Several million people have immigrated to the U.S. over the last couple of centuries, or so. Most came with hopes of improving their lives, some came for the adventure of the unknown, and some came to hide. Once here, many did their best to fit into their new society, including Americanizing their names. As time passed, memories faded, and birthdates, ages, and immigration years might have started to vary in the records. With all...
In Episode 360 of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, Diana and Nicole discuss Eliza Lucas Pinckney and her contributions to 18th Century South Carolina. They focus on Eliza’s life, detailing her early years in Antigua and England, her move to South Carolina, and her management of plantations. They highlight Eliza’s interest in botany and her successful cultivation of indigo as a valuable export. The hosts describe Eliza’s marriage to Charles Pinckney and her...
This podcast episode focuses on the 1875 divorce case of Belle Carpenter and John W. Carpenter in Dallas County, Texas. Diana discusses discovering the divorce case while researching her ancestor, Isabella Weatherford. She shares how a newspaper article led her to find the court documents and describes using AI to transcribe and analyze the case file. They talk about the details of the court case, including Belle’s accusations of cruel treatment and abandonment, John’s response,...
Court records can be challenging to research for a number of reasons: difficulty finding them, transcribing them, and understanding them. With new artificial intelligence tools at our disposal, we now have an assistant that can tackle each of these challenges. My recent project to discover the father of Henderson Weatherford led me to the Lawrence County, Arkansas, court records. Transcribing and interpreting them gave me insight into a previously unknown Weatherford individual who might be...
This podcast episode of “Research Like a Pro” focuses on the common ancestors of Joseph Knight Sr. and Jemima Griggs. Nicole shares how Joseph Knight Sr., who aided Joseph Smith Jr., is her half third cousin eight times removed, connected through her paternal grandmother’s fourth-great-grandmother, Jemima Griggs. They both descended from John Knight. Nicole explains how she uses the Relative Finder application on FamilySearch to find genealogical connections. Diana and Nicole talk about the multiple...
Diana and Nicole discuss using FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search to make genealogical discoveries. Diana explains how the tool helped her find new information about her ancestor, Thomas Beverly Royston, after previous searches came up empty. She details how to find and use the Full-Text Search feature on the FamilySearch website and shares tips for refining searches to get the best results. Diana describes using keywords and date ranges to narrow down the matches and emphasizes how...
This podcast episode focuses on the genealogy of two women, Clarinda Knapp Allen and Jerusha Barden Smith, and their connection to early settlers and significant figures in American history and the Latter-day Saint movement. Nicole discusses her husband’s ancestry, specifically how his relatives married into the Hyrum Smith family. She then shifts focus to one of her own ancestors, Clarinda Knapp, whose relationship to Hyrum Smith’s wife, Jerusha Barden, becomes the central point of discussion....
This episode focuses on Anna Nash and the Cowdery family connections. Nicole and Diana discuss the genealogical links between Nicole’s husband’s family and Oliver Cowdery, a prominent figure in early LDS church history. They start with Oliver Cowdery’s background, including his work with Joseph Smith and his later life. The episode then shifts to Oliver’s half-sister, Phebe Lawrence Cowdery, and her marriage to Daniel Smith Jackson, who has a connection to Nicole’s husband’s ancestor, Anna...
On my recent trip to Alabama, I had the opportunity to visit Chambers County, where my third great-grandparents, Thomas and Cynthia Royston, settled in the mid-1800s. I visited the cemetery where Thomas was buried and viewed the land he owned. I previously wrote about researching him at the Alabama Department of History and Archives and the Chambers County Courthouse, and in this blog post, I’ll use that research as well as my previous findings to tell...
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be coordinating Course 4 at the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR) 2025, titled “Integrating AI into Genealogical Research and Writing.” This course will explore how genealogists can effectively harness artificial intelligence tools while maintaining high standards of quality in their research and writing. Each day will have a theme, like research or transcription. There will be daily homework options as well as a dedicated hands-on session for the...
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