We're celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War by devoting our May 2011 issue of Family Tree Magazine to the war between the states. In this issue, we give you the inside scoop on tracing Blue and Gray ancestors, tips for preserving military uniforms, a guide to ordering an official military grave marker and more. It even includes a special excerpt from our new book Life in Civil War America. Our special Civil War issue of Family Tree Magazine goes on sale today. Look for it on newsstands or purchase a copy from ShopFamilyTree.com.

Spoiler Alert: If you don't already know what happened during Lionel Richie's episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” you are about to find out. Singer-songwriter Lionel Ritchie explored his great-grandfather's history on his episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Richie began his journey at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where his mother, father and grandmother were professors. Gathering clues with his sister, Richie uses his grandmother's Social Security application to find her father's name — John Louis Brown. He heads to his grandmother's ...

Genealogy has gone prime time. NBC gave "Who Do You Think You Are?" the green light for a third season. "Faces of America" will return to PBS for another season. And on this week's "Top Chef All-Stars," contestants traced their family treed and competed at Ellis Island, cooking up dishes based on their family's heritage. Read more about the genealogy TV trend here. GenealogyBank is offering a yearly subscription to its newspaper collection for 75 percent off. This offer is good through March 14, and you can learn more on GenealogyBank.com. Family Tree Firsts blogger Nancy ...

Diane's on maternity leave for a few more weeks, but that hasn't stopped her from continuing her genealogy research. She brought baby Leo with her on a recent trip to a Family History Center to request some microfilm. I am sure he was a very popular guy! Look at those hands -- he's just itching to get his mitts on some microfiche.

If you're planning on taking a trip to a Family History Center for the first time, you've got to read our article "Family History Central" (available to Plus members) from the January 2011 issue of Family Tree Magazine >.

We celebrated the return of NBC’s "Who Do You Think You Are?" with a giveaway. While celebrities explore their genealogy on the show, we wanted to give you the opportunity to explore your own family history with our Discover Who You Are Sweepstakes! Each week in February, readers entered the sweepstakes by commenting on the Genealogy Insider blog and our Facebook fan page. Our last lucky winner:

So what's the prize? Four lucky winners received Discover Your Roots Kits, which include a bookazine for genealogy beginners, a Family Tree University course, a ...

Once again, the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show in London attracted thousands of eager visitors anxious to learn more about their family tree. It was my great pleasure to not only participate as a speaker this year, but also to report on the event for the Genealogy Insider.

The exhibition hall was packed for WDYTYA? Live.

According to Else Churchill, genealogist for the Society of Genealogists in the UK and organizer of the society’s workshops at the event, BBC Magazines Bristol has purchased a major share of the show from Brand Events, ...

March marks National Women's History Month, a celebration of the often overlooked contributions women have made to history. The month evolved from National Women's History Week, established in 1978 by the Education Task Force of Sonoma County, Calif., to coincide with International Women’s Day.

In 1981, Congress issued a joint resolution supporting Women’s History Week. In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since ...

Each month we'll release a new collection of carefully selected, discounted products to help you achieve your genealogy goals. A limited number of copies of each collection will be available, so get ‘em while the getting’s good. For March, we've put together the Ultimate Family History Starter Collection. This multimedia bundle brings you our most invaluable tips, tricks and how-tos to help you jump start your genealogy research. There are only 150 copies of this collection available through the end of March. The Ultimate Family History Starter ...

Spoiler Alert: If you don't already know what happened during Kim Cattrall's episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” you are about to find out. Actress Kim Cattrall set out to solve a 70-year-old mystery and explore her British heritage on her episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" George Baugh, Cattrall's grandfather, disappeared when her mother, Shane, was 8 years old. When George left, he tried to bribe Shane to accompany him, but she decided to stay behind with her mother. Shane never saw him again, and her mother and two sisters lived in extreme ...

In this edition of my guest post for the Genealogy Insider I’m reporting from the Who Do You Think You Are? Live event in London, which runs Friday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb 27.

While I could spend time telling you about the huge booths and displays of the genealogy giants like Ancestry.uk, FamilySearch or Find My Past, I think it would miss the mark on conveying what is truly unique about this particular event. It’s the “little guy” – the local society, volunteer organization and fledgling online start-up – that fills the vast ...

For the first time, people in England and Wales will be able to submit census responses online. Beginning March 4, Brits will be able to unlock the digital questionnaire by entering an access code that will be mailed to each household. Read more about the 2011 UK census here. Our special Civil War issue isn't on newsstands until March 8, but we have a sneak peek of it on our website. See the Civil War as your ancestors did -- through the lens of the era's photographers. View our slideshow on FamilyTreeMagazine.com. We're deciding which states to cover in our Genealogy ...

Ever wish you could get the inside scoop on researching Ohio ancestors? Or ask experts your burning questions about a Buckeye State brick wall? Or had a clue how to research forebears that settled in the Western Reserve? We'll grant your wishes in our Ohio Genealogy Crash Course live webinar. During our live webinars, audio is delivered over your telephone or computer speakers. Power Point presentations and desktop or document sharing are presented over the Internet. This is like a talk-radio program with visuals on the Web. You'll be able to have a live Q&A chat ...

We’re excited about our new Ultimate Collection program. Each month we’ll release a new collection of carefully selected, discounted products to help you achieve your genealogy goals. A limited number of copies of each collection will be available, so get ‘em while the getting’s good. For February, we've put together the Ultimate African-American Genealogy Collection in honor of Black History Month. This multimedia collection brings you our most invaluable advice from African-American genealogy experts at an unbeatable price. The Ultimate ...

We're celebrating the return of NBC’s "Who Do You Think You Are?" with a giveaway. While celebrities explore their genealogy on the show, we want to give you the opportunity to explore your own genealogical history with our Discover Who You Are Sweepstakes! Each week in February we will announce a lucky winner on our Facebook fan page and the Genealogy Insider blog. Our third lucky winner:

So what's the prize? Four lucky winners will get Discover Your Roots Kits, which include a bookazine for genealogy beginners, a Family Tree University course, a ...

Spoiler Alert: If you don't already know what happened during Rosie O'Donnell's episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” you are about to find out. Rosie O'Donnell often asked her grandmother about a specific photo hanging in her house, but her grandmother was tight lipped about the woman. O'Donnell knew she was somehow related to her, but didn't know much beyond that. So she began her "Who Do You Think You Are?" journey by researching the mystery woman. She starts looking in the 1900 census, finding her great-grandparents Michael and Ellen Murtha. The ...