One of the greatest collections of historical material in the United States can be found in the National Archives.

Where is the National Archive?

My latest genealogy investment hasn't been exactly what I'd hoped for, but I'm having a great time digging through it. I've gained several new generations of ancestors already.

The Complete Peerage is a 14-volume work by G.E. Cokayne, and edited by Hon. Vicary Gibbs. The full title is "The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant & Extinct or Dormant." The set contains the history for all the Earls and Barons through the history of Britain. The years included range from the 1100s up to more current references in the 1900s.

What better way to stay motivated with your family tree research than a magazine every month? Personally, I love magazines and am subscribed to many of them.

By Terri Paajanen

I have to admit this article didn't turn out quite the way I expected. Though I have some Scottish and Irish history back about 8 or 10 generations back, this is not a heritage that I am familiar with. I thought it would be helpful or interesting to cover the family styles of tartans, possibly exploring the patterns and any meanings to the colours and styles.

by Terri Paajanen

I will admit that this topic was much more complex that I had expected when I first started reading up on the subject. So this article will just be an introduction to the history, meaning and use of coats of arms.

The first thing I need to point out, is that coats of arms are NOT associated with a family or a surname. Anyone offering to find your family's crest or coat of arms (for a price, of course) is not a legitimate service.

by Terri Paajanen

Ah, the brick wall. We all have at least one of them, if not several. Some relation who we cannot get past. A person with unknown parentage and who cannot seem to be found anywhere. I have a few techniques that might help you get past your latest brick wall.

Even the greenest beginner in genealogy is familiar with vital records. It's a general term used for birth, marriage and death records.

These records can provide a lot more information than just a name and date. If you have access to the original certificates or registrations, you will find a wealth of information. Of course, the specifics will be different from region to region, since record-keeping practices of this kind are not standardized.

Ok, continuing the organizational theme, I'm going to talk about the second of those basic genealogy forms that you will want to have on hand to keep your records on track: pedigree charts.

The family group sheets from last week, organize your information as a series of family groups.

Visiting a cemetery is a very hands-on way of doing research and collecting family history information. You can locate cemeteries with family members through various online cemetery records, obituaries, or from living family members.

Whether you are actually taking a road trip to find some archived records, or just heading across town to visit the library, planning your genealogy research trip can help you make the most of your time. The more efficient your work, the more likely it will be that you find what you need.

1. Decide what you are looking for. Unless you have unlimited time resources and can read through everything, you should make a list of the specific documents/information that you are looking for. It is really easy to get distracted and forget why you're even there.