Using DNA was the only way to answer the family mystery of who was the mother of Loulie Clarke. Kentucky vital records were gone and no one was alive to tell the truth.

I posted this on an older blog site that I was using for my DIY renovations on my house. I guess this is what the universe was trying to...

Christmas markets capture a kind of magic you can’t find anywhere else — equal parts tradition, community, and holiday sparkle. While the tradition began in Europe centuries ago, American cities have created their own festive versions that echo the Old World charm. But how do the “classic” European markets compare to their “new world” counterparts?

If you’ve ever thought about hiring someone to help with your family history, you’ve probably discovered there are multiple flavors of genealogists—and no, they don’t all do the same thing!

Planning a family reunion? Make it unforgettable with our 20 fun family reunion quiz questions for family history. This activity goes beyond dates and places, helping you capture stories, heirlooms, recipes, and memories from every generation. Use these engaging questions to spark conversations, uncover family legends, and strengthen connections while building a richer, more meaningful family tree together.

When I talk to people about genealogy, I often hear:“I built a tree on Ancestry.com in 20 minutes!” Hate to break it to you, but that tree was probably someone else’s work—copied, unverified, and riddled with errors. It’s like claiming you “wrote a book” when all you did was photocopy it. (Or used AI to create the whole thing and claim it as your own.) In my own family, I’ve seen at least three different women falsely named as my 3rd great-grandmother.

The pilot scheduled for that fateful flight was Lieutenant Thomas Pihl Jordan, a daring aviator who held Norwegian pilot certificate no. 27. But Jordan wasn't confident about this mission. In the days before departing Kjeller for the flight to Værnes and the major military aviation exercise, he expressed deep distrust of his assigned aircraft. He called it the "coffin" and told his friends it would "probably become his coffin in the literal sense."

The pursuit to find graves of my ancestors has led me to Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, KS. There I found my 2xgreats were buried without headstones.

Are you hitting dead ends in your family history research and hoping DNA matches can help? Sometimes the most rewarding genealogy discoveries require professional expertise. The Problem: You have hundreds of DNA matches but can't figure out how they connect to your family tree. Why This Happens: DNA testing companies give you so many matches and may suggest a relationship. Those genetic relationships provided are simple and never meant to be final.

Many people know their siblings, aunts, uncles, and maybe a few cousins. But DNA and genealogy research often reveal connections that go much further — sometimes to people you’ve never met, yet share a slice of history (and DNA!).n my case, one of those connections is Didrik Tønseth — a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed in the Olympics and won the Gold Medal for 4x 10km relay in 2018. Didrik is my 4th cousin on my father’s Norwegian line.

My great-great-grandmother, Emma Charlotta Berggren (1851–1946) , had a pretty rough life. Although I’ve mentioned her before, I want to...

Family reunions are perfect opportunities to dive deeper into family history, hear old stories, and uncover hidden gems of your genealogy. Asking the right questions can reveal fascinating details about your heritage, your ancestors’ lives, and even uncover unexpected connections.

In the intricate tapestry of our family history, surnames carry tales of our ancestors, echoing their occupations, locations, and the...

Although the method for adding multiple DNA matches to a group has been altered from the non-subscription approach, the option is still accessible. This quick guide will demonstrate how to effectively utilize Ancestry's Pro Tools to expertly organize your DNA matches.

I was browsing the collection by name, I noticed that besides my 4 family members, Edna, Waldemar, Richard and Robert Tonseth, there were 11 other people in a different county with the last name of Tonseth! I couldn't resist pulling down all their cards and doing a bit of digging on them. Are they related to me? I know that most everyone with my surname will be, just have to find out how!