Genealogy Research that's Insightful, Thorough & Personal
Our staff of amazing genealogists and family historians cannot wait to start documenting your ancestry. They will work with you to plan and achieve your research goals.
We will need your help in bringing your ancestors back to life by supplying items not available in public records or online, such as photos, passages from diaries, family stories, unsolved mysteries, and other interesting details.
The end result will be a fun trip down several memory lanes, and you will want to share it with family and friends.
“When Alex Haley prodded me to have my ancestry traced, I reached out to Johni Cerny and she has been my genealogist for 34 years—tracing my African-American roots and the ancestry of many of my close friends. She eternally reminds all of us how we got to this planet. Johni also keeps my soul eternally smiling and nobody does it better!”
Quincy D. Jones
“Thank you, thank you, thank you…for the amazing work you did to identify my biological father. The DNA results were gibberish until you explained it in layman’s terms for me and then used it to find him. Now it is time for you to trace his ancestry. I can’t wait to see the results of that adventure!”
Janet Williamson
“Wow, the research package arrived a few days ago and I can hardly put it down. The report and all those wonderful documents tell an interesting story about my mother’s Graupman ancestors. We will treasure this forever! Let me know what else you can do to trace the Graupman line in German records.”
K. Meyer
“My sister always felt like the odd person out in our family. DNA testing confirmed we were half-siblings. In her late 60s, we didn’t hold out much hope for identifying her biological father. With over 1,000 matches, we turned to Lineages’ staff expert for help. A few months and a lot of hard work, they solved the mystery. Lineages gave my sister the gift of a lifetime. Thank you, Lineages!”
N. M. Carlsbad, California
Explore Our Blog
Using Deeds in Hawaiian Research
Tracing Hawaiian ancestors poses a unique challenge for researchers. Among them are an almost non-existent written language before the 1820s, unique naming practices, and a lack of consistent record keeping. One of the richest records in Hawaiian genealogy are deeds.The Great MāhelePrior to 1848, Hawaiian commoners were not allowed to own land. Instead, all of…
Every Family Has One
Every family has one; a rebel, or a scoundrel . They smile at you from the family tree, hiding in plain sight and then one day you find the record they were hoping would stay forever hidden. The record that tells all, and their mistakes are once again on display before the world. One hundred…
New Year’s Resolutions
It’s a new year. Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Are they merely a wish likely to be forgotten? Or do you have a plan in place to make them a reality? If you are considering making New Year’s resolutions that have to do with genealogy, this blog will give you some resources…
Colonial Christmas
This Christmas season, many of us celebrate with traditions passed down from our parents and grandparents. Some of us have made new traditions to celebrate Christmas. Do we ever consider where these traditions originated? Some traditions have changed over the years. For our ancestors in colonial America, Christmas looked different for them than it does…
German Immigration
Even before either place was a country, Germans crossed the ocean to begin new lives in America. Later, millions of Germans made this journey beginning in the late seventeenth century and into the twentieth century. These German Americans brought their traditions, forming their German communities on this side of the Atlantic. If you are of…
Homesteading in the United States Part 2
Previously we learned about the Homestead Act and what it meant for our ancestors. We will continue this series by learning what the Homestead Act means for genealogists today. Case Study Because of all the paperwork required to apply for and claim a homestead, there inevitably is an excellent paper trail for us to research…
Homesteading in the United States Part 1
The homestead act, passed in 1862 and enacted in 1863, lasted 123 years. Two hundred seventy million acres of land—10% of land in the U.S— was homesteaded. Homesteading provided opportunities for women, African Americans, immigrants, and other minorities to own land in the U.S. communities based on ethnic or religious groups formed around homesteading land.…
Native American Genealogy Research Part 2
There is a large amount of information available out there for your Native American genealogy research. The following list is a great start and can lead you to resources for the various areas of Native American research. NATIVE AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH – ANNUITY ROLLS (1841-1959) These records show payment in money to individual Indians. They provide the English…
Doable Ideas for Compiling Your Life/Family History Part 2
Doable Snippets Approach Inspires a Paradigm Change! Part 2 is a continuation of my sharing how to break down the grand, overwhelming task of putting together a book on your life or family story into doable steps. When I presented this approach in a family history class I was teaching, I challenged everyone to think…