Frequently Asked Genealogy Questions

  1. Am I related to someone famous?
  2. Are the genealogy records of the Mormon Church open to the public?
  3. Are wills a public record?
  4. How can census mortality schedules help in researching my African-American slave ancestors?
  5. How can city directories be used to help my research?
  6. How can I decipher the handwriting in old documents?
  7. How can I distinguish my ancestor from others of the same name?
  8. How can I find information on ancestors born in the twentieth century?
  9. How can I find information on the men and women who served in the Revolutionary War?
  10. How can I find out if my ancestor was an indentured servant?
  11. How can I find the second married name of a female ancestor?
  12. How can I find where my ancestor is buried?
  13. How can I locate old newspapers?
  14. How can the 1850 and 1860 census slave schedules aid my research?
  15. How can the 1929 Registry help me find my ancestor's missing arrival records?
  16. How can the census help in locating my ancestor's marriage record?
  17. How common it is for siblings to have the same first name?
  18. How do I begin my family tree?
  19. How do I find my family history on the Internet?
  20. How do I find my family in the census?
  21. How do I know which DNA test is right for me?
  22. How do you find out if two people are related?
  23. How does a death register compare to a death certificate?
  24. How long do funeral homes keep records?
  25. How should divorces be listed on a family tree?
  26. Was my ancestor was married more than once?
  27. Was my ancestor's name changed at Ellis Island?
  28. Was naturalization required for immigrants to live in the U.S.?
  29. What are the best records before birth and death registration was required?
  30. What census years asked women about childbirth?
  31. What does 'times removed' mean in a kinship chart?
  32. What does the term ap mean in a family name?
  33. What does the term vulgo mean when associated with a family name?
  34. What information is given in U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules?
  35. What is a first cousin, once removed?
  36. What is a necrology and and how does it differ from an obituary?
  37. What is my family coat of arms?
  38. What is the 1940 census sampling, and how does it affect my research?
  39. What is the best genealogy software?
  40. What is the difference between a .com and .org website?
  41. What is the difference between the Gregorian and Julian Calendar, and why is it important to genealogy?
  42. What is the first census year to identify the informant in every household?
  43. What is the meaning of my last name?
  44. What records are best for finding my female ancestor's maiden name?
  45. What should a genealogist know to use and track photocopies?
  46. What states took part in the U.S. Federal Census of 1885?
  47. What was the first census to list all African Americans by name?
  48. What's the difference between an AR-2 and A-File?
  49. When is it necessary for a genealogist to create a verbatim copy of a record?
  50. When were African Americans granted citizenship?
  51. When were births first recorded in the United States?
  52. Where can I find a biography of my ancestor?
  53. Where can I find African American cohabitation records?
  54. Where can I find burial-transit records?
  55. Where can I find delayed birth certificates?
  56. Where can I find Masonic records?
  57. Where can I find naturalization records?
  58. Where can I find prisoner information, in particular military prisoners?
  59. Where can I find records of convict transportation?
  60. Where can I find ship passenger lists?
  61. Where can I find U. S. registration certificates for a widow (or divorced woman)?
  62. Where did my family come from?
  63. Where do I go to find birth, marriage, and death records?
  64. Where is the book on my family?
  65. Why can't I find a naturalization record for my immigrant grandmother?
  66. Why can't I find my ancestor in the SSDI?
  67. Why can't I find my grandmother's passport?
  68. Why did my immigrant ancestor have to register as an enemy in WWI?

If you have a question that hasn't been answered, please submit your question and we'll promptly address the topic.

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