Family Tree

Family Tree Magazine will help point the way toward the best research tools and practices to trace your family's history. Each issue includes tips on locating, collecting, and preserving photos, letters, diaries, church and government records, and other documentation, plus fun articles about creating scrapbooks, organizing family reunions, and vacation ideas that combine history with leisure!

Family Tree • JULY/AUGUST 2026 / VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4

out on a limb

Letters to the Editor

Behind the Scenes

5 QUESTIONS with: Alon Ehrenfeld - Senior Product Manager, MyHeritage

Trio of AI Tools from MyHeritage

ANCESTRY, MYHERITAGE CLARIFY AI POLICIES

IRISH CENSUS RELEASED

Roundup: New and Improved Websites

Red, White and Blues

Stories MoreThan Skin-Deep • Some people write about their family history in books. One genealogist had hers tattooed on her arm.

SUPER SITES • With great (computing) power comes great responsibility. The 101 Best Genealogy Websites of 2026 will take your research up, up and away.

RAINBOW CONNECTION • Learn all about the often-misunderstood ethnicity estimates—whether yours are Kelly green or Prussian blue.

RHODE ISLAND

TIMELINE

TEXAS

TIMELINE

Find Your U.S. Ancestors

ON THE ORIGINS of JOURNEYS • Origins? Journeys? DNA matches? Navigate and understand your recently updated AncestryDNA results.

THREE to Make Ready • With this roundup of new AI tools at the big genealogy websites, you’ll be off to the races.

1930 US Census

The Eyes Have It • A thrice-married widower poses with a wife and light-eyed daughter—but which ones?

Whole-Genome Sequencing

Publication-Hunting with Newspaper Finder

Preserving Old Maps

NOW WHAT?

Finding Ancestors ‘Hiding’ in the Census

You’ve made it to the end of the magazine! Now what? • Test your knowledge with these exercises.

5 Steps to Find Your Ancestor’s Deed • Finding and Understanding Deeds, Patents & More

DECIPHERING AN OLD DEED • Most deeds, like this 1658 one from Essex, Mass., are fairly formulaic. Learning their anatomy, a few legal terms, and some old writing quirks will help you decipher them.

LAND RECORDS GLOSSARY

PUBLIC LANDS

US TERRITORIAL ACQUISITIONS

TIMELINE OF US EXPANSION AND SETTLEMENT

KEY TYPES OF LAND RECORDS

family tree UNIVERSITY

25+ YEARS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND • INTRODUCING THE FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE USB ARCHIVE

Citing Land Records

RESOURCES