In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss how to add DNA information to WikiTree. Diana explains the benefits of adding your DNA information to WikiTree, such as helping genetic cousins find you and collaborate on research. She provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a WikiTree login and add your DNA test information to your profile. Listeners will learn how to navigate WikiTree, understand the different membership levels, and effectively...
When starting the Accreditation process through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), the first step is to decide on a regional focus and then find four connecting generations to research for the Four-Generation Project. You’ll need to analyze your pedigree to find suitable candidates. Artificial Intelligence can be a valuable tool in this process, helping to overcome common challenges and providing new perspectives on your family tree data. Challenges with Pedigree...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss the book “The Woman They Could Not Silence” by Kate Moore. They focus on the story of Elizabeth Packard, who was committed to an asylum by her husband in the 1860s. Elizabeth’s experience sheds light on the injustices women faced under coverture laws and the lack of oversight in mental health institutions at the time. The hosts discuss Elizabeth’s tireless efforts to secure...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss using DNA segment data in a research project. Diana shares her experience working on a chromosome map in DNA Painter for several years, gradually adding matches identified as descending from one of her ancestral couples. She focuses on her Cline DNA research project, where she seeks genetic evidence to confirm her hypothesis that John C. Cline is the father of Clemsy (Cline) Weatherford....
This blog post was written with the assistance of AI based on the Henderson Weatherford Research project uploaded to Claude 3.5 Sonnet. See the report link at the end of the article for all information fully cited. In genealogy, what we don’t find can be just as important as what we do find. The case of Henderson Weatherford, born about 1815 in Tennessee, demonstrates how careful attention to negative evidence helped break down a long-standing...
In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, hosts Diana and Nicole interview Lisa Stokes, AG, about educational opportunities for genealogists. Lisa, an experienced genealogist and educator, shares her insights on several valuable resources. She begins by discussing her e-course, Genealogy Source Citations Simplified, emphasizing the importance of proper citations for credibility and accuracy in genealogical research. Lisa’s course offers a simplified approach to citations, guiding students through step-by-step video tutorials and...
Tax research involves a lot of data – land, property, associates, amount of tax paid, and more. You may be working with a run of tax lists for several years and dealing with several individuals in those tax lists. Once you’ve carefully extracted the data, the next challenge is analyzing it. I recently wrote about customizing an Airtable research log for tax research to match the headings in the Dallas County, Texas, rolls from 1847...
Nicole and Diana discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in report writing for genealogy research. They talk about the different roles AI can play, such as a coworker, creative assistant, tutor, and coach. Diana and Nicole acknowledge the challenges of using AI, including the need to track its use, fact-check responses, and maintain a personal writing style. Nicole shares how to use AI for various sections of a research report, such as...
Have you ever found yourself frustrated while searching through Ancestry.com’s city directories? As genealogists, we often assume that printed materials like city directories, with their clean, typewritten text, would be easily and accurately indexed. However, I recently discovered that unique formatting in these historical documents can lead to some surprising indexing challenges. Here’s what I learned while searching through Las Animas County, Colorado, directories, and how you can avoid similar pitfalls in your research. Claude.ai...
Nicole and Diana discuss Diana’s recent project on Isabella Weatherford, demonstrating how she used both traditional methods and AI assistance to log her research effectively. Diana reviews the research plan she created using AI, including the objective to examine the economic and social conditions in Dallas County, Texas, in the early 1870s and their influence on Isabella’s life and marriage prospects. Diana followed the research plan, beginning with county histories. She used Claude, an...
