PODCAST · history
Ancestral Findings
by AncestralFindings.com
These brief historical and informational snippets about genealogy and history should encourage and help you advance your family tree.
Episodes
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How Much of My Family Tree Depends on My Own Judgment? | AF-1326
The longer I work in genealogy, the more I realize something about family tree research: a family tree isn't simply something I find. I build it. Records give me names, dates, places, relationships, occupations, witnesses, neighbors, signatures, and dozens of other clues, but the records don't…
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Columbus Day Makes Me Rethink the Word "First" | AF-1325
Columbus Day and genealogy make me think about one small word with a big meaning: first. The first ancestor to come to America. The first family to settle in a county. Or the first name we can prove on a branch of the family tree. Each sounds like a clear beginning. Yet each leaves me with…
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Whatever Happened to You're Welcome? | AF-1324
I say "thank you." Someone answers, "No problem." The exchange is over in a second, but lately I've been thinking about those two words. Whatever happened to "you're welcome"? My curiosity about the history of "no problem" began with that small question. At a restaurant, I'm thanking someone for...
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When Was the Last Time You Thanked Your Genealogy Librarian? | AF-1323
I was thinking recently about all the libraries I have visited over the years while doing genealogy research. Some had large genealogy departments. Others had a small genealogy or local history room tucked away somewhere, with a few shelves of books, family histories, cemetery records, old...
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What My German Research Changed About the Way I Do Genealogy | AF-1322
German genealogy changed the way I research. I didn't plan on changing anything. At first, I was simply trying to follow another branch of my family tree, but I soon found that some of the habits that worked well for me in American records wouldn't get me very far. A name, an approximate birth...
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Why Do Some Ancestors Feel Closer Than Others? | AF-1321
A photograph can change things quickly. Until then, I may know a person only through census entries, deeds, handwritten records, or a name on a family tree. Then I see a face. I notice the eyes, the clothes, the way someone is standing, or the expression the camera happened to catch. I still…
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Would My Ancestors Recognize the Story I Wrote About Them? | AF-1320
I deleted a sentence the other day because I realized I had gone farther than the records allowed. The sentence fit nicely with the story I was putting together, and based on everything I knew about the family, it even sounded reasonable. But when I looked at it again, I realized I was telling…
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The Real Goondocks: The History of Astoria, Oregon, Behind The Goonies | AF-1319
I have always enjoyed The Goonies. It has everything I want in a fun adventure movie: an old treasure map, secret passages, booby traps, criminals, a pirate ship, and a group of kids who decide that the best response to a hopeless situation is to go looking for One-Eyed Willie's treasure. I have...
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Free Book Giveaway: Mason: A Man with No Beginning by Timothy Mulgrew | AF-1318
It is time for another Ancestral Findings free book giveaway. This month, I am giving away a copy of Mason: A Man with No Beginning by Timothy Mulgrew. This true family story combines genealogy, World War II history, immigration, family secrets, old records, DNA research, and a decades-long…
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We Spend So Much Time Looking Back: What Are We Leaving Behind? | AF-1317
I spend a great deal of time looking for things people left behind. Sometimes it is something important, such as a will, a family Bible, or a letter that explains a relationship. Other times it is much smaller: a name written beneath a photograph, a few lines in a newspaper, or a note in the…
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Am I Researching My Family or Just Collecting Records?
I caught myself doing something recently that I have probably done many times without thinking. I found a record I had been searching for, downloaded it, named the file, put it where it belonged, and almost immediately started looking for the next one. The strange part was that I had spent more...
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The People I Almost Walked Past in the Family Tree
When I am working on the Moneymaker side of my family in Virginia, there is always a pull to keep going backward. Find the parents, then their parents, then see whether another generation is waiting in an older record. That part of genealogy can be hard to resist. But sometimes, while following...
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I Know Their Names, But Do I Really Know Them?
Every once in a while, I look at someone in a family tree and realize I have done a pretty good job documenting them. I have birth, marriage, and census records, children, an occupation, and a death date. There may be land records, military records, an obituary, or a few other pieces as well.…
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How Road Petitions Can Reveal Your Ancestor's Neighborhood
Most family research begins with records created around major events such as births, marriages, deaths, land purchases, and military service. A request to build or repair a road may seem far removed from genealogy, yet these records can put an ancestor into a specific community and introduce you…
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Labor Day: A Legacy of Work, Rest, and Family
Labor Day arrives each September, signaling the close of summer and the approach of autumn. Many people see it as a three-day weekend for rest, cookouts, or back-to-school shopping. Yet beneath the sales and celebrations lies a deeper meaning—one that connects directly to the lives of our...
