Cherry Tree Genealogy

07/02/2026

I know I've got some family members with different variations of our last name - how about you?? 😁

06/27/2026

We are *1* week away from the 250th anniversary of the USA, and Fold3 is making their Revolutionary War collection FREE until July 6! If you have ancestors (or genealogical research subjects 😉) who lived in North America at the time, this is a terrific opportunity to check out some primary records without paying for a subscription.

05/04/2026

What a cool lecture topic! Off to find out where I can get my hands on her book...

04/25/2026

Happy DNA day! Have you ever had a family tree breakthrough thanks to DNA? I sure have! It wasn't so long ago that using a DNA test to trace your ancestry seemed like science fiction. In the genealogy world, I remember when the earliest adopters of genetic genealogy were in special interest groups because learning how to use DNA wasn't yet considered something every genealogist needed to know. In the years since, DNA research has more than proven its worth when used alongside documentary evidence, helping us to identify our ancestors, prove (or disprove!) relationships, learn more about the parts of the world our forbears lived in, and connect with living relatives.🧬

04/17/2026

This post made me laugh - one of my lectures even addresses the urban legend that immigrants' last names were changed at Ellis Island. The place where so many people first set foot on U.S. soil certainly deserves recognition!

Today is National Ellis Island Family History Day where they processed the most people ever in one day - 11, 747 people in 1907.

And not a single one of them had their name changed against their will! Not one!

Cue the angry and uninformed comments in 3....2....1....😁

03/06/2026

It's RootsTech time! There's no other genealogy conference quite like it. No matter how long I've been researching, there are always new techniques and technologies to learn about and Day 1 has been full of terrific information!

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day - I can't think of a better time to review some marriage records! 💕

02/10/2026

I was honored to be the featured speaker for the Temecula Valley Genealogical Society monthly meeting tonight! My next few talks will be in-person events, but I do appreciate the way Zoom and other technologies help us connect even from across the country.

Temecula Valley Genealogical Society

01/01/2026

Many thanks to all of you who helped make 2025 the best year yet for Cherry Tree Genealogy! I had the privilege of speaking for new organizations, researching new families in new places, exploring all kinds of DNA connections, and even making a little bit of time to work on my own projects. As 2026 begins, I'll be taking some time off from family tree research projects to focus on creating a few new lecture programs, but I plan to be writing again by springtime (so if you've been wanting to learn more about your family history, don't worry, I'll be back at it before you know it!). Here's to the new year - may it be full of discoveries for us all!

12/24/2025

With Hanukkah last week, Christmas Day tomorrow, and the new year right around the corner, we may find ourselves honoring our ancestry without even realizing it when we keep family traditions alive! I baked sugar cookies with my children yesterday using my grandmother's recipe, and we keep a bowl of walnuts out at Christmastime like my husband's great-grandmother did. What family traditions do you incorporate into your home at the holidays?