Blog – Page 71 – Family Locket

Win a Pass to RootsTech 2020 Salt Lake City – Nicole’s Giveaway [CLOSED]

Diana’s giveaway is over and now it’s my turn to give away a free pass to RootsTech! The RootsTech 2020 conference in Salt Lake City is themed “Discover the Story of You.” Many of the classes are focused around this theme. It is a great conference to bring your non-genealogist friends and family members to, with many beginner classes and fun keynotes. It’s also a great way to gain intermediate to advanced knowledge of family […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 18, 2019 Creating and Sharing Family History

Connected DNA: The Power of Network Graphs

Do you have a tough research question involving autosomal DNA? Do you like visualizing your data? Have you considered using a network graph to see connections between matches? Let me tell you how a network graph helped me break my Dyer brick wall and gave me new avenues for research. Who were the parents of John Robert Dyer? I have been searching for the parents of my husband’s 3rd great grandfather for the last several […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 17, 2019 DNA

RLP 75: Using DNA in a Polish Research Project – Interview with Alice Childs

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Alice Childs. Alice is a professional genealogist and recent graduate of our Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. She is sharing the DNA research process she used to discover a client’s immigrant ancestors’ origins. She is also sharing the full report, so scroll down to find the link to her services pages where it’s listed as a work sample! We are also […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 16, 2019 Research Tips

RLP 74: PERSI Part 2 – How to Find Articles

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to find articles using the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). There are two different search pages to use. Learn about the differences between them and how to use them effectively to find the articles that might help in your research. We also go over 7 ways to obtain the articles you find in the Periodical Source Index, and how to search using state postal codes. Update […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 9, 2019 Podcast

How to Search PERSI with State Postal Codes

Update 2024: PERSI has moved from FindMyPast to Allen County Public Library, so the search strategies are different now. You can type your surname into the surname field, then after that, further refine results with postal codes using the search field on the results page. Have you tried searching the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) for a surname but come away empty? Me too. I searched with “Dyer” in the who field and “North Carolina” in […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 7, 2019 Records, Research Tips

Family History & Getting Things Done Part 5: Engaging

When you sit down at your computer for that devoted family history / genealogy time, how do you decide what to work on first? Should you go to work on a research project, watch a webinar, or browse new DNA matches? If you’ve been following the Getting Things Done method, you’ll have a task list of next actions for various projects. Now it’s time to engage. Choose a next action and go to work. This […]

By Diana Elder December 4, 2019 Organizing, Research Tips

RLP 73: PERSI Part 1

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). This index to periodicals useful to genealogists was originally created by the Allen County Public Library and published in print and fiche formats. Now, genealogists can access the index online at FindMyPast! Join us as we discuss what you might find in the index and how the articles might be of use to you. Update 2022: The Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer December 2, 2019 Podcast

Mining New Records for Research Opportunities and Gratitude for FamilySearch Indexers

When is the last time you discovered an important new genealogy record because of the FamilySearch indexing effort? Did you know that when you attach a record hint generated by the system you may also have the option to send a thank you to the indexer? Lest we ever forget that our ability to research quickly and effectively is due to the efforts of many who volunteer their time, during this season of Thanksgiving we […]

By Diana Elder November 27, 2019 Records, Research Tips

RLP 72: Getting Things Done Part 2 – Clarify

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is part 2 of our series on getting things done. Following David Allen’s method, we discuss the second part – clarifying. You look at your list of projects and things to do, and think broadly about what you want to do. Consider delegating some of the things on your list. Then, put your items in a prioritized order, based on when you can get to them. Think deeply […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer November 25, 2019 Research Tips