Your 8 Favorite Genealogy Blog Articles

I launched this blog in January 2017. I've kept to a once-a-week schedule, making this my 667th article. This page features an automatic tally of the 8 most popular articles.

I'd like you to help me with an experiment. The following is a list of the 8 most popular articles, in order from most to least. Please click to read the ones that interest you the most—ones you haven't read already or read recently. Then we'll see if we change the rankings.

Does the popular vote reflect your choices? These are the 8 most popular genealogy articles.

Can't find one you haven't read already? Then use the search box or explore this blog to find something that interests you today. It seems to me the most popular articles feature at least one of the following:

• a project to do
• a free give-away, like a spreadsheet
• a new resource to try.

This experiment will help guide me as I create new material for you to enjoy.

1. How to Use the Online Italian Genealogy Archives

I spend so much time with Italian vital records that I dream about them. I started out knowing nothing and have become an expert. This article will help you get comfortable and proficient with Italian vital records. They are essential if you have any Italian ancestors in your family tree.

2. 3 Things to Do with Ahnentafel Numbers

Each of your direct ancestors has an assigned number whether you know it or not. You are number 1, your father is number 2, your mother is number 3. And those numbers continue in a specific pattern as far back as you can go.

This article features a free spreadsheet for you to fill in with the names of your ancestors. Find out how the numbering system works and how to use it to your advantage.

3. How to Create a 'Book of Life' for Your Relatives

If you've seen PBS's genealogy show, "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.", you know the Book of Life. It's a graphic summary of the genealogy documents and pictures that tell your story.

See how easy and fun it is to create a Book of Life for yourself or someone else in your family. It's an instant treasure. Imagine creating one you can add to with each new discovery.

4. Run This Genealogy Report To Help Clean Up Your Dates

When your family tree reaches a certain size, it's hard to know which of the many people in it need more attention. This project uses the free Family Tree Analyzer program to spot everyone who's missing a key date.

How many people in your family tree need you to go back and search for their death date? How many people have an estimated date that you can resolve with a bit of research? This technique makes it easy.

5. Free Italian Military Records for WWI and WWII

This article has surged due to a high number of Google searches. I find these Italian military records to be fascinating and overflowing with details. I've made a point of collecting every one I can find for the men born in my handful of ancestral hometowns.

In 2018 I visited the archives in the city of Benevento to see my grandfather's military record in person. What a find! It answered my many questions about his time as a prisoner of war, and gave me so many more facts.

6. Why You Should Be Using the Free 'Family Tree Analyzer'

This introduction to Family Tree Analyzer explores several of its features. At the bottom of the article are links to 4 more articles that go into more detail about different ways to use FTA. This program never stops giving.

7. Free Resource Lets You Plot Family Tree Locations

You can create a custom map for anything you can think of that's related to your family tree. I used Google My Maps to show my grandfather's path through different states once he arrived in the USA. I've mapped all my own home addresses (there are at least 15). I've recreated one or two of my European vacations so I can relive the memories.

Find out how to use Google My Maps. Then check out the related map articles at the bottom of the article.

8. How to Visualize Your Ancestor-Finding Progress

This article revisits the "grandparent chart" I created for Ahnentafel numbers. You'll see how filling in the names of your ancestors gives you a quick visual of your family tree progress.

Notice how I added a row near the top of the spreadsheet to keep track of how many ancestors I'm missing from different generations. That can show you where to concentrate your efforts.

---

Thank you for participating in this experiment. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email with topics you'd like me to cover in future articles. (My address is in the footer of this blog until I get slammed with spam.)