oldest ancestor you can find. It is about building a proven family history, one generation at a time.

The good news is that experienced genealogists generally follow the same proven research process: start with yourself, gather family knowledge, follow the paper trail, use DNA as a tool, and carefully document everything you discover.

This guide will walk you through that process.

Step 1: Start With What You Know

Every family tree begins with the present. Before searching online databases or paying for a genealogy subscription, take the time to record everything you already know about yourself and your immediate family. This gives you a solid foundation to build on and provides known facts you can use to verify the records you find later.

For each person, record as much information as possible, including:

• Full legal name, and maiden name (for women)
• Nicknames or names they commonly went by
• Dates and places of birth
• Dates and places of marriage
• Dates and places of death
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Great-grandparents, if known
• Siblings, spouses, and children

This becomes you tree's foundation.

Don't worry if you don't know every answer. Genealogy is about filling in the blanks over time, not having everything figured out from the beginning.

If you're unsure about an exact date, write down your best estimate and make a note that it needs to be verified. Never guess or invent information just to complete your tree.

Gather Family Records

Before you spend a dollar on a subscription service, search your own home—and ask your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives if they have old family documents tucked away.

Look for items such as:

• Family Bibles
• Birth certificates
• Marriage licenses
• Death certificates
• Obituaries
• Funeral programs
• Military discharge papers
• Draft cards
• Old photographs
• Photo albums with names written on the back
• Letters and postcards
• Diaries or journals
• School records
• Newspaper clippings
• Family reunion books
• Address books
• Baby books
• Immigration or naturalization papers
• Land deeds or wills

These documents are often your family's most valuable genealogical records. They were created close to the time an event occurred and frequently contain details that may not appear in online databases. These are your tree's "primary sources."

Scan them and organize them so you can upload them to your tree later. We'll cover more about doing that in step five.

Don't Overlook Photographs

Old family photographs can provide much more than faces.

Pay attention to:

• Names written on the back
• Dates
• Locations
• Photography studio names
• Military uniforms
• Church buildings
• Gravestones
• Neighbors or extended family members appearing in group photos

Even unidentified photographs may become valuable later as your research expands.

Step 2: Talk to Your Living Relatives

Before spending hours in online databases, talk to the people who still remember your family's history. Older relatives often hold information that was never written down anywhere: nicknames, family stories, migrations, military service, cemetery locations, and the identities of people in old photographs.

Even if a story turns out to be partly inaccurate, it may contain clues that lead to records you would never have found otherwise.

Many experienced genealogists say this is the step they wish they had done sooner. Records can survive for centuries, but memories cannot.

Start with the oldest relatives first

Prioritize:

• Grandparents
• Great-aunts and great-uncles
• Older cousins
• Family friends who knew earlier generations
• Anyone who attended family reunions or funerals regularly

Even relatives who say, "I don't know much," often remember small details that become crucial clues later.

Ask about:

• Full names
• Nicknames
• Maiden names
• Birthplaces
• Military service
• Churches
• Schools
• Family migrations
• Cemeteries
• Family Bibles
• Old photographs
• Letters
• Funeral cards
• Obituaries

Ask for documents, not just memories

While you're talking, ask whether they have:

• Family Bibles
• Old photographs
• Letters
• Postcards
• Funeral cards
• Obituaries
• Marriage licenses
• Military papers
• Reunion books
• Newspaper clippings
• Baby books
• Address books

These items often contain names, dates, and places that can be verified later with official records.

Step 3: Follow the Paper Trail

For most beginners, the paper trail is the best place to start.

While DNA testing is a powerful research tool, documents are what allow you to build and verify your family tree one generation at a time.

The "paper trail" is the collection of records people leave behind throughout their lives. Every major life event—being born, getting married, buying land, serving in the military, paying taxes, appearing in the census, writing a will, or passing away—can create records that help document a person's life.

By connecting these records together, you can reconstruct your family's history with confidence.

Useful records include:

1. Census records
2. Birth certificates
3. Marriage records
4. Death certificates
5. Obituaries
6. Cemetery records
7. Military records
8. Probate records
9. Land deeds
10. Church records
11. Local newspapers

Always begin with the person you know and work backward one generation at a time. Why do we do it this way? Because if you're researching your great-great-grandfather before you've proven who your great-grandfather was, you're building your tree on assumptions instead of evidence.

One verified generation is worth more than five generations of guesses.

As you discover records, you can begin creating a timeline for each person. Timelines help you quickly spot gaps, inconsistencies, and records that belong to someone else with the same name.

Not every record carries the same weight. Remember that information is only as accurate as the person who provided it. An informant on a death certificate, for example, may not have known the deceased's exact birth date or parents' names.

When multiple records disagree, don't assume one is "wrong." Compare them carefully and consider who created each record, when it was created, and how likely that person was to know the correct information.

