There’s something magical about holding a letter written by your ancestor—or reading their words passed down in a family collection. Old letters can fill in emotional and factual gaps in your family story.
These records often include names, dates, addresses, relationships, daily life details, and even firsthand accounts of historical events. Best of all? You can analyze them in just 10 minutes.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
The original or a scanned letter
Pen and paper or a document editor
Optional: a magnifying glass or photo editing tool to enhance old handwriting
Don’t have any letters? Ask relatives! You’d be surprised what’s tucked in trunks, drawers, and attics.
Step-by-Step: How to Analyze Old Letters in 10 Minutes
1. Read the Letter Straight Through
Don’t get bogged down with hard-to-read words at first. Read it like a story. Ask yourself:
Who is writing, and to whom?
What’s the tone—casual, emotional, formal?
Is there a date or location?
2. Extract Names, Dates & Places
On your second read, write down:
Full names or nicknames mentioned
Locations (towns, counties, military bases, etc.)
Dates (of events or when the letter was written)
Tip: Even casual mentions—like “Cousin Lizzie from Indiana”—can offer big clues.
3. Note Family Relationships
Pay attention to how people are referred to:
“Mother” or “Aunt Jane” = relationship
“Your father said…” = confirms household structure
Mentions of births, marriages, or deaths = leads to vital records
4. Look for Historical or Social Clues
Letters are rich in context:
Mention of a war? Look for military records.
A family farm or store? Try land or occupational records.
A move across states? That’s your migration trail.
Example: A letter from 1919 might mention the Spanish flu, Prohibition, or post-WWI travel restrictions—giving context to your ancestor’s life.
5. Preserve, Cite & Share
Treat the letter like a source:
Note the writer, date, and recipient
Scan or photograph it
Save a transcription with your family tree or genealogy software
Bonus: Use snippets in family history stories or memory books.
Common Clues Found in Letters
Clue Type
Example
Birth
“The baby arrived last Thursday…”
Marriage
“Jane is marrying Robert in June…”
Migration
“We’re heading west to Kansas soon…”
Health
“Mother is still sick with the fever…”
Military
“He enlisted last month and left for camp…”
Final Thoughts
Old letters are like time machines—you hear your ancestors’ voices, feel their emotions, and walk their path. In just 10 minutes, you can uncover leads that guide your next big genealogy breakthrough.
So grab a cup of tea, open that family shoebox, and get ready to discover your history in their handwriting.
✅ Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.
Family Bibles aren’t just treasured heirlooms, they’re historical documents. Inside those pages, generations of names, births, marriages, and deaths are often handwritten in ink or pencil.
These entries can help you trace your lineage, confirm vital events, and add authenticity to your family tree. And the best part? You can start analyzing one in 10 minutes or less.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Access to the family Bible (original or photos/scans)
Notepad or transcription document
Good lighting or photo enhancement tools
Optional: Archival gloves to handle fragile pages
Don’t have a family Bible? Ask older relatives, check with cousins, or look through old trunks and boxes. You might be surprised what’s been saved.
Step-by-Step: How to Use a Family Bible for Genealogy
1. Examine the Bible’s Publication Info
Flip to the first few pages—note the publication date and location
This helps confirm that the events listed were recorded in real time (or close to it)
Tip: If the Bible was published in 1885, but there’s a birth listed from 1820, the entry may have been copied later. That’s still helpful—but note it!
2. Transcribe the Vital Records Pages
Most family Bibles have a dedicated section labeled:
Births
Marriages
Deaths
Write down each entry exactly as it appears, including dates, names, and any additional notes or comments.
Tip: Watch for spelling variations and abbreviations. “Eliz.” may mean Elizabeth or Eliza.
3. Look for Clues Between the Lines
Sometimes Bible records include:
Middle names or maiden names
Cause of death or circumstances (“died in the war”)
Notes about godparents, witnesses, or officiants
Bible inscription pages with gift-givers or locations
4. Match Entries to Your Family Tree
Compare each name and date to what you already know. Does it confirm or challenge your records?
Use it to:
Fill in missing birth or marriage info
Estimate lifespans
Link generations together
Bonus: Some entries might lead you to new branches—especially in large families.
5. Preserve and Cite the Record
Scan or photograph all pages, even blank or loose ones
Note who owns the Bible today and how it was passed down
Include a citation in your research like: “Smith Family Bible, published 1870, in possession of Jane Doe, scanned April 2025.”
