In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Diana and Nicole discuss the challenge of separating women with the same name in genealogical research, specifically focusing on two women named Cleo Zinn. Diana explains how she encountered a mystery DNA match that led her to research Mary Clem Carpenter and her daughter, Cleo. She discovers conflicting information about Cleo, including multiple husbands, death dates, and birthplaces. Diana details how she uses her Airtable research log...
I’m excited to share some enhancements to my Research Like a Pro with DNA genealogy research log template in Airtable. You can access the new templates here: RLP with DNA Research Log 4.1 (2025) RLP with DNA Research Log 4.1 (2025) – Blank The blank base does not include example data that you need to remove before using. If this is your first time using my Airtable templates, I recommend practicing with the base that...
Nicole and Diana discuss Diana’s recent project on Isabella Weatherford, demonstrating how she used both traditional methods and AI assistance to log her research effectively. Diana reviews the research plan she created using AI, including the objective to examine the economic and social conditions in Dallas County, Texas, in the early 1870s and their influence on Isabella’s life and marriage prospects. Diana followed the research plan, beginning with county histories. She used Claude, an...
As genealogists, we know the importance of keeping detailed research logs. Today, I’m excited to share insights from my recent project on Isabella Weatherford, demonstrating how I used both traditional methods and AI assistance to log my research effectively. In previous blog posts, I shared how I used Artificial Intelligence to help me form a research objective, transcribe and organize a 57-page pension file for the timeline, make a locality guide for Dallas County,...
In the ever-evolving field of genetic genealogy, researchers are constantly seeking innovative ways to analyze and interpret DNA data. Airtable.com, a versatile database platform, is a flexible solution for logging DNA evidence in a genealogy research project. Airtable introduced AI tools for paid users earlier this year, and now, as of July 2024, AI tools are also available for free users! Update: the “generate text” Airtable AI feature is not for the free plan, but...
Did you know you can have an automatic research log with Goldie May? Goldie May is a genealogy research assistant tool created by Richard Miller available for Chrome and Firefox. Essentially it is a browser extension that opens a sidebar to help you log your research-in-progress. The research log tool in Goldie May helps you manage projects and logs websites you visit. Not only does it create an automatic research log for you, tracking the...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using a research log to track your DNA research. We discuss spreadsheets and databases as the optimal tools for your research log, and discuss Airtable as a possible relational database that you can use. We talk about various sheets/tables to include in a DNA research log and how you might want to organize the columns in each table. Transcript Nicole Elder Dyer (1s): This is...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s findings in the Clemsy Cline Research project. Diana shares how her research logging and report writing went and then outlines what she found. Learn more about how she used land and tax records to track Jacob, John, and Mahala Cline, possible relatives of Clemsy, despite several relevant counties experiencing record loss. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like A Pro episode 230 Finding A Female’s...
When researching our female ancestors who have few records naming them, to make progress, we need to do cluster research. We determine the people in her FAN club (Friends, Family, Associates, and Neighbors) and research them! My first post in this series discussed my ancestor, Mary Clemsy Cline, who was born about 1817 in Alabama and died after 1880 in Wise Couty, Texas. My initial analysis showed three individuals I want to explore as part...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Richard Miller, developer of the Goldie May research assistant application. He shares a new feature with us called the subway map. This tool is a timeline graph showing locations on the y-axis and times on the x-axis. It helps you see migration over time, spot errors, compare migrations of family members and FAN club members, and more. Transcript Nicole (3s): This is Research Like...
