Are you ever frustrated while writing citations? Many people are! Learning about a simplified formula for citations can lift the frustration and bring calm to an essential part of genealogical research. In a previous blog post, DNA Sources, Information, and Evidence: Sorting it All Out, I wrote that you are a source—you share your DNA with a testing company. The DNA testing company extracts DNA from the saliva, or the cheek swab you sent back...
Censuses and vital records are the backbones of genealogical research. Finding ancestors on every census and discovering their vital records can help a researcher begin to identify an ancestor and the familial relationships for that ancestor. Land and probate records are also valuable sources. But what happens when a search of these records doesn’t yield many results? Additional (and often less-used) records can then be examined with the goal of finding clues that will lead...
Research Like a Pro® with DNA Study Group with Diana Elder, AG® and Nicole Dyer This page was last updated 30 Jan 2025. Research Like a Pro® with DNA is a study group to learn how to use DNA in your genealogical research. We will follow a step-by-step process to help you either test a relationship traced with documentary research or discover an unknown ancestral relationship. The Research Like a Pro with DNA Study Group...
with Diana Elder, AG, and Nicole Dyer
Spring 2025 Dates: Feb 5 – May 14 (weekly on Wednesdays with 4 break weeks)
Registration is open until February 1.
Research Like a Pro with DNA is a study group to learn how to use DNA in your genealogical research. We will follow a step-by-step process to help you either confirm/reject a relationship you have traced through documentary research or test a hypothesized ancestral relationship. We offer study groups twice a year – Research Like a Pro in the fall and Research Like a Pro with DNA in the spring.
Join our email list for updates: Study Group News
BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy Thank you for coming to our classes. We hope the resources on this page will be helpful to you! Read about us below, then scroll down to find our class materials. Don’t miss the coupon code for 20% off Research Like a Pro eCourse below. You will also find information about our upcoming Research Like a Pro with DNA Study Group. Stop by our booth to be entered...
Are you drowning in a mountain of inherited genealogy? Do you have photos to scan and organize? Would you like to write histories of all your ancestors? Are there brick walls to break down? Do you have a life outside of family history and genealogy? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be feeling overwhelmed with all you need to do. I recently discovered David Allen’s book, Getting Things done:...
Do you want to start a DNA research project to confirm an ancestral relationship? Have you been wanting to learn more about genetic genealogy but are not sure where to start? Maybe you’re interested in joining our Research Like a Pro with DNA study group in the fall and are curious about the prerequisites. Diana, Robin, and I have been talking about what basic DNA education would be helpful before doing a DNA research project....
Sources play a vital role in genealogical research and the quality and quantity of sources matter. Elizabeth Shown Mills, a renowned genealogical expert explains, “Sources give us information from which we select evidence for analysis. A sound conclusion may be considered proof.”[1] Part of the Research Like a Pro process is to “Dig out your papers and locate the sources on the FamilySearch Family Tree or other online trees that pertain to your ancestor. When...
Are you wondering how to blend DNA and traditional genealogy research? Have you been thinking you’d like to try a DNA project to solve a brick wall or prove a conclusion in your research? With my southern U.S. heritage, I have a lot of empty spaces on my pedigree chart. These brick wall ancestors are brick walls for a reason. Records connecting them to parents haven’t been discovered and may not exist. I’ve used indirect...
If you’ve been following this series of DNA blog posts, you are ready to create a research objective and move ahead in your genetic genealogy journey. With access to DNA results and information about matching relatives, you now have a tool that is like a sledgehammer that can break down brick walls in your family history research. DNA alone does not tell you anything about your family history. But when it is used in conjunction...