Today, Nicole and Diana welcome Gavin Beinart-Smollan, the Public Historian in Residence at The Jewish Board, one of New York State’s largest and oldest mental health and social service agencies. Gavin is also a PhD candidate at New York University, researching the history of Jewish immigration and the Jewish immigrant family. He is the project lead for 150yearsofcare.org, a digital history exhibition and genealogy database. In this episode, Gavin discusses two incredible resources: the National...
If you’ve been following the saga of my research into Cynthia (Dillard) Royston’s father, you may be wondering if I’ve made any progress lately. I’m happy to report that, after four focused projects and taking a break for a few years, I have a new lead and am back on the quest. I’m tackling the Dillards again as part of the Research Like a Pro 11 Study Group and will share each step of the...
In this episode, Diana and Nicole discuss the value of visiting a local historical society and museum for genealogical research. Diana shares her experience visiting the Cassia County Historical Society & Museum in Burley, Idaho. She talks about finding scrapbooks with newspaper articles, including tributes to her Uncle Ted Kelsey and details about her family’s donated pioneer cabin. Nicole also recounts the significance of the cabin’s donation to the museum. They describe the museum’s features,...
Nicole and Diana discuss the final and most important step in preparing for an onsite genealogy research trip: calling the facility. Diana opens by referencing previous episodes that covered foundational steps like creating a research objective, developing a timeline, conducting locality research, and crafting a detailed research plan. Nicole emphasizes that calling ahead is her number one tip for successful onsite research because it can reveal critical information not found online. They share anecdotes from...
When we encounter women named in deeds, probate, or court records, finding and understanding the law behind the action helps us in our research. We find the law by looking for the federal or state statutes on which the action was based. Understanding the law can be more difficult. Marylynn Salmon’s book, Women and the Law of Property in Early America fills that void. Published in 1989 by the University of North Carolina, a description...
In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss preparing for onsite research, focusing on the critical importance of thorough locality research and detailed planning. They explore Nicole’s contrasting experiences with Love County, Oklahoma, where she conducted comprehensive research into the county’s 1907 creation from Chickasaw Nation, clerk responsibilities, and record locations, versus her rushed approach to Hardin County, Kentucky, which led to challenges with the Kentucky Department of Library and Archives’ broad catalog system and difficulty...
Nicole and Diana discuss the critical steps to ensure a productive genealogy research trip. They emphasize the importance of thorough preparation to avoid frustration and wasted time and money, highlighting that onsite research presents unique challenges compared to online research. Listeners learn that creating a clear research objective is the first crucial step, and Nicole shares contrasting examples from her own experiences: a successful, targeted trip to Love County, Oklahoma, for her Kinship Determination Project,...
After my first day uncovering over twenty Harris family records, I returned to the Love County Clerk’s office with curiosity about what other records might exist, particularly from the county’s earliest years. I didn’t have a specific research plan beyond exploring the oldest volumes to see what I might find. Day two would prove interesting in unexpected ways—sometimes courthouse research yields valuable discoveries not because you know exactly what you’re looking for, but because you...
In this episode Diana and Nicole host Robert Stevens, co-founder of Heirloom Charts. Robert, who began genealogy in 2010 to help his wife, Jodi, join the DAR, discusses their family-run business that creates customized lineage charts, emphasizing their custom-made, meticulously researched designs. They typically use approved record copies from hereditary societies like the DAR or Mayflower Society and sometimes hire professional researchers to ensure accuracy. Robert shares that charts start at $159 and highlights a...
After my successful morning discovering over twenty Harris family deeds at the Love County Courthouse, I was eager to dive into tax records that might reveal more about my ancestors’ financial status during their time in Oklahoma. What I didn’t expect was to find myself kneeling on a concrete floor in a converted jail cell, using an upturned plastic bin as a makeshift desk while my phone battery slowly died. Sometimes the most valuable genealogical...
