• Australia
• Canada
• Ireland

• Northern Ireland
• United States

• First Time Here?  Read This.
• Query Writing Guidelines
• What We Include In Our Listings
• Linking to THE NEWS STAND.

Now, with that said -- do you know the name of the genealogy column that appears in the local newspaper in each one of the areas around the country (and even the world) where you have ancestry?  Do you know the address of each of these columnists to which to send your queries and/or announcements?  Do you know if any of them have e-mail addresses?  You will find this information in our listings.

Why have we created this web page?  Simple.  It benefits our members.  Fully half of the Mobile Genealogical Society members have and use Internet access as an integral part of their genealogy research.  If what we have set up to benefit our members also benefits the online genealogy community as well -- all the better.

As well as queries, many columnists are happy to print announcements of upcoming family reunions and of upcoming genealogy conferences, seminars and classes.  These "dated" announcements must be submitted at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance!  Most columnists will also review new genealogy-related books if a copy is sent to them by the author or publisher.  Some even donate them to librarys and/or genealogy societies after they are reviewed.

The columnists listed on this page are ready to help you find those elusive ancestors.  Anyone may submit queries and announcements to these columns. Guidelines that should be followed when submitting a query can be found HERE.

PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE SENDING ANYTHING TO THESE COLUMNISTS.  

Just for good measure, there are many GenWeb Project links embedded in the state and province images on this page and in the text of the sub-pages for each column.  You can submit queries to these online sites, as well.

MGS members may also submit queries for publication in the Deep South Genealogical Quarterly.  The DSGQ is distributed to MGS members all over the world including many other societies and libraries.  The DSGQ is kept for an indefinite period of time which extends the life of your query.  Wanna find out more about MGS membership?  Look HERE.

By the way.  If you know of columns that are not listed here, or if you know additional information about columns that are listed, how about letting us know so we can share that information with everyone.  Just send us an email at <mgsmobile@mobis.com>.

• Typewritten or hand printed submissions are preferred.
• Queries must be legible.  Strive for clarity.  Be clean and concise.
• Queries should pertain to the geographic area that is covered by the column(s) to which they are sent.
• If sending by regular mail, send queries on a sheet (or sheets) separate from the cover letter.  However, BE SURE that your contact information (including your postal address) is on every sheet of paper and the envelope.
• Begin the query by listing all surnames which will appear, in the order they appear.
• Some columnists want you to capitalize surnames in the text of your query and some DO NOT.  Check the fine print at the bottom of their listings or contact them first.
• Include names, dates, places and useful clues that pertain to the area where you are sending your query to be published.
• Write individual queries for different family groups.
• Write in complete sentences.  It is difficult for others to organize your "notes" or "outlines" or "census tables", etc.  DO NOT send Pedigree Charts or Family Group Sheets and expect the columnist to formulate a query for you.
• Limit the use of pronouns -- too many can leave the reader confused.
• Avoid abbreviations.  Write out words like born, died, married, daughter, month, city, parish, county, state, etc. The column’s readership is not always accustomed to the shorthand of experienced family researchers.
• Write out dates in standard genealogical format -- day, month, year (12 May 1999).
• Some columnists have length restrictions for queries -- some do not.  Check first.
• Safeguard privacy.  Use caution and good judgment when mentioning a living individual in a query.  Some persons might resent their name or any personal data concerning them being published.
• Double Check.  Please proofread your queries carefully before sending.  Is it complete?  In particular, check name spellings and dates.
• Remember, these queries appear in newspapers.  Keep in mind that the person holding the answer(s) to these queries may not have a computer, may not know anything about computers and may not recognize an e-mail address if it slapped them in the face!  <grin>  Therefore, make sure your full name, postal address ande-mail address are ALL included with your query.  How about a phone number, too?

AUSTRALIA

• Family Trees by Janet Reakes

• Family Trees by Janet Reakes

• Family Trees by Janet Reakes

Western Australia 

• Can You Help? by Jenny Kohlen

CANADA

• Downeast Ancestors by Lee Jeffries
• Good Life Genealogical Queries Column by Ruby Cusack

• Your Ancestry by David Lepitre

IRELAND

Leinster Province

• Searching For Relatives by Readers of the Westmeath Examiner

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ulster Province 

• The Exiles Club by Elaine McGladdery (coming soon!)

U.S.A.

