Diana Elder

About Diana Elder

Diana Elder AGⓇ AGL is a professional genealogist, author, and speaker. She is accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Diana graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education and has turned her passion for teaching to educating teens and adults in proven genealogy techniques. Diana is the author of Research Like a Pro: A Genealogists Guide and creator of the “Research Like a Pro” study group. She writes regular articles for FamilyLocket.com, the genealogy website created by her daughter, Nicole Dyer. She presents regularly at genealogy conferences, sharing the methods she uses every day to solve challenging genealogical problems.

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA ThruLines and Documentary Research: Part 3

Jun 4, 2022

The final step in a research project is writing a source-cited report. Although that may sound intimidating, after you’ve worked through an entire research project, writing helps to clarify what you discovered and make connections. If you have to leave the research for a time, the report will help you remember what you did and the future research steps provide a starting point for the next project. I’m working to prove a longstanding parent-child link...

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA ThruLines and Documentary Research: Part 2

May 15, 2022

When working with your DNA, how often do you create a working plan to guide the research? We may recognize the need for choosing record collections to search, but how about choosing a DNA tool? With so many available, do we need to try them all or can we focus on just one or two that will work with our objective? I’ll share the research plan for my current research project in this blog post....

Genealogy Source Citations Simplified

May 5, 2022

Do source citations continue to be a challenge for you? My colleague, Lisa Stokes AG, has developed a simplified method and course to help any level of genealogist. She shares her journey of discovering how to construct clear and consistent citations in this article. To learn more, see Lisa’s course description at Genealogy Source Citations Simplified, and follow her blog. Enjoy this fresh, new look at source citations! Diana By Lisa Stokes, AG Does crafting...

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA Thrulines and Documentary Research: Part 1

Apr 24, 2022

Do you have a parent-child link that you haven’t personally researched but has been a long-standing fact in the family? If so, you may want to use DNA evidence and revisit the documentary research to prove that link. If you’ve tested your autosomal DNA at Ancestry and attached a family tree, Ancestry Thrulines will generate hypothetical placements for your DNA matches. These are great clues but it’s up to you to verify that placement. As...

Family History is for Everyone Spotlight: Dr. Penny Walters – Author, Professor, and Lecturer

Apr 16, 2022

When is the last time you thought about “why” you are interested in researching your ancestors? Have you run into any ethical dilemmas in your genealogy? Today we’re spotlighting our friend and colleague, Dr. Penny Walters. She teaches at Bristol University and lectures widely on several family history-related topics. Penny has also authored the books: Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy (2019) and The Psychology of Searching (2020), available on Amazon in paperback or on kindle www.searchmypast.co.uk....

Recreating a Y-DNA Surname Project at mitoYDNA.org

Apr 10, 2022

Did you participate in Y-DNA testing before the era of FamilyTree DNA and now have no access to your results? If so, let me introduce you to mitoYDNA.org, a free website where you can recreate the kits used in the project. MitoYDNA.org allows uploading or manually adding your Y-DNA or mitochondrial (mt) DNA test results from several testing companies. You can then use the mitoYDNA tools to compare kits and find matches. You’ll likely recognize...

The Taking of Jemima Boone – Spring Book Club Selection

Apr 6, 2022

Telling our ancestor’s stories requires knowledge of their time. What better way to discover life on the frontier during the Revolutionary War than to read a historical narrative? Author Matthew Pearl tells the tale of a specific era in Daniel Boone’s life that was pivotal for history. The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap that Shaped America backs up the retelling of this famous story with 231 endnotes, many...

How to Create a Citation from a Microfilm Collection

Mar 16, 2022

Have you wondered how to create a citation from microfilm reels that you ordered from an archive or library? A Research Like a Pro with DNA Study Group member asked the following question. I had sent for microfilm records from the Library of Virginia (LVA) through their inter-library lending program and printed out pages and pages of these vital records. I kept all of the documentation, correspondence with the lending library I used, and documentation...

Navigating the Unique Texas Land Grant System: Republic and Statehood Era 1836-1898

Feb 19, 2022

If you have an ancestor who came into what is now Texas in the 1700s or 1800s, understanding the history, jurisdictions, and records will be key to your research. This is the last of a three-part series where we’ve explored the Spanish, Mexican, Republic, and Statehood eras of Texas. We want to learn about our ancestor’s actions. Land can reveal military service, the time when the family moved to Texas, how long they had lived...

Navigating the Unique Texas Land Grant System: Mexican Era 1821-1836

Feb 13, 2022

If you have an ancestor who came into what is now Texas in the 1700s or 1800s, understanding the history, jurisdictions, and records will be key to your research. This is the second of a three-part series where we’ll explore the Spanish, Mexican, Republic, and Statehood eras of Texas, specifically focusing on the land grants. In part one we looked at a historical overview of the settling of Texas and the Spanish land grants. In...

About Diana Elder

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA ThruLines and Documentary Research: Part 3

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA ThruLines and Documentary Research: Part 2

Genealogy Source Citations Simplified

Proving a Parent-Child Link Using Ancestry DNA Thrulines and Documentary Research: Part 1

Family History is for Everyone Spotlight: Dr. Penny Walters – Author, Professor, and Lecturer

Recreating a Y-DNA Surname Project at mitoYDNA.org

The Taking of Jemima Boone – Spring Book Club Selection

How to Create a Citation from a Microfilm Collection

Navigating the Unique Texas Land Grant System: Republic and Statehood Era 1836-1898

Navigating the Unique Texas Land Grant System: Mexican Era 1821-1836

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