The journey to find loved ones who were adopted or to locate biological parents can be an emotional and transformative experience. For many, the desire to understand their roots and connect with biological family members is a powerful driving force. Whether you're an adoptee seeking your biological parents or someone looking for an adopted family member, the following steps and resources can guide you through the process.

Is it possible to inherit more than just our physical appearance from our ancestors? What if we could also inherit their memories? Or how they felt about certain events, whether they be traumatic or historical? And what if these shared memories and experiences could pave the way for how we treat health conditions?

Independence Day is not only a time to celebrate our nation’s birth but also an opportunity to delve into our personal histories and uncover the stories of those who came before us. This Fourth of July, why not take some time to explore your genealogy with these ten must-do projects? Here are some engaging ways to combine your patriotic spirit with your passion for family history:

As a professional genealogist and someone who has studied history for years, both writing papers and researching, I can attest to the value of local records. 

As genealogists, we can all agree that research has a storytelling quality. Whenever we find that missing piece of a puzzle, unlock a door, or reconnect with the past through DNA a story is being told. For those moments we try to imagine what life must have been like for ancestors who immigrated, fought in wars, and who may have seen fame during their lifetime. 

     A client recently requested assistance in addressing two “one-in-the-same” person conflicts which arose while going through the application process for a lineage society. Since there appeared to be no direct evidence which would explicitly identify his fifth-generation ancestors, my research focused on analyzing birth records with a view of going through a process of elimination and maximizing the use of correlating different pieces of indirect evidence which, in the end, would possibly enable me to resolve the two “one-in-the-same” person conflicts.  The following proof argument is the result of my research.