How will Genealogy Research be Different in the Future?

    How much has genealogy research changed over the past 50 years? Or even history, for that matter. Think about it. Fifty years ago would have been the year 1975. Computers weren't available for research. (Microsoft was founded in 1975) To access documents like census records, you would have had to go to the library and page through censuses on microfilm. No index. No search feature. No shaky little leaves on Ancestry. Actually, Ancestry.com wasn't even around at this time.

They didn't become a company until 1983. So all your records would have been on paper, on microfilm, and in libraries. Seasoned researchers would tell us we have it easy today. Years ago, people never expected access would be available for specific documents. The birth of the internet in 1983 has changed all this. Every day, documents are digitized and made available to the public. 

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A Year In History - 1975 Archives

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    But have you given any thought to how genealogy research will be different in the future? Let's say another 50 years? That would put us in the year 2100. Most of us won't be here anymore. So what will be available? What will be different? What won't be available? What records can we access that wouldn't have been available 100 years ago?
    I sat down and talked with my adult child (they are now 21) about this topic. Life is definitely different from what it was in 1975. To learn more about the statistical information from 1975, head over to Census.gov, and you can compare differences from then to today. 

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National News: Adults are now struggling to hit these four milestones, Census Says

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So, I asked my child what they thought would be available and how research would be different in light of the changes our society has undergone.

Here are some topics that are different in society today and how they do/will impact our research:

• More people are having kids without getting married
• More people are having multiple partners with multiple kids
• Polyamorous Relationships (maybe marriages one day)
• How will these facts affect research?
• DNA will play a bigger part

• Changing of names
• Different names used in censuses, obituaries, newspapers, etc.
• Might make it more difficult to trace ancestors

• Changing of genders
• Multiple genders
• Legal and surgical

• Marriages between the same gender
• Know the state laws and policies
• People could have gone to other states to get married and live

    Depending on the topic, more sources will be available to support the results. The question about changing genders and same-sex marriages came up in my beginner genealogy class a couple of years ago. While this wasn't something that was addressed back 50 years ago as much as it is now, it's something we need to start thinking about when it comes to records and sources. But the same format will still be used for checking the validity. If there's no record or source to support the claim or the story, then it's not proven to be true. (See the Genealogical Proof Standard.) So it's necessary to start saving information with proof for future researchers.
    In the future, we will have access to more and different records than we've had available to us in the past. In an age where the internet runs our lives, there is almost nothing we can't access or learn about someone. And with the changing of how we live our lives, more records are kept that weren't available 50 years ago.

What different records or sources will be available that weren't in the past?

• Credit Reports (Currently only available to the named person or, if they have passed, a legal representative or executor)
• Medical Records (Currently only available to the named person, or family if permission was granted in writing)
• Social Media Accounts
• Able to download data
• Can designate a person to take over the account after death
• Driving Records (Available to the public without personal information)
• Cloud Access
• Cell phone data
• Email Accounts
• More access to out-of-the-country records
• Social Security Records - the use of a Social Security number has changed quite a bit since its creation
• Employment Records - more employers keep detailed files on past employees

    As you can see, some records are available ONLY to the named person, or to a descendant who is an executor, has a court order, or is in the paperwork. With the creation of new records comes new privacy laws. Before, we mostly dealt with the fact that census records were only released every 72 years, birth records were unavailable in some states until 100 years after the event, and sealed adoption records. Today, identity theft is a major concern, and efforts are being made to make personal data harder to access. Which is great! Unfortunately, it may also affect how we research in the future. So it's important to prepare.

    Now, with all these changes, some records won't include the same data they used to, or some records will become obsolete. Newspapers used to be a great source of information about our ancestors' lives (they still are for the past), but now, with rising costs and privacy concerns, you are lucky if an obituary was published that included any family. And more and more publishing companies are producing less paper and opting for digital formats.

What records or sources may not be available, may change, or may be obsolete?

• City Directories (They are phasing out for privacy concerns)
• Immigration records may not be as accessible
• Passenger lists
• Census Records will be asking different questions
• Newspapers are changing 
• They don't share as much information as they used to because of privacy concerns
• Cost of publishing obituaries can be astronomical, so more people are not even publishing one
• Leaning towards more digital formats and not printed formats
• Marriage bonds - "A man would file a marriage bond to legally affirm his intention to marry a particular woman and confirm there was no legal impediment to the marriage." - Family Tree Magazine

    Now you may be asking, why focus on what will be available in the future when genealogy research is focusing on the past? Good question! Thinking about how things will be different will help us determine what we should save today for future researchers. As stated above, some sources are only available to executors or those with a court order. So we need to start today. Save copies of documents, sources, information, or anything you think will be important.

