When researching the identity of an ancestor who may have changed his name, examining the people he associated with can lead to important connections. In part 1 of this series, we looked at using the FAN methodology (comparing Friends, Associates, and Neighbors). The timeline clearly showed that Patrick Alford changed his name to James William Johnson between 1879 and 1885 to hide from Texas law. With a clear understanding of James’s relationship to his...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about one of Diana’s favorite photos of an ancestor – Florence Matilda Creer. Florence was Diana’s grandmother. They had a lot in common, from reading, to music. The photo appears to depict three friends in the early 1910s, possibly traveling somewhere together. The man has his arms around the two women, but each woman appears to be trying to remove his hand. Diana shares her research...
Do you have an individual you’ve researched and have many pieces of indirect evidence pointing to him as your ancestor? Perhaps you’re unsure of the connection though, and wondering what to do next. With DNA now giving us a way to prove biological relationships, we can use this new tool to add evidence to our conclusions. Years ago, I hypothesized Benjamin Cox as the father of my third great-grandmother, Rachel Cox. Records in Texas in...
Have you ever suspected your brick wall ancestor may have changed their name? Understandably, name changes hinder typical research practices that connect us to our ancestors. Research can come to a halt when our subject seems to disappear from the records. For example, women often change their surname after marriage. Immigrants may change their name to blend into American culture. Orphan children may have taken on the surname of a family after adoption. Individuals may...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Chapter 12 of Research Like a Pro with DNA, “What’s Next? Publishing, Productivity, and Further Education.” We discuss updating family tree software at the completion of a project, sharing reports, anonymizing living individuals, asking DNA matches for permission to be included in a publicly shared report or proof argument, and ideas for how to share your written conclusion. We also discuss DNA proof arguments and meeting...
By Laura Clark Murray Since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, this artificial intelligence “bot” has been wowing users by engaging in detailed conversations, answering questions, and even writing stories and essays. But at its core, ChatGPT lacks the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. Since facts are critical to what we do as genealogists, it’s important to understand how to keep the tool in the realm of reality. If you do that,...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about writing a research reports that incorporate DNA evidence. We talk about the elements of a research report, including tables and diagrams, the conclusion, and suggestions for future research. We also discuss tips for making your writing better and how to include document images. Transcript Nicole Elder Dyer (0s): This is Research Like a Pro, episode 249 RLP with DNA part 11 research reports. Welcome to Research...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using a research log to track your DNA research. We discuss spreadsheets and databases as the optimal tools for your research log, and discuss Airtable as a possible relational database that you can use. We talk about various sheets/tables to include in a DNA research log and how you might want to organize the columns in each table. Transcript Nicole Elder Dyer (1s): This is...
Ancestor surnames can be a challenge in research – especially when they begin with a vowel! Take, for instance, my Eisenhaur/Isenhour ancestors. My earliest ancestors emigrated from the German region of Europe in the 1700s and retained the spelling Eisenhauer until my ancestor, John, anglicized the spelling to Isenhour. Some branches of the family still use the Eisenhower spelling – such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, my 4th cousin, 5 times removed. Nicole wrote about...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about chapter 9 of Research Like a Pro with DNA, about research planning. We talk about how to use what you’ve learned about available records and DNA tools to help you make a research plan. The steps for research planning include reviewing the known information and DNA starting point, creating a hypothesis, identifying possible sources and methods, then prioritizing your research strategy. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is...
