Blog – Page 21 – Family Locket

RLP 285: Scandinavian Research with Torhild Shirley Part 1

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Scandinavian research expert, Torhild Shirley, AG. Torhild is a native of Norway. We discuss the challenges of genealogical research in Scandinavia, focusing on a case study from Sweden. In the case, Torhild aims to uniquely identify a person named Rasmus Gudmundsson, born around 1719 in Malmöhus, Sweden, using Swedish tax and church records. We discuss challenges from the patronymic naming system and the use […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 25, 2023 Podcast

The Gift of Florence (Creer) Kelsey’s Diary

Do you have a diary or journal of an ancestor? If so, you have a treasure full of details that could give you a window into their lives. Because a diary can only be physically in one place at a time, transcribing or scanning the diary and then sharing it with family members is a wonderful gift. My maternal grandmother, Florence Matilda (Creer) Kelsey, was born on on 12 December 1892 in Spanish Fork, Utah, […]

By Diana Elder December 21, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History, FamilySearch Memories

RLP 284: University Archives with Sam Howes

In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder speak with Sam Howes, an archivist at Bates College in Maine. They discuss his work managing the official records of the college, including administrative documents, student records, yearbooks, and special collections. Sam explains what types of materials college archives typically maintain, like trustee meeting minutes, presidential records, alumni newsletters, student government documents, and more. He notes that confidentiality restrictions can limit access […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 18, 2023 Podcast

Researching Historical and Cultural Context – This Tender Land

Some books can draw you in from the first page and keep you entranced until the last page. This Tender Land is that type of book. Set in the midwestern during the 1930s, we meet a host of characters – some good and some evil. As family historians, reading historical fiction provides us with a look at an era our ancestors lived through. We can gain new perspectives into the challenges they faced. This Tender […]

By Diana Elder December 16, 2023 Book Club, Creating and Sharing Family History

RLP 283: Selina Kelsey – Utah Pioneer in the News

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Selina (Beddoes) Kelsey. Selina lived until age 97, and was regularly featured in Utah newspapers due to being one of the last pioneers to arrive in Utah by wagon (before the railroad). Selina was only 4 years old when she crossed from Nebraska to Salt Lake City by covered wagon. Diana organized the newspaper clippings into a timeline in Airtable to keep track of […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 11, 2023 Podcast

Researching Your Scandinavian Ancestors Part 4: Identifying the Correct Rasmus Gudmundsson

Which Rasmus Gudmundsson is ours? Separating Identity using Swedish Tax and Church Records Previously, in this four-part series on Scandinavian research, we discussed patronymics and naming traditions common in Scandinavian genealogy. We also identified two research objectives as we are trying to uniquely identify Rasmus Gudmundsson, born in Malmöhus, Sweden, around 1719. We did locality research for Kågeröd and Norra Vram parishes and had a brief introduction to household examinations, church, probate, tax, and moving […]

By Torhild Shirley December 7, 2023 Research Tips

RLP 282: Finding William Keaton’s Land

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s visit to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History to learn more about William Keaton, our ancestor. William Keaton received a land grant in the late 1700s in Pendleton District, which became Anderson County. Diana shares what she learned in her visit to the archives and we discuss the land grant. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 282, finding William […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 4, 2023 Podcast, Research Tips

Researching Your Scandinavian Ancestors Part 3: Research Planning and Initial Research

Which Rasmus Gudmundsson is ours? Separating Identity using Swedish Tax and Church Records In part one of this four-part series on Scandinavian research, we discussed patronymics and naming traditions common in Scandinavian genealogy. We also identified two research objectives as we are trying to uniquely identify Rasmus Gudmundsson, born in Malmöhus, Sweden, around 1719. In part two, we did locality research for Kågeröd and Norra Vram parishes and had a brief introduction to household examinations, […]

By Torhild Shirley November 30, 2023 Research Tips

RLP 281: Civil Marriage Records

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about civil marriage records and where to find them. We discuss examples from the U.S. and England and give a tutorial for how to make citations for marriage records from a bound volume at the county courthouse viewed as images online. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 281 Civil Marriage Records Welcome to research Like a Pro a genealogy podcast about taking your […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer November 27, 2023 Podcast

Connecting to Ancestors Through Travel: William Beddoes and Mariah (Brockhouse) Beddoes

Many family historians aim to travel to the home country of an ancestor and stand on the land they once inhabited. Another way to connect to our ancestors is to visit places they also visited. If lucky, we can find ship manifests detailing an emigrant’s journey across the ocean, but how did they reach their final destination? That may take good sleuthing in a variety of records. I recently visited upstate New York, where my […]

By Diana Elder November 26, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History