Don’t assume that because your ancestors were poor that there aren’t records of them. Check out records from prisons, almshouses, orphanages, charity societies, and advertisements

Search for Scottish POWs in the Colonies. You’ll find lists of men who came to America as indentured servants. They were listed as property.

The Amesbury, Essex Co. Mass. public works department has a database for the cemeteries they maintain. This is a good reminder to see what other

Look up the genealogical proof standard. It will explain what that means and there are also forms to help you do “due diligence” to achieve

Quakers issued certificates for many reasons including to be used as an introduction when they moved to a new town or even if they had

Apparently, in the 1700s and 1800s, a bondsman came with the groom to validate his legal status. That person was probably a relative or a

Look at marriage records. Who performed the marriage? Was it a Rev. or a Justice of the Peace? Those are hints to where to look

Check for obits and at the funeral home. The funeral home may have more information as they may have helped with the obit or even

Remember that in genealogy, spelling doesn’t count. Because of name changes/spelling variants, you need to look for parents, siblings, and spouses, etc. on documents to

As a reminder…make copies of vital records. Keep the originals at home and use the copies as working copies. You don’t want to misplace or