Nicole Elder Dyer

About Nicole Elder Dyer

Nicole Dyer is a professional genealogist specializing in Southern United States research and genetic genealogy. She is the creator of FamilyLocket.com and the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She co-authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide and Research Like a Pro with DNA and is an instructor for the study groups of the same name. She lectures at conferences and institutes and previously served as the secretary and publicity chair of the Pima County Genealogy Society. Nicole holds a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in History Teaching. At Family Locket Genealogists, Nicole is a project manager, editor, and researcher.

RLP 26: U.S. Federal Census Records Part 2

Jan 7, 2019

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to analyze a census record, and the example of George W. Dillard in the 1850 Census. We go through the steps of making an abstract of all the census information, asking questions about the information on the census, making a hypothesis, then making a list of records to search that could answer the questions. We also discuss the non-population schedules and then what to do...

RLP 25: U.S. Federal Census Records Part 1

Dec 31, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss U.S. Federal Census Records from 1790-1940. We talk about what you might find in a census record, where you can access them, the instructions given to the enumerators, which questions were asked on each census, and more. We also talk about books and resources to help you learn more. Don’t forget to download our free Census Cheat Sheet packed with all the information we talked about...

Find Names for the Temple with the Puzzilla Research Log

Dec 29, 2018

Here’s a scenario that I hear all the time. Does this sound familiar? You decide to dedicate an hour to family history research. You sit down at the computer and make a goal to find names for the temple. You open FamilySearch and find an ancestral couple that you researched several years ago. You do some descendancy research and pull up their Puzzilla descendancy tree. You look at the FamilySearch profiles of several 3rd cousins. It looks...

RLP 24: U.S. Probate Records Part 2

Dec 24, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss three case studies about probate records. In our last episode, we talked all about how to find probate records and what are in them. This episode is about how to probate files to answer a research question. It’s amazing how many clues are hiding in these records! We discuss three projects – Diana’s research about Thomas B. Royston, Nicole’s client project about John Johnson, and Diana’s...

RLP 23: United States Probate Records Part 1

Dec 17, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss one of our favorite record types for proving identity and parentage: probate records. These records are key in identifying relationships between children and their fathers in 18-19th century United States research. Probate records include wills, inventories, sales slips, receipts, debt payments, summons, petitions, and all kinds of records that reveal information about a family. Don’t miss the important information about how to find probate records for...

RLP 22: How to Find the Original Record

Dec 10, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss what to do when you find an indexed record entry on FamilySearch with no image attached. If there is a microfilm number in the citation, you can use that to find the digitized images of the microfilm and locate the original image of that baptism record or marriage bond. We’ll discuss some of our tips for using the image viewer and finding the right page among...

RLP 21: The FamilySearch Catalog

Dec 3, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to use the FamilySearch Catalog to find record sets in your locality, search for genealogies that include your surnames, and filter records that are available online. We’ll discuss all our favorite tips for using this incredible repository. Links The FamilySearch Catalog: A Researcher’s Best Friend Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group – more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide...

RLP 20: How to Become an Accredited Genealogy Professional

Nov 26, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss the process for accreditation through ICAPGen, the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. I asked a lot of questions about writing the 4-generation report, the testing levels, and how to prepare. Listen in to hear all Diana’s great advice! Also, it’s the last day to buy our Research Like a Pro eCourse at the Black Friday price of $69. Links https://www.icapgen.org/ Guide to Applying for...

Nicole’s RootsTech 2019 Pass Giveaway [Closed]

Nov 20, 2018

As an ambassador to RootsTech in Salt Lake City again this year, I have the pleasure of giving away one free pass to the conference. Before I share the details of the giveaway, I want to share some of the things Diana and I are doing at RootsTech. Classes I am teaching a class on Wednesday at 9:30am called Organize Your Research with Google Drive. I have enjoyed preparing for this lecture and learning about all the...

RLP 19: Interview with Study Group graduate Sherri Hessick

Nov 19, 2018

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I are interviewing Sherri Hessick, a former Research Like a Pro study group member. Sherri was part of our first study group in 2017. When she joined, she was a graduate of the Boston University online genealogy program. Sherri tells what she learned from doing the study group and how it helps her research today. Update: Sherri agreed to share her research plan from the study group. Here...