Every amateur genealogist is bound to hit a dead end every once in a while. Don t lose hope. The information you re looking for IS out there it just might take a little more digging to find it. Here are some common problems and their solutions — that trip up many family tree researchers:

1. Sorting out names.

Names can get you into a muddle if several of your ancestors share a name. Names were often passed on from one generation to the next, so you could find that three of your ancestors are all called James Clifton Sterling. Who’s who? If you’re confused about names, the answer is to talk to the older members of

your family, NOW. This is a vital first step. If you don’t talk to them first, you’ll have to do it later. Ask for full names and nicknames, plus dates of birth, marriages, and dates of death of your ancestors. Ask whether anyone in the family has an old family Bible. You may even find that someone in the family has already traced his or her family tree, which will give a boost to your own searches.

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Whether you re just starting out on your journey to uncover your ancestry, or you ve been at it for years, everyone can benefit from these 10 tried and true tips to make the research process more rewarding, more fruitful and, of course, more fun.

1. Start with yourself, and get your birth certificate. DO NOT start with any ancestor other than yourself and your parents — get a copy of their birth certificates as well.

2. Understand old-fashioned terminology: a hundred years ago, a man and his wife became one entity, so the husband’s sister-in-law became his sister, the wife’s brothers-in-law became her brothers. In those days, the term “cousin” was used to mean any relation other than

the immediate family, so nephews and nieces were often referred to as cousins.

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Every year we search our brains for a unique, exciting gift for Mom. We have bought flowers, candy, jewelry, pictures of our kids and us. But this year, we want something really different, something really special. We have prepared a list of suggestions that might just fit the bill.

1. Create a website for your mother to share with her friends and family. You can add pictures of her as she was growing up. Or turn the site into a tour with pictures of all of her vacations that you can find from friends and relatives. Take old family photographs and turn them into a family genealogy tree. Make a sweetheart page and add pictures of all of her

grandchildren as her sweethearts. You can also write a page that just tells her how wonderful you think she is. List all the times that she was there for you or inspired you to do something. Can be a great bragging page to her friends or just make her feel better and loved every time she clicks in and reads it.

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There is a bit of confusion amongst the public concerning the term “family crest.” Duped by unscrupulous salespeople, many people believe that a particular family crest belongs to everyone who happens to share a surname.

Additionally, the terms family crest and family coat of arms are often used interchangeably even though the two are actually very different.

A crest is actually one portion of a larger heraldic achievement. The crest is worn atop the helmet and can be likened to the crest of a bird. Originally, heraldry was developed due to the need to distinguish the participants on a field of battle.

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Most armchair genealogists today are so conditioned to look for just about everything online that they often forget some of the very basic old school methods that worked so well years before anyone had even heard of the Internet. So, turn off the computer, get up from your desk, and get ready to do some down and dirty family tree research the way it used to be done.

Where to start? Well, if your parents or grandparents have an attic, prepare yourself for a dusty afternoon of rummaging through chests and boxes looking for old family records. Papers to look for include: property deeds, military service records, birth and death certificates, and old wills. Take a notebook,

and write down the name of each document you find, as well as any dates, and any names (both of people and places), which are mentioned.

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