In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Diana and Nicole discuss how to choose a favorite photo out of a large collection. Diana shares a photo of her grandfather, Edward Raymond Kelsey, on his horse, Pal, and talks about his love for horses. She experimented with using AI to analyze the photo and shares her findings. Diana used Mark Thompson’s Historical Photo Analyzer custom GPT and was impressed with the results. The AI provided...
Merged identities are always difficult in our research, but it is even more so with women. In the U.S., women have a maiden name and could have several different married names. Ensuring that the correct facts and sources are attached to a woman can be tricky without thorough research. However, using a research log and timeline helps put together a profile for a woman that can separate her from others of the same name. The...
In Episode #344 of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss Colonial American Research. Diana explains the difficulties of finding the original immigrant for ancestors who immigrated during the colonial years. Nicole suggests learning from historians who have studied immigration patterns and developing a hypothesis based on what is known about ancestors and their groups. They introduce the book “The Peopling of British North America: An Introduction” by Bernard Bailyn as a resource for...
With the release of the new DNAGedcom 4, many are wondering the best way to use the tool. David Grawrock, CG, one of our Family Locket Genealogists team members is sharing a helpful tutorial for using this tool. After gathering DNA matches and shared matches into a spreadsheet, you can make network graphs with Gephi and perform other analyses. -Nicole Matches Congratulations, you’ve got your DNA results back and you want to use them in...
Nicole and Diana interview Rebecca Shamblin, genealogist, speaker, author, and blogger, about turning your family tree into a book. Rebecca gives an overview of her two books, “Leaving a Legacy: Turn Your Family Tree into a Family Book” and “Building a Legacy: A Guide to Combining Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker.” The hosts and Rebecca discuss the five phases of creating a family history book: planning, researching, writing, printing, and distribution. They talk about choosing...
Have you inherited family heirlooms that are a mystery? We might inherit Grandma’s china or Grandpa’s stopwatch and know something about their use and importance. Other items might challenge us to research them in an effort to understand more about our ancestors. I recently took Gena Philbert Ortega’s institute course, “Material Culture” and am now inspired to use the physical objects I’ve inherited to further my knowledge and understanding of their past. At the end...
I’m excited to share some enhancements to my Research Like a Pro with DNA genealogy research log template in Airtable. You can access the new templates here: RLP with DNA Research Log 4.1 (2025) RLP with DNA Research Log 4.1 (2025) – Blank The blank base does not include example data that you need to remove before using. If this is your first time using my Airtable templates, I recommend practicing with the base that...
In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss Joseph Lee Robinson and the Book of Covenants. Joseph Lee Robinson was Nicole’s husband’s 4th-great-grandfather, who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1836. He wrote an autobiography in 1883, where he described his conversion and testimony. The hosts explain the religious fervor in the United States during that time, known as the Second Great Awakening. They discuss Joseph’s conversion experience, his brother Ebenezer’s role...
Ten tips for researchers: avoid these thoughts! 1. “This family tree is so thorough that it must be correct!” There may be a lot of sources attached, and there may be many other trees with the same information, but that doesn’t make it correct. Beware of the Illusory truth effect: the tendency to believe false information to be correct after repeated exposure to it. Always examine the sources and draw your own conclusions based on...
In today’s episode of Research Like a Pro, Diana and Nicole discuss the value of negative evidence in genealogy research. They explore the case of Henderson Weatherford, who was long assumed to be the son of William Weatherford. However, a careful examination of William’s probate records reveals that Henderson is not listed among the heirs. Additionally, tax records show that Henderson disappeared from the tax rolls between 1861 and 1862, and his property was subsequently...