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Using Bastardy Bonds in Family Research
A missing father can stop a family line very quickly. You may know the mother, where she lived, and what happened to the child later in life, yet still have no record that names the father. There may be no birth certificate. The parents may never have married. The child may appear in early…
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10 Perfect Genealogy Projects for September
The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to turn, and children have returned to their classrooms. It's September, and what better time to reconnect with your family history? Genealogy isn't just a summer vacation activity; each season offers its own unique opportunities to explore your past and...
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What School Records Can Tell You About Your Ancestors
Family research often follows the adults. We search census records, marriage licenses, deeds, probate files, military records, obituaries, and death certificates. Those records are essential, but while the adults were leaving one paper trail, the children in the household were often leaving...
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Your Ancestor's Neighbors May Hold the Clues You Need
Genealogy research often begins with one person. You find an ancestor's name. You locate a census record, discover a marriage record, or uncover a family connection that moves your research forward. For a while, the pieces begin to fit together. Then the trail slows down. You cannot find where…
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The People Who Disappeared From History: Finding Ancestors Who Left Few Records
Every genealogist eventually finds one. You follow a family line through the years, finding names, dates, places, and relationships. One record leads to another. You discover where your ancestors lived, who they married, and how their families grew. Then suddenly, the trail ends. An ancestor who...
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Finding Your Ancestors in Fraternal and Lodge Records
For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, belonging to a lodge or fraternal organization was a normal part of American community life. In towns large and small, men and women joined groups that offered friendship, social activity, financial assistance, insurance benefits, funeral...
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What Coroner's Inquest Records Can Tell You About Your Ancestors
A death certificate can tell you when and where your ancestor died. An obituary might name surviving relatives and tell you where the funeral was held. But what if the death was sudden, accidental, unexplained, or suspicious? There may be another record waiting for you. Coroner's inquest records...
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Did Your Ancestor End Up in the Poorhouse? The Records You May Be Missing
You find your ancestor living with the family in one census. Ten years later, that person is gone. There's no obvious death record. You can't find another marriage. You don't see evidence of a move. The person simply seems to disappear. Or maybe you do find your ancestor, but instead of living…
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American Folklore in Oklahoma
Oklahoma became the forty-sixth state on November 16, 1907, but its story began long before there was an Oklahoma Territory, an Indian Territory, or even a United States. Native peoples lived throughout the region long before written records. Different communities hunted the plains, farmed river...
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American Folklore in Oregon
Oregon became the thirty-third state on February 14, 1859, but its history reaches far beyond statehood. Indigenous peoples had lived throughout the region long before Europeans arrived, with communities and traditions tied to the coast, forests, mountains, and rivers. One of the earliest...
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American Folklore in South Dakota
South Dakota joined the Union on November 2, 1889, the same day as North Dakota. South Dakota is traditionally listed as the fortieth state, but no one knows which Dakota was admitted first. President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the two statehood documents before signing them so neither state…
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What Funeral Home Records Can Tell You About Your Ancestors
When an ancestor dies, most genealogists know the usual records to search. There's the death certificate, obituary, cemetery record, gravestone, probate file, and perhaps a church burial record. But there's another source that can be just as useful and is often overlooked. The funeral home.…
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American Folklore in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's history reaches far beyond the founding of the United States. Long before Europeans arrived, the region was home to the Lenape, Susquehannock, Erie, and other Native peoples. Rivers such as the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Allegheny served as travel routes, hunting grounds, fishing...
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American Folklore in South Carolina
South Carolina is one of the original thirteen states, but its history began long before the first European settlers arrived. Native peoples had lived throughout the region for countless generations, building communities along its rivers, forests, coastal marshes, and barrier islands. The name...
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10 "Must-Do" Genealogy Projects for August
August can be a funny month. Summer is still here, but it is beginning to wind down. The children and grandchildren are getting ready to return to school, vacations are coming to an end, and some of the hottest afternoons are still ahead of us. That makes August a good month to work on family...
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American Folklore in Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the country, but it has never been short on independence or unusual stories. One of the original thirteen colonies, Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the United States Constitution. It finally approved the document on May 29, 1790, becoming the...
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Does the Same Last Name Mean You Are Related? | Genealogy MythBusters
Finding someone with your family's last name can be exciting. Maybe the name appears in an old census, a cemetery record, an online family tree, or even a DNA match list. The spelling is exactly right, the family lived in the same general area, and suddenly a new branch of your tree seems to be...
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American Folklore in Tennessee
Admitted to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state, Tennessee has been inhabited by humans for at least 12,000 years, according to current archaeological evidence. The names of the tribes of Native Americans who inhabited the area before the first known Europeans arrived are not known, though the…
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American Folklore in Utah
In this addition, we are traveling through Utah, where one mysterious gravestone has puzzled visitors for decades, stolen pieces of a Jurassic forest return home with letters of apology, a grave robber disappears from an island in the Great Salt Lake, and a brilliant blue mountain lake is said to...
