In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss the last element of research planning - making a prioritized list. During this part of research planning, you choose what to search first. Many people wonder how to know which record is the best to search first. We answer that question in today's podcast. Links Research Like a Pro eCourse - on sale beginning May 8! $99. Sale ends May 22. How to Research Like a Pro in 30 Minutes a Day - webinar replay available until May 22. Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide by Diana Elder with Nicole...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to create a genealogy reference center in Evernote. Do you have stacks of handouts from genealogy conferences and classes? What are you doing with that blog post or online article you know you’ll need in the future? Can you quickly find reference information that you saved from a lecture? Knowing how to access these items can help you become more efficient in your genealogy research. Diana shares the strategies she uses. Listen to find out if she convinces Nicole to start using Evernote more often. Links Register for our free...
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 evidence to hypothesize parents for these ancestors and with the advent of DNA, I can make even more conclusions. But how to go about it?...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to use Evernote, a popular note-taking app, to gather and organize data in your genealogy research projects. Have you ever wished you could cross reference your genealogical findings? Find all the census records in a certain county for a family? Look at all of the mentions of a surname in a city? We'll talk about tagging, using Evernote with Google Drive, and using the Evernote web clipper. Links Using Evernote for Genealogy Research - post by Diana Evernote.com https://evernote.com/google-drive - how to integrate Google Drive with Evernote Evernote Web clipper...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to apply the genealogical proof standard (GPS) as you work in collaborative trees - specifically the FamilySearch Family Tree. We talk about each element of the GPS and how you implement it with small changes in the way you add reason statements, sources, and additional explanations about your research to the tree. Links How to Improve the FamilySearch Family Tree with the Genealogical Proof Standard - post by Diana and Family Locket Genealogy Standards, 2nd Edition - affiliate link to Amazon.com Information about the Genealogical Proof Standard on the Ethics...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss one of our new favorite tools, Lucid Chart! After Robin Wirthlin, our genetic genealogist friend and guest blogger, wrote about using LucidChart, and helped Nicole get started using it, we quickly realized how useful it is when doing client projects involving DNA matches. We talked about how Diana found her sister's biological parents with DNA diagramming complex relationships of matches with MindMup, a free open source Mind Map program. Now she uses LucidChart. We also mentioned some other alternatives. Links Seeing the Big Picture: 3 Ways to Chart Your DNA Matches...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss three tools we love in AncestryDNA for sorting and using cousin matches. In addition to those three tools, we discuss some of the new features that AncestryDNA just announced at RootsTech as well! We talk about adding notes to your matches, using the shared match tool, and using unlinked family trees. We also discuss the new beta features called "New & Improved DNA Matches" that you can sign up for. This includes new ways to filter, relationship probabilities, and adding colors to groups of matches. Lastly, tune in to hear...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to best contact your DNA matches so that they respond, creating a family tree in your software that includes living cousins, and sharing research and memories with the cousins you find. We also talk about Diana's experience meeting in person with a 2nd cousin she found through DNA and what interesting family document she had which gave Diana helpful information to sort through a difficult discovery she had made years before. Links 3 Tips for Connecting with your DNA Cousins - Diana's blog post Understanding and Using Your DNA Results...
In our podcast episode today, we are sharing Nicole's RootsTech lecture, Organize Your Research with Google Drive. Do you work from multiple devices? Laptop, desktop, work computer, home computer, smartphone, iPad? Learn how to utilize the free tools at Google Drive and Google Docs to help keep your genealogy research organized. You can create research logs with Google Sheets, transcribe records into Google Docs, add document links to records you have saved within your Google Drive files and share your work with other genealogists. The comment feature is a powerful collaborative tool that allows you to give and receive feedback...
If your ancestor deeded land to a church, that could be a huge clue to their religion! We will discuss that and more in our podcast episode today about how to discover your ancestor's religion and how to find church records. There are many clues to be gleaned from genealogical records, like inscriptions on headstones and family bibles. There are many places to find collections containing church records as well. Links Back to the Basics with Church Records Part 2 by Diana at FamilyLocket.com PERSI helpful search page at FindMyPast.com https://search.findmypast.com/search/periodical-source-index PERSI not helpful search page at FindMyPast.com https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-Records/periodical-source-index Social...
