Family history is one of the ways that our prophet has asked us to help gather scattered Israel. That means helping ourselves, our family here on earth, and our family who has died to come to Jesus Christ. As you can imagine, that happens in so many different ways! Keep reading for more ideas on…
How to Get Old Newspapers: 17 Places to Look
Newspapers are an amazing source of genealogical information. Plus, they’re just cool. It’s fun to see what was going on at specific historical moments. So how can we get old newspapers? Old newspapers, whether the copy is an original print, a digital version, or a reprint, can be found online and in person. They can…
How Do You Honor Ancestors? 12 Family History Celebrations
The holidays are all about fun, food, tradition, and family – with family being the most important part. But so that we don’t have to limit celebrating our families during the holidays, let’s expand our horizons. That way, no matter what time of the year it is, we can answer the question: how can we…
5 Fantastic Ways to Preserve Family Videos
When we’re talking about family videos and how to preserve them, it’s always a great idea to keep those fun family moments. But then we remember about all of the different ways we’ve taken family videos over the years. We’re talking about film reels, slides, VHS tapes (of all sizes), and more. So, how do…
Do Schools Keep Records of Past Students?
With the 2020 school year being as crazy as it has been (thank you, coronavirus pandemic), Breanne and I began to wonder about past school years, school records, and what records get kept. Do schools keep records of past students? Schools generally keep records for 2-3 years after a student leaves the school or graduates…
How Far Back Do Surnames Go? A Brief History
Last names are a lot of fun – but sometimes they aren’t super easy to track. Then again, it’s also a lot easier to track family history when you’ve got a family surname to help you make sure you’ve got the right Charles! So how far back do surnames go? Surnames in China date back…
Are All People with the Same Last Name Related?
While dating my now-husband, it made me laugh when people asked him if he was related to famous people with his same last name. Now that we’re married, though, I’m getting that same question about being related to other Starrs. Are all people with the same last name related? Spoiler alert: no. Two people with…
When Did Your Ancestors Come to America? Let’s Find Out!
Thanks to statistics and how history played out, the odds are that your family hasn’t been in America for more than a few hundred years at most. This means that, at some point, someone in your family line immigrated to America. When did my ancestors come to America? Immigrants to the United States are usually…
Family History: When Did Granddad Become a Citizen?
America is a land of opportunity and immigrants. So when you’re trying to find more about your family, it can help to discover when your family became a US citizen. So, when did my grandfather become a US citizen? To find out when a grandfather (or another relative) became a citizen of the United States,…
Who Should You Include in Your Family Tree?
As I do my genealogy, things get crazy fast when you’re from a yours-mine-and-ours type of family. Especially when you’ve got two brothers (one from another mother) with the same first name. The family tree gets complicated quickly. But do I leave someone out just to simplify? Who should you include in your family tree?…
