Late 18th century into the early 19th century of American immigration has become the iconic imagery for what American immigration is all about. Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and huddled masses of unfortunate Europeans, yearning for their shot at the American Dream. But who were they? Where did they come from and where did they settle? And most importantly how do we research them?

Steven Morse One-Step Webpages

Immigration research is one of the most rewarding parts of genealogy. It's breathtaking the first time you see your ancestor on a ship's manifest indicating their original hometown. The next thing you know, you'll be learning how to make pierogis or haggis. But what can you do when there is no ship's manifest? This week I look at early American immigration, and some records that can help you answer your questions.

Adoption is one of the more challenging situations to face within genealogy. Even more challenging is when there is no documentation of the adoption ever occurring. That doesn't mean that this constitutes an insurmountable challenge though. Learn about 19th Century Adoption in this week's case study.

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In this week's episode, let's talk about maximizing the power of search functions across various genealogy websites. Understanding how to effectively use search operators and other advanced tips can significantly enhance your research outcomes.

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I really love maps. I just wish that they wouldn't change so much. No, I'm not worried about the tectonics plates moving around the globe so much as the ever moving political borders that makes genealogy work so challenging sometimes. Sometimes answering the question of where your ancestor lived isn't so straight forward. Listen to this week's episode as we explore evolving borders and what that means for our research.

chronas.org

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

David Rumsey Maps

Library of Congress Maps

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Doing genealogical research from the comfort of your own home is great, but doing that work in physical repositories that have documents that no one has ever seen since they were created is amazing. Standing on the property of your many times great grandparents is a bucketlist item. In this week's episode I talk about ways to get the most out of your trip so that as soon as you finish your first one, you'll start planning your next one.

Burnout maybe inherent in just about anything if you do it long enough, and genealogy is no exception. But if you find yourself sitting there staring at your screen, unable to summon the energy to continue the search... is that it? Are you done with genealogy? You don't have to be. Today I talk about a number of techniques to stay in the field, but give yourself a break.

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You spend a lot of time looking at names when working on genealogy... but how much time are you spending thinking about those names? Chances are, you have some great clues for future research just sitting there in the names of the ancestors already sitting in your family tree. Listen now to learn what's in a name?

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