Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
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🌳Sharp research skills start with these 14 tips!
Published 17 days ago • 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 was thrilled to recently add a new leaf to our family tree! My son married his beautiful wife, and of course the wedding was perfect. Spending time with the family members in attendance only added to our day. Weddings have a way of reminding you why this family history work matters - it's about the people, not just the paper trail.
Speaking of which, I'm keeping things brief this week since you're already hearing from me twice more with the Family History Month series. Just a few tools and tips to keep your research moving forward.
📚 THIS WEEK: SHARPEN YOUR RESEARCH SKILLS
14 BEST GENEALOGY TIPS!
If your research feels stuck or scattered, you might not need new records - you might just need a tune-up.
I put together 14 field-tested tips that help you refocus, avoid rabbit holes, and spot the clues you've been missing. These aren't beginner basics - they're the strategies that actually move research forward when you're deep in it.
While digging into a family story and trying to sort out the details, I spent time pulling together records to share with relatives I will be seeing soon. I found myself back on Ancestry, cross-referencing records on MyHeritage to fill in gaps - and it reminded me why I maintain subscriptions to both.
Each platform has records the other doesn't, and their search algorithms surface different results from the same collections. When I'm seriously hunting for something, I search both. It's not about having every tool - it's about having the right ones for what you're actually trying to accomplish.
If you've been on the fence about subscribing to one (or both), Family History Month and the upcoming holiday season typically brings the year's best deals. Worth keeping on your radar as we head into the holiday season.
You don't need hours for a research breakthrough. Sometimes you just need fresh eyes on something you looked at months (or years) ago.
Pick ONE ancestor file - the one that's been nagging at you. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Look at it like you're seeing it for the first time:
✓ What source do you remember being "complete" - but might have missed details? ✓ What assumption did you make that you didn't verify? ✓ What collateral relatives (siblings, neighbors, associates) did you skip? ✓ What records have been added to databases since you last searched?
The payoff? You'd be surprised how often that five minutes surfaces the next step you've been missing. Even if it doesn't, you'll at least know that ancestor is truly exhausted - and it's time to move on.
That's it for this week - keeping it short since you're also getting the Family History Month exploration emails (if you're not, make sure you're on the list!).
Next week I'll share what's actually on sale this month and what's worth your money.
Actionable genealogy advice that you'll want to save in a special Gmail folder to grow your healthy family tree, sent weekly to 10,000+ readers.
Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
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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...
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