Articles written by Darlene Vaillancourt
Showing 1-100 of 116 Articles
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Dr. David Livingstone
Dr. Livingstone was a missionary with an adventurous spirit who explored and mapped much of south-central Africa.
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The Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible is one of the most well-known rare books in the world. With only 48 of them in existence today, they still represent the dawn of the printing press.
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Micro-Lending with Kiva
Kiva allows any individual to make a small loan to help a new business in a developing country. You can help reduce poverty, one person at a time.
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Classic Shortbread Cookies
Good shortbread is a delicacy, and it's really not a hard thing to bake. Don't settle for store-bought. The real thing is so much better.
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Simple Potato Salad
Summer just isn't summer without a dish or two of potato salad. It's great anytime, but practically expected at a picnic or bar-b-que. Don't bring store-bought this year.
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Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls
Loud, bright and campy Clifton Hill is a must-visit if you are seeing Niagara Falls in Canada. One stretch of street that is packed with strange and unusual attractions
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Visiting Algonquin Park in Ontario
Algonquin Park is a favorite destination for campers, hikers, canoeists and anyone just looking to get away from the city.
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Glastonbury Tor
It may be the resting place of the Holy Grail, or simply home to many varied historical sites. Either way, it's a dramatic sight on the horizon.
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Danielle Steel
Her books are known around the globe, and her own life often formed the inspiration behind her stories. She's seen many romances and failed relationships herself.
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Ancestry of Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze comes from a family full of performers and his family tree is well-documented going back a number of generations.
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Baking Butter Tarts
Its hard to believe these sweet treats only require a few ingredients and are so easy to make. Freshly baked tarts always make a lovely dessert
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Hadrian's Wall
Built to protect the Roman Empire from the savage Picts, Hadrian's Wall still exists today as excavated ruins across Britain.
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Karen Blixen
It was the life of Karen Blixen that was immortalized in the movie, "Out of Africa". Her story illustrates the life of a European settler in Africa.
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The Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls is a record of the Native Americans who left their tribes in exchange for homestead land in the late 1800s.
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Backup Your Genealogy Data
Computer files can be vulnerable to technical problems or viruses. Protect your genealogy research with a regular backup routine.
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National Archives of America
Though the National Archives is a huge resource, there is no guarantee that anything of genealogical importance for your research will be found there.
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Footnote.com
An overview of a relatively new genealogy website that is fast becoming a major resource for scanned historical documents, records and photos.
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Ancestry of Stephen King
As a writer of more than just horror novels, Stephen King's work can be found world-wide, both in print and on the big screen. He has a long family history in New England
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Two Genealogies of Jesus
The differences between the two genealogies of Jesus in the Bible has long been debated, with a few select theories arising to explain the discrepancies.
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Converting Old Home Movies to DVD
By transferring your home movies to a DVD format, you can preserve some priceless family treasures and make it easier for everyone to watch them.
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The DAR Society
The DAR is a historical and genealogical organization that is open to any women descended from an American patriot. Their resource library is valuable to genealogists.
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Ancestry Press
Now you can produce a quality hard-cover book of your genealogy research and family tree charts. All with a few handy online tools from Ancestry.com
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Genealogy Timeline Tools
Timelines can help you put all the events in your family tree into a historical and chronological format, giving you a great view of how your family fits into history.
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Are We Controlled by Our Genes?
There is ongoing debate whether or not our behavior is controlled by our genes, which can make some of your genealogy discoveries a little troublesome.
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Donating Research to an Archive
The perfect way to ensure your genealogy research is put to good use. Donate your research materials and documents to a local historical society.
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Managing Genealogy Research
Stay organized when doing your family tree research, and that includes knowing what you need to work on next. Focus your genealogy searches to make the most of your time.
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Using a Microfilm Machine
Don't shy away from genealogical archives on microfilm just because you are afraid of the machine. Microfilm machines are easy to use and can provide lots of information.
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Ancestry of George W. Bush
A prominent figure in the news these days, George W. Bush is a president with genealogical ties to old English royalty.
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Marrying Cousins
When cousins marry, especially first cousins, your tree can have a few connected branches. Learn more about why cousins marry and why they shouldn't.
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Hemophilia in the Royal Family
The hereditary disease hemophilia is a well-known example of how genetics can travel through a family tree. It struck the royal families of Europe last century.
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Creating a Family Cookbook
A collection of family recipes can be a great way to get your relatives all involved in a project that looks into your history. Everyone has favorite family recipes.
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Dealing with Titles
You may have difficulty recording complex names that have extra components, like Duke or "the Third". Knowing how to properly organize names can come in handy.
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Types of Old Photos
As photograph styles changed through the 1800s, you can learn to identify the different types of photos and put a rough date on them based simply on their format.
