Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia / GSVB

11/17/2025

11/13/2025

https://www.facebook.com/YourDNAGuide/posts/pfbid0PL8eQWzjPedqT21aKXtVckpDmJhL8fAEAbyUZ69Wgv62uynTV6eeDYazdhozGHHWl

Have you ever really dug into your DNA match list? Those names aren’t just random people, they’re your genetic connections. Your relatives. Your clues. Your story.

But before you dive deeper… let’s talk relationships.
I mean family relationships. Because the word “cousin”? It can get messy fast.

Here’s the quick breakdown:

• First cousins share grandparents.
• Second cousins share great-grandparents.
• And it keeps going from there…

Then we add the twists:
• Half cousins share one common grandparent instead of both.
• Removed cousins are simply on different generations, that’s all!

Understanding these terms can completely change how you interpret your DNA match page.

So tell me, what’s the most confusing cousin relationship you’ve come across? Or do you have a “mystery cousin” on your match list right now?

11/10/2025

Hidden Clues in Land and Property Records - NEW Quicksheet

Land records aren’t just about who owned a piece of ground. They can reveal family relationships, migration paths, neighbors, and even financial trouble. If you’re skipping deeds and property records, you’re missing a major part of your ancestors’ lives.

Get the hidden clues by downloading the Quicksheet PDF at https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/hidden-clues-in-land-and-property-records/

11/09/2025

Old Occupations and Their Meanings - Updated

Are you researching and finding these weird names for occupations that your ancestors had? Strange words like Colporteur, Cordwainer, or Costermonger, for example? Here is a list of 360 (80 are newly added) old occupations and their meanings used in the U.S. and U.K. in various documents, such as census records and newspapers.

Get the Quicksheet at https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/old-occupations-and-their-meanings/

11/08/2025

32 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information

Looking for Birth Records for your ancestor? Between marriage, death, and birth records, birth info is the most difficult to find.

Discover 32 different ways/places where you can find birth records and other birth references and information. Get the Quicksheet at https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/32-ways-to-find-ancestor-birth-information/

11/05/2025

Ancestry.com DNA kits are on sale thru Nov 20th. $39.00 for the basic kit. Buy the kit at Amazon prime, you'll get free shipping!.
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11/03/2025

Many families in Scotland followed the Scottish naming pattern. It is therefore all too easy to mix up the cousins. Use the occupation to work out who is who.

What’s the Scottish naming pattern I hear some ask? The most widely used pattern goes as follows:

1st son named after father's father
2nd son named after mother's father
3rd son named after father

1st daughter named after mother's mother
2nd daughter named after father's mother
3rd daughter named after mother

Let’s say John and Ann had two sons, James was born first, and William was born second. Both brothers would name their eldest son John. These two Johns may have been born about the same time and in the same place. It’s confusing! This was compounded in 1841 when the census rounded the age down to the nearest five years. One cousin could be 41 and another 44, but in the census, they may both be recorded as 40! It's very easy to get into a tangle.

Although people did sometimes change their occupation, it’s fairly unlikely that a married man would change occupation from a stone mason to a shoemaker. Both of these occupations would require an apprenticeship. Our ancestors would have served as an apprentice as a teenager and perhaps into their early 20s before they got married. How would a married man with children afford to be able to serve an apprenticeship and switch professions as we can today?

Of course, some occupations are the same but described differently. A shoemaker in one record may be described as a cordiner in another. A shipwright may also be described as a joiner. Or you may find a grocer being described as a victualler. If you come across an occupation that is uncommon today, check out the Dictionaries of the Scots Language to discover what it was.

By carefully noting the occupation and comparing it on each record, we are more likely to be able to trace our family history accurately and disentangle the cousins.

For more Scottish family history tips, join us at the Scottish Indexes Conference on Saturday 22 November 2025.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween!

10/29/2025

Free Online Mid West States Death Records and Indexes - Updated

New collections have been added, so there are now 2,475 Free Online Death Collection Links for the region!

Check them out at https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/2-475-free-online-mid-west-states-death-record-and-index-collections/

10/29/2025

15 Reasons to Research Funeral and Memorial Books

I have found that funeral and memorial books hold a ton of interesting information, much more so than one might think. And the list of attendees is priceless for your research.

Get the Quicksheet at https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/15-reasons-to-research-funeral-and-memorial-books-2/

10/28/2025

13 Types of Genealogical Information You Can Find in Old Yearbooks

Old school yearbooks are not just a place where you can find your ancestor or relative’s photographs, candid photos, or snapshots. There is a large amount of genealogical information and hints that can be derived from school yearbooks.

To get the Quicksheet, go to https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/13-types-of-genealogical-information-you-can-find-in-old-yearbooks/

10/24/2025

Are you using Shared Maps yet?

With Shared Maps, you can view your matches’ ancestry regions — seeing both the areas you share and the ones you don’t.

Why does that matter?
Because understanding where your DNA overlaps can help you figure out how you’re related and open up exciting new family lines to explore!