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.

Using AI in Timeline Creation and Source Analysis: Isabella Weatherford Project Part 2

Aug 15, 2024

Welcome back to my series on Isabella Weatherford! In part one, I used AI to explore research questions and write the research objective: The objective of this research phase is to examine the economic and social conditions in Dallas County, Texas, in the early 1870s and their influence on Isabella D Weatherford’s life and marriage prospects. Isabella was born on 4 Mar 1858 in Missouri; she first married John H. Carpenter on 16 Jan 1874...

Using AI to Find Research Questions and Write Objectives: Isabella Weatherford Project Part 1

Aug 4, 2024

As genealogists, we often struggle to narrow down our research focus and formulate clear objectives. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a helpful tool in this process. Let’s explore how to use AI to find research questions and write objectives, using my Isabella Weatherford project as an example. In our recent Research Like a Pro with AI Workshop, I followed the RLP process and explored ways AI could help streamline tedious tasks as well as...

AI and Family History: Review of “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI”

Jul 21, 2024

Wanting to know more about how Artificial intelligence (AI) works and tips for using it effectively for genealogy, I took Steve Little’s AI Course at the GRIP Genealogy Institute, “AI Genealogy Seminars: From Basics to Breakthroughs.” Steve recommended Ethan Mollick’s 2024 book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. I found the book to be perfect for my level of understanding and full of examples. Humorous at times, Mollick gives us much food for thought. Writing...

How To Add DNA Information to WikiTree

Jul 7, 2024

If you’ve taken a DNA test and want to contribute to the genetic genealogy research on your ancestors, adding your DNA information to the collaborative WikiTree is an excellent place to start. Rest assured, you won’t be uploading any raw DNA. You’ll simply add your haplogroup if you took the Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA tests. For autosomal DNA, you’ll note where you have tested – Ancestry, FamilyTree DNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, or Living DNA. This will...

Colonial American Research and a Review of “The Peopling of British North America: An Introduction” by Bernard Bailyn

Jun 22, 2024

If you have colonial American ancestors, you may or may not have been successful in your quest to find the original immigrants. This can be difficult for a number of reasons. Because people from Britain were emigrating to the British colonies, not many records were kept. Also, the early years in the Americas saw colonists struggling to survive in this new land. Record keeping would not have been high on the list of priorities...

Confirming a Father for Clemsy (Cline) Weatherford Using DNA Shared Matches and Cluster Research

Jun 1, 2024

When we have a female brick wall ancestor with no clues to her origins besides a maiden name, careful research can provide a hypothesis that DNA evidence can confirm. In the case of my third great-grandmother, Clemsy (Cline) Weatherford, the research was challenging because of record loss in the northeastern Arkansas counties that could have held records stating relationships. I discussed the documentary research in federal and state records in my post, 5 Tips for...

5 Tips for Research When the Courthouse Burned

May 27, 2024

If you’ve tried researching in an area with severe record loss, you’ll know this comes with many challenges. Often, the records you need most to prove relationships don’t exist: probate, marriage, deeds, etc. All is not lost, though; with perseverance, you can make progress one step at a time. Using my research in northeastern Arkansas burned counties, I’ll show examples of how I reconstructed a family using alternate jurisdictions, attention to detail, and correlating every...

WikiTree and My Mitochondrial DNA

May 19, 2024

After taking a mitochondrial DNA test and reviewing your results at Family Tree DNA, you might wonder what else you can do with it. Perhaps you took the mtDNA test to compare with a descendant of a hypothesized ancestor. Or, you might have taken the mtDNA test to see your haplogroup. By adding your matrilineal line to the collaborative Wiki Tree, you can also add your mtDNA haplogroup, which will then populate the profile of...

Honoring my Matrilineal Grandmothers: A Look at Mitochondrial DNA

May 11, 2024

On this Mother’s Day weekend, I want to honor the women on my matrilineal line. This branch of my family tree goes straight back to Denmark, and the stories of these women inspire me. I share mitochondrial DNA with these women, and I like to think that along with that unique inheritance, I also inherited some of their strength and determination. About Mitochondrial DNA We all inherit mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from our mothers, but only...

Back to the Basic with Immigration Records: 1906 Forward

Apr 27, 2024

Finding an immigration record for an ancestor arriving in the United States after 1906 will depend on record availability and good search techniques. Identifying your ancestor among people of the same name is a challenge and thorough research in the U.S. records is important to find every clue available. Timeline of Immigration Laws Key to understanding 20th-century immigration is knowing the laws and historical context that influenced an ancestor’s desire to emigrate from their home...