The Academy

Family history, done right.

Plain-English guides and honest essays on genealogy — building your tree, understanding GEDCOM, and keeping your family's story free and yours forever.

8 min read

The New Science of Ancient DNA: How Archaeogenetics Is Rewriting Family History

Y-chromosome haplogroups, ancient burials, and consumer DNA tests are connecting living people to medieval ancestors. A grounded look at what the science can — and cannot — tell you.

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6 min read

Why a Beautiful Family Tree Matters: Visualization and the Family Story

A family tree is a way of seeing. How thoughtful visualization — pedigree charts, fan charts, photos and crests — turns a list of names into something people actually feel.

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7 min read

Choosing a Family-Tree Platform: An Honest Checklist

Records, DNA, design, price, and the question nobody asks until it’s too late: what happens to your tree if you stop paying? A practical buyer’s checklist.

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8 min read

How to Start a Family Tree: A Beginner’s Guide

You don’t need to be a historian to begin. A simple, encouraging guide to starting your family tree this weekend — from one name to a living dynasty.

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7 min read

Why People Are Leaving MyHeritage — and What to Look for in an Alternative

The renewal price shock, the read-only "tree ransom," and the upsell fatigue driving genealogists to seek a calmer, more honest home for their family tree.

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6 min read

What Is a GEDCOM File? The Format That Keeps Your Family Tree Yours

A plain-English guide to GEDCOM — the universal family-tree file format — why it matters, how to export one, and how it protects you from being locked into any single genealogy service.

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