In today’s episode of Research Like a Pro, we explore the life of Nancy Briscoe Fraser during the Civil War. We focus on the often overlooked experiences of women in this era, specifically examining Nancy’s life in the Ozarks. We discuss her marriage to a Confederate soldier amidst the conflict and her life after the war. This conversation emphasizes the resilience of women like Nancy during the Civil War and highlights the importance of uncovering...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the new DNA tools at LivingDNA. Initially, we discuss our personal projects and thoughts on time management, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing life goals and projects. We then shift to the main topic: our experience with LivingDNA’s new tools, specifically the chromosome browser and the Matchbox. We explain how these tools help in organizing DNA match lists and provide insights into ancestral connections. LivingDNA’s unique feature...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about conflicts encountered while researching our ancestor Harriet Huggett Kelsey and updating her profile on FamilySearch. Diana found conflicting information about Harriet’s birth year, with possible years of 1823, 1825, and 1826 from different sources. We discuss a conflict regarding the name and identity of Harriet’s twin sister Hester/Esther, with records using both spellings and even an indexed baptism record combining the two sisters’ names into “Esther...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor Harriett Huggett (Nicole’s 3rd great-grandmother and Diana’s 2nd great-grandmother). Diana researched records for Harriett’s early life in England. She enjoyed finding a personal history written by Harriett’s granddaughter which provided wonderful details about Harriett’s decision to leave her wealthy situation. The history describes their difficult journey and Harriett’s adjustment to poverty in the Utah desert after being used to fine things in England. We...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Torhild Shirley about Scandinavian research. She continues the case study of Gudmund Rasmussen and discusses research planning, carrying out the research, and the conclusion. The central question addressed in this episode revolves around whether Gudmund Rasmusson, presumed to be Rasmus Gudmundsson’s father, married twice – first to Elsa Thuesdotter and then to Karna Larsdotter. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Scandinavian research expert, Torhild Shirley, AG. Torhild is a native of Norway. We discuss the challenges of genealogical research in Scandinavia, focusing on a case study from Sweden. In the case, Torhild aims to uniquely identify a person named Rasmus Gudmundsson, born around 1719 in Malmöhus, Sweden, using Swedish tax and church records. We discuss challenges from the patronymic naming system and the use...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder speak with Sam Howes, an archivist at Bates College in Maine. They discuss his work managing the official records of the college, including administrative documents, student records, yearbooks, and special collections. Sam explains what types of materials college archives typically maintain, like trustee meeting minutes, presidential records, alumni newsletters, student government documents, and more. He notes that confidentiality restrictions can limit access...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Selina (Beddoes) Kelsey. Selina lived until age 97, and was regularly featured in Utah newspapers due to being one of the last pioneers to arrive in Utah by wagon (before the railroad). Selina was only 4 years old when she crossed from Nebraska to Salt Lake City by covered wagon. Diana organized the newspaper clippings into a timeline in Airtable to keep track of...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s visit to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History to learn more about William Keaton, our ancestor. William Keaton received a land grant in the late 1700s in Pendleton District, which became Anderson County. Diana shares what she learned in her visit to the archives and we discuss the land grant. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 282, finding William...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about civil marriage records and where to find them. We discuss examples from the U.S. and England and give a tutorial for how to make citations for marriage records from a bound volume at the county courthouse viewed as images online. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 281 Civil Marriage Records Welcome to research Like a Pro a genealogy podcast about taking your...