Lee County Iowa Genealogical Society - South

12/22/2025

Got DNA matches with no family tree? Just cryptic usernames and initials? Here's the truth: you don't always need to identify every match. If you can place them in a genetic cluster using shared matches, that's often enough. But when you DO need answers—maybe they're your closest match or hold the key to your brick wall—there's a methodical approach. Start with Ancestry's Pro Tools for "Shared Matches of Matches." Analyze usernames for clues (that "79" might be a birth year). Use people search sites to find relatives and obituaries. Mine Facebook profiles strategically. Most mystery matches leave digital breadcrumbs everywhere...continued in comments 👇

12/22/2025

Some useful links for dating your old photographs:
https://pioneerthinking.com/dating-old-photographs-with-fashion/
https://www.aarp.org/relationships/genealogy/info-11-2011/dating-old-photos.html
https://www.historicalemporium.com/1860-victorian-photo-gallery.php
https://fashion-era.com/fashion-history/1930s/stylish-thirties
https://www.legacytree.com/blog/date-old-family-photos
Genealogy CLUES- Dating Old Photographs
https://web.facebook.com/groups/337276269784836
https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/814584/genealogy-research-dating-vintage-photographs-by-clothing-and-hairstyles-1/

11/17/2025

The Community History Archives has an upgraded webite linking many newspapers to their town library websites. Wheel in on the map to get to the area you are researching. Especially IOWA! https://communityhistoryarchives.com/

11/10/2025

Your ancestor's name might be in THIS batch. 👀

Millions of new records just dropped:

🇮🇹 12 million civil and church records from Italy
🇩🇴 8 million civil and immigration records from the Dominican Republic

🇨🇩 2 million records from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Link in the comments!

11/08/2025

Honor the veterans in your life. Discover their story with FREE ACCESS* to all WWI and WWII records through November 16. Explore enlistment records, draft cards, war diaries, photo collections, and more! https://f3.social/veterans

*Free registration required

11/07/2025

This image is from the book "An Historical Sketch of the Old Village of New Lisbon, Ohio with Biographical Notes of its Citizens Prominent in the Affairs of the Village, State, and Nation ". One of thousands of Ohio-focused digital resources available to OGS members on the OGS website. Join OGS today at www.ogs.org and explore them all.

10/29/2025

We've recently added newly digitized Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards from 10 states. Learn which ones on our Fold3 blog:https://f3.social/6ybb

10/29/2025

Locating Your Ancestor's Civil War Unit:

In "How to Find Your Ancestor’s Civil War Unit" (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/how-to-find-your-ancestors-civil-war-unit/), genealogist Amy Johnson Crow has this advice: "Knowing what unit he served in is key to getting into those records and making sure you have the right person." The key resources that may indicate the Civil War unit include obituaries, county histories, tombstones, and more.

To learn more about researching your Civil War ancestors, see the resources in Goal E2 of the United States page (https://www.thefhguide.com/project-9-united-statese2.html ).

10/23/2025

10/23/2025

Although many Irish family history records were destroyed during the Civil War, fortunately many of the petty sessions court records survive. Find out how to use them with our guide 🇮🇪

https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/overseas/irish-petty-sessions-records

10/15/2025

Sign up to the free Family Tree newsletter and claim your 'Collect Family Stories' download, featuring family tree templates, interview sheets, ancestor record sheets, and much more.