Family Tree

Family Tree Magazine will help point the way toward the best research tools and practices to trace your family's history. Each issue includes tips on locating, collecting, and preserving photos, letters, diaries, church and government records, and other documentation, plus fun articles about creating scrapbooks, organizing family reunions, and vacation ideas that combine history with leisure!

Family Tree

out on a limb

TREE TALK • We asked about your favorite family tree websites and software. Here’s how you responded.

everything’s relative

Family History in Color

RootsTech Postpones London Event

RECORD RELEASE UPDATES • In early 2020, the big genealogy websites published millions of new records online. But three collections stand out:

MYHERITAGE IN COLOR

FamilySearch Tree Adds Support for Same-Sex Couples

BILLIONGRAVES LAUNCHES QUALITY CHECK

Slings and Arrows

Caring for Wedding Finery

God and Country • A collateral relative’s story provides an intimate glimpse into a Civil War soldier’s life and faith.

Relationship Chart • Determine how two people are related to each other.

branching out

Good as GOLD • We won’t see medals awarded this summer after all. But these 101 Best Genealogy Websites are all winners in our book.

Maker’s Mark • Document and organize your hard-earned research with these 12 tips for using the Family Tree Maker software.

4 Tools for Filling in Your Family Tree • If you’ve got gaps in your family tree, you can use a few key Family Tree Maker tools to further your research:

Genealogy Software Roundup • Family Tree Maker isn’t the only program you can take advantage of. Here’s a roundup of desktop genealogy software available for both Mac and PC.

MARYLAND

OKLAHOMA

Red~Handed • Because Irish records are often scarce, those researching ancestors from Ulster have their hands full. But these seven websites will help you find your Scots-Irish roots.

Hanging Your Shingle • Achieving genealogy credentials can help you raise your family history “rank.” Here’s how to earn them through the two most prominent organizations.

EARNING ACCREDITED GENEALOGIST (AG)

Passing Your Boards • To be successful in your goal to earn a credential, begin practicing essential researching and writing skills now. Here are some suggestions:

A HISTORY OF CREDENTIALS

EARNING CERTIFIED GENEALOGIST (CG)

ALTERNATE ROOTS • You never know where the road of life will take you. Put your research skills to good use in these six genealogy “dream jobs.”

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

INVESTIGATIVE GENETIC GENEALOGIST

HISTORIC PRESERVATIONIST

MILITARY REPATRIATION EXPERT

Rules of the Road • Whether or not your “day job” involves genealogy, incorporate these professionals’ advice into your research:

HEIR SEARCHER

CITIZENSHIP RECLAMATION SPECIALIST

tree tips

Cemetery Interment Ledgers

NOW WHAT?

Find a Family History Center • Find a Family History Center and FamilySearch Affliliate Libraries

Note-Taking Software

WEBSITE Cyndi’s List • For more than 20 years, Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi’s List has hosted a massive, free directory of online genealogy resources. She now lists more than 330,000 links, organized into more than 220 categories. A quarter-million visitors a month browse the site’s content, in search of new topics and articles that may help their research efforts.

DNA and Privacy

the rest is history

US CENSUS GENEALOGY