Crestleaf Genealogy & Ancestry Records

With over 90 Million family records in the United States alone, http://Crestleaf.com is a leading provider of free genealogy information and free online collaboration tool for families to document their family history - create family trees, digitally preserve family photos, documents and oral traditions.

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5 Common Genealogy Research Questions and Answers for Beginners

Answers to Frequently Asked Genealogy Research Questions

Are you new to genealogy? If so, then you probably have a lot of genealogy research questions!

What is the difference between genealogy and family history?

What is the name of my ancestor in this old photo?

Where can I find the best family tree software?

These questions and others will certainly arise as you begin to research your family’s history. But some genealogy-related questions are more common than others among beginner researchers. Here are just a few of these important questions and answers to help you along your genealogy research journey.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/common-genealogy-research-questions/

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5 Critical Rules for Recording Names in Your Family Tree

How to Correctly Document Names for Genealogy Purposes

The manner in which you record your ancestors’ information can make or break your family history research. In fact, if you don’t add names and surnames correctly to afamily tree or genealogy chart, your family’s story can face inaccuracies. And this can be frustrating to others who are researching your family history! Just as there are certain genealogical standards when it comes to citing your sources correctly, there are some general rules you will want to keep in mind to ensure that your ancestors’ names are added to your family tree properly.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the following rules, so use these tips as guidelines for recording your genealogical data.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/recording-names-family-tree/

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4 Ways Voter Registration Records Can Aid Genealogy Research

How United States Voter Records Can Help You Build a Family Tree

During this election season, you are probably thinking more about who you are voting for rather than the information you provide on your voter registration form. But if you take a closer look at the details these forms collect, you will soon realize that voter records hold a treasure trove of data that can be helpful in building a family tree.

And just as many of us have the privilege to vote in America, as did some of the ancestors who came before us. While United States voter records are oft overlooked in the genealogy research process, they may lead you to an unknown ancestor, clues that provide you with more direction when you run into a brick wall, and a slew of other genealogical discoveries.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/voter-registration-records-genealogy/

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Free Resources for Finding Death Records Online

Where to Find Ancestors’ Death Records Online for Free

If you’re on the hunt for an ancestor’s death certificate, you may not have to look too hard. This is because death records can often be some of the easiest types of vital records to find — especially when searching online. These records can also offer up some of the most valuable information and interesting tidbits that often lead to other genealogical discoveries and unknown ancestors to add to your family tree.

Death certificates may include your ancestor’s date and place of birth, names of other family members like parents, a spouse, their children and next of kin. Sometimes death records include information on your ancestor’s military service, a cause of death and even where your relative was buried which can be helpful as you conduct cemetery research.

But if you’re searching for death records online, where should you even begin? The following resources will aid you in your search as you begin to look for family members’ death records online — and they’re all free to use!

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/free-death-records-online/

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Popular Halloween Costumes Your Family Members Actually Wore (1950s – 1970s)

Vintage Halloween Costumes Your Relatives Wore in the 50s, 60s and 70s

Halloween is just around the corner! And while the usual witches, ghosts and cat costumes will certainly make their rounds, you may want to think outside the box and borrow some costume ideas from your relatives who grew up in the 50s, 60s or 70s. And if you celebrated Halloween during any of those decades, you could always revive one of your old costumes to make a unique splash at your next Halloween gathering.

As you flip through old family photo albums to add relatives and their stories to yourfamily tree, you will undoubtedly see that Halloween costumes have changed a lot throughout the years. But one thing is always certain year after year: dressing up for Halloween is fun, no matter your age! Here are just some of our favorite popular and trendy costume ideas from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/popular-halloween-costumes-1950s-1970s/

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Identifying Unknown Family Photos for Genealogy

How to Use Photo Clues to Identify Family Members in Old Pictures

One of the most enjoyable tasks of family history research is sitting down to sift through old family photo albums. While some may spark fond memories from childhood, or even help us recall events our parents and grandparents shared about their own lives, other photographs have narratives that remain unidentified. At one point or another in your research, you will stumble upon these pictures of relatives or distant ancestors whom you don’t recognize at all. It can certainly drive you crazy at times as you wonder, “Who is this ancestor, anyway?” and “What is this person’s story?”

Instead of continuing to wonder, use these photo clues and identification tips to help you decipher when pictures may have been taken, and figure out which relatives are in the photos.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/identifying-unknown-family-photos/

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Writing Your Personal History for Genealogy: A Beginner’s Guide

Even if you’re just beginning your genealogy research, you probably know that searching for information to add to your family tree can take a lot of time, patience and resources. And when you can’t find records or stories on a particular ancestor, it may leave you more than a little frustrated! If you’ve ever thought, “I really wish he had written something about his life!” then why not make things a little easier on future generations of genealogists by writing your own personal history?

Writing a personal history is important not only for genealogy research purposes, but ensures that you’ll leave an accurate legacy that descendants will appreciate and treasure forever. Documenting your own life doesn’t have to be a daunting task, either. The following tips can aid you in the process of writing (and finishing) a personal history.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/writing-personal-history-genealogy/

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Helpful Oral History Prompts to Get Your Older Relatives Talking

We all have a story or two to tell. But when we are met with resistance from relatives who are too bashful to tell us the stories of their lives, it can create holes in our family history research that can often result in empty family tree branches.

Conducting oral history interviews with your older family members is that important when it comes to your family history research. The memories your relatives have of their own lives hold a good amount of historical importance — even if family members don’t think their lives were particularly interesting! In fact, oral history interviews can sometimes lead to the discovery of ancestors you never knew about in the first place. But if you don’t record these stories now, they could be lost forever.

