Are you my cousin?

If you have any French-Canadian ancestry then the answer is more than likely. If you are a descendent from Massachusett's Bay Colony probably. Also due to endogamy if you are from the state of Vermont for several generations the probability also increases.

A little know fact about French-Canadian ancestry is that there was a small pool of immigrants to New France, to begin with, endogamy for generations leads most of us back to the Super Five. I spoke about these couples in a previous blog.

While I consider French-Canadian ancestry my specialty. I am well versed in finding other ancestral lines. Occasionally, we run into roadblocks, and we might have to send away from the documentation if it stills exists. Birth, Marriage, and Death records are excellent starting points in your search. US Census is also helpful, but be aware that 1890 no longer exists as it was consumed in a fire. Military service records can also be helpful, those must be obtained either through FOLD3 or via the National Archives. The National Archives experienced a fire in the mid-1970s which burned many World War II veterans records, but it's always worth a chance to try to find them. Another good source document to send away is a copy of your ancestor's original social security application. This helps with located parents and birth locations if you're stuck. Sending away for records comes with an associated cost, but is well worth it with the information you can.

While most research can be done through free searches like family tree search or paid sites such as ancestry. It is worth developing a method of keeping your tree offline. Whether you chose to use a program like Family Roots Magic, Family Tree Maker, or binder and charts, all are helpful in keeping you organized.