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.

Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist – An Interview with author Buzzy Jackson

Oct 2, 2019

Do you ever feel like you’re the only genealogist in your circle of family and friends? If so, a dose of Buzzy Jackson and her book, Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist might be what you need. Reading about her adventures in the genealogy world will have you chuckling and commiserating at the same time. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a...

Family History & Getting Things Done Part 3: Organization

Sep 27, 2019

Are you ready to get your family history and genealogy papers and processes organized? Those stacks of file folders, documents, and lists of to-do items aren’t going to help you make progress in your research until you have an organizational method that works for you. If you don’t know where to start, I have some ideas to help you! This article is part three in my series on applying concepts from David Allen’s book Getting Things...

Using DNA Source Citations in a Research Report

Sep 20, 2019

How do you give credibility to your research that includes DNA evidence? The same way that you give credibility to research using evidence from traditional genealogy sources such as census and probate – with a source citation. Creating a source citation for the DNA matches, ethnicity reports, chromosome browsers, cluster reports, etc. that you use in your research project will back up the conclusions that you’ve drawn from your DNA analysis. Traditional Genealogy Source Citations...

Creating a Research Plan for a DNA Research Project

Sep 7, 2019

Do you create a plan for your DNA genealogical research? What steps can you take to focus and guide the research? I’m using the Research Like a Pro process to test my hypothesis that Benjamin Cox is the biological father of my ancestor, Rachel Cox. Because the paper trail points to Benjamin as the likely father, I’m now working with the DNA evidence to put a rubber stamp on that hypothesis. Previously I created an...

Family History & Getting Things Done Part 2: Clarify

Aug 22, 2019

What is holding you back from making progress on your family history projects? Too many to count? Not knowing where to start? If just thinking about your projects sends you into panic mode, it’s time for an intervention. I previously wrote about Family History & Getting Things Done, using David Allen’s book, Getting Things done: the art of stress-free productivity, as a model. The ideas in the book have been a game changer for me....

Segment Triangulation: Proving an Ancestral Line

Aug 9, 2019

Have you heard the term “segment triangulation” associated with DNA and wondered what that meant? Perhaps you wondered if this could help you confirm an ancestor that you’ve researched? Which DNA testing and third-party companies offer this tool? In this article, I’ll define the term and show how the process can help you in your genealogy journey of discovering your genetic family tree. Pedigree Triangulation I previously wrote about pedigree triangulation and used the following visual...

Pedigree Triangulation: What is it and How Can it Solve Brick Walls?

Jul 25, 2019

Have you heard the term “triangulation” applied to using DNA in genealogy and wondered what it meant? Triangulation is such a powerful tool that the major DNA testing companies as well as third party companies are working hard to provide easier ways for using this concept. In this article, I’ll explore pedigree triangulation and show you examples to help you understand what it is and how it can confirm your research and make progress on...

Family History and Getting Things Done

Jul 19, 2019

Are you drowning in a mountain of inherited genealogy? Do you have photos to scan and organize? Would you like to write histories of all your ancestors? Are there brick walls to break down? Do you have a life outside of family history and genealogy? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be feeling overwhelmed with all you need to do. I recently discovered David Allen’s book, Getting Things done:...

Back to Basics: Cemetery Records Part 3

Jul 11, 2019

Have you ever traipsed through a cemetery and wondered if you’re discovering all the clues for your ancestor? We are understandably most interested in the names and dates on the headstones, but what else should we be considering? In part 1 of this series, you learned about the various types of U.S. cemeteries and how to find the cemetery for your ancestor’s burial. In part 2 you discovered a variety of cemetery records such as...

Writing a Family’s Story of Survival: “We Were the Lucky Ones” by Georgia Hunter

Jul 9, 2019

As family historians we recognize the need to gather our family stories, but what happens when we uncover stories that were never discussed? What if we found our family was part of one of the most dramatic and disturbing eras of the 20th century – the Holocaust of World War II? In Georgia Hunter’s We Were the Lucky Ones we learn the remarkable story of her family’s survival as Polish Jews. Georgia made the discovery of...

About Diana Elder

Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist – An Interview with author Buzzy Jackson

Family History & Getting Things Done Part 3: Organization

Using DNA Source Citations in a Research Report

Creating a Research Plan for a DNA Research Project

Family History & Getting Things Done Part 2: Clarify

Segment Triangulation: Proving an Ancestral Line

Pedigree Triangulation: What is it and How Can it Solve Brick Walls?

Family History and Getting Things Done

Back to Basics: Cemetery Records Part 3

Writing a Family’s Story of Survival: “We Were the Lucky Ones” by Georgia Hunter

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