Genealogy Tips

Getting Started

Pat offers ideas on a workplan that will get you started on a genealogy search without getting overwhelmed. She introduces the ancestry.com website and other resources that can aid you in your ancestry research.

Diving into DNA

Pat highlights the basics of why understanding DNA is important for genealogy work. She reviews some of the best-known companies that offer a DNA analysis, such as 23 and Me, and fills us in on what happened when she had her DNA analysed.

Building Your Family Tree For Free

Is it possible to build your family tree as you do your genealogy research without paying for a subscription to a site like Ancestry.com? Yes! Pat tells you how in this article and reviews some of the options available to you.

Experiencing “Cyndi’s List”

Pat takes a deep dive into the workings of the Cyndi’s List website, which can augment your genealogical searching with some nifty features that may help you locate relatives not found on other sites.

Genealogy TV Shows

There have been numerous TV shows that focused on genealogy and finding your ancestors — Pat was able to find eleven such shows! In this article, she takes a look at them all and suggests her picks for the best ones.

Staying Organized

For many people, genealogy is a hobby that spans years, if not decades, of their time. It’s easy to lose track of all the work you’ve done and end up with stacks of papers and other material, and no organization. Pat tackles that aspect of genealogical research in this article.

Using OWWL Resources

In this article, Pat delves into the OWWL website (this is the central site for libraries in the Pioneer Library System, including Macedon Public Library). There’s a wealth of information available, including access to state records and digitized newspapers.

The Familysearch Website

Another great resource Pat has discovered is the familysearch.org site. Created by the LDS Church, it features one giant central family tree, and you can access it for free and even add your own data to it. Pat runs through how you can use the website most effectively, and shares her own experiences with it.

Online Conferences

One of the few benefits of the pandemic, perhaps, is the fact that many conferences have gone online — making them available to many more people than previously. Pat looks at several genealogy conferences that are now available from your computer.