When you start a family history research project and want to incorporate Family Tree DNA test results in the search for your ancestors, I have a hot tip for you! Use the AutoTree tool at Genetic Affairs. I recommend you use it at the beginning of the research project. The AutoTree report gives you a headstart on grouping your DNA matches in clusters of related individuals, connecting their family trees, and it gives...
If you have an ancestor who came into what is now Texas in the 1700s or 1800s, understanding the history, jurisdictions, and records will be key to your research. This is the first of a three-part series where we’ll explore the Spanish, Mexican, Republic, and Statehood eras of Texas, specifically focusing on the land grants. Several push/pull factors would have influenced our ancestors in their choice to move to Texas. A major reason was land...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about timelines and analysis. Learn about this second step in the research like a pro process. This is a replay of episode 114, with new commentary at the beginning by Diana and Nicole. Nicole shares Airtable timeline column headers. We talk about Diana’s second great-grandmother, Nancy Briscoe, who Diana researched as part of a 14 Day Mini-Research Like a Pro challenge. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research...
Using both Y-DNA and autosomal DNA (at-DNA) in the previous two blog posts, the ancestral origin of John Wilson (1716-1799) appears to be in an area east of Enniskillen, which is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The purpose of the final blog post is to use documentary evidence to corroborate previous findings and use historical writings to provide rich context to John Wilson’s story of immigration to America. For the documentary portion...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about research objectives. Learn about this first step in the research like a pro process. This is a replay of episode 113, with commentary at the beginning and end by Diana and Nicole. We talk about Diana’s experience discovering more about her 2nd great-grandmother, Nancy Briscoe as part of a 14 Day mini-Research Like a Pro challenge. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is a Research Like a Pro...
Having identified the probable ancestral origin of John Wilson (1716-1799) using Y-DNA in Part 1 of the blog post series, Part 2 uses autosomal DNA (at-DNA). The purpose here is to provide corroborating evidence that John’s ancestral origin is County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland as well as to offer greater geographic specificity within the county. Compared to Y-DNA, at-DNA has the benefit of identifying more recent cousins (possibly as far back as six to eight...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. Heidi Mathis gives us a snapshot of these 11 nations so that no matter where your ancestors settled in the U.S., you may learn something about the “nation” they lived in. Transcript Nicole (2s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 183 American Nations part two with...
I’m delighted to introduce a new guest blogger to Family Locket – Rick T. Wilson. Rick joined us in our Research Like a Pro Study Group #7 and is a skilled researcher and writer. He is sharing a three-part series about his research to identify John Wilson’s origins using Y-DNA, autosomal DNA, documentary evidence, and historical context. Enjoy! -Nicole Identifying John Wilson’s Irish Origins, Part 1: Y-DNA Analysis by Rick T. Wilson Have you...
What progress can you really make in setting aside 30 minutes a day to research your family history? You may feel that you need a block of several hours at a time for research, but if you use a focused process, each day can build on the previous work. You’ll find yourself coming to the end of a project either having solved your objective or having laid a foundation for moving the research forward. I...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is a discussion of the book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. Heidi Mathis, one of our researchers, joins us to discuss the general idea of American Nations. The book gives us a hypothesis to understand U.S. history as we research our ancestors. Also, the book excitingly has DNA evidence to back up the hypothesis it proposes...
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