FamilyTree Magazine is my go-to-tutorial these days for holding-in-my-hands genealogy learning. I like “real” books; I like “real” magazines. If you do too, FT is for you!

For example, in the July-August 2025 issue there were articles on these topics:

• Ancestry.com has a digitized book collection! This includes local histories, directories, memoirs and more. Click to www.ancestry.com/search/collections/catalog and then search by title or keyword. (This is NOT a link; copy and paste it.) 
• Annual list of 101 Best Genealogy Websites; marked if free or pay and whether first time on the list or was on previous lists. What a glorious guide!
• “Signs of Life” was an article offering to “re-energize your efforts for strategies to access vital records.”
• I’ve read where most men in the late 19th century belonged to a Masonic lodge. Our ancestors were joiners and not just for the comradeship but for financial support to each others’ families in times of trouble. So likely YOUR ancestor belonged to some fraternal organization. This article lists the basics of searching for such records.
• Sunny Jane Morton is a regular (and top notch!) contributor to Family Tree Magazine. Her article in this issue on how to really evaluate and use the millions of new records’ hints that are appearing on the major genealogy websites all the time. She offers 12 good tips on understanding this resource. 
• DNA Ethnicity Estimates. This was the back page article by DNA expert, Diahan Southard. The submitted question was “why do my DNA ethnicity estimates keep changing?” How come last year my test showed I was 25% Swedish and this year it says I’m only 15%? What gives? Diahan wrote: “Think of it like this: When trying to match a paint color, you’ll have a harder time with just THREE paint swatches than if you had 300. That’s exactly what’s happening with DNA testing. DNA testing companies are constantly expanding their reference panels (their paint swatches, if you will) to give you more accurate results.” 

As of few weeks ago, when I crafted this post, there were 150,162 articles under this Resource Guide on the FamilySearch.org website.  So what is the Wiki anyway?

The Research Wiki is a tree, online genealogical guide that lists websites and resources to help you find your ancestors from countries around the world. The Wiki is a community project where anyone can contribute.

What can you find on the Wiki?

• Genealogical databases and online resources 
• Genealogy research strategy and guidance
• Explanation of genealogy record types and their uses
• Locality pages for countries, states, counties and parishes with relevant resources.
• Topic pages about genealogy, such as Organize Your Genealogy, or Gazetteers.

Pro tips for navigating the Wiki:

• Don’t search by name; individuals are NOT listed in the Wiki but you will find links to databases or other resources that may contain the information you seek.
• Do search by location; search by location, smallest to largest (parish/town, county, state, country). 
• Do check for pertinent records in each jurisdiction. 

Recommendations:

• For the country, or state, and/or county of your interest, consider printing out those pages for better study; keep them in your research notebook. 
• Do check for specific topics: Land records, Military Records, Church Records, Emigration, Immigration, etc. Such sites give you an overview while a locality search gives you specifics to that locale. 
• When you learn the European (or other) country of your ancestors’ origins, go to that country and print out/really study that material……. your own personal self-help guide.

The bestest advice I can give you today is to grab a hot or cold drink, set a timer for a full hour, and go explore the FamilySearch Wiki! That’s the “bestest” way to learn how to really utilize this fantastic FREE resource. 

A very sad cause of death. “It was determined on March 8, 1670, in Plymouth, that one Thomas Lucase died “hee being very ancient and decriped in his limbs and it being very cold and having drunk some drink, gott a violent fall into a ditch in a very dangerous place and could not recover himself but bruised his body and lying all night in the cold, soe he came to his end.”  (Checked FindAGrave but did not find dear old Thomas Lucase.)

True story: Looking for hubby’s ancestor in 1880, Anderson County, Texas, I typed in his name Charles Phillips. Result? Nada. Why? The enumerator wrote Charlie Phillips! Just a couple of letters can make a huge difference.

Remember to consider state censuses, especially for these states: Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. These states’ censuses offer detailed information not found in the federal censuses. All are available via FamilySearch and Ancestry. (Donna: to add this bit, I thought to check a “known fact” that one state census asked folks’ religion. I was wrong; not a one did.)

Interesting language, English. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? A house burns up as it burns down. We drive on a parkway and park on a driveway. English is a crazy language for sure.

California Great Registers: These are a fascinating help to find California ancestors after the loss of the 1890 census and before the 1906 earthquake. The growth of the state’s population after the gold rush in 1848 precipitated voter registration. The Great Registers of Voters was created by law on 19 March 1866. Each county was to keep a detailed list of their registered voters. These registers exist for the 50 counties that comprised California in 1872. Look for them on FamilySearch.

The Hessians are coming! The Hessians were German troops from the Hesse-Kassel in Germany who fought in the American Revolution. The British lacked enough trained soldiers so turned for assistance to the head of Hesse-Kessel whose first wife was the daughter of King George II. The soldiers totaled about 29,000 and approximately only 1700 returned to Germany after the war. Do you trace your line back to a Hessian soldier?

What is Pre-History? According to a documentary on the History Channel, anything that happened before the invention of writing is called pre-history, or prehistoric. Anything that happened after the invention of writing is called history.”  Would you agree?