Internet-Genealogy Blog

Fall into Family History with the September/October 2015 Issue of Your Genealogy Today

By Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A. 

   
Where did the summer go?  Fall is my favorite season of the year, but I can’t believe that Labor Day weekend (the unofficial end to summer) has come and gone. As a child, Labor Day also signaled that it was time to get back to the books since school always began the day after.

Image Credit: Fotolia.com (Author: Timurock)

Keeping with the same “back to school” mindset, I am preparing my Fall family history research plan, and the September/October 2015 issue of Your Genealogy Today has some great ideas for records and resources I want to explore.

The article on “Dissecting Death Notices for New Clues” by George G. Morgan immediately grabbed my attention. I recently performed a mini review of documents I had collected for one of my lines and began looking a bit more closely at the obituaries I collected for my paternal grandmother and her siblings.  George Morgan’s article reminded me to go back to some of the newspapers and other sources to see if I can find other related announcements and records. Following George’s advice I will underline key words or phrases looking for direct information and clues to follow up on in other records. I also loved George’s tips on creating a working document using a spreadsheet in order to begin a detailed analysis of the text underlined in an obituary, and then make a research plan.

In addition, I really enjoyed Sue Lisk’s “Sensational Snippets and Scoops,” offering seven great tips for searching for mentions of your ancestors’ lives and Jennifer Holik’s “Reconstructing WWII Service Records,” the latest installment in her series on researching WWII military ancestors. Then there are the other columns including Dave Obee’s Back Page, Advice from the Pros, Genealogy Tourism, and DNA & Genealogy.

Here’s a look at the complete Table of Contents for the September/October 2015 issue:

·      Dissecting Death Notices for New Clues

George G. Morgan offers a number of strategies for extracting the maximum information from an ancestor’s death notice

·      Advice from the Pros Understanding Records Access Restrictions by Janice Nickerson

·      Between the Headlines: Sensational Snippets and Scoops

Sue Lisk offers seven tips to help you locate your ancestors in the newspapers of yesteryear

·      Interviewing the Elderly

Brenda Ervin shares her successful tips for getting the elderly to open up and share their memories for future generations

·      Have You Reached a Brick Wall in Your Native American Research?

       Stuart Doyle examines some strategies and resources for overcoming difficulties in Indian research

·      Reconstructing World War II Service Records

Jennifer Holik looks at alternate record sources when dealing with a missing Army, Air Corps or National Guard service record

·      Intertwined Families

Elaine Ford researches a Mississippi ancestor and a connection to slavery

·      DNA & Genealogy: Can a DNA Test Confirm Native American Ancestry? It Depends by Janine Cloud

·      The Rich Rewards of Your Roots: What I Found On My Journey Into The Past

Martin Goldsmith shares an extract from his book, Alex’s Wake: The Tragic Voyage of the St. Louis to Flee Nazi Germany – and a Grandson’s Journey of Love and Remembrance

·      Genealogy Tourism: Genealogy Tourism in Ireland: How to Get Started by Lora O’Brien

·      The Back Page: We All Have a “Rachel” in Our Family Tree!  by Dave Obee

Whether you subscribe to the print edition or enjoy the digital version, you are in for some fabulous fall reading in the September/October issue of Your Genealogy Today.  With so many helpful tips and advice, there is much to learn from the newest edition of YGT.

This is the fourth issue of Your Genealogy Today (formerly known as Family Chronicle).  Not a subscriber? Go to http://yourgenealogytoday.com to take advantage of the special limited time pricing for Print or PDF subscriptions.