So how do you get your older relatives talking about their lives? The following oral history prompts and tips may just jog the memories of your older relatives so you can capture and collect their important stories.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/oral-history-prompts-older-relatives/

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Expand Your Family Tree: 4 Effective Ideas

At one point or another, every genealogist takes a look at their family tree and wonders if it may be missing some information. Whether your family tree is already robust or the branches are fairly sparse, your family’s history can certainly be expanded upon — no matter how deep you are into your research. But how do you start expanding your family tree even if you think you’ve exhausted every potential resource?

The following genealogy research ideas for expanding your family tree could help you find even more detailed information on your family, plus discover ancestors you never even knew you had!

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/expand-your-family-tree/

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Labor Union Ancestors: How to Find Them

It’s almost Labor Day! For most Americans this means a three-day weekend to enjoy the last moments of summer. But Monday, September 5 is more than just a federal holiday. In fact, the only reason we can hold our annual Labor Day cookouts with friends and family is because of our hard-working ancestors who participated in the U.S. labor movement. In 1880, the average American actually worked 12 hours per day! Your 9 to 5 job, employee benefits, paid vacations and a slew of other privilegeswouldn’t exist without the formation of labor unions.

So, in addition to holding that annual cookout, think about spending some of your extra time this weekend to conduct genealogy research on your labor union ancestors. After all, they gave us the day off in the first place!

But where can you find information on your union ancestors, and how do you figure out if any of your ancestors belonged to unions? This article will offer resources and tips on finding your ancestors that belonged to labor unions so you can add their union stories to your family tree.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/labor-union-ancestors/ 

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Cemetery Research for Genealogy: A Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide

Cemeteries are an exceptional resource for discovering details about your ancestors to add to your family tree. Whether you’re searching for birth information, maiden names, or additional family members, gravesites can enlighten you to an abundance of facts about your family’s past.

But if you don’t know where to begin when conducting genealogy research in a cemetery, it can be more than overwhelming! Thankfully, we’ve compiled the following basic steps to help you get acquainted with your first ancestral quest through a cemetery.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/cemetery-research-genealogy-guide/

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4 Genealogy Productivity Tools You Should Already Be Using

Boost Your Research Productivity with these Free Tools for Genealogists

You’re busy. We get it. But that doesn’t mean you have to let your important genealogy and family history research fall to the wayside. Yes, compiling your family’s story can often take an ample amount of time, but if you’re constantly making excuses as to why you don’t have the capacity to conduct genealogy research, you likely don’t know about some excellent tools that can help you stay efficient and productive — whether you’re at home or on-the-go. Of course, online family tree software is a simple way to collaborate with family members, plus increase your research productivity, but it’s just one of the many tools that can aid you in the process.

The following productivity tools for genealogy research will help you become an even more efficient researcher and organize your genealogical pursuits.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/genealogy-productivity-tools/

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Basic Principles for Storing Family Heirlooms Correctly

If you wish to keep your family’s legacy in tact for future generations, you should probably think twice about storing your priceless family jewelry and other vintage heirlooms in the basement or attic. Just as you should store old family photos in the proper manner to ward off deterioration and other damage, there are also right and wrong ways when it comes to storing family heirlooms. This is because temperatures and moist environments that are often found in basements and attics tend to fluctuate, which can completely destroy your favorite valuables and genealogical documents.

But how do you store family heirlooms correctly for posterity? The following tips offer basic storage guidance for your family treasures so that your relatives can enjoy their beauty and benefits for years to come.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/storing-family-heirlooms/

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Family History vs. Genealogy: What’s the Difference, Anyway?

Whether you’re a novice to the world of family history research or have been working on your family’s story for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard the terms ‘family history’ and ‘genealogy’ used similarly. While each type of research is beneficial to documenting and sharing your family discoveries, the activities associated with each are not one in the same. However, genealogy and family history research work in tandem when it comes to creating a cohesive family tree.

But, what are these differences, exactly, and what are the functions of each research type?

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/family-history-vs-genealogy/

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The Genealogical Proof Standard: An Overview

As you’re researching your family history, you will undoubtedly run into some genealogy brick walls and other roadblocks that could halt your progress. Seasoned genealogists and family historians know that direct evidence records such as birth certificates and marriage licenses can only take you so far in your genealogical journey; and pieces of indirect evidence may be the only option to fill in the branches of a family tree. So, how do you piece together all of these ancestral tidbits in order for them to make sense? And, most importantly, how can you know for sure if your findings are accurate?

This is where the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) comes in to save your research — and sanity. The GPS can help you navigate through those little pieces of indirect evidence that may otherwise cause you to throw in the towel on your research.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/genealogical-proof-standard-overview/

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7 Things All Family Historians Should Know How to Do

Everyone can use a little bit of help with their family history research whether they’re just beginning a family tree, or have been conducting research for some time. Just as there are some basic guidelines everyone should follow when researching their families, there are also a few key skills that every family historian should master to get the most out of their research.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/things-family-historians-should-know/

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5 Family Photo Sharing Sites You Should Be Using

Sharing family photos with your relatives and other family historians is an important part of researching your family’s story and filling the branches on your family tree. Thankfully, online photo sharing is getting even easier by the minute with new sites and apps that seem to pop up every day! And each site offers incredible features like collaborative albums, photo editing options and organizational tools for your pictures. But which photo sharing site is best for your needs?

The following photo sharing sites are all free to use and offer their own unique capabilities for sharing your family’s story.

Read the full article: http://crestleaf.com/blog/family-photo-sharing-sites/