Mission Roadmap
Follow the trail from beginner to advanced. Published missions are unlocked — click to read on Substack.
Operation Tea & Tattle
Interviewing living relatives - the most underrated research method.
Read on Substack →The Biscuit Tin Dossier
Mining family documents, photos, and heirlooms for clues.
Read on Substack →Branch Mapper - Initiate
Build your first pedigree chart and map the branches you'll explore.
Read on Substack →File Before You Forget
Organizing your research so it stays useful - naming, filing, and citing.
Read on Substack →Count Me In - Census Records
The backbone of American genealogy - decoding federal and state census records.
Read on Substack →Born, Wed, Dead - Vital Records
Birth, marriage, and death records - the pillars of family history.
Read on Substack →Extra! Extra! - Newspapers That Bring Ancestors to Life
Historical newspapers as genealogy goldmines.
Read on Substack →The Neighbor Effect - Cluster Research
Your ancestors didn't live in a vacuum - find them through their neighbors.
Read on Substack →Blueprint for Your Own History Project
Turn scattered research into a plan you can actually follow.
Read on Substack →The Double Helix Detour - DNA Testing
Your genes as evidence - testing, matching, interpreting.
Read on Substack →Church Records - Baptisms, Burials & Beyond
Navigate parish registers and denominational archives.
Read on Substack →Behind Enemy Lines - Immigration Records
Passenger lists, naturalization, and border crossings.
Read on Substack →Reporting for Duty - Military Records
Service records, pensions, and draft registration cards.
Read on Substack →The Reading of the Will - Probate Records
Wills, estate inventories, and what the dead left behind.
Read on Substack →Staking Your Claim - Land Records
Decode land patents, deeds, and property transfers.
Read on Substack →The Courthouse Files - Court Records
Guardianships, divorces, and the disputes that made the record - beyond probate.
Read on Substack →The Shifting Map - Historical Geography
Gazetteers, boundary changes, and why your ancestor's county disappeared.
Read on Substack →Weighing the Evidence - The Genealogical Proof Standard
How to know what you think you know - evaluating evidence like a pro.
Read on Substack →Breaking Through Brick Walls
Five moves to try when your ancestor vanishes from the record.
Read on Substack →The Paper Trail of Everyday Life - Intercensal Records
City directories, Social Security, and the records that fill the years between censuses.
Read on Substack →Start at the Beginning
Mission 1 takes 15 minutes and will change how you think about your family history.
Read Mission 1