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Using Old Maps in Genealogy
A map can lead you in the right direction for all kinds of further genealogical research. Many old maps are now available for browsing online.
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Criminal Records
Even if you don't have ancestors who were criminals, there may be information to be found among the court, prison or trial records of your area.
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Joining a Genealogy Mailing List
Joining a genealogy mailing list can help you find other people doing the same research as you are, and possibly link up with other distant family members.
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Starting a Family Newsletter
Keep in touch with living relatives with your own family newsletter. A great idea to help share photos, stories and personal family history.
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What Happened to Annie Moore?
The story of Annie Moore is a long and somewhat complicated one. Folklore history gave her one life story, but research proved something else entirely.
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Ancestry of Elvis Presley
Though there is some dispute over the origins of his family, you can still find several generations of the Presley family online.
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Attending a Genealogy Event
There are plenty of great benefits from going to a genealogy conference or other event. These events are not just for the professionals.
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Review of GedHTree
GedHTree will convert your standard Gedcom file into a series of linked HTML pages that you can then put online as a website for all the world to see.
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Watch for Genealogy Scams
Not everyone in the genealogy business is worth dealing with. There are plenty of scams, hoaxes and bad deal out there. Be aware of these common ones.
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Dating Old Photographs
If you have old photographs with no dates, there are ways to narrow down the time frame of when they were likely taken. Look at the clothes, and the type of photo itself.
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Ancestry of Laura Ingalls Wilder
She wrote the popular Little House books, and is an icon of the early American settlement of the western frontier. Her family tree leads back to the Mayflower.
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Homestead Act Records
The Homestead Act of 1862 led to millions of people being given large tracts of land, for free. These claims resulted in lots of documentation that you may want to find.
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Becoming a Certified Genealogist
If you are serious about your genealogy skills and research, and are thinking about becoming a professional, the first step is getting certified.
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Obtaining Vital Records
Knowing where to look for birth, marriage and death certificates is half the battle. The second half is contacting the records offices and trying to get copies made.
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Russian Genealogy
Your search for Russian ancestors may be a difficult one, but more and more resources are slowly appearing for online genealogy research in Russia.
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Ancestry of George Washington
Taking a look at the ancestral history of the first president of the United States, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
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Give Your Tree More Branches
There is a lot to be learned from those relatives that you have sitting around in your family tree, even those who are not directly your ancestors. Don't ignore cousins.
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Scottish Family Tartans
The history of the famed Scottish tartans might not be what you expect, and you might have difficulty locating an authentic pattern for your family.
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Basics of Land Deeds
Don't forget this often overlooked source of family history. Land deeds can offer a lot more genealogical information that you may realize.
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Reading Medieval Handwriting
Many old documents were written out longhand, and if you're lucky to have access to records like this, you may have a challenge to actually read what they say.
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The Ahnentafel Chart
Pedigree charts are a very visual way to organize your relatives, but they take up alot of space. An ahnentafel chart can map out ancestors in a compact manner.
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Create a Family Scrapbook
You can create a whole new heirloom to pass on to your children, with a scrapbook to display your genealogy research. Display photos and other precious family items.
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Identity Theft
Publishing personal facts in an online family tree may put your relatives at risk for identity theft. Or is the threat more of an urban legend?
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Queen Victoria
May 24th is celebrated in Canada as Victoria Day, to commemorate the life and reign of this commanding British Queen.
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Genealogy Utility Programs
There are all kinds of genealogy programs, and not just the ones to house your growing collection of relatives and their information. Utilities can be helpful too.
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Lineage Societies
Do you have prominent or historically significant people in your tree? You might be able to join one of these notable lineage societies.
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Researching Slave Ancestors
Researching ancestors who were slaves can be one of the most challenging jobs a genealogist can undertake. It's not impossible, though.
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Newspaper Research
Old newspapers can offer a wide range of genealogical facts, stories and information. You might have to visit the library, or you might be able to search online.
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Conducting a Genealogy Interview
I have a few ideas to help you have a successful interview with a family member, in order to record their memories and experiences. Add a personal touch to your research.
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Heraldry and Coats of Arms
If you've been trying to find your family's coat of arms, or family crest, you're likely to come up empty. True coats of arms belonged to individuals, not families.
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How to Cite Your Sources
It's important to cite your sources, but also important to cite them correctly. These are the proper formats for recording your genealogy research findings.
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Old Occupational Titles
Knowing your ancestors occupation can be very helpful when trying to locate information. Job related resources will offer unique information if you know where to look.
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Plan a Genealogy Family Reunion
Organizing an event that could include hundreds of people that you aren't all that close to, can be a daunting task. But it could be worth the effort for your research.
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Genealogy Software
Most genealogy programs offer the same basic features, but you might need to shop around to find the one with the right bells and whistles for your research.
