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.

The Family History Guide: A Researcher’s Friend

Apr 23, 2021

Would you like a one-stop resource for learning to research in any location, complete with links to videos, how-to articles, and record collections? In this guest post, you’ll discover unique features of The Family History Guide that are sure to help with your family history pursuits. The mission statement says it all. Our mission is to greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, and to make everyone’s family history journey...

Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis and the Civil War

Apr 18, 2021

How did German emigrants to St. Louis, Missouri, influence the Civil War? In part 1 of this series, we explored reasons why Germans migrated en masse to Missouri in the 1840s and 1850s. In part 2, we will meet two ordinary people who experienced this period in vastly different ways. Guest blogger, Heidi Mathis provides us with an in-depth view of the time and place. By Heidi With the influx of German and Irish immigrants...

Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis

Apr 11, 2021

Do you have ancestors who emigrated from Germany to Missouri in the mid-1800s? As part of our deep dive into Missouri research, this two-part series will discuss why German emigrants chose the St. Louis area of Missouri to settle and their part in the Civil War. Guest blogger, Heidi Mathis provides us with an in-depth view of the time and place through several “characters” in history. By Heidi Mathis Diana’s previous article “Research in Missouri:...

Combining the DNA Power of 23andMe with the Tree Building Power of Ancestry

Apr 8, 2021

Do you have your DNA results on 23andMe and would like to use Ancestry’s tree-building capabilities to make connections and discoveries? If so, this article will provide ideas of how to work with the matches to get the best results for your DNA analysis. 23andMe provides haplogroups and X-DNA matches for autosomal testing which can help in identifying whether a DNA match is on the maternal or the paternal line. Fran Shockley, the Family Story...

Research in Missouri: The Repositories

Apr 4, 2021

Knowing where to find the records for any given locality is always the quest for a researcher. For those with ancestors in Missouri, that quest is about to get easier. Missouri researchers have a wealth of information about the state and its settlers available both for online and on-site research. In Research in Missouri: The Land and the History, we looked at the geography, settlement patterns, and history that affected when and where our ancestors settled...

Research in Missouri: The Land and the History

Mar 28, 2021

Do you have any ancestors who either settled or passed through Missouri? With Missouri’s location in the center of the United States and bordering eight other states, the likelihood is high that you have a Missouri connection. Learning more about Missouri research could help you explore new avenues to break down a brick wall or add to the story of your ancestor’s life. Missouri research has so much to explore that this will be the...

Discovering the Untold Stories in Stone

Mar 6, 2021

Do you enjoy a good tromp around a cemetery – looking at the headstones and wondering about the lingering stories? As a family historian and genealogist, you know the value of cemetery research to mine names and dates, but have you explored the symbols often engraved on a headstone? Those can hint at stories to be uncovered. In this guest post, genealogist Lynn Blair shares her photos and passion for discovering the stories found in...

RootsTechConnect 2021: February 24 – 27

Feb 20, 2021

Have you always wanted to attend RootsTech, but couldn’t travel to Salt Lake City? The silver lining in the worldwide pandemic has been the ability to attend conferences, institutes, and classes virtually. RootsTech is no exception, and to top it off, the conference is free! Typical of RootsTech, this conference will be groundbreaking in its scope. The map below shows the numbers of total registrants – over 300,000 and still growing. Those registrants live in...