In this episode, Diana and Nicole discuss Phase 5, Part 3 of the search for Cynthia (Dillard) Royston’s biological father. They review the known facts about Cynthia’s life using census, tax, and estate records, as well as death certificates of her children. Diana presents her hypothesis focusing on three Dillard men who drew lots in the 1832 Gold Lottery in Cass County, Georgia: James Dillard, Joseph B. Dillard, and Roliver Dillard. She explains how they...
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...
In this episode, Nicole and Diana discuss the crucial “Research Planning” stage of the Research Like a Pro process in the fourth part of their series on the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Nicole begins by emphasizing the importance of creating a thoughtful research plan rather than haphazardly searching records. Diana then walks through the specific steps she takes for this case study. She states her objective, which is to discover a candidate for Cynthia...
An important step in our research is to make a plan. Rather than haphazardly clicking on record sets in various websites, we can think through our research objective and what we know about the family and locality, then plan searches in specific record sets. For this part of the Research Like a Pro process, we have several steps that help solidify what we know and prioritize the research. Here is the complete series: Revisiting the...
Ever had an unsuccessful research trip where you spent time and money traveling to a facility, only to leave feeling frustrated and empty-handed? This is the first full post in our Onsite Research series (introduced here), where we’re diving into how to prepare for an onsite research trip and the essential research planning that should be done in advance. The good news is that with proper preparation, you can avoid those disappointing experiences and make...
This podcast episode discusses visiting county courthouses for genealogical research. Diana shares her experience at the Chambers County Courthouse in Alabama, where she researched her ancestor, Thomas Beverly Royston. She explains the importance of preparing a research plan before visiting, including creating a timeline and identifying potential records. She also mentions learning about what records are available beforehand, either online or by contacting the courthouse. Diana describes the process of researching at the courthouse, such...
In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, Nicole and Diana discuss the importance of research planning in genealogy and how AI tools can be used to assist in this process. They emphasize that a thorough research plan helps genealogists stay focused on their objectives, pick up where they left off if their work is interrupted, and approach problems systematically. The hosts break down the elements of a research plan, which include...
As genealogists, we often get excited about diving into records and searching for clues about our ancestors. However, taking the time to create a solid research plan can make our efforts much more productive. In this post, we’ll explore the elements of effective research planning and how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can assist in the process. Why Research Planning Matters Research planning helps us: Stay focused on our research objective Pick up where we left...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s Clemsy Cline project. She researched three counties and made locality guides to help with research planning. Then she prioritized which collections to search. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 227 Finding A Female’s Father, Locality Research, and Research Planning. Welcome to Research Like a Pro a Genealogy Podcast about taking your research to the next level, hosted by Nicole Dyer and...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about creating a research plan. This is a replay of episode 116, with commentary at the beginning and end. We discuss Diana’s plan to research Nancy Briscoe’s early life and the historical context of the time period. Join us as we discuss how to make an effective research plan and share Diana’s example. We also discuss research planning and client work. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is episode...
