Blog – Family Locket

RLP 392: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 5 Research Logging and Citations

This episode addresses the importance of methodically logging research and creating source citations as you follow a research plan. Diana shares her strategy for quickly creating citations for FamilySearch records, emphasizing the value of creating the citation first to understand the source and ensure it’s done. Nicole explains how she sets up and fills out her research log using the Research Like a Pro Airtable template, which includes features for grouping, sorting, and linking records […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer January 12, 2026 Podcast

Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki – Part 3: Understanding Topic Pages

Success in our research depends on understanding the locality’s records, history, and required methodology. Whether we’re experienced in the research locality or a newbie, there is always more to learn. In this blog series on the FamilySearch Research Wiki, guest blogger Virginia Pratt will help us understand what the wiki contains and how best to use it. Virginia worked on the FamilySearch Wiki team for five years, writing and organizing Wiki pages. We’re excited to […]

By Diana Elder January 10, 2026 Research Tips

RLP 391: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 4 Research Planning

In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss the crucial “Research Planning” stage of the Research Like a Pro process in the fourth part of their series on the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Nicole begins by emphasizing the importance of creating a thoughtful research plan rather than haphazardly searching records. Diana then walks through the specific steps she takes for this case study. She states her objective, which is to discover a candidate for Cynthia […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer January 5, 2026 Podcast

What Genealogists Can Learn from Colum McCann’s “TransAtlantic”: Writing Family History

Immigrant stories are fascinating, and in the novel TransAtlantic by Irish author Colum McCann, we follow an Irish immigrant and three subsequent generations. As family historians, we benefit from reading historical accounts based on the author’s research. We can gain important contextual information and insight into the plight of our ancestors. In TransAtlantic, we view the immigration story from the Irish perspective, with young Lily Duggan braving the Atlantic Ocean to start a new life in […]

By Diana Elder January 2, 2026 Book Club, Creating and Sharing Family History, Research Tips

RLP 390: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 3 Locality Research

The episode centers on the process of locality research for Cass County, Georgia, as Diana continues her project to find the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Diana explains her research objective is to discover a candidate for Cynthia’s father residing in the county during the 1830s. Nicole discusses the importance of narrowing the time frame for a locality guide, focusing on the county’s earliest years from 1832 to 1860. They then compare their process for […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 29, 2025 Podcast

Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki – Part 2: Understanding Locality Pages

By Diana Elder December 26, 2025 Research Tips

RLP 389: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 2 Timeline

This episode focuses on the second step of the Research Like a Pro process: creating a timeline and analyzing the sources in the ongoing quest to find the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Diana begins by detailing the research objective for this phase: to discover a candidate for Cynthia’s father residing in Cass County, Georgia, during the 1830s. Diana discusses compiling a timeline for Cynthia, analyzing her census records, and explaining why she estimates Cynthia’s […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 22, 2025 Podcast

Using AI as Your Genealogical Deed Abstracting Partner: A Case Study

A good case study can give us excellent ideas for tackling our challenging research. Enjoy this blog post by one of our Family Locket team members, Jill, who shares her success using AI as an assistant. by Jill Leonard Nock, AG® Historical deed research can be simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. The thrill of discovery often comes after hours of deciphering 18th- or 19th-century handwriting, tracking chains of title, and piecing together family relationships. But what if […]

By Diana Elder December 19, 2025 Artificial Intelligence, Research Tips

RLP 388: Ultimate Guide to Mastering FamilySearch with Dana Palmer

Nicole and Diana discuss FamilySearch.org with their guest, Dana Palmer. Dana, a Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer, specializes in Midwestern research, lineage society applications, and publishing family books. She is also part of the Mayflower Silver Books team and lectures at national conferences. The discussion focuses on her new book, Ultimate Guide to Mastering FamilySearch. Dana shares her early love for family history, which began as a child influenced by her grandparents, and the […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 15, 2025 Podcast