Common Surprises in Bible Records
Entry Type
Clue Example
Marriage
“Married at home by Rev. Brown”
Infant Deaths
“Our baby boy, George, passed April 1888”
Multiple Spouses
“John married Sarah, then later, Anna”
Migrations
“Born in Virginia, moved to Ohio 1836”
Final Thoughts
Family Bibles are powerful, personal records that tie generations together with ink and memory. Taking 10 minutes to explore one could lead to priceless connections—and deeper roots in your family story.
So dust off that Bible, open those pages, and let your ancestors speak through their sacred family records.
✅ Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.
Military records can unlock powerful details about your ancestor’s life, when they served, where they were stationed, and what happened to them during wartime. These records often include birth info, physical descriptions, and even family members’ names.
Even if your ancestor wasn’t in combat, they may still have registered for the draft, served in a local militia, or received a pension—leaving behind a paper trail waiting for you.
What You’ll Need to Start
Full name (and variations)
Approximate birth year
War or service period (if known)
Possible residence before, during, or after service
Step-by-Step: How to Find Military Records in 10 Minutes
1. Pick a War or Service Era
Here’s a general guide to help you determine where to look:
Not everyone served, but almost all men of service age registered. Try:
WWI Draft Cards (1917–1918) – Birth year range: 1873–1900
WWII “Old Man’s Draft” (1942) – Men born 1877–1897
Civil War Draft Registrations – Look for enrollment ledgers or substitutes
Tip: Draft cards often include physical description, employer, and next of kin.
4. Look for Service or Pension Files
If your ancestor served, you may find:
Enlistment or discharge papers
Muster rolls (rosters by date)
Pension applications (often full of family details)
Pension files are goldmines—especially for Civil War and earlier service. They might include affidavits from family or neighbors, proof of marriage, and even handwritten letters.
5. Save the Clues
Take note of:
Regiment or unit number
Dates and places of service
Health issues, injuries, or benefits received
Names of spouses or children mentioned
Bonus Tip: Use FAN Club Research
Military pension records often name Friends, Associates, and Neighbors who gave testimony—helping you expand your research beyond your direct ancestor.
Final Thoughts
Military records don’t just prove service—they help you see your ancestor in action. Whether they fought in a major war or simply registered for the draft, these records add context and character to your family tree.
So take 10 minutes today—you just might uncover a hero in your history.
✅ Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.
If you’re new to genealogy, census records are one of the easiest and most valuable sources to start with. Taken every ten years in the United States, these records list names, ages, relationships, birthplaces, occupations, and more. They help you spot your ancestors in time and place—and build out an entire household.
Whether your ancestor lived in 1850 or 1950, there’s a census waiting to help you unlock their story.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Gather this info to make your 10-minute search smoother:
Ancestor’s full name (or possible spelling variations)
Approximate birth year
Likely residence (state or town)
Names of parents, spouse, or siblings (if known)
Step-by-Step: How to Search Census Records in 10 Minutes
1. Choose a Genealogy Site
You can access U.S. census records for free or via subscriptions:
Tip: Start with FamilySearch—it’s free and has a helpful interface for beginners.
2. Enter Your Ancestor’s Details
Use quotation marks around the name if using Ancestry or MyHeritage (e.g., “Mary Johnson”).
Try a wide date range (e.g., 5 years before and after their estimated birth year).
Add a location if known—but keep it broad (just the state, not the town).
3. Scan the Search Results
Look for clues like:
Household members’ names
Consistent ages across census years
Place of birth
Click into any likely record and review the full household. Census records after 1850 show individuals; those from 1790–1840 only list heads of households.
Tip: If your ancestor seems to disappear between census years, check for name misspellings or nickname versions.
4. Save and Record the Data
Write down or screenshot:
Census year
Full household
Location
Occupations or relationships
Use this info to branch out into other records like vital or land records next.
Quick Census Year Cheat Sheet
Year
Key Features
1850
First to name all household members
1870
First to list formerly enslaved people
1880
Includes relationships to head of household
1900
Lists month and year of birth, immigration year
1940
Includes employment and education data
1950
Most recent available (as of now)
Final Thoughts
Census records are a beginner genealogist’s best friend. With just a few clicks, you can uncover generations of family connections and get a glimpse of their daily lives. Once you’ve found your ancestor in one census, try following them forward or backward through time.
✅ Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish.
I recently covered information about the Bean family while researching William Bean on the Logan side a few weeks ago. For example, our Bean immigrant was a Scottish Prisoner of War and was sold as an indentured servant.
