Blog
Genealogy news
Joining Genealogical Societies
If you enjoy researching your family history, consider joining one or more of your local area's genealogy societies. In my case, I'm a member of several societies in my area: the Williamson County Genealogical Society, which meets in my city of Round Rock, Texas....
Locating ancestors in yearbooks
Finding my maternal grandmother in a Texas Baptist college 1922 yearbook was an enlightening experience. I had never known my grandmother, Eva Cutbirth; a rodeo queen, skilled marks-woman, and Texas cattle rancher. She died in 1936 after her appendix ruptured,...
Interviewing older family members
Interviewing family members to capture an oral history is an excellent way to begin (or expand) your journey with genealogy. Many people rely on their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents to entertain with family stories at family gatherings, but often are...
Irish Ancestry in Pennsylvania
A recent research request focused on the client's ancestors who emigrated to Pennsylvania from Co. Donegal, Ireland in search of stability and financial opportunity. Life in Ireland was especially difficult in the mid-1850's, with 1.5 million adults and children...
The Platinum Jubilee ends! But what is a regnal year?
Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee events have come to an end today, with the United Kingdom and much of the world celebrating the 70th year of her reign. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, or ‘Lilibet’, to her family, ascended to the crown on 6 February 1952, at 25 years and...
Welcome to SYFT!
Welcome to Shaping Your Family Tree, also known as SYFT, as in "sifting" through records for your family tree. Our primary purpose is to encourage you in your genealogical pursuits. While actively encouraging you, we can consult (check out our Services) and inform...
Get in touch!
shapingyourfamilytree@gmail.com
Master of Science (Distinction), Genealogical, Paleographical and Heraldic Studies, University of Strathclyde
Accredited as Qualified Genealogist
Instructor for Genealogy Workshops
Photography Bibliography
Image 1: Images. Photograph. Pulteney Bridge. 17 November 2019. Bath, Somerset, England, United Kingdom. Phyllis Zumwalt, photographer. Private collection. For more information: https://bath.co.uk/attractions/pulteney-bridge.