There are a few books written that address saving items for future generations and how to downsize. I recommend the following:

    I've been a genealogy researcher since 2012; not as long as others, and in that short time, I've seen many changes in how we research. It's causing me to approach my own research differently. We all need to start collecting, digitizing, and preserving our history for the future. Based on what we have seen over the last 50 years, we don't know what's going to be accessible or available to us. So prepare now. 

How do you think Genealogy Research will be different in the future?
Leave your comments below.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In Memory of Paul Rickards, my father-in-law

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Paul Edward Rickards, dear father, grandfather, and husband. He was what the nurses like to call a gentle giant. He passed away on July 30, 2025, at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He was 84 years old.

Paul was the second-born son of Joseph Francis Rickards and Lilly May Hilke, born on November 24, 1940, in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended many schools growing up, including Elgin Academy in Elgin, Illinois, graduating in 1959. He met the love of his life, Mildred Beatrice Swope, around that time while on a blind date. They were married on January 5, 1963, at Southwest Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

Paul enlisted in the military and served as a Private in the Army. He was stationed in Europe for a little over a year, visiting Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Although he never saw any action, he was a Rifle M-1 Marksman. He was honorably discharged on March 28, 1968. After that, he was employed at the Army National Personnel Records Center off Page Avenue in St. Louis as a book binder for 35 years. He was actually working there during the time the records center caught fire, destroying the whole top floor. He retired in 2000.

He and his family were members of Southwest Baptist Church, where he was a Deacon for many years. He loved being active in the church, coaching youth sports such as softball and basketball, and leading youth group with his wife. He was also involved in many other activities. He sang in the choir, played fast pitch, organized a men's bowling team, and became the director/president of the whole area's men's Baptist bowling team.

Later on, the family became members of Rock Hill Baptist Church (now known as The Rock of St. Louis). He continued to coach many youth sports, including soccer and basketball. He and his family continued to attend church at Rock Hill until his health prohibited it.

Over the past few years, he was in and out of hospitals and rehab facilities. His health never really recovered, and he slowly started to decline. His wife, Millie, was always by his side, even until the end. He came down with pneumonia and other infections. Unfortunately, one of the antibiotics he was put on caused a horrible side effect of delirium, of which he never recovered. He passed on the morning of July 30.

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Read Paul's obituary here

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I only knew Paul for a short time. I met him in 2002 when Mark and I started getting closer as friends, then started dating. I remember Paul introducing me to his mom, Lilly, as his son's friend. And Mark had to correct him and said, “Girlfriend, dad.” That's my first real memory of Paul. And I'm blessed to have known him and have him as my father-in-law for 23 years. The day before he passed, I held his hand and told him how blessed I was to have had him in my life, and I thanked him for giving me his son.

You are missed so much already, Paul. 

Please give my dad a hug for me. 

It happened again: Related to my Client??

     It happened again! It's as if God brings clients to me whom I am supposed to research to find out that I might be related to them. This has happened multiple times. I found out I was related to a client I knew in Colorado. I've also learned I'm related to a friend of mine, although she wasn't a client. But learning of this connection really blew my mind.

    An associate I volunteer with at the Franklin County Historical Society hired me to do some research on her family in St. Louis. Since my family is from St. Louis, I have experience in that area. She wanted me to trace the lines to see if there were any living relatives. So off I went, building out her tree. This was a new challenge for me as my client is black. Researching records for black or African American roots can be difficult, depending on the time period and area. But I was enjoying tracking down her family.
    One of the lines I was tracing (Turner) had a girl who married a man with the last name of Hooper. But that's not what got my attention. The gentleman was born in Waverly, Tennessee. Now, if you have followed my blog and read about my family, you will know my Wheeler line is from Waverly, Humphreys County, Tennessee. My grandpa, Les Wheeler, was born there. 

