Downtown Greenwood, SC As we age, our children and extended family look to us even more to fulfill the role of family historian. Sometimes we can feel the responsibility to help fill the gaps in history when we get together during holidays or special occasions. We are not able to provide answers to every question…
The decision to hire a professional genealogist need not be difficult. This article briefly describes the reasons for hiring and expert as well as the benefits. Reasons to Hire a Professional Genealogist Typically, you will benefit most from hiring a professional if you encounter one or more of the following situations: Encounter a difficult stumbling…
What does it mean to you to be a “professional genealogist”? As we continue building one of the largest networks of professional researchers in the world, (now with over 360 researchers), we have been looking at what determines whether someone really is a “professional genealogist”. A lot has been written about what it means to be a…
We hope that each of you had a very special and enjoyable holiday season and that you were able to spend quality time with your friends and family. One of the best things about year-end is the opportunity to reflect back on the past 12 months and all that we accomplished as a firm, thanks…
There’s been a change in Grandma, we’ve noticed as of late She’s always reading history or jotting down some date. She’s tracing back the family, we’ll all have pedigrees, Grandma’s got a hobby, she’s climbing Family Trees… Poor Grandpa does the cooking and now, or so he states, he even has to wash the cups…
I was talking to one of the lead researchers at Genealogists.com this week about brick walls. Barry’s first belief when it comes to brick walls is to forget what you know. At first I was skeptical. We are taught in genealogy to go from the known to the unknown. To back up his theory, he gave…
This week I’ve been researching in Beaufort, South Carolina on a project. A fellow researcher used the phrase “burned county” to describe the situation on this project. It was the first time I’d heard it. An early example of this phrase is found in the Virginia Genealogist, used to describe many of their counties that…
I’ve been researching my 3rd-great-grandfather for quite a while. His probate records are the most information I’ve been able to find about him, but he is the end of the trail. I’m a big fan of looking at records again, and probate records proved no different. So first, the basics: What are probate records? Probate…