Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Kinship Determination Project (KDP), the narrative family history work sample portfolio element submitted to the Board for Certification of Genealogists. The KDP element shows your ability to prove parent-child links as well as tell the story of a family in their unique place and time. There are three formats of narrative family histories – narrative genealogy, narrative lineage, and narrative pedigree. We discuss these terms...
Have you wondered how to create a source citation for a record found on a website like FamilySearch or Ancestry? With the majority of our research now done online, understanding the basics of citation can help us accurately cite our sources and create a path back to the original source. In this three-part series we’ll look at different examples that illustrate the principles needed to construct a citation for a source from any website. First...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about finding records for the friends, associates, and neighbors of your ancestors in archives. Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, teaches us all about archives. Tune in to learn more about different types and levels of archives, what you might find there, and best practices for using them. Links What Your Ancestor’s Neighbors Can Tell You – handout by Melissa Barker RLP 55 – It’s Not All Online:...
Have you been dragging your feet when it comes to researching your ancestors in a different country? Reading historical documents can be difficult and is only compounded when another language is involved. Perhaps the records are confusing and the jurisdictions are different. Sooner or later you’ll need to tackle a new research locality, so let’s explore two excellent websites that can take the pain out of the learning: The FamilySearch Research Wiki and The Family...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about what to do after you have finished all the RLP with DNA steps. Robin Wirthlin, genetic genealogist, joins our discussion. If you haven’t reached a proven conclusion, you’ll want to start on the next phase of our research. Choose a sub-objective to work on next – maybe you have a hypothesis to test and see if you can eliminate. We also discuss DNA blogs, podcasts, classes,...
Airtable is a hybrid spreadsheet and database. Most database tools are beyond the technological level of typical users, so most people don’t use database tools. Yet, databases are highly useful. Luckily for us, Airtable is a database tool that doesn’t require that you know how to code. If you are familiar with spreadsheets, you’ll pick it up right away. Each database is called “base.” Think of it as a spreadsheet with multiple sheets/tabs. Each sheet...
When you discover a lengthy file for an ancestor, how do you deal with the many pages it may contain and the information it holds? Do you transcribe it? Create an abstract? What if you can’t read some of the handwriting? Four tips can get you started in working with original documents. Transcription or Abstract – What’s the Difference? You may have heard the terms abstract or transcription in regards to genealogy and wondered about...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about organizing and keeping track of the names you find on records that don’t fit into your family tree. The friends, associates, and neighbors of your ancestors are important to know and research, but where do you record your findings? Can you add them to your family tree software? We discuss this question and more. Tune in to hear how you can organize your ancestor’s FAN club...
Can we tell the story of our great-grandmothers when few records naming them exist? What sources can we use to weave a narrative that will draw us closer to them as well as honor their contributions? My great, great-grandmother, Eliza Ann Isenhour died in Indian Territory at the age of 48. According to family stories, she was full-blooded Cherokee. I wanted to know more about this woman whose DNA I carry. Researching her story revealed...
The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is a subject index to family and local history literature published in periodicals. Originally created in 1986 by the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it is the second largest family history library in the United States, in print and fiche formats. PERSI now includes more than 11,000 genealogical, historical, and patriotic periodicals, including magazines, newsletters, journals created by societies from around the...
