by Katie Rebecca Garner | Oct 2, 2026
Genealogists spend a lot of time searching for – and then studying – death records. This pursuit may seem morbid to non-genealogists, but family historians know the important information death records can provide about your ancestors. To go beyond vital statistics and...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Sep 18, 2026
Many records are created around a person’s death: death certificate, obituary, burial records, probate records. Probate records pre-date many other kinds of death records. When a person dies owning property, the probate process distributes that property among...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Sep 11, 2026
My early childhood memories consist of trips to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. As I got older, I came to understand that Grandma and Grandpa were Dad’s parents, and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa were Dad’s grandparents. At some point...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Sep 4, 2026
After the Reformation in Europe, religious freedom was one factor that attracted people to the Americas. State churches in European countries made life difficult for anyone who practiced a different religion. Ironically, religious refugees who settled in certain parts...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Aug 28, 2026
Except for Native Americans, citizens born in the U.S. are descended from immigrant ancestors. A child born in the U.S., whether born to U.S. citizen parents or to immigrant parents, is born a U.S. citizen. An immigrant only becomes a citizen by a process called...
by Katie Rebecca Garner | Aug 21, 2026
In the first article, we learned about German American naming patterns. We will conclude this series by learning more about the history, religion, and language that the Germans brought to America. Photo: German Americans dancing. Photo...
