Family Tree Magazine

Family Tree Magazine is the top family history publication in the United States, dedicated to helping people explore, preserve, and celebrate their ancestry. It goes beyond traditional genealogy to cover a wide range of topics that interest family history lovers, including ethnic heritage, family gatherings, personal stories, oral traditions, scrapbooking, historical travel, and various ways families bond with their history. The magazine is committed to offering clear and engaging guidance that encourages readers to embark on their journey to uncover their past, making genealogy accessible for everyone, even those just starting out.

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RootsWeb: What Happened to the ‘Granddaddy’ of Genealogy Websites?

1 week ago | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

The internet was quite a different place in the mid-1990s. Most websites we consider institutions these days—Facebook, Google and YouTube, to name a few—hadn’t yet been founded. eCommerce giants Amazon and eBay were still in their infancy. And Ancestry.com was still just a genealogy book- and magazine-publisher with a gleam in its eye. Undaunted by this new frontier, genealogists flocked to use this new thing called the World Wide Web in their research.
How Does the Pope Choose a Name? Q&As About Selecting a New Pope

3 weeks ago | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

The death of Pope Francis on 21 April 2025 set in motion an election of global importance: that of the next pope. The 1.4 billion Roman Catholics worldwide (roughly half of all Christians) await news of the next pontiff. Here are answers to some common questions about the pope, papal names, and the Holy Father’s relevance to genealogists. The pope is both the leader of the Catholic Church and the head-of-state of the Holy See and the sovereign nation of Vatican City.
Tools for Cluster Research: How to Add Non-Relatives to Your Family Tree

2 months ago | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

Seasoned genealogists know that blood relatives shouldn’t be the only people you research. “Cluster” research encourages you to study the people in a person’s community—their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow countrymen—not just their immediate family members. Recording non-relatives in family trees is not always straightforward, however. Here is how you can document non-family members in popular family tree-building programs.
5 Genealogy Activities to Do September: Falling into Family History

Aug 30, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

Learn more about (and from!) your family this month. These five suggestions will get you started. Kids across the United States have started a new school year. Do the same by spending some time honing your skills: learning a new language, finding and interpreting a new kind of record, or using a new-to-you genealogy website or tool. The learning possibilities are endless.
5 August Genealogy Activities: Family History 101

Jul 29, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

You might not know where—or when—your next “semester” of genealogy will take you. But these five projects will get you ready. Students around the country go back to school this month, and stores are stockpiling notebooks, colored pencils, and graphing calculators. You’re probably past school age (we won’t ask by how much!), but you can still take advantage of deals on office supplies at local stores.
Virginia Genealogy

Jul 9, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Shannon Combs-Bennett

by Shannon Combs-BennettAs the oldest permanent English settlement in North America, Virginia has a long history. It also has a rich trove of genealogical records to explore. Read on for more on the history of Virginia, plus what records you can find there.
5 Genealogy Activities for July: Stay Cool with Family History

Jun 20, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

This summer, surf the waves or the World Wide Web. Beat the heat with these projects. We live in a golden age of genealogy. Thousands of websites host materials useful to family historians. And (though some resources remain offline), records are digitized every day. For most genealogists, the challenge is thus not if they can find information about their ancestors online, but rather which website they should try first. This month, take some time to discover new genealogy websites.
Concerning Hobbits: The Lord of the Rings Family Trees

May 29, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

Famous for his world-building, author J.R.R. Tolkien created detailed genealogies for many of the epic’s major characters. Indeed, many versions of The Lord of the Rings include an appendix dedicated just to family trees. Below are some highlights, simplified to include just major characters in the story. Hobbiton and its neighboring villages are home to several prominent hobbit families, notably the Baggins, Bolgers, Brandybucks and Tooks.
5 June Genealogy Activities: Take Your Research Outside

May 24, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Andrew Koch

Take your genealogy research outside! Enjoy the warm summer weather with these projects that are perfect for the backyard, porch or park. As adults, we don’t usually get to participate in organized summer reading programs. But you can still kick back with a long-anticipated book at a pool, beach, or local cemetery (see No. 2). Just don’t get sunscreen on its pages!We’ve got a running list of must-read genealogy books by subject.
Making the Most of Your Genealogy Research Time

May 20, 2024 | familytreemagazine.com | Katie Garner

Both experienced genealogists and casual hobbyists want to know as much as possible about their ancestors. While there are many discoveries to make, deciding to finish your entire family tree or write a book-length narrative about an ancestor are vague goals, especially considering that you have more ancestors the further back you go. To make your research time the most productive, you should narrow your focus.