Blog – Family Locket

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

Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki – Part 1: Getting Started

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 two years, writing and organizing Wiki pages. We’re excited to […]

By Diana Elder December 12, 2025 Research Tips

RLP 387: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 1 Objective

Nicole and Diana give an overview of Diana’s multi-phase research to discover the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Diana first reviews four past phases of her research. She discusses Phase 1, which initially focused on George W. Dillard as a strong candidate, and Phase 2, which identified and eliminated ten other Dillard candidates in the area. Both of these documentary-based hypotheses are eventually disproven. She then outlines Phase 3, where she successfully tests and disproves […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 8, 2025 Podcast

When Birthdates Don’t Agree: Analyzing and Correlating Evidence

Our family history research depends heavily on finding dates for our ancestors’ births, marriages, deaths, residences, and more. Tracking down those dates can be challenging when the original records with primary information simply do not exist. Before a jurisdiction mandated birth certificates, family Bible records, church records, a newspaper notice, a letter, or other non-governmental source may have recorded the birth of a child. However, through time, those sources may not have survived, even if […]

By Diana Elder December 7, 2025 Research Tips

RLP 386: Disappearing Act: John Royston Apprentice

Diana and Nicole begin the episode by chatting about what they have been working on in their research. Diana then introduces the main topic, the fascinating case of John Royston, an ancestor who ran away as a 19-year-old apprentice in Virginia in 1770. They discuss the detailed advertisement placed in The Virginia Gazette by his master, Samuel Daniel, which provides a physical description, a list of his clothes, and mentions his skills as a chair […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 1, 2025 Podcast

How to Use Ancestry DNA Custom Clusters in Your Research – with Video

One of the most exciting recent additions to Ancestry’s Pro Tools is the custom clustering feature. Unlike the original clustering tool that gave you predetermined centimorgan ranges without much flexibility, custom clusters allow you to strategically target specific ancestral lines by choosing your own matches and parameters. In this excerpt from our Research Like a Pro Office Hours, Diana Elder, AG, walks through how to create and use custom clusters effectively, demonstrating with a real […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer November 30, 2025 DNA, DNA Tools, Research Tips

RLP 385: Review of Women and the Law of Property in Early America

Diana and Nicole open the episode by sharing a listener spotlight that details a compelling 1867 divorce case and its complications regarding a wife’s dower rights. Diana then introduces Marylynn Salmon’s book, Women and the Law of Property in Early America, which serves as an excellent guide for genealogists researching female ancestors in the colonial and early national eras. They discuss how understanding the law behind our ancestors’ actions in deeds, probate, and court records […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer November 24, 2025 Podcast

RLP 384: In the News: William Beddoes (1838-1920)

In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, Diana and Nicole discuss “In the News: William Beddoes (1838-1920).” Nicole shares her work on the Sally (Keaton) Reeves phase 3 research plan in Fulton and Izard Counties, Arkansas, and then Diana introduces the topic of researching ancestors in newspapers to gain insight into their community, family, and work ethic. She highlights her second great-grandfather, William Beddoes, and his pivotal role in establishing Salem, […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer November 17, 2025 Podcast

Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston: Part 6 Writing the Report

Writing a report is a crucial step in our research. As we write, we synthesize the many details we’ve explored and put them together in an organized fashion. This allows us to bring a research phase to a close and provides the next steps for a future research phase. The search for Cynthia’s father continues, but in this phase, I successfully eliminated some candidates and found new opportunities to research. I’ve included the report at […]