There’s a certain thrill that comes with discovery—the moment your ancestor’s name appears in a record, confirming that they were here. Real. Counted. Known. But discovery is only the beginning. The real magic happens when we breathe life back into what we’ve found—when we turn the details in an archival record into a story worth remembering.

We often study history as a series of dates, wars, and inventions—but what if we also studied the emotions that survived those events? Helen Parker-Drabble’s article “How Key Psychologist Theories Can Enrich Our Understanding of Our Ancestors and Help Improve Mental Health for Present and Future Generations” begins with a striking idea:

Social media can feel like a never-ending family reunion. Everyone’s talking, stories are flying, and you’re trying to keep up with every conversation. Eventually, the noise gets so loud that you stop hearing the voices that matter. That’s when social media burnout sets in.

Some places are more than just locations on a map—they're anchors in our family's timeline. For my family, that place is Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s where I was born. It’s also where my mom was born. And my grandparents. And my great-grandparents. And even my great-great-grandparents.

Our ancestors are more than just names in a tree—they’re the roots that hold us up. Their choices shaped the lives we live today, including something as simple and as profound as where we were born. It’s a little wild to think about: the reason I was born in America is because someone—several someones—made the life-changing decision to leave everything behind and start over here. Just as my decisions shaped where my children were born, their decisions shaped me.

In the history of my maternal line, one remarkable woman rises to the surface again and again—Emma Jane Apps, my 2nd great-grandmother. Born into a time when women’s choices were often limited, Emma didn’t just survive—she thrived. She became a postmaster, a landowner, and a woman who knew her worth, even when the world tried to tell her otherwise.

As I sift through old records and fragile pages, I often feel like I’m chasing echoes—traces of lives that still ripple through mine. This time, the trail led me to my paternal 2nd great-grandparents, Hugh and Anna (McFarland) Kerr—two brave souls who left Ireland behind for a new life in America.

The stories of our ancestors often carry threads of resilience, love, and the quiet strength that builds generations. One of those stories belongs to my 2nd great-grandfather, Hugh Kerr, a man whose journey from Northern Ireland to western New York has left a lasting mark on my family tree.

In my search for family roots, one mystery has tugged at me for years: my German heritage. My maternal grandfather, Edwin Steinbrecher, was the keeper of that part of our story, but he passed before I ever got to ask the questions I carry now. His name connects me to our German lineage, but the full story still feels just out of reach.

Even though I struggled with history in school, I’ve always been drawn to the past. I think that fascination started when I was a little girl in the 1970s, on a family trip to Cyprus. I remember walking through the Tombs of the Kings near Paphos—ancient underground tombs carved from solid rock. There weren’t really any kings buried there, but I remember how the tour guide mentioned the size of the tomb, telling us if a child or an adult was buried within each location. I also

This past weekend, I finally carved out some time to explore the FamilySearch Community, and I was surprised by how much is packed into it!

A Childhood Memory That Connected Me to My German Ancestors A memory from my childhood, one marked by fear and confusion, has recently helped me understand my ancestors in a way I never expected.

Sometimes, it's not just the names or the dates that bring our ancestors to life; it’s the homes. In an email from my cousin Don, I uncovered the rich, multi-generational story of a house that quietly held layers of my family’s history: 449 Alphonse Street in Rochester, New York.

Genealogy isn’t just about records and facts—it’s about passion. That zest for discovering the past, for piecing together family stories, and for connecting with others who share the same excitement, is what makes this journey so rewarding. We all have our reasons for diving into genealogy, but at the heart of it is a deep enthusiasm that propels us forward.

Many people think their family story won’t matter to others, especially when their own family isn’t interested in hearing about their genealogy research. But the truth is, your family history story matters more than you might realize—and it matters to more people than you think. We’re naturally drawn to stories. Whether it’s through TV shows, movies, books, or even hearing our friends and family talk about their lives, storytelling is something we all connect with. Stories

We each bring something unique to the genealogy table—whether it’s creativity, curiosity, tech skills, or storytelling magic. Every researcher, historian, and genealogist has an X-Factor, that special quality or strength that makes them stand out. Whether it’s your ability to think outside the box when faced with a research challenge, the way you connect emotionally with the past, or your knack for uncovering details that others might miss, we all bring something valuable to

For the longest time, I resisted upgrading my Ancestry subscription to the Pro level. Honestly, I figured it was just another way for...

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend RootsTech 2025 virtually , where one of the presentations that truly captivated me was...

Before I began my journey into family history, road trips were just… road trips. I’d hit the highway with a destination in mind, check the m

I wanted to take a deep dive into my family roots that run through this historic southern soil.