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December 31, 2015

Did You Read the Most Popular Posts of 2015?

Well it's the last day of 2015. It's been a terrific year and I'm sure 2016 will be even better! Let's take a look at Olive Tree Genealogy's most popular blog posts for 2015 and see how many people read them. Now's your chance if you missed reading one of them! 

Most 5 Most Popular Olive Tree Genealogy Blog Posts of 2015

1. The Problem of Family Not Wanting Your Genealogy Research 6,504 reads.

Several years ago I came to the realization that no one in my immediate family wants my 40 plus years of research on our genealogy. A few are mildly interested in hearing the more exciting stories of blacksheep ancestors or famous relatives or an intriguing mystery. No one but me does actual research into our ancestors. 

2. 10 Steps to Searching the Irish Catholic Parish Records When You Only Know a County of Origin 4864 reads.

By now most of us with Irish Catholic ancestors have been to the awesome new database of all Irish Catholic Parish Records published online by the National Library of Ireland. (See If You Have Irish Catholic Ancestors Today's Your Lucky Day)

The records are not indexed or transcribed and thus there is no search engine where you can simply type in a name to see results. Instead you search for your parish of interest and then scroll through the images to hopefully find the record you want. 

But what about those of us who don't know the parish our Irish ancestors were in? What about those, like me, who only know a county of origin? Well, I have developed a plan for methodically and carefully searching the records in a somewhat organized fashion. 

3. FREE 170 Million Wills & Probate Records on Ancestry! 3504 reads. 

Please note that these are no longer free to view.

4. Did Your Ancestor Disappear from the Records? 3460 reads. 

Many of us have had that problem. We're searching for an ancestor and finding him or her in census records, vital records and more. 

Just when we think we're on a roll, that ancestor disappears! That's when you need to expand your search to other records such as orphanages, workhouses or almshouse (poorhouse) records.

5. Where (and Why) Are Canadian Genealogists Hiding? 2639 reads.

In Gail Dever's blog post Some of the great Canadian genealogists we have lost she mentions that since the results of the Rock Star Genealogist contest, many of us in the Genealogy Community have been disappointed that very few Canadian Genealogists were recognized.

Why is this? Are we Canadians not good at self-promotion and getting known? Are Canadians so Americanized by our Television Shows and Movies that we automatically (and subconsciously) assume that if it's from an American Genealogist it's got to be better?

Most Popular Pages on Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

Sharing Memories 22413 reads since the first prompt was posted in 2009. 

Sharing Memories prompts are now published in an ebook Writing Your Memoirs For Descendants: Prompts for Recording & Preserving Your Family Stories and Memories

Many new prompts have been added to this book. My weekly Sharing Memories prompts began in December 2009 and ended last week with a total of almost 200 prompts designed to jog memories of childhood experiences and stories. 

Soldiers' Items Found 13073 reads since Case #1 published in 2010

One of the  missions of Olive Tree Genealogy is to reunite found items such as  Dog ID Tags, Medals, etc of soldiers with their descendants. To date my readers have worked on the following cases and been successful in reuniting soldiers' dog id tags with family members.

We still have more cases coming in and we have old cases that have not yet been solved. If you have a moment would you read through one of the open cases below (marked in green) and help find family?


Cemetery Walks 11869 reads

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

What are Cemetery Walks? They are photographs of gravestones in cemeteries, converted to a video.

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