Royston – Family Locket

RLP 387: Revisiting the Father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston – Part 1 Objective

Dec 8, 2025

Nicole and Diana give an overview of Diana’s multi-phase research to discover the father of Cynthia (Dillard) Royston. Diana first reviews four past phases of her research. She discusses Phase 1, which initially focused on George W. Dillard as a strong candidate, and Phase 2, which identified and eliminated ten other Dillard candidates in the area. Both of these documentary-based hypotheses are eventually disproven. She then outlines Phase 3, where she successfully tests and disproves...

RLP 363: A Day at the Chamber County Courthouse: Tips for Success

Jun 23, 2025

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...

RLP 280: Colonial Emigrant Ancestor: Thomas Royston

Nov 20, 2023

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about our distant ancestor, Thomas Royston, who settled in Gloucester County, Virginia. Thomas was granted thousands of acres in the late 1600s, and Diana got to visit Gloucester County and see where he probably lived. Join us as we discuss the historical context and records that make up the story of Thomas Royston’s life. We discuss challenges like record loss and review Virginia’s colonial history, focusing on...

RLP 268: John Royston’s Orphan

Aug 28, 2023

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Georgia land lottery, how it worked, and how it was used as part of a case showing that Thomas Beverly Royston was the son of John Royston. Join us as we talk about the historical context of the Georgia land lottery and the Royston case. Transcript Nicole Dyer (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode 268 John Royston Orphan Welcome to research Like a...

Identifying a Father for Robert Cisnie Royston (1848-1915)

Mar 11, 2023

When I began my genealogy journey, I carefully sorted the papers inherited from my dad’s research and started building my family tree. Those were the days before online trees so I used Personal Ancestral File (PAF). I worked hard to document each person and generation with sources – using the newly digitized censuses available on Ancestry and