Importance of Guardianship Records Guardianship records, which were filed with the courts after a father’s death, are an important resource, potentially providing evidence of birth, marriage and death, as well as identifying family relationships. After a father’s death, his children were considered orphans. One or more guardians would be assigned responsibility for the children’s care,…
What’s Free To View On FamilySearch Go directly to list Throughout the years I have have spent time refining my research techniques and strategies. One of the initial, basic steps involves organizing record collections that are available online versus those only available in physical repositories. Through this post, I thought I would explain one of…
If you have started any sort of family history research, you are most likely already aware of the value of census records. As a supplement to the federal census, New York State census records are a good way to trace your ancestors between federal census years, and they can provide some detail that federal records…
Significance and Use of Local Histories Columbia County local histories can be valuable research tools. They provide historical context that may assist you when utilizing other types of genealogy records in your family research. Columbia County has a number of local histories that may be of use and can be a great source of genealogical…
Most of my maternal ancestors are from various parts of Ireland. I have had the most success researching John and Julia McDonald, my great-great grandparents. Using a combination of online and on-site research, I have been able to get a sense of who they were, which for me, is one of the joys of genealogical…
As a resident of Columbia County, this is where the foundation of my genealogy work begins. Here is where I most frequently conduct on-site research and gather information on the most relevant genealogy collections specific to the area. To help you learn more, I have summarized the types of Columbia County genealogy records available, which…