G-0LM5LRNCVT

Naming Patterns and Genealogy

December 12, 2025

In earlier eras, parents often used naming patterns to choose names for their children. These patterns varied according to location, religion and era. Now, genealogists use these naming patterns to figure out relationships and cultural origins.

 

There are several naming patterns, but some of the most common include using the wife’s maiden name as a first name or Biblical names used by the Quakers and the Puritans. Another type of naming pattern used the paternal grandfather’s name for the first son and the maternal grandmother’s name for the first daughter. The second son was named after the maternal grandfather and the second daughter after the paternal grandmother. Succeeding children were often named after the parents or after the parents’ siblings.

 

New genealogists tend to over emphasize the prevalence of naming patterns. Even in times and places where naming patterns were usual, not everyone used them. If a family used common names such as John, James, Mary and Elizabeth, it can be difficult to know whether it’s a naming pattern or just the fact that everyone used these same names. This can be true even if the same common names were used for several generations.

 

Some families, however, used more unusual names. These names can help a researcher trace relationships, especially when records are scarce.

 

In my own family, my 6th great grandparents, Jonathan and Jemima Terry, named their eldest son Parshall because that was Jemima’s maiden name. Parshall was born in 1734, but his name is still being used by his descendants today. Since it is an unusual name, finding that name on a family tree usually means that I’ve discovered a new cousin.

 

Years ago, I was tracing the siblings of my third great grandfather Timothy Terry. The family lived in Ontario, Canada, but one brother, William, disappeared from Canadian records when he was approximately fifty years old. I could find no record of his death, and his wife reported herself as married in subsequent Canadian censuses.

 

Eventually, I stumbled on an old message board post which mentioned that William Terry had deserted his family in Canada. He’d then moved to Illinois where he married and died in the mid-1850s. Illinois death records listed a William Terry who died in 1856. The index indicated that William had left a will.

 

I wasn’t sure if this man was my ancestor’s brother, but I sent for the will anyway. When I read it, I knew I’d found my ancestor’s long-lost brother. William Terry gave specific instructions for his burial. He requested that he be buried next to his infant son, Parshall Terry.

 

There are lots of Terry’s in the United States, but only descendants of the original Parshall Terry born in 1734 use his name. Naming patterns helped me solve a longstanding genealogical question.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society

 

 

 

 

Saving Money on Genealogy Websites

December 5, 2025

As I wrote last time, many of the most useful genealogy websites are expensive. For example, Ancestry costs over $300 annually for a full access subscription. My Heritage, another large genealogy website, costs nearly $400 annually for the ultimate package subscription. Even some of the smaller websites such as Newspapers.com and Fold 3 cost around $80 for a six-month subscription.

 

Fortunately, there are some ways to access these websites for less. If you are willing to sacrifice the convenience of at-home researching, many of the best genealogy websites can be accessed at local FamilySearch Centers. These centers are usually located in LDS churches or in local libraries. The best way to find a center near you is to visit the FamilySearch website (https://locations.familysearch.org/en/search ). You can then search for centers in your area. Be sure to check hours of operation since most of the centers are open limited hours.

 

Many local libraries also have subscriptions to some of the major genealogy websites. For example, the Poudre River Library District (https://poudrelibraries.org/ ) in Fort Collins has library subscriptions to Ancestry and My Heritage. The websites can only be accessed on a library computer, but the websites are available at any of the branches during any hours the library is open.

 

For those who prefer to research from home, there are ways to gain access to genealogy websites for less. Nearly all the major websites offer free introductory trials. These trial periods vary from seven days to fourteen days, depending on the website. The websites require you to enter credit card information, and an automatic paid subscription will start unless you cancel before the end of the trial period. I have used these free trials frequently. I have never been charged when I cancelled before the end of my free trial.  New trial subscriptions are usually only available once per year.

 

If a short trial period is not enough time to complete your research, the genealogy websites also offer monthly subscriptions. The monthly subscriptions will continue until you cancel, so it’s important to remember to cancel them when you no longer need them.

 

Six months and annual subscriptions are usually cheaper per month than month-to-month subscriptions, but you are usually committed for the entire period. If you are new to a website, it’s a good idea to start with a monthly subscription. This will allow you flexibility in cancelling.

 

Before you commit to paying for any genealogy subscription, make sure to check that the website has information that will benefit your research. Recently, someone complained that he had spent $75 on a newspaper subscription that contained no newspapers for the area of his research. When I asked, he admitted he hadn’t checked what newspapers were included on the site before he subscribed. If your goal is to save money, you need to do your homework before you subscribe.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society

 

 

Genealogy Websites Can Be Expensive

November 21, 2025

Genealogy used to mean frequent trips to libraries, archives, courthouses and cemeteries. All those trips to various repositories certainly were not free, but everyone knew that genealogy could be expensive. Trips to the homeland in Europe or week-long genealogy workshops often required months, or even years, of saving in advance.

 

Nowadays, genealogy for many folks means frequent visits to online genealogy websites. Many genealogists assume that most of those websites will be free. Some are, but most charge a subscription fee. One exception is Family Search, one of the best general genealogy websites. Anyone can access millions of records from home or from local FamilySearch Centers or the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.

 

State historic newspaper sites, state archives and local libraries often maintain useful genealogical databases, as well. Most of these types of websites are free. Many cemetery websites such as Find a Grave are also free.

 

Eventually, however, genealogists usually find themselves needing to access some of the popular paid websites. Websites such as Ancestry, Find My Past, My Heritage, Fold Three and Newspapers.com all require subscriptions.

 

Some of these databases are expensive. Ancestry, for example, costs around $300 a year for all-access memberships. My Heritage charges $319 for a similar subscription. In addition to these large genealogical webites, there are specialty websites. Find My Past is very useful for research in the British Isles. The price for a year’s subscription is $179. If you’re doing Swedish research, you may want to subscribe to Arkiv Digital. This website charges approximately $189 per year.

 

Then there are many smaller websites to consider. Newspapers.com is a digital newspaper platform that runs around $75 for six months. Fold Three focuses on military records, and costs about $80 per year.

 

All the above databases are ones that I have used extensively over the years. They are worth their subscription fees. I would recommend subscribing to any of them, depending on the focus of your research.

 

Subscribing to one or two websites is probably doable for most genealogists. The problem is that each of the websites has its strengths and weaknesses. Once you have delved into one website, you’ll be tempted to add different subscriptions. As you can see from the individual costs, this can quickly add up to thousands of dollars a year.

 

In addition, having subscriptions to multiple websites can become overwhelming. I have had periods where I subscribed to half a dozen websites at the same time. I ended up getting comfortable with one or two and rarely used the others. Now I routinely subscribe to Ancestry and buy short term subscriptions to others as the need arises.

 

If I were even more motivated to save money on website subscriptions, Ancestry and My Heritage are both available at many local libraries. Both websites as well as most of the other major paid websites are also available at the local FamilySearch Center. Using these locales is not as convenient as having them on my own computer, but they do provide access at no cost.

 

Genealogy websites can be expensive, but they provide information that would be difficult, if not impossible, for most genealogists to access elsewhere. With some planning, it’s possible for most of us to use them without spending a fortune.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society