Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue. Hi Reader, Halloween always goes big on my street. 500+ trick-or-treaters, fog machines, the full production. The running joke among the neighbors: Is November 1st too early to put up the Christmas decorations? (My neighbors are...
3 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue. Hi Reader, I got a call recently from my daughter who's already planning her Christmas shopping. She's way ahead of me, but it got me thinking about my own holiday listāand helping you with yours, too. Let's be honest: shopping...
10 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue. Hi Reader, We're closing out October, and if you've been following along with the Family History Month series, you've spent the last few weeks discovering, preserving, and researching. Now comes the bigger question: What are you...
17 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hi Reader, As we head into the final days of October's family history month, I'm reflecting on what we've accomplished together. You've rediscovered treasures hiding in plain sight. You've protected fragile photos and captured important stories. You've made progress on research questions that have been bugging you. And hopefully, you've started thinking about how to share these discoveries with the people who matter most. If you're just catching up this week: The simple sharing wins: Forward...
20 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hi Reader, Over the past three weeks, you've been taking a fresh look at your family history - finding things you'd forgotten you had, protecting what matters most, and maybe even solving a mystery or two. This final week is about sharing those discoveries with the people who care about them. This week's focus: Share and Connect Your family history discoveries aren't meant to live in isolation. The photos you've identified, the stories you've captured, the mysteries you've solved - they...
23 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue. Hi Reader, We're heading into the final 10 weeks of 2025, and I've been thinking about research do-overs. You know that ancestor you've been stuck on for years? The one where you've searched every obvious record, tried every...
24 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hi Reader, Mid-way through Week 3 of Family History Month, and I need to share some research truth with you. The reality: Some of you are probably making breakthrough discoveries. Others might be hitting the same walls you've hit before. Both experiences are completely normal in genealogy research. Here's what most genealogy advice won't tell you: Sometimes the "failure" to find records immediately reveals important information about your ancestor's life. No marriage record might mean they...
27 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hi Reader, Weeks 1 and 2 were about working with what you already have. Week 3 is about strategically filling in one specific gap. This week's focus: Fill in the Missing Pieces After two weeks of discovery and preservation, you probably have a clearer picture of what you know and what you don't. Maybe there's a maiden name that's been eluding you. An ancestor who seems to disappear from records. A family story that doesn't quite add up. This week isn't about solving every mystery or starting...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue. Hi Reader, You know that moment when you're staring at a census record you've read a dozen times, and suddenly you notice something you've never seen before? Not new information - the same facts you've read repeatedly - but...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read