• Branches & Twigs by Regina Hines Ellison, CGRS
• Climbing The Family Tree by Eugenia Parker
• Covington County Genealogical Forum by Curtis Thomasson
• Family Ties by ...
• The Family Tree by Betsy Haley Dill (for the Walker County Gen. Society)
• Forgotten Trails by Lydia Grimes
• It's All Relative by Linda Reinauer
• Lineage & Letters by Emma V. Linder
• L.I.N.K.S. by Jean Carr
• Roots & Records by ...

• AncestreeSeekers by Carllene Marek

• Genealogy by the Charlotte County Genealogical Society
• Hunting Forebears by Beth Gay, DTJ, FSA Scot
• It's All Relative by Linda Reinauer
• Tracing Pasts by Linda Kleback

• Colquitt County Family Album by Beth Gay, DTJ, FSA Scot
• Genealogy by Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr.

• Heritage Hunting by Donna Potter Phillips

Illinois

• Diggin' For Your Roots by Lauri Gray-Stoewsand
• Illiana Ancestors by Joan Griffis
• Illinois Ancestors by Joan Griffis
• It's All Relative by Linda Herrick Swisher
• They Were In Macoupin by Cindy Leonard

• Family Branches by Vicky Zuverink
• Family Roots by Karen Bazzani Zach
• Family Tree Leaves by Mona Robinson
• Illiana Ancestors by Joan Griffis
• Indiana Ancestors by 
• Michiana Roots by Connie Johnston

• In Search Of Family by Sharon King Burns
• We The People by Sharon King Burns

• Challenge of Genealogy by Marie Wise (stay tuned!)
• Genealogy by Donna Sutton
• Louisiana Ancestors by Damon Veach
• Somewhere In Time by Erin Wallace
• Welcome To Your Past by JoAnn U. Shonk

Maine  

• Downeast Ancestors by Lee Jeffries
• What's In a Name? by Erlene Huntress Davis

Michigan  

• Family Heirlooms by Carole Kiernan
• Genealogical Gems by Ann Burton
• Michiana Roots by Connie Johnston

• Branches & Twigs by Regina Hines Ellison, CGRS
• Family Trees by Nancianne Parkes Suber
• Home Folks by Kathy Murray
• Roots 'N' Records by Joyce Shannon Bridges

• Genealogy by Gloria Bogart Carter
• Phelps County Ancestors by Robert M. Doerr

• Heritage Hunting by Donna Potter Phillips

North Carolina  

• Taproots by Sandra Lake Lassen, CGRS

• Find Your Ancestors by Joy Wade Moulton

Oklahoma  

• In Search Of Family by Sharon King Burns
• Relatively Speaking by Darlene Shawn
• Tracing Our Roots by Brenda Burns Kellow, CG, CGI
• Tree Tracers by Aulena Scearce Gibson
• We The People by Sharon King Burns

• Our Keystone Families by Mrs. S.C. Brossman
• Roots of the Matter by Val Adkins

• Family Tree by Lloyd Bockstruck
• In Search Of Family by Sharon King Burns
• Kissin' Kuzzins by Carolyn Reeves Ericson, Fellow TSGS
• Relatively Speaking by Martha Everman Jones, Ph.D.
• Tracing Our Roots by Brenda Burns Kellow, CG, CGI
• Family Tree by Mic Barnette
• We The People by Sharon King Burns

• Taproots by Sandra Lake Lassen, CGRS

• Family History Today by Donna Potter Phillips
• Heritage Hunting by Donna Potter Phillips

• The name of the column.
• The image of the columnist.
• The name of the columnist.
• The frequency of the column -- in what paper(s) does it appear and when?
• The geographic circulation of the paper(s) -- the name of every county (or parish or shire) in every state (or province or district) that each paper has home delivery and/or rack/newstand sales.
• The postal address to which queries and/or announcements can be sent.
• The e-mail address to which queries and/or announcements can be sent.
• The web address of any web site where the column can be read online (current and/or past issues).

THE NEWS STAND - Contains information on (and links to) genealogy columns (that accept genealogical queries and/or announcements) which appear in newspapers and magazines around the world .  Brought to you by the Mobile (Alabama, USA) Genealogical Society. 

The URL for the first link is:  http://www.siteone.com/clubs/mgs/newstand.htm 
The URL for the second link is:  http://www.siteone.com/clubs/mgs 

We would also appreciate your help in spreading the word about THE NEWS STAND.  Even though it is on the MGS web site, it is a resource for all family history researchers to use.  If you put a link to us on your web site, let us know.  Perhaps we can find a place to put a reciprocal link to you. 

Lastly, we encourage you to browse our whole web site and see what other resources we offer.  The links to the other "rooms" of our web site are below.