Leslie Woodrow Wheeler
Born Dec 18, 1918
White Oak Creek, Humphreys County, TN

    And one of the jokes was, "If you are related to someone in Waverly, you are related to all of them." What led weight to this fact was that I did have Hooper's in my tree. So I immediately started looking closer into that line.
    I found James Ira Hooper's family in Humphreys County in the census records. First, I found the 1910 census. Thomas Hooper is the father of James Ira Hooper. The family is listed on line 45 on sheet 12A. (This is important to note)

Thomas Hooper & Family
1910 United States Federal Census
Sheet 12A; Line 45
District 60, Humphreys County, Tennessee
Source: Ancestry.com

    When I began researching my Wheeler family in Humphreys County, Tennessee, I learned quickly that they all lived very close to each other and appeared on the same pages of census records. So I decided to look at the lines above and below this Hooper family to see who would have been their neighbors. 

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Read "Wheelers and Damesworth and Curtises... Oh My!"

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    I scrolled up to line 33 and thought, "Hey, I recognize those names!". It turns out that it is my great-grandfather, James Benjamin Francis Wheeler, my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Wheeler (nee Damesworth), and their children. My grandpa, Les Wheeler, wouldn't be born until 1918. My family lived right near my client's Hooper family! Then I looked right below the Hooper family and found my great-grandfather's Uncle, George Smith, and his wife, Georgia Smith (nee Wheeler).

Thomas Hooper, James B Wheeler & George Smith
1910 United States Federal Census
Sheet 12A; Lines 33, 45, & 50
District 60, Humphreys County, Tennessee
Source: Ancestry.com

    If that wasn't enough, if you scroll up higher on this sheet, you will find my great-grandmother's parents: James Dillard Damesworth and Willie Damesworth (nee Thompson). They are on line 5 of the same sheet! This is insane! But wait, there is more. Right above my Damesworth family is Thomas Hooper's PARENTS!

James Damesworth & William Hooper
1910 United States Federal Census
Sheets 11B & 12A; Lines 98 & 5
District 60, Humphreys County, Tennessee
Source: Ancestry.com

    While they are listed right next to each other, we need to remember this is farm country. So the census taker would have walked many miles to the next property. They could have been crossing the road to the next farm. So it's possible the families lived across the road from each other and not next door. But still, the fact that they literally lived right by my family blew my mind. What are the odds? And this is just the 1910 Census. Let's go back to the 1900 Census.

    In 1900, William Hooper, father of James Ira Hooper, lived in Humphreys County District 18. And right underneath their family was James Damesworth, my 2nd great-grandfather. 

William Hooper & James Damesworth
1900 United States Federal Census
Sheet 4B; Lines 88 & 98
District 18, Humphreys County, Tennessee
Source: Ancestry.com 

    I have yet to prove any relation to this line of Hooper's. And if there is a connection, it would only be through the short marriage of James Ira Hooper and Margaret Turner, but a connection is still a connection. And I would be excited to be connected with my colleague. I just hope the connection is a positive one.

Just one of the exciting findings in my research. Stay tuned for more!

Friday Finds - House for Sale in Newspapers!

 Before there was Realtor.com. Before there was Zillow. Before we could simply hop online and search for houses for sale in our area, people used to check newspapers. Real Estate agents and owners would list their houses, descriptions, and even prices, trying to get the attention of prospective buyers.

So I went in search of ads for homes when they were listed for sale. And here's what I found.

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This is the house where Mark grew up, and his parents still live in today. The ad ran for almost a year until they purchased it in 1984. Some ads will contain more information about the house.

2458 Cecelia, Brentwood
 18 Nov 1984, Sun
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com
2458 Cecelia, Brentwood
24 Jun 1984, Sun
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

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Here's my childhood home, which my mom recently sold. It's interesting to see what they advertised and what they thought would draw people in. This house was for sale for about two years before my parents purchased it. They said they wanted to be in before Christmas, and we were.

49 High View Dr, Eureka
29 Jun 1985, Sat
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com
49 High View Dr, Eureka
04 Oct 1987, Sun
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

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I was excited to find this ad. This is for the house my Fuchs family had for a few years in Times Beach, near Eureka, Missouri. They moved in 1951 to this property, and then the floods came in May 1957.

516 Hawthorne, Times Beach
07 Oct 1951, Sun
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

I've been having so much fun going through newspapers on Newspapers.com. I will keep looking through the pages to find more gems.

What have you found in Newspapers?

