Family Tree Magazine September/October 2025 Digital Edition

Highlights from this issue include:

• Samples of—and meanings to—dozens of the most-common tombstone icons
• Tips for using FamilySearch’s FREE family tree-builder
• A comprehensive German genealogy guide
• Timeless advice for backing up digital files
  

Contents

Cultural Icons: By Joy Neighbors. Decode the “secret language of remembrance” with this visual dictionary of tombstone symbols.

Zen and the Art of Cemetery Transcription: By Robbie Gorr. Record the data etched in tombstones using these tips.

The World Tree: By Sunny Jane Morton. Master the FamilySearch Family Tree—and preserve your research for future generations—in these simple steps.

Hitting the Deutsche Mark: By Stephen Wendt. Find your Deutschland ancestors with this guide to the basics of German genealogy: records, history, language and more.

Breaking News: By Lindsey Harner. Read between the lines in historical newspapers to find these 15 critical genealogical details.

Plus!

• Research Guides: Idaho and North Carolina
• Stories to Tell
• Tech News
• Lisa’s Picks
• Source Spotlight: Special US Censuses
• Website Tutorial: International Society of Genetic Genealogists Wiki
• Photo Detective
• Family History Home: Saving Funeral Memorabilia
• Now What
• From the Archive: Backing Up Digital Files
• DNA Q&A: Can I Really Delete my DNA? (And Should I?)

Once you download the September/October 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine, you’ll need a PDF reader, such as the free Adobe Reader software, to open it. Adobe Reader is available for both Mac and Windows computers.