Mission Roadmap
Follow the trail from beginner to advanced. Published missions are unlocked—click to open the case file.
Identity Confirmed
Start with five practical steps for a sound genealogy research foundation.
Read Mission →The Biscuit Tin Dossier
Sort, catalog, and preserve family documents, photos, and heirlooms.
Read Mission →Branch Mapper – Initiate Tree Growth
Build a pedigree chart, family group record, and research log.
Read Mission →File Before You Forget
Organize research with durable naming conventions and software choices.
Read Mission →Count Me In — Census Records
Decode federal and state census records and work around the lost 1890 census.
Read Mission →Born, Wed, Dead — Vital Records That Map a Life
Use birth, marriage, and death records to map a life.
Read Mission →Extra! Extra! - Newspapers That Bring Your Ancestors to Life
Use historical newspapers to reconstruct everyday lives and relationships.
Read Mission →The Neighbor Effect — Cluster Research & Community Links
Find ancestors through their neighbors, associates, and community networks.
Read Mission →Blueprint for Your Own History Project — Genealogy 101 Capstone
Turn scattered research into a plan you can actually follow.
Read Mission →The Spit Test — DNA Testing & Genetic Genealogy
Use genes as evidence through testing, matching, and interpretation.
Read Mission →Baptisms, Burials, and the Books That Came Before
Navigate parish registers and denominational archives.
Read Mission →The Paper Trail Across the Water
Trace passenger lists, naturalization records, and border crossings.
Read Mission →Reporting for Duty — Military Records and Your Ancestor's Service File
Find service records, pensions, and draft registration cards.
Read Mission →One Iron Skillet, Well-Seasoned
Decode wills, inventories, and estate records to reconstruct family relationships.
Read Mission →Staking Your Claim — Land Records and the Dirt Your Ancestors Stood On
Decode land patents, deeds, and property transfers.
Read Mission →The Courthouse Files — Court Records Beyond Probate
Find guardianships, divorces, and disputes in court records beyond probate.
Read Mission →The Shifting Map — Historical Geography, Gazetteers & Boundary Changes
Use gazetteers and boundary-change tools to learn where your ancestor's records moved.
Read Mission →Weighing the Evidence — Introduction to the Genealogical Proof Standard
Learn to evaluate sources, information, and evidence against the Genealogical Proof Standard.
Read Mission →Breaking Through Brick Walls — When the Trail Goes Cold
Five moves to try when your ancestor vanishes from the record.
Read Mission →The Paper Trail of Everyday Life — City Directories, Social Security & More
City directories, Social Security, and the records that fill the years between censuses.
Read Mission →Finding Freedom — Tracing Family Through America's Hardest Records
Freedmen's Bureau records, cohabitation registers, and a path through the 1870 brick wall.
Read Mission →Advanced DNA — What Your Match List Is Actually Telling You
Shared-match clustering, the Leeds method, and chromosome mapping for genetic networks.
Read Mission →Writing Your Family History — From Research to Narrative
Turn research and source documents into an accurate narrative people will want to read.
Read Mission →The Complete Genealogist — Your Volume 1 Capstone
Complete a documented research project and proof summary using the full Volume 1 toolkit.
Read Mission →Crossing the Ocean — Scandinavian & Nordic Research
Decode patronymics and follow Nordic families through parish, household, and emigration records.
Read Mission →Frozen in Time — Photos, Artifacts & Oral History
Date family photographs, preserve artifacts, and capture the voices behind the records.
Read Mission →Graveside Intelligence — Cemetery Records & What the Stones Tell
Read headstones, plot layouts, sexton records, and cemetery symbols as evidence.
Read Mission →Before the Revolution — Colonial & Pre-1850 Research
Push past the 1850 wall with tax lists, colonial records, pension files, and paleography.
Read Mission →Building a Legacy — Preserving, Sharing & Publishing Your Research
Preserve, organize, and publish your research so it remains usable for future generations.
Read Mission →Start at the Beginning
Mission 1 takes 15 minutes and will change how you think about your family history.
Read Mission 1