A Family Tapestry

  Researching ancestral lines stretching back to colonial times in America can prove challenging. In questioning which of Lyman Jackson'...

  You know the drill in genealogy: you start with what you know, then move incrementally backwards into the past, seeking documentation to c...

  Most months, I begin my search for the designated ancestor from among my Twelve Most Wanted for the year by saying I want to discover that...

  We're wrapping up the last selection of my Twelve Most Wanted for 2026 as we close out on the traditional celebration of Epiphany, the...

  It seems like only a few days ago when I was mourning the passing of summer, and here we are, staring 2026 in the face. In just a blink, C...

  Tracing the ancestry of Anna Gramlewicz, the young woman who showed up in my great-grandfather Anton Laskowski's New York City apartme...

  Some branches of a family tree seem to twist and turn—and ultimately lead us nowhere. Such was the case with the relative who showed up in...

I've always had my doubts about Thomas. Of all the Hilscher children, Thomas the immigrant seemed out to give me grief in researching hi...

  Disappearing relatives from the meager collection of digitized or transcribed records from 1800s Prussia all become the brick walls I wond...

  Unraveling a family history mystery seldom takes a direct path; we may follow a wandering trail before we can even pick up the scent of a ...

When several DNA matches serve up a sign that we might be connected through an ancestor named Samolowski , I'm game to chase that clue. ...

  Who would have thought that a puny segment of DNA could connect me with a very distant cousin whose ancestor lived, coincidentally, in the...

  When stuck on a research project, it isn't a bad idea to go back and check all that work twice. I know, I know: it's a lot of drud...

  Just blame that beguiling email notice from Ancestry.com. It's almost like they said, "Pssssst! Here's a hint about your bric...

  When supposed relatives don't quite fit into the family tree the way we thought, we can sometimes find ourselves building out what tur...

  I should have caught on to this detail sooner, but my mind was thinking too literally. When I heard the term "uncle," I took it ...

  Welcome to December, the last month of the year, filled with holidays and celebrations. In my case, I hope to celebrate some discoveries a...

  Well...let me amend that. The search possibilities have not yet been exhausted for finding our Anna and Rose in either immigration or marr...

  It's no wonder there are three different identities for Anastasia Zegarska's daughter Rosalia Puchała on the FamilySearch.org univ...

  Now, as I'm turning back to create a timeline of name changes for both Anastasia Zegarska and her daughter Rosalia, I'm reminded ...