Tax Records are Better than Early Census Records

Tax records have three distinct advantages compared with pre-1850 U.S. census records. Many tax records: Are produced annually; Predate the 1790 census; and Possess more than a list of names. Tax records are often sidelined in our genealogy research because censuses are more widely available and have been popularized because of their availability. Compared toContinue reading “Tax Records are Better than Early Census Records”

Genealogical New Year’s Resolutions

We are all used to making New Year’s resolutions, but what about genealogical New Year’s resolutions? Can we set ourselves up for being more productive in 2024? To make good genealogical resolutions, we need to approach the process from an informed position keeping in mind the skills and personality traits that make for good researchersContinue reading “Genealogical New Year’s Resolutions”

How to Use City Directories to Resolve Genealogical Questions

If you’re like me, you probably know what city directories are but couldn’t imagine how to really use them in your genealogical research. Sure, city directories list a person’s name, occupation, and address, which we can trace annually through time. But what else can we do with that information? Can you use it solve challengingContinue reading “How to Use City Directories to Resolve Genealogical Questions”

Crowdsourced Genealogy

Crowdsourcing is an under utilized family history research tool. Social media tools can make it difficult to search and archive information. Other tools fail to reach large numbers of people online. A research problem is presented for crowdsourced assistance as inspiration for the capabilities of true crowdsourcing.