John MacBean (my 9th great-grandfather) came from Scotland as a POW. He was one of 272 prisoners from the Battle of Worcester on the ship John and Sarah in 1651 that traveled to Boston (the Mac was dropped in Boston).
There is *no* documentary evidence giving John Bean of Exeter's parents/grandparent's names, or origins. We can confirm that he was most likely born in Scotland, was taken prisoner in England at the Battle of Worcester, and was one of the 'Scottish Prisoners' transported to New Hampshire on the ship "Sarah and John"; but that's it for anything prior to his arrival in America. Both the US and UK branches of the Clan MacBean Inc. Genealogy Department have been trying to locate _any_ additional information *without* success. The _suggested_ names for John's father/grandfather first appear during the mid-20th century and have no basis in fact. If anyone has *documented* evidence - with solid provenance - of his ancestry and origins, we would be overjoyed to receive it; but if your information comes from family trees without sources or provenance, or family 'legend' handed down without anything to back it up, then please do *not* treat it as gospel, or base any further research on it. --Allan MacBain MBCS Associate Genealogist (UK and Europe), Clan MacBean Inc.
John Bean and six others were indentured to Nicholas Lissen, owner of sawmills on the Exeter and Oyster Rivers. Usually, these servants had to serve six to eight years for their master, but John married his master’s daughter within THREE years! Nicolas’ other two daughters married John’s friends and fellow POWs. Interestingly, the Lissens were also from Scotland.
John MacBean was born about 1634 in Strathdearn, Inverness, Scotland. As with the Clan Logan Visits Scotland, the MacBeans also belong to a Clan. From clanmacbean.org:
Our Gaelic name is MacBheathain, meaning “Son of the Lively One.” It is pronounced MacBain in Scotland. The “bh” in the Gaelic has a “bv” sound. The “ea” has the harsh “a.” The “th” has an h sound. The “ai” has the harsh “e” sound. This becomes “Macbvaheen.” This is why there are so many spellings of the sound. For a long time, everything was spelled phonetically. There was no set way. You can find one family member that spelled his name one way, and his brothers spelled it another way. Many records show the names spelled the way the recorder spelled it, not the way the family spelled it.
The Prefix of “Mac” means “Son of.” As time passed, many people dropped the a and put a line underneath the “Mc” with two dots to show that the a was suppose to be there. Later the lines and dots were dropped altogether. Some times you will find M’ which means the same as Mac. Mack is also accepted.
Kinchyle is the Cry that the clan warriors would yell as they began to engage in battle. It was meant to unite them as one force. Kinchyle (kin-hile) was the land owned by the Clan which stretched around 2 miles along Lock Ness. This was located approximately where the town of Dores (due-ers) is today.
Clan Motto: Touch not a catt bot a targe! This motto, which is written on our badge, means, don’t mess with this cat unless you have a shield for protection against it!
This monument to Clan MacBean is inside the McBain Memorial Park, created by Hughston McBain of McBain, the 21st chief. It lies above Kinchyle near Dores on the south shore of Loch Ness. The site was opened in 1961.
In the spring of 1650, when Oliver Cromwell threatened to invade Scotland, many Scottish highlanders enlisted to defend their homeland. The Scots lost the Battle of Dunbar on 3 September 1650, but a year later, a reorganized Scottish army prepared to fight Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester. When no ammunition was provided, the Scots resorted to clubs, stones, and the butts of their muskets until they were finally overpowered, and Scotland lost her independence. The surviving Scottish soldiers were taken as prisoners of war. From Volume I, Descendants of John Bean of Exeter (2019 edition)
On April 18, 1654, John married Hannah, the daughter of Lissen. Shortly after, he became a partner in the sawmills, a business that continued until Hannah’s death and John’s subsequent remarriage. In addition to his work in the sawmills, John Bean was also a land developer. Between 1660 and 1708, he acquired nearly 20 acres of land, cleared it of timber, and transformed it into working farms, preparing them for sale to new settlers. Furthermore, he was involved in farming and crafted boots for settlers as well as shoes for trade with Native Americans.
John Bean was Presbyterian, and Margaret, his second wife, was a member of the Hampton church in 1671 but was dismissed from that church in 1698 to join the church in Exeter. They chose to worship at the Congregational Church because there was no Presbyterian Church in Exeter, though John remained a Presbyterian until his death.
