COVERITLIVE.COM

11:36

test

11:54

[Comment From Guest]
Do you do most of your work online or do you still go to libraries and archives? What's a good site to start with?

11:56

I often start online, but once you cover the basics, you find yourself exploring libraries, archives, cemeteries, and so forth - and that's half the fun! It's like a detective game and sometimes the lesser known resources can be the most rewarding.

11:57

[Comment From Guest]
I'm really impressed that you can trace strangers' roots. How do you get started? How much do you need to know about a person?

11:59

With anyone, you start with the individual and work your way backwards through the generations. Generally, if I can find my way to relatives who were alive before 1930 and/or who have passed away in the U.S. since the early 1960s, I can usually get sufficient traction to pick up the family's trail.

11:59

[Comment From Dot Hosking Huntley]
How do you manage research in cities far from you? Do you hire someone or do you travel there yourself?

12:01

It depends on what I'm working on. While I enjoy on-site research, I tend to juggle a lot of projects so often don't have the luxury of going to the location. In those instances, yes, I'll hire someone in the area to, say, photograph tombstones in a nearby cemetery, look for particular records at the county courthouse, and so forth.

12:01

[Comment From Phyllis Mascitti]
Can you recommend a testing service to send DNA to for genealogy purposes. I would love to know how far and where I go back to. I am Italian.

12:03

There are actually several different types of DNA tests geared toward genealogists, so which company you choose will depend partly on what you want to learn. The most popular tests can reveal information about your direct paternal line or your direct maternal line, but there are also "admixture" tests that break your entire heritage into rough chunks of African, Asian and European heritage.

12:03

[Comment From Dot Hosking Huntley]
I budget so much a month for genealogical research - copies, mileage, etc. How do you handle the cost of hiring a researcher?

12:05

Since I earn my living as a genealogist, it's perhaps easier for me to rationalize hiring other genealogists! I'm not as concerned with researchers' hourly rates as I am with their performance. Some of the best genealogists can find in 15 minutes what might take others hours to locate.

12:05

[Comment From Jenice]
Hi, Megan. Here's a question I didn't ask. Besides your book that's coming out, what's the next big thing on the horizon for you?

12:06

Hi Jen, The funny thing is that I'm usually the last to find out! Most of the most wonderful opportunities I've had tend to land in my lap unexpectedly, so I'm not sure what my next "big" thing is!

12:06

[Comment From Dot Hosking Huntley]
What do you charge for public appearances? My Cornish society in the Pacific Northwest would love to have you for a meeting!

12:07

There's an events link on my personal website -- www.HonoringOurAncestors.com -- where you can complete a short form. My assistant then responds with all the details you need depending on whether you're looking for a single talk, an all-day event, etc.

12:08

[Comment From Dot Hosking Huntley]
I'm going to sign off now, but want you to know what an inspiration you have been and are to the rest of us tracking elusive ghosts!

12:09

Thank you so much, Dot! So kind of you to say! Best wishes with your ancestral quest!

12:09

[Comment From CR Robinson]
Hi, why do you think that some think Michelle Obama's history is unique? It's the norm for people from my background to have slave and slave owners in their family tree. For example, a family member found court archives that show a Brigadeer General of the Confederacy on my maternal grandmother's side. He bought and owned a slave from West Indies. It's nothing new that slave owners raped slaves. Hence the terms, Mulatto ,octoroon, quadroon , which labeled slave values based on how close they were genetically to those in charge. So, what's the biggie?

12:11

Megan - I wasn't surprised at what my research revealed. I've done a lot of African American genealogy -- for instance, working on African American Lives for PBS -- so I more or less expect to find mixed heritage. Many responded that the First Lady's family was much like their own, but apparently the findings were a bit of a revelation to others.

12:13

[Comment From Beth]
I have had a tremendously hard time finding when a great-great grandfather came over from Austria/Germany. Several members of my family has scoured ship records and other documents to no avail. At what point do you have to consider that a last name has been changed and how would you research a possible name change or alternate spelling?

Page 1 Next >