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Finnish Genealogy
Trying to dig into Finnish ancestry can be difficult because of the language differences. But there are many good English website to help you with your search.
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When You Hit a Brick Wall
No family tree is without a few brick walls. But don't let yourself get overly frustrated by those difficult ancestors. There are ways around every brick wall.
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Heraldic Visitations of Britain
Between 1500 and the late 1600s, heralds visited regions throughout Britain and Wales, recorded pedigrees and family history in order to establish proper use of arms.
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Genealogy Volunteering
Some genealogy resources are impossible to get your hands on, so why not ask if anyone else can do a quick look-up for you? Find a volunteer, or offer your own services.
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Adoption and Genealogy
Adoptions can create a challenge in your genealogy research, but it's not an impossible brick wall. There are ways to find out more about birth relatives.
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Planning a Research Trip
A little preparation can make your genealogy research trip more productive, especially if you are travelling a long distance.
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Where to Create a Family Tree Site
You don't need to be a web designer to make your own family tree website. If you want to publish your genealogy information online, there are networks that you can join
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Double Dating
Watch for instances of "double dating" when looking for British or early American records. There is actually a lot of history behind this odd way of recording the year.
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Free Genealogy Websites - Part 2
There are many pay-to-use genealogy databases available online, but also hundreds of really good free sites. I've selected a few more to highlight this week.
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Native American Genealogy
If you have ancestors who were native to the USA, then you may have a unique task ahead of you. Documentation can be harder to find, and not always that helpful.
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Hiring a Professional Genealogist
There is no shame in admitting that you need professional help with your genealogy studies. Hiring a genealogist can help you get past those brick walls.
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Myth vs History
Many characters in history are actually fictional, or at least partly fantasy. Myth and history can become intertwined, making genealogy difficult.
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Presidential Genealogy
To honour the recent passing of Gerald Ford, I'm highlighting some genealogy resources for all the presidents of the United States.
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Genealogy New Year's Resolutions
Time to energize your family tree research, and make some promises to yourself to get moving and do all those things you keep putting off.
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Choosing a Scanner for Genealogy
Computer equipment can be an asset when keeping your genealogy records. Getting a scanner can really help you keep your many old photos and documents handy and accessible
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Gifts for Genealogists
If you know someone who is researching their family tree, then getting them a gift this Christmas should be a breeze. Here are a few gift ideas.
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Genealogy of the Mayflower
Thousands of people can trace their roots back to the original colonists who came to America on the Mayflower. These resources will help you with your research.
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Surname Meanings
Original surnames had alot of meaning about someone's life and family. Finding out what various family names mean can reveal more about a family than you realize.
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Who are the Black Irish?
People differ in their opinions on who the Black Irish are. If you have been told that you have Black Irish in your ancestry, it might not mean what you think it does.
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Review of the Complete Peerage
This 14-book set contains history and family tree information on every Earl and Baron from Britain, Scotland and the UK. A great resource for anyone with noble ancestry.
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Salem Witch Trial Genealogy
The witchcraft trials in Salem represent a very unique event in American history. Many people today have colonial ancestors who were somehow involved.
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Genealogy Magazines
There aren't that many genealogy periodicals around, but there are a few good ones to be found. I've reviewed two well-known magazines, and listed a few others for you.
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Cite Your Sources
If you're going to publish your genealogy research online, you really should include your sources so that other people can verify your work.
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Review of Ancestry.com
Wonder whether it's worth it, to fork over big bucks to access a collection of genealogy databases? Well, here are my thoughts on the resources available at Ancestry.com
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Pedigree Charts
You can find nice pedigree charts online, that you can download for free. Just print them out and fill in your family data.
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Family Group Sheets
Here are some sources for blank family group sheets, which can be a handy way to record your genealogy information.
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Get Organized
Family tree research will invariably produce mounds of paper records, which can drive you to distraction. Find a genealogy filing system that works for you.
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Clooz Genealogy Software
Clooz isn't a genealogy program like most others. It is specifically designed to help you keep track of the tiny bits of info that you come across in your research.
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Publishing Your Family Tree
Get your genealogy out of your computer and onto your bookshelf. Custom printing companies offer you the chance to have your family tree immortalized on paper.
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Tanguay's Dictionnaire
This 7-volume genealogical work is pretty much necessary for anyone with French-Canadians in their family tree. I've reviewed a CD version of the text.
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GEDCOM Files
If you are using a computer program to manage your genealogy research, then you might find that using GEDCOM files can be helpful for sharing what you have with others.
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Free Genealogy Websites
There is a wealth of genealogical information on the Internet, and much of is it available at no cost. Here are a few of the best free sites for your family tree research
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Get Started in Genealogy
Researching your family can be a daunting task, so its best if you just take it one step at a time. First of all, you have to actually begin.
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