His first wife, Hannah, was born around 1635 in Scotland. She passed away at the age of 24 in 1659 during the birth of their third child in Exeter, New Hampshire. She was buried at Old Gathering House Churchyard in Belknap, New Hampshire. Hannah Lissen had two sisters: Elizabeth Lissen, who married Henry Magoon, and Mary Lissen, who married Alexander Gordon. Both men were with John Bean on the ship John and Sara.
John Bean and Margarett Rees married before 16 November 1660 in Exeter, Massachusetts Bay. Margarett Rees was born around 1635 in Wales. She passed away in 1714 at 79 in Exeter, New Hampshire, and was laid to rest at the Old Meeting House Churchyard in Belknap, New Hampshire.
John’s eleventh son, James, is my ancestor. He was born on December 17, 1672, in Exeter, Massachusetts Bay. James became a significant landowner in his own right. In February 1698, he purchased 30 acres from the town of Exeter, which he added to the land he inherited from his father. James was a trapper and a hunter, and he actively participated in the Indian Wars, fighting against Indigenous peoples until they withdrew from New Hampshire around 1710. In July of that same year, James successfully thwarted an attempted kidnapping of his three nieces by Indians who intended to take them to Canada.
James Bean married his first wife, Sarah Coleman, in 1692 in Exeter. Sarah was baptized in 1673, indicating she was born around that same year. She passed away in 1696.
James’ first son, John, is my ancestor. He was born in 1693 in Brentwood, New Hampshire, and married Sarah Sinkler in 1718 in Exeter, New Hampshire, which was part of British America at the time. John passed away in 1747 in Brentwood, New Hampshire. It is said that he was his grandfather’s favorite and was rather spoiled by him, ultimately acquiring land through his will.
Their sons were very influential in Exeter, New Hampshire. In fact, Nathaniel was one of the delegates who ratified the Constitution of the United States. However, my ancestor is their first son, Joshua.
Joshua was born in 1719 in Brentwood, New Hampshire. He was a Quaker and had a remarkable family, with a total of 22 children—eleven from his first wife and eleven from his second wife. It’s no wonder there are so many Beans across North America! Around 1781, their daughter Hannah and her husband relocated to Gilmanton, Strafford, New Hampshire. Hannah was the first white woman to settle in Gilmanton, and their child was the first white child born there.
In 1781, Joshua and his first wife, Lydia Brown, moved to Gilmanton. They traveled on horseback, carrying their three small children in the saddles. Four of Joshua’s sons attended Dartmouth College, and five of his grandsons also graduated from Dartmouth. Additionally, two of his grandsons graduated from Harvard.
Because Joshua was a Quaker, he was unable to serve in the Revolutionary War or sign the Association Test Act of 1776. He and his sons were part of a group of thirty-five individuals who sent a letter expressing their support for the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4th.
My ancestor, John, was the sixteenth child of Joshua and Hannah Robinson. He was born on September 4, 1746, in Brentwood, New Hampshire. John married Abigail Fowler in 1767, also in Brentwood. Abigail was born on June 14, 1747, in Brentwood. Unfortunately, not much more information is available about John.
I have conducted most of my research for this blog using Volume I: Descendants of John Bean of Exeter from the clanmacbean.org website. However, this source did not provide information about the rest of my family line, so I reached out to them to inquire about adding my family line to their research.
John and Abigail’s seventh son, also named John, was born on April 20, 1781, in Gilmanton, Strafford, New Hampshire. He married Abiah Chase on January 11, 1803. In 1814, they moved to Warsaw, New Hampshire, and in 1834, they relocated to Sparta, Pennsylvania. John served in the military in 1813.
Company Number: 33rd U.S. Infantry
Enlistment Date: 10 May 1813
Comments: Mustered Out June 30, 1813
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Light
Complexion: Light
John and Abiah had eight children. Their third child, Louise, is my Bean ancestor. She was born on February 9, 1809, in Gilmanton, Belknap, New Hampshire. She married Lemuel H. Logan in May 1828 in Warsaw, Genesee, New York. Lemuel’s will stated he left money to each of his children, while all his real estate went to his “youngest son, Ryland.” It is believed that Louise died giving birth to Ryland.
According to the 1865 IRS Tax Assessment Lists, Lemuel was a “Retail Dealer” for a Farmer’s Market, and he paid taxes on the profit. Lemuel purchased 100 acres of land near the Catholic Cemetery in Corry, Pennsylvania. My 2nd great-grandfather, Silas H. Logan, was born on March 10, 1833, in Batavia, Genesee, New York, to Louise and Lemuel.
Silas was a farmer and then worked on the railroad; you can read more about him at
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