Eavesdrop
      ... and unveil family search secrets

You’ll see what I mean from the following excerpt from another page of this site.

Susan squirmed in her seat. Uncle George was beginning a story told for the 13th time, and there was no escape. Mary had heard this story all 13 just as she had. But Mary sat there in rapt attention. Taking notes for crying out loud. “Wha’cha doin'?” she whispered to Mary. “Shhhhh,” Mary hissed. “I want to get this.”

Mary had found a way to pick Uncle George’s brain for family secrets he “Couldn’t recall,” family secrets Susan wanted, too. They both were interested in their common ancestry.

You can read the whole story in another page of this site.

You’ve run into the brick wall of poor memory, haven’t you? You’ll find 3 ways to blast through that brick wall on another page of online Family Search Secrets. That’s what this site is all about–discovering secrets of searching for data from primary sources, building family history, discovering family roots.

Below is the experience of a woman who was able to blast through one of those memory blocking brick walls.

Ceal Diaz finds lost cousins: I always suspected I had cousins back in Spain–or at least my husband did. His roots are there. Every time I asked Uncle Bert about relatives in Spain, he put me off. “I never lived there,” he would say. “What do I know about relatives in Spain?” The Family Search Secrets suggested some ways I might get through his armor–talking about his father’s pottery making. It worked like a charm. Soon he was telling about the boys who dug the clay so he didn’t have to buy it and the way the girls painted designs on the finished pots. Little prompting–“And what was his name?” “Did her husband, what’s his name, object to her work?" All together I discovered the names of 14 “cousins” in Spain. Unfortunately, I don’t know Spanish and haven’t corresponded with them.....yet. Ceal Diaz Hallendale FL

You’ll also look at ways to deal with the Floras of the world: “It ain’t who your ancestors were, but who you are that matters,” said Flora. Don’t you find folks with an attitude frustrating? Still, look at what Flora had to say about her family in her Reminiscings [Click Reminiscings button on Navigation bar to the left.]

And how do you answer questions like, “You’ll never trace all your ancestors, so why search?”

You’ll find discussions of these and other questions at this Family Search Secrets site like

*Seven ways to get kinfolk to open up with the family history they hold hostage?

*For beginners only: Trace your family tree back to Adam and Eve. [A family Search Secrets tongue-in-cheek report.]

*Ten Tips for organizing your genealogical data. [A Family Search Secrets most important step for beginners and veterans alike.'

*Publish your own family history. Here’s why.

*Should you hire a professional genealogist to search your family roots? Pros and cons.[A Family Search Secrets insiders report.]

*Family search secrets my grandmother taught me. [Click on Reminiscings navigation button to the left.]

*Family history or family legend?

*Stories stir memories. [A Family Search Secrets downloadable article lauded by gerontologists, doctors, and family social workers.]

*Can compiling a “family story” book help you to gather data?

*Nine way to milk a cow for information. They have cash cows. Why not information cows?

*The day my grandfather told a joke and unlocked a gate to his ancestors. [Click on Grandfather's Joke navigation button to the left.]

*Eight clever ways to unlock the past.

*The role of oral tradition in genealogical research.

*Do you need ship’s passenger lists? My maternal grandmother lorded it over my father until he showed her the ship’s passenger list record of his immigrant ancestor’s arrival in 1752. So?

*Digging up and showing off family skeletons.

*Burn the candle from both ends in family search.

Need more information? You can always contact us. If we don't know the answer to your question, we'll see if we can find it. Recognize, though, that your questions should pertain to research methods andresources. We do not offer research services.

Look around. If you don't find what you want, come back often. The site is updated regularly.

Well, there you are.

An excellent example of a personal website can be found at:
Our Brick Walls

This site is listed on:
Cyndi's List of Genealogy and Family Search Sites on the Internet

Layman and Crowe family search site

Biography and Other Matters -About Us Learn everything you want about the biography of the editor of this ;site.

Oral History This Oral History page provides the major elements involved in researching materials for writing an oral history document.

Publish the Perishing Honor the Dead–in Your Own Family History Book Publish your family history book using the easy professional help from this page.

Free Ancestry Search Ancestry search for free is easy for anyone who will follow the simple step by step process on this web page.

Reminiscing This reminiscing of Flora Winebrenner tell of the life of a young girl in the late 1800's to an old married woman in the middle 1930's.

The Day My Grandfather Told a Joke My grandfather reveals some of his ancestors by telling a humorous family story.

Organize Your Genealogical Clutter If you need to organize your genealogical clutter, this little article will make it easy and painless.

Privacy Policy Privacy policy of Family Search Secrets

Genealogy Program Recommenations Before choosing a genealogy program, a researcher should consider the most needed benefits. This article provides wise and complete information for those considering a genealogy program.

Family History?               or Legend? When is a family legend true? Until it is proven to be untrue–at least in the minds of family members. Stroll through this examination of family history vs legend in these personal experiences.

Family Reunion This personal experience of planning a family reunion is both entertaining and informatrive. There are lots of good tips here for planning a family reunion.

Seven ways to get kinfolk to open up with the family history they hold hostage The seven steps presented on this page will free family data held hostage by tight-lipped relatives.

Contact Information Description–This page provides contact information for reaching the offices and officers of the Family Search Secrets web site.

Warts Warts are a problem even our ancestors. This page follows up on an experience mentioned on Reminiscing page where a wart is removed by tying a silk thread around it.--folk medicine.

Newspaper Facts The use of the newspaper for many genealogical resources including, but more than, obituaries is covered in this web page.

Storytelling - The Eight-legged Martin Storytelling-The Eight-legged Martin is a site that discusses storytelling and uses the story of Henry Martin as an example to show how the storyteller can use average experiences to develop a story.

Resources Cabinet Resources Cabinet is a place to go when you need special information. Links to sites that provide a plethora of ionformation are at your disposal at no cost.