Family history is so much more than just names, dates, and places, or boxes, lines, and charts. For 21st century genealogists, it is easy to limit our research to the documents or other facts we find online, or rely on information others share in their family trees, or via social media.

Immersion Genealogy is the process of discovering where and how our ancestors lived, worked, and worshiped, and experiencing first-hand those customs and traditions they passed down through the generations.

In August 2014, I created the Immersion Genealogy website to share tips and resources for taking genealogy research a step further to help us to truly understand our ancestors’ lives. I was inspired to create the site from my trips to Slovakia to walk in the footsteps of my grandparents.I have now retired the Immersion Genealogy website.

Immersion Genealogy experience in Kučín, Slovakia, June 2012.

Instead, you can download a free copy of  my article “Immersion Genealogy” published in Family Chronicle Magazine, November/December 2014, which includes most of the main topics previously covered on the website. The article is offered with permission from Moorshead Magazines (Note: This Moorshead Magazines has ceased operations as of October 2023).