How Newspapers Can Lead to Other Sources

     One of my favorite sources to browse is newspapers, as you probably guessed. As a birthday and Christmas gift from my mom, I have a subscription to Newspapers.com. I visit this site almost every day, not only to track down ancestors and information about their lives but also to explore local history. You can learn a wealth of information about the era your ancestors lived in as it was happening. Historical events like The Great Depression, World Wars I & II, the moon landing, and much more. But that's a story for another time.

    When I start researching a new family member, couple, or family line, after entering some basic details into my tree, I go to newspapers.com to see what information appears. Depending on the year and location, you can find quite a few clues for additional sources. Newspapers were known for publishing a lot of personal information, especially if it involved court cases. And it's these published details that can help you discover more documents, sources, and information about your ancestor. So, let's look at some examples.

Marriages
Licenses - When licenses were obtained, they were listed in the newspaper with the date the license was acquired. This will lead you to the license itself. 

Marriage License Edward Hilke & Mary Schulling 11 Mar 1904, Fri The Journal-Democrat (Warrensburg, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Marriage of Bunch / Krumsick 08 Nov 1912, Fri The Alma Enterprise (Alma, Kansas) Newspapers.com

Engagements/Announcements/Showers - These will include more details about the couple, including parents' names, friends, a church, or addresses. If a church is named, you might be able to acquire a copy of the church register. From there, depending on the church, the register might also include baptism information, which could then lead to finding a copy of the baptismal certificate. Addresses could be used to confirm family in census records and city directories.

Surprise Shower for Pearl McGrew 02 May 1932, Mon The Maryville Daily Forum (Maryville, Missouri) Newspapers.com

McGrew-Swope Marriage 03 May 1932, Tue The Maryville Daily Forum (Maryville, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Wedding Details - This will usually be shared after the wedding has taken place. It can include names of the wedding party and their relationship, parents, the location where the wedding took place (whether a house or church), and even who officiated the wedding. If an announcement hadn't been published, this could be just as helpful to track down more sources and documents. 

Nancy Ann Seidel Wedding
18 Apr 1973, Wed
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

Births
These are hit and miss but can still be helpful with adding a birth year to your tree. Names of the children are not always given, but the names of the parents are given. This can lead to birth records and baptismal records.

Birth Recorded J R Valdes 8223 Michigan 21 Jun 1938, Tue St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Jerry Valdes Birth 21 Jun 1938, Tue The St. Louis Star and Times (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Deaths
There are quite a few articles that you could look for that can help with the death information of an ancestor.

Obituaries - these can be a treasure trove of information about an ancestor's life and their relations. Also the location of the burial. This can lead to death certificates, church registers for deaths and burials, burial permits, and possible funeral home records. Depending on how detailed the obituary is about the ancestor could lead to other records such as military, marriage records, city directories, and more. 

Obituary ALBERTA V. Huerner 01 Feb 1978, Wed St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com	Obituary LOUISE K. Strawhun 20 Feb 1971, Sat St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Obituary Wilbert H. "Buck" Strawhun 27 Aug 1979, Mon St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Burial Permits - Not every city requires one, but St. Louis did. I've had quite a bit of luck with burial permits thanks to newspapers publishing the list. This is especially helpful if an ancestor died before death certificates were standardized. 

Louise Strawhun Burial Permit 25 Feb 1971, Thu St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Robert Strawhun Burial Permit 22 Nov 1970, Sun St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Card of Thanks/In Memoriam - Families of the deceased will sometimes submit a card of thanks for the newspaper to run to thank all those who called upon them during their time of grief, which can include organizations there were a member of and even the funeral home where you can contact for records as well. This will connect the deceased to the living family. Or sometimes they will publish an In Memoriam of the deceased. If you don't have a death date, this may be the only hint you have to try to locate more sources. 

In Memoriam of Edward Sleets 20 Dec 1963, Fri The St. Louis Argus (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Card of Thanks Edward J Buer 10 Feb 1929, Sun St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Notice of Letters/Administrative Notes - When an ancestor dies without a will, their estate is processed through the Probate Court. An executor will run a notice in the newspaper for anyone who has an account to settle with the decedent. This will not only tell you that your ancestor has passed away, but that you should look for a probate record. Now, these can go on for years, so keep that in mind when you are trying to determine the date of death.