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American Folklore in Vermont
Today, we travel through Vermont in search of a family curse, a legendary lake creature, the ghost stories surrounding a terrible railroad disaster, and a group of mineral springs that seemed to resist every attempt to turn them into a business. Some parts of these stories are supported by...
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American Folklore in Virginia
Today we explore three unusual stories from Virginia folklore: the ghost legend associated with Sarah Shelton Henry, the mystery of the Beale ciphers, and the modern tale of a werewolf-like creature in Henrico County. Along the way, we will separate the documented history from the legends that…
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Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park | Postcards From the Past
For this installment of Postcards From the Past, I have two vintage postcards that were sent to me by a friend and podcast listener, M. Green. He included a handwritten note explaining that they show Paragon Park and Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts, a place once well-known and deeply loved...
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10 "Must-Do" Genealogy Projects for July
With the dog days of summer approaching, you may be thinking of genealogy projects to keep you occupied during the long, hot days ahead. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do in July that fall outside your usual genealogical research, and these should keep you occupied and...
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Smart Genealogy: Using Today's Tools Without Losing Sight of Good Research
Genealogy has always required patience, curiosity, and a willingness to follow clues one step at a time. For many years, that meant courthouse visits, family letters, cemetery books, microfilm readers, census pages, and long afternoons with handwritten notes spread across the table. Those older...
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Utilizing Online Resources and DNA Testing for South African Genealogy
As genealogical research evolves in the digital age, tracing your South African ancestry has become easier and more accessible than ever. With vast online databases, digitized records, and DNA testing, you can now explore family connections and ancestral roots from the comfort of your home. The…
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Genealogical Challenges in South Africa
Genealogical research in South Africa can be a rewarding experience, but it's not without its challenges. Whether you're trying to track down a birth certificate, find an ancestor in the 1800s, or interpret handwritten documents in an unfamiliar language, these obstacles can slow down your...
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Women in South African Genealogy
In the world of genealogy, it can sometimes feel as though the women in your family tree slip into the shadows, overshadowed by male ancestors whose surnames are passed down through generations. But don't be fooled—women were central to family history, community life, and the transmission of...
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Researching South African Immigration and Emigration Patterns
South Africa's history is a fascinating migration story, with people arriving from all over the world and others leaving to build new lives in other lands. Understanding the patterns of immigration and emigration can open up new doors in your genealogical research, revealing the journeys your...
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Understanding South African Surnames: A Guide to Cultural and Ethnic Origins
What's in a name? Well, in South Africa, quite a lot! Surnames carry the stories of ancestors, cultures, and the complex history that shaped this incredible country. Whether your last name is Van der Merwe, Mbatha, Patel, or even Botha, understanding its origin can unlock a treasure trove of...
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Tracing Ancestry Through South African Church and Civil Records
Church and civil records are foundational resources for tracing ancestry in South Africa. Before formal civil registration was introduced, church records were the primary means of documenting life events such as births, marriages, and deaths. Even after civil registration became common practice,...
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Introduction to South African Genealogy
South Africa has an extraordinary history and a complex blend of cultures, rewarding and challenging genealogical research here. Whether your ancestors were part of the indigenous communities, European settlers, or later immigrants, the journey to uncover your family's roots in South Africa can...
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Book Giveaway: Tracing Your Ancestors Using What They Left Behind
The book is Tracing Your Ancestors Using What They Left Behind: A Guide for Family Historians by Simon Wills. I had actually planned to offer this book as a giveaway a few weeks ago, but some family things came up, and I was not able to make the change at the time. In the end, that delay worked…
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Military Records for Tracing Ancestors
Military records can add life, movement, and personal detail to family history research. A census may tell you where an ancestor lived. A marriage record may name a spouse. A deed may show land ownership. A will may identify heirs. Military records can place that same person inside a larger…
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Summer Genealogy Starts Now
Summer is one of the best times of year to bring family history out of the computer and into the real world. The days are longer. Travel is easier. Cemeteries are more accessible. Families gather for cookouts, reunions, weddings, and vacations. Local libraries, courthouses, archives, historical...
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Honoring the Revolutionary War Soldiers Lost for 250 Years
For nearly two and a half centuries, they were forgotten beneath the soil near Lake George, New York. No marked graves stood above them. No descendants visited to leave flowers. No stone carried their names. The men who fought for the American cause during the Revolutionary War disappeared from...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
These brief historical and informational snippets about genealogy and history should encourage and help you advance your family tree.
HOSTED BY
AncestralFindings.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Ancestral Findings have?
Ancestral Findings currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ancestral Findings about?
These brief historical and informational snippets about genealogy and history should encourage and help you advance your family tree.
How often does Ancestral Findings release new episodes?
Ancestral Findings releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Ancestral Findings?
You can listen to Ancestral Findings on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ancestral Findings?
Ancestral Findings is created and hosted by AncestralFindings.com.
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