Most genealogy websites offer automated hints and suggested relatives. Treat every hint as a lead, not as proof.

If you see a "hint" on a website, ignore it. Do not click "Add to Tree." Only add information once you have personally viewed the document that proves that person existed in that place at that time. If you cannot cite the specific source for a date or a place, it is not a fact; it is a theory.

Tip: Don't just search for your ancestor—search for the people around them. Parents, siblings, spouses, children, neighbors, witnesses on marriage licenses, executors of wills, and even nearby households in the census can all provide clues. Genealogists often call this researching the FAN Club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors) or "collateral relatives."

Step 4: Use DNA as a Research Tool

DNA is one of the most powerful tools available to genealogists—but it isn't a replacement for traditional research.

DNA testing has transformed genealogy. It has helped millions of people confirm family relationships, identify unknown ancestors, reconnect with biological relatives, and solve mysteries that traditional records alone could not.

However, DNA is still simply a tool, not a replacement for genealogy. While it can provide powerful clues, it cannot tell you exactly how you're related to someone or automatically build an accurate family tree. The strongest genealogy research combines DNA evidence with traditional records.

DNA works best for:

• Confirming relationships
• Unknown parentage
• Adoption research
• Breaking brick walls
• Finding living cousins

What DNA cannot tell you

DNA is often misunderstood. A DNA test cannot:

• Automatically build your family tree
• Tell you the names of your ancestors
• Prove a relationship by itself
• Tell you exactly how you're related to every DNA match
• Replace historical records

For example, your DNA results may tell you that someone is likely a second cousin—but they won't tell you which set of great-grandparents you share. That's where genealogy research comes in.

That is why, for most beginners, it's best to build your family tree using records before taking a DNA test. A documented family tree gives you something to compare your DNA matches against.

Think of it this way:

• The paper trail tells you who your ancestors were.
• DNA helps confirm whether your conclusions are correct.

Together, they are far more powerful than either one alone.

Step 5: Document and Organize

Good genealogy is organized genealogy.

As your family tree grows, you will collect hundreds—or even thousands—of records, photographs, notes, and discoveries. Without a system, it becomes easy to lose track of where information came from, repeat searches you've already done, or forget why you added a particular person or detail to your tree.

Organization is not just about keeping your files neat. It is what allows you to prove your research.

Every fact in your family tree should have a clear trail back to the source that supports it.

For this reason, a genealogical notebook or research log is one of the most valuable tools you can create for yourself. Whether you're using a traditional pen and paper, a spreadsheet such as Excel, or a database software like Notion, it's imperative to collect what you know.

A research log prevents you from:

• Searching the same database repeatedly
• Forgetting where you looked
• Losing possible leads
• Repeating failed searches months later

Negative results are also important. "Could not find a birth record" is still useful information because it tells you what you already checked and what strategies to try next.

Record the source of every discovery

Whenever you find a discovery, immediately document:

• Where you found it
• The website, archive, courthouse, library, or collection name
• The date you accessed it
• The type of record
• The person or family it relates to
• What information it confirms
• What questions remain unanswered

If you can't remember where a fact came from, treat it as unverified until you find the source again.

Save every document you find

Whenever possible, download or save the original image of a record. Do not rely only on website links. Websites change, subscriptions expire, records get moved, and pages disappear. Having your own copy ensures your research stays accessible.

Scan and digitize family documents

Old family documents are some of the most valuable genealogical resources you will ever find.

Use a scanner or smartphone to create digital copies of:

• Family Bibles
• Letters
• Photographs
• Certificates
• Funeral programs
• Military papers
• Newspaper clippings

Handle originals carefully and store them safely. Digital copies allow you to share information with relatives without risking damage to irreplaceable items.

Save files using descriptive names, such as:

• 1942_BirthCertificate_John_William_Smith.pdf
• 1978_Obituary_Mary_Jane_Jones.jpg

Avoid generic filenames like IMG_2841.jpg or Scan001.pdf. A consistent naming system will save countless hours as your collection grows.

Back up your research

Never store your entire genealogy collection in only one place.

Technology fails. Computers break. Phones get lost. Accounts can be locked.

Store copies in at least two places, such as your computer and a cloud storage service or external hard drive.

Websites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage are excellent research tools, but your online tree should not be your only copy of your research. Download and preserve your own records.

The genealogy rule to remember

Every time you add something to your family tree, ask:

"How do I know this is true?"

If the answer is:

• "Someone else's tree said it"
• "A website suggested it"
• "My family always said so"

—that information may be a useful clue, but it is not yet proven.

The strongest family trees are built from carefully documented evidence, organized in a way that future generations can understand.

The goal is not just to discover your ancestors.

The goal is to preserve the evidence that proves their stories.