Z. T. McGrew estate 16 Dec 1915, Thu The Blackwell Weekly Sun (Blackwell, Oklahoma) Newspapers.com

Administrator's Notice Nicholas Buer 21 Oct 1870, Fri Jefferson Democrat (Hillsboro, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Special Articles - If this were a case that had special circumstances, depending on what happened, you might find a court case if it was a murder, or you might find coroner records if the death was suspicious.

Inquests Held in deaths of three killed by trains
28 Sep 1934, Fri
Sedalia Weekly Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

Property/Real Estate Transfers
These announcements will mention the names and possible property location. This will lead you to the deed paperwork. And if the location is given, you can look up the property on plat maps.

Real Estate Transfer Bogert to Otte 08 Sep 1960, Thu Washington Missourian (Washington, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Transfer of Real Estate Morton Jackson to Charles Yancy 10 Jun 1886, Thu Union Record (Union, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Court Cases
These can be as simple as name vs. name or a whole newspaper article about the event that took place. This will lead to court records. Sometimes they will have court cases listed under headings such as Probate Court Docket or Circuit Court Docket. Other records you could locate based on the articles: divorce records, guardianship records, custody records, or penitentiary records (if convicted).

George Sleet charged with assault 14 Aug 1936, Fri The Gerald Journal (Gerald, Missouri) Newspapers.com	Divorce Winnie Yancy vs. William Yancy 25 Jul 1924, Fri Franklin County Tribune (Union, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Probate Court Docket Sleets, heirs, minors, Richard Lane, gd (guardian) 28 Oct 1910, Fri Washington Citizen (Washington, Missouri) Newspapers.com	Flossie Peterson vs George Fuchs suit on note 10 Nov 1960, Thu Jefferson County Record (Hillsboro, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Military Records
Depending on the article, it can lead you to many different military records.

• If your ancestor was drafted, his name and number could be in the newspaper, as that was sometimes the best way to notify a person quickly. That draft number can lead you to transport records and military files. 
• If your ancestor went to basic training somewhere or graduated, you might find records from that training facility or locate a yearbook. Ft. Leonard Wood had yearbooks for its graduates. (See my website)
• If your ancestor was KIA, there could be a Burial Case File at the National Archives. 
• If they were captured and a prisoner of war, there could be prisoner of war records. 
• If letters were sent home, you could check with family members if anyone has them or remembers details from the letters. 
• And of course, if their unit was listed in the newspaper, you can look up information about that particular unit, including maps from the battles they participated in. 

World War I Draft Drawing 12 Oct 1918, Sat Carthage Evening Press (Carthage, Missouri) Newspapers.com	Killed in Action William Ilg 20 Dec 1918, Fri Columbia Missourian (Columbia, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Frank Marquart Jr finishes basic at Ft. Leonard Wood 26 Sep 1957, Thu Franklin County Tribune (Union, Missouri) Newspapers.com	Capt Joseph Rickards, 12th Calvary 26 Sep 1863, Sat The St. Joseph Herald (St. Joseph, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Organization Membership
Some organizations have memberships and keep records. These organizations will sometimes list the names of their members and if they hold certain positions. This can lead to documents and records.

GAR Elect officers
Wm McKinley Post 324
16 Dec 1904, Fri
Sullivan Sentinel
(Sullivan, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

Schools
Graduations, school programs, conerts, theater, etc will lead you to possible school records or at the very least the name of the school your ancestor attended. Then you might be able to find yearbooks.

Writing "Rags to Riches" Story at Northwest High School - Dennis Fuchs
27 Oct 1960, Thu Jefferson County Record (Hillsboro, Missouri) Newspapers.com

Businesses
If your ancestor ran a business, it could appear in the newspaper for many reasons. Which can lead to business licenses, addresses that can be used to locate on a map or in city directories. Even tax papers. If your ancestor owned a farm and operated a dairy business, cattle business, etc., these articles could lead you to farm censuses. Plus, check with local historical societies if they have any information about your ancestors. They receive items all the time related to businesses and farms.

Moonlight Tavern
Thomas Fuchs
25 Apr 1940, Thu
The Ellington Press
(Ellington, Missouri)
Newspapers.com

I hope this gave you additional ideas on how to use newspapers to find more sources and documents. I can't tell you how many times newspapers.com has been helpful. Time to dive back into my research!

Do you have any other tips on how useful Newspapers can be when researching your family?