Are you a bit intimidated by probate research? Have you located a will but neglected to find the “rest of the story?” With probate records being digitized by Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, chances are you have some exciting discoveries to be made. Did you know that the Probate Estate packet of your ancestor can be a real page turner? Or should I say, “next image” turner. I made a huge find recently when I searched for my ancestor, Thomas...
Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer explore the value of writing an ancestor’s military story by correlating multiple sources. Diana uses her father Bob Shults’s World War II Navy records as a case study. She demonstrates how to use AI to cross-reference personal oral histories with official documents like muster rolls and discharge papers. Listeners learn how to build a comprehensive timeline that bridges the gap between limited personal recollections and formal military service records. The...
In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, hosts Diana and Nicole discuss the features and effectiveness of FamilySearch’s new “Simple Search” tool. They explore how this experiment allows users to search billions of full-text records using natural language queries rather than traditional forms. Diana shares her experience testing the tool with her father’s name, Bobby Gene Shults, demonstrating how the artificial intelligence parses results and helps distinguish between individuals with similar...
Diana and Nicole discuss how genealogists use artificial intelligence to transcribe handwritten, foreign-language historical documents. They review feedback from a survey regarding experiences with various AI tools, including Transkribus, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, and Leo. The researchers report positive experiences, with average accuracy ratings between 7.5 and 8 out of 10. Listeners learn which languages, such as Spanish, German, French, Latin, and Scandinavian, are commonly processed through these tools. The discussion highlights that while AI excels...
If you have an ancestor who is still a mystery despite years of research, you’ll relate to my Cynthia (Dillard) Royston project. I am currently working on phase 5 as part of the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. Each phase has focused on a specific objective and has eliminated many Dillard candidates. Eventually, I hope to have one man left standing, whom documentary and DNA evidence point to as Cynthia’s father. In...
If you have an ancestor who is still a mystery despite years of research, you’ll relate to my Cynthia (Dillard) Royston project. I am currently working on phase 5 as part of the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. Each phase has focused on a specific objective and has eliminated many Dillard candidates. Eventually, I hope to have one man left standing, whom documentary and DNA evidence point to as Cynthia’s father. In...
Diana and Nicole share their recent visit to the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they explore the facility’s premier resources. Listeners learn how to use the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) to locate articles by keyword, surname, or locality. The pair explains the value of city directories for tracking individuals after 1950 to uncover addresses and occupations. They also offer guidance on utilizing published family histories, specifically on evaluating an...
If you have an ancestor who is still a mystery despite years of research, you’ll relate to my Cynthia (Dillard) Royston project. I am currently working on phase 5 as part of the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. Each phase has focused on a specific objective and has eliminated many Dillard candidates. Eventually, I hope to have one man left standing, whom documentary and DNA evidence point to as Cynthia’s father. In...
Hosts Nicole and Diana discuss using Claude’s Custom Skills to automate genealogical report writing. Nicole begins by sharing her previous, challenging attempt to transform a Baldy Dyer research log spreadsheet into a research report using earlier Claude models. Diana provides an overview of Claude, noting its models (Haiku, Sonnet, Opus) and new features like Custom Skills, which are similar to Custom GPTs. Nicole explains that she set up a Custom Skill to convert spreadsheet files...
If you have an ancestor who is still a mystery despite years of research, you’ll relate to my Cynthia (Dillard) Royston project. I am currently working on phase 5 as part of the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. Each phase has focused on a specific objective and has eliminated many Dillard candidates. Eventually, I hope to have one man left standing, whom documentary and DNA evidence point to as Cynthia’s father. As...
