Claude 4.5 Sonnet assisted with organizing and writing this blog post based on my research report and a syllabus about using AI for court records. In part 1 of this series, we learned how AI assisted my research on finding, logging, and organizing a series of court orders between Samuel Daniel and my Roystons. In this blog post, we’ll go through the cases and see how AI helps us understand the legal context of court...
In this episode, hosts Diana and Nicole share a personal and informative journey as they visit their Love County, Oklahoma, roots to walk in the footsteps of Diana’s ancestors, Richard and Nancy (Briscoe) Frazier. Diana recounts the lives of her 2nd great-grandparents, discussing their survival through the Civil War in the Ozarks, Richard’s service as a teamster for the Confederacy, and their eventual migration from Missouri to Texas and then across the Red River into...
Claude 4.5 Sonnet assisted with organizing and writing this blog post based on my research report and a syllabus about using AI for court records. For generations, genealogists have known that court records contain some of the richest genealogical information available—and some of the most challenging to access. Unlike vital records or census enumerations, court records rarely come with indexes. The researcher faces the daunting task of browsing court books page by page, deciphering cryptic...
This episode focuses on the exciting custom clustering feature now available in Ancestry’s Pro Tools. Diana introduces the tool, explaining how it allows for the strategic targeting of specific ancestral lines, offering more flexibility than the original clustering tool. She describes Ancestry’s process, which looks for matches sharing 65 cM to 1,300 cM with the user, and then finds those matches that also share at least 20 cM with each other. Nicole discusses the key...
The Research Like a Pro with DNA Airtable research log has been updated for 2026! Version 4.2 includes several enhancements designed to streamline your DNA research workflow and make tracking matches more efficient. While the changes might make the base look a little different—especially in the DNA Match Details table—I think you’ll find these improvements make your research process smoother. You can access the new templates here: RLP with DNA Research Log 4.2 (2026) RLP...
Nicole and Diana open the episode by discussing what they are currently working on, including their projects for the 14-day challenge. They then turn to the challenge of family history research when conflicting dates appear for an ancestor. Diana explains that because original records may not exist, genealogists must rely on sources created later in a person’s life, which often do not agree. Diana uses a case study of her relative, Mary Elizabeth (Royston) Slagle,...
Success in our research depends on understanding the locality’s records, history, and required methodology. Whether we’re experienced in the research locality or a newbie, there is always more to learn. In this blog series on the FamilySearch Research Wiki, guest blogger Virginia Pratt will help us understand what the wiki contains and how best to use it. Virginia worked on the FamilySearch Wiki team for five years, writing and organizing Wiki pages. We’re excited to...
In this episode, Diana and Nicole discuss the crucial process of writing a formal research report for the ongoing case study to identify the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Diana explains that a report is essential for synthesizing details, bringing a research phase to a close, and providing next steps. She outlines the project’s objective—to find a candidate for Cynthia’s father in Cass County, Georgia, during the 1830s—and notes the constraints, particularly the missing early...
Welcome to the first of three blog posts about our upcoming Merging and Separating Identities course—where we tackle one of genealogy’s toughest challenges: distinguishing between same-named individuals—and today we’re starting with the single most essential technique taught in the course that transforms overwhelming chaos into clarity. One Technique That Transforms Chaos into Clarity: Organizing Your Merging and Separating Cases If you’ve ever stared at a mountain of records for multiple same-named individuals and felt completely...
This episode addresses the importance of methodically logging research and creating source citations as you follow a research plan. Diana shares her strategy for quickly creating citations for FamilySearch records, emphasizing the value of creating the citation first to understand the source and ensure it’s done. Nicole explains how she sets up and fills out her research log using the Research Like a Pro Airtable template, which includes features for grouping, sorting, and linking records...
