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.

A Regular Part of our Personal Worship

Nov 4, 2015

In October 2014 General Conference, Elder Allan F. Packer spoke about family history in his talk, “The Book.” He said, Like partaking of the sacrament, attending meetings, reading the scriptures, and saying personal prayers, doing family history and temple work should be a regular part of our personal worship. He spoke about this on February 14, 2015 at the Family Discovery Day as well: Last year, our theme was “Igniting Interest in Family History,” and...

Family Tree Explorers

Oct 22, 2015

Our stake has been focused on teaching the primary children ages 8-11 how to do family history, and our youth consultants are taking charge of teaching them. So I created a lesson plan for our youth family history consultants to use as they teach at the children’s homes. The lesson invites the children to become explorers and discover their family’s past. Four tools from an “explorer’s backpack” are used to explain family history concepts. The...

Searching vs. Surfing for A Name

Oct 18, 2015

Our ward is working on a temple challenge to find a family name for temple work by the end of November. I think it’s important to talk about the difference between searching for a name and surfing for a name. Searching: Finding records that reveal relatives not yet in Family Tree. Adding them to the tree, checking for duplicates, and reserving their ordinances. Surfing: Clicking around family tree until you find a relative with a green temple icon,...

6 Children’s Books About Family History

Oct 9, 2015

This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and purchase the item, we receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price of the item. Homeplace by Anne Shelby, 1995 A Grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of the home she lives in, starting 100 years before with the girl’s 4th great grandfather who built the house. The Jan Brett-like illustrations with lots of farm imagery invoke a very homey, country feeling. Each generation...

Mothering through Generations

Oct 3, 2015

Elder Holland’s beautiful talk about mothers today made me think of all the generations of mothers that have gone before me. It is staggering to think about the lifelong carrying that all of them have done throughout time to make my existence possible. It is not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat. Speaking directly to mothers, Elder Holland said: Thank you to all mothers everywhere for giving birth,...

Going the Second Mile

Oct 3, 2015

Elder Hugo Montoya spoke during the afternoon session of General Conference today about bearing one anothers’ burdens. One way to do that is to go the second mile. “The Savior said, ‘Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.’ As an example, we are asked to attend the temple regularly, as our individual circumstances allow. Attending the temple requires a sacrifice of time and resources especially for those who have...

5 Children’s Books About Family Trees

Sep 30, 2015

So you want to teach your children about great aunts, first cousins once removed, and great-grandfathers? Here is a list of books that will help you explain the sometimes tricky concept of family trees. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission, but it doesn’t change the price of the item. Thank you! What a Family by Rachel Isadora, 2006 What a Family highlights characteristics...

Review of “My Mother’s Pearls” by Catherine Fruisen

Sep 25, 2015

I’ve been gathering up all the children’s books about family history that I can find. There are lots about family trees, and some about family heirlooms! My Mother’s Pearls Story and art by Catherine Myler Fruisen My Mother’s Pearls was originally published in 1999. It’s out of print now but you can still find used copies on amazon. I got a copy from the library. The inside flap reads, “A young girl’s love of an...

Lehi’s Genealogy Discovery

Sep 18, 2015

I read 1 Nephi 5 this week and was struck by the story of Lehi searching the brass plates and what he found in them. Hugh Nibley, in his lectures on the Book of Mormon, said that Lehi didn’t have the genealogy of his fathers because the records on the brass plates were rare and secret. The law was read publicly once a year by the scribes and pharisees, and that was all the access the...

Make a Photo Pendant

Sep 11, 2015

For Christmas last year, I hosted a craft night for my friends. We made these easy, quick photo pendants! I first saw these at a family reunion, where some of the adult granddaughters had created them for the girl cousins. I thought they were so pretty and so symbolic of keeping memories of family close to our heart. These photo pendants make unique, affordable gifts. For the girls in my husband’s family, I made six of the...