What can DNA tell us?
Mark FearerApr 01, 2021
I’m going to step away from “documentary” genealogy — which focuses on written records — and talk about DNA or genetic genealogy, which is gaining much...
Counting our ancestors
Mark FearerMar 04, 2021
Hopefully by now, you have spent time gathering existing information, including family stories, starting your pedigree (June 25, 2020), and interviewing relatives (July...
Next stop: vital records
Mark FearerJan 28, 2021
While I have focused on death records in the last three columns due to some personal tragedy, it’s time to look at other evidence of our ancestors’ lives. Death...
Another death too close to home, and more
Mark FearerJan 07, 2021
I’m not one to talk about my personal life in these columns, but my absence last month was due to helping with the aftermath of losing a second nephew. Readers may...
Death records as genealogy tools
Mark FearerOct 29, 2020
My last column was probably the hardest one to write, talking about my nephew’s tragic death. But it morbidly inspired me to address a few death records: obituaries,...
The genealogy of heartbreak
Mark FearerSep 24, 2020
Genealogy is almost always a joy for me to talk and write about — today, not so much. I recently returned home from a tragedy that relates to family history that I...
What’s so Jewish about genealogy?
Mark FearerAug 27, 2020
For the last three columns, I’ve been writing mostly about basic genealogy concepts, but now it’s time to look at what’s unique about Jewish genealogy. As I said...
Watering your family tree with bureaucracy
Mark FearerJul 23, 2020
If you’ve been following this column for the last couple of months, you have hopefully started your tree by creating a pedigree, and started interviewing relatives (on...
Planting and growing your family tree
Mark FearerJun 25, 2020
In my last (and first) column, I focused on why to start your family history. Today we’ll look at how. Of course, any tree starts from a seed, and we’ll germinate...
Why you need your ancestors
Mark FearerMay 21, 2020
After an 11-year hiatus, I’m restarting this genealogy column in the IJN, because the interest in finding and acknowledging our ancestors has grown even more. I would...
