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.

Print Resources for African American Research

Aug 29, 2021

When working on an African American research project, what resources can help you? Genealogy research in the 21st century certainly has its perks and one of those is an abundance of material to guide us. Although online resources abound, sometimes, a book that can be digested in small chunks provides the best learning experience. Here are titles from my bookshelf. General Reference Books Finding A Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical...

Choosing a DNA Objective Using a Surname Search

Aug 22, 2021

Are you ready to tackle a DNA research project but you’re not sure what should be your focus? You could consider confirming one of your family lines or researching a hypothesized line. Before choosing a research objective, using the surname search features on the testing websites can help you determine which lines have pertinent DNA matches. If you are considering researching a brick wall ancestor, a surname search can determine if there is enough information...

Hiring a Professional Genealogist: Why, What, and How

Aug 12, 2021

Have you wondered about hiring a professional genealogist but not known how to start? Your questions could range from “How do I find a professional?” to “How do I prepare for a consultation?” In this article, I’ll share some insights from my work as a professional genealogist. Why Hire A Professional Genealogist Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? – You have a brick wall genealogy problem that you can’t break down. – You don’t...

Becoming a Professional Genealogist: Participating in a ProGen Study Group

Aug 6, 2021

Are you interested in becoming a professional genealogist? Have you wondered what might be involved in taking clients or what career options are available in the genealogy world? Participating in a ProGen study group can help you find answers to these questions. In 2007 ProGen 1 began by reading and discussing the first edition of Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Run strictly by volunteers,...

Family History and Food Part 2: Making a Family Cookbook

Jul 29, 2021

Have you inherited Grandma’s recipe collection and are looking for a way to share favorite family recipes? Maybe you’d like to create something for your own posterity based on your family’s culture or heritage. Making a family cookbook can bring families together and connect the next generation to their ancestors. In part 1 of this series, Sarah Arnoff Yeomanm, photographer and creator of The Family Cookbook, shared her thoughts and experiences about food and family...

Family History and Food Part 1: Connections

Jul 25, 2021

What food do you identify with as part of your family history? It may be something that connects to a country or culture. Perhaps it is a favorite food your family always made at Christmas. We all speak the universal language of food – so exploring some ways to use it to connect to our heritage is a worthy endeavor. In this guest post series, Sarah Arnoff Yeomanm, photographer and creator of The Family Cookbook,...

Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society

Jul 11, 2021

If you’ve read Before We Were Yours, the fictional account of a family torn apart by Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children’s Home Society, you might be interested in learning what happened to some of those children who passed through Tann’s hands. Lisa Wingate, the author of Before We Were Yours, collaborated with journalist, Judy Christie, to bring us Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. We’re reading Before...

Insights from “A History of the Ozarks” by Brooks Blevins

Jun 17, 2021

When researching your ancestors, have you considered a deep dive into the locality through reading a book? Although articles on Wikipedia or other websites can give us an overview of an area, we might be missing the deeper nuances that can be found in an in-depth scholarly treatment of our research locale. I recently read A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks by Brooks Blevins. With several ancestral lines settling in the...

3 Tips for a Trip to the Cemetery

May 30, 2021

Is a visit to a cemetery in your summer plans? If so, I have a few tips to share after my recent experience. As part of Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to visit the cemetery in Preston, Idaho, where my mother-in-law’s ancestors are buried. With her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents all laid to rest in the same cemetery, I thought it would be a quick and easy thing to locate them. We quickly learned that...

How to Create Genetic Clusters Manually

May 8, 2021

Clustering your DNA matches can help you make sense of that long list of unknown DNA matches. Although there are programs that now automate clustering, you might want to try it yourself. What are the advantages of creating genetic clusters manually? You might enjoy working with each match and discovering your shared ancestral lines. Each testing company website enables you to view people that share DNA with you and with your DNA match. Shared DNA...