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.

“The One and Only Me” – Family traits book & lesson ideas

Apr 5, 2017

Last week I taught a cub scouts group (ages 8-9) about genealogy. I wanted to connect with their interests, so I decided to talk about science. I brought this book with me: The One and Only Me: A Book About Genes by Ariana Killoran, a 23andMe Book. Preschool – Grade 3 (ages 4-8). It’s a fantastic introduction to inheritance and variation of traits for children. Poppy has red hair, freckles, blue eyes, and likes making pizza....

Favorite Reads of the Month – March 2017

Mar 31, 2017

There is a plethora of online genealogy content – I wish I could read all of it. I am pleased to share a sampling of what I’ve read and found useful this month – I know I miss a lot of wonderful articles and wish I could read them all. Please let me know if you have a unique article that I can feature next month. DNA AncestryDNA’s Genetic Communities are Finally Here! by Blaine Bettinger at...

Tips for Busy Parents – April Blog Link Up

Mar 30, 2017

Parenting is busy. Taking care of children wonderful and exhausting at the same time. How can parents who are already feeling overwhelmed with work, volunteering, homework, play dates, sports, laundry, and meals find time to share family history with their children? In last month’s link up, 15 moms and 1 dad told why telling kids about their heritage important, and this month we’re giving tips for how to actually learn about your family history. As you start...

Following the Prince of Peace to Higher Ground

Mar 29, 2017

The Easter initiative hosted at Mormon.org this year is #PrinceofPeace – following the Savior helps us find peace. I wanted to create something for this initiative that would reflect the peace that comes from temples and being sealed together as families. I found a talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook that beautifully illustrates how families can find peace as they follow Christ to to higher ground: We Follow Jesus Christ, Quentin L. Cook, April 2010 General Conference. Following the...

How to Find Your Ancestors in Early Relief Society Records

Mar 26, 2017

How can you find out if your female ancestors helped build the early Relief Society organization? I happened upon this FamilySearch campaign and it really changed my view of Relief Society and womanhood in general. Learning about my early Relief Society ancestors helped me with many of my own concerns about being a woman in today’s society. Read about that here: What I learned about feminism from my remarkable Relief Society ancestors. Step 1: FamilySearch...

What I learned about feminism from my remarkable Relief Society ancestors

Mar 25, 2017

In a world where womanhood, motherhood, and feminism are often discussed by opinionated and conflicting voices, I’m constantly pondering questions about a woman’s role in society. Do I need a career to make a valuable contribution to the world? Is my service at home looked down upon? How can I balance homemaking with raising with my children? When my children are grown, what will be my work? What is a woman’s role in the church? I found...

Kid General Authorities Coloring Book and Matching Game

Mar 24, 2017

LDS General Conference is coming up! Here are two free, printable activities you can do with your kids using photos of the general authorities as children. As you know, I love making coloring pages of our family and ancestors from photos, so I thought this would be a fun way to do the same for a conference activity to help my kids learn that the apostles were kids once, too. Have you read Kid Presidents?...

Mom’s Secret Weapon for Better Family Dinners and Stronger Children

Mar 21, 2017

I have a secret weapon for making family dinner happier. Every time I try it, it results in laughter, connection, and fun. Oftentimes when we sit down together to eat diner, all that can be heard is: “Ugh be quiet, stop making that noise, you’re bothering me.” “Please don’t eat until we say the prayer.” “I need a snack.” “We’re not having a snack right now we’re eating dinner.” “Can I have something else?” “I...

Is It Important to Share Family History with Kids?

Mar 15, 2017

Anything that happened before your child’s birth is “history” to them. Do you tell them the story of how you and your spouse met? The story of their own birth? Those times in college when you wanted to quit? The time you were the last to get picked for a team? The time when grandma gave food to strangers stranded in a snow storm? The time when great grandpa rescued fellow sailors when their ship...

5 Ideas for Family History Innovators

Mar 13, 2017

“Which of the judging criteria was most important to you during the judging process?” Alan Doane, John Richards, Kenyatta Berry, myself, Thomas MacEntee I was sitting down with the judges after the RootsTech 2017 Innovator Showdown Finals, feeling pretty lucky to be surrounded by such experienced, knowledgeable people. “Business viability.” “Innovative technology.” “Pitch.” And then an answer I wasn’t expecting… “Impact.” Dalton Wright, a partner at Kickstart Seed Fund, said that while he was looking...