We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter in genealogical education at Family Locket: the Research Like a Pro Institute! Building on our successful foundation of study groups, workshops, and webinars, the RLP Institute represents our commitment to providing hands-on and rigorous genealogical education. Our first course is about merging and separating identities, taught by Jan Joyce, CG, CGL, AG. What Are Institute Courses? Institute courses are the gold standard of genealogical education – either week-long...
In this episode, Nicole and Diana chat with guest Linda Broenniman. Linda, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, is the middle child of seven born to Hungarian physicians who survived World War II. She holds a BA in psychology from Swarthmore College and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon. Linda is also a Wilbur Award recipient and a GenerationsForward speaker for the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center. Linda shares her remarkable journey of uncovering...
After making a research plan, following that plan is exciting. What new information or insights will we discover in the records? Could we find the answer to our long-standing brick wall? I’ve learned through experience that methodically logging my research as I follow my plan ensures that I don’t miss important clues. Creating the source citation is the first thing I do as I fill out my research log for a couple of reasons. First,...
Designed for genealogists ready to master the art of identity resolution, Merging & Separating Identities provides hands-on strategies for tackling complex merging and separating cases. This virtual institute course features engaging instruction, real-world case studies, and practical exercises where participants learn to apply analytical tools, mapping, and FAN club techniques under the guidance of course coordinator Jan Joyce.
Class meets weekly on Thursdays from April 30 to June 11 at 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. MT.
In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss Nicole’s research adventures in Love County, Oklahoma, focusing on tax records. Nicole shares her experience of finding valuable genealogical treasures in an old jail, detailing the challenges she faced, such as a lack of workspace and a dying phone battery, and how she adapted. She explains the organization of the tax records, including multiple volumes per year and different organizational systems for land versus personal property and poll...
Today, Nicole and Diana discuss Nicole’s genealogical “treasure hunt” at the Love County Courthouse in Marietta, Oklahoma, where she uncovered land records for her Harris family ancestors. Nicole shares her preparation process, including calling the courthouse and using RandyMajors.org to map out locations. She recounts her journey to the courthouse and how she became oriented with the deed books and indexes. Listeners will learn about Nicole’s first discovery of records for her second-great-grandfather, Dock Harris,...
Welcome to Research Like a Pro! In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss high-quality handwritten text recognition with Gemini 2.5 Pro in Google AI Studio. Nicole shares her experience transcribing a 1791 South Carolina deed, highlighting how accurate the transcription was using Google AI Studio. She explains that Google AI Studio is a free, web-based tool for prototyping and testing Google’s Gemini AI models, and she finds it to be the most accurate way to...
In my ongoing research to discover the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston, I’m exploring a new Dillard group who appeared in Cass County, Georgia, by 1840. In Part 1, I outlined the four previous research projects, including their objectives and conclusions. In this blog post, I’ll share the next step in the Research Like a Pro process: creating a timeline and analyzing the sources and information they hold, along with any evidence they provide. Here...
Today, Nicole and Diana welcome Gavin Beinart-Smollan, the Public Historian in Residence at The Jewish Board, one of New York State’s largest and oldest mental health and social service agencies. Gavin is also a PhD candidate at New York University, researching the history of Jewish immigration and the Jewish immigrant family. He is the project lead for 150yearsofcare.org, a digital history exhibition and genealogy database. In this episode, Gavin discusses two incredible resources: the National...
In this episode, Diana and Nicole discuss the value of visiting a local historical society and museum for genealogical research. Diana shares her experience visiting the Cassia County Historical Society & Museum in Burley, Idaho. She talks about finding scrapbooks with newspaper articles, including tributes to her Uncle Ted Kelsey and details about her family’s donated pioneer cabin. Nicole also recounts the significance of the cabin’s donation to the museum. They describe the museum’s features,...
