Blog – Page 29 – Family Locket

Back to the Basics with Marriage Records Part 2 : Substitute Marriage Records

Marriage records are one of the three vital records we rely on for identifying our ancestors and their relationships. They can contain the residence of the bride and groom, names of parents or witnesses, clues to religion, birth information, the bride’s maiden name, and more. Because of the legal implications of marriage, most U.S. counties began recording marriages early in the county’s formation. If the couple was married in a church, there could also be […]

By Diana Elder February 14, 2023 Research Tips

RLP 240: RLP with DNA 3 – Organize Your DNA Matches Visually

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Chapter 3 of Research Like a Pro with DNA, “Organize your DNA Matches Visually with Diagrams and Family Trees.” We discuss diagramming your matches in Lucidchart or similar program and adding DNA matches to your family tree program. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like A Pro. Episode 240 RLP with DNA. Three Organize Your DNA Matches Visually Welcome to Research like a Pro, a Genealogy […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer February 13, 2023 Podcast

Social Media: Edward Raymond Kelsey’s Cabin

Have you considered using social media to discover more about your ancestors? Social media can be a powerful tool – both to learn more about our ancestors and to share stories about them. What was social media before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc? The local newspaper often featured community happenings, gossip columns, and reporting of every nature. I recently saw a Facebook post from a relative giving the history of the cabin that my grandfather, Edward […]

By Diana Elder February 12, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History

RLP 239: RLP with DNA 2 – Assess Your DNA Matches and Analyze Your Pedigree

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the first steps to take in understanding and using your DNA results. This episode is part 2 in our Research Like a Pro with DNA series. We discuss setting up a system to track your matches and the information you learn about them. Join us as we cover starting an Airtable research log, DNA testing company notes, clustering matches, and assessing amounts of shared DNA with […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer February 6, 2023 Podcast

Oops: Correcting an Incorrect Set of Parents for Malissa (Welch) Harris, 1844-1887

Despite our best intentions, we all make mistakes as we fill out our family tree. Perhaps we were baby genealogists and simply didn’t know how to analyze records or maybe we were copying another cousin’s tree without verifying the information. For whatever reason, errors can be corrected and we can improve the veracity of our tree. An early mistake I made in my research was attaching the wrong parents to my ancestor, Malissa (Welch) Harris. […]

By Diana Elder February 5, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History

RLP 238: RLP with DNA 1 – Take a DNA Test

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is the first in a 12-part Research Like a Pro with DNA series. We will discuss each chapter of our book, Research Like a Pro with DNA, in the series. Chapter 1 is about selecting the appropriate DNA test. We talk about different types of DNA, testing companies, SNPs, STRs, and a strategy for getting the most out of your DNA testing budget. Transcript Nicole (0s): Episode […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer January 30, 2023 Podcast

The Education of Bobby Gene Shults

Do you have an ancestor who was the first in their family to graduate from high school or attend college? Many of our ancestors, out of necessity, needed to stop school after the 8th grade and start helping in the fields or the family business. On my paternal line, my father, Bobby Gene Shults, was the first to earn a college degree. With the theme of education for this week’s 52 ancestor post, I decided […]

By Diana Elder January 29, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History

The Irish: Endogam-ish

When you hear the term endogamy, what communities come to mind? French Canadians, Puerto Ricians, Mennonites, Pacific Islanders, and Ashkenazi Jews are common examples. Some of these examples are from island peoples, so what about the Irish? Last time, I discussed the effect of a clearly endogamous community, Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ), on a relatively non-endogamous community, German, within my dad’s match list. My dad has more AJ matches with longer segments (greater than 20 cM), […]

By Heidi Mathis January 25, 2023 DNA, Research Tips

RLP 237: The Ancestor I’d Like to Meet: Ettie Belle Harris

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Ettie Belle Harris, Diana’s paternal grandmother. Diana is doing the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. We discuss writing letters to relatives to learn about Ettie, an heirloom passed down from Ettie, and her life story. We also talk about a few tips for writing about ancestors. Transcript Nicole (2s): This is Research Like A Pro, episode 237 […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer January 23, 2023 Podcast

Out of Place: Edward Raymond Kelsey and The Hobo Life

Do you have an ancestor who appears in an unexpected place or took off for parts unknown? This week I’m writing about my grandfather, Edward Raymond Kelsey, and his adventures as a hobo in the early 1900s. My mother compiled his life history based on his remembrances and wrote the following. Dad completed his education when he was eighteen in 1904. He grew restless and wanted to get out in the world. He was a […]

By Diana Elder January 22, 2023 Creating and Sharing Family History