Do you remember as a kid singing about “John Jacob Jingle Hymer Smith?” If you’re tracing Smith’s you may be happy to have several other names linking your man, but if he shortened his name to John Smith you’ll probably have your work cut out for you. Sometimes the names themselves are clues for tracing [...]

Have you found a document where your family name is not spelled the way you think it should be?   Don’t be so quick to dismiss it.  It just may pertain to your family. I know, I know.  Your family name has always been spelled a certain way, and it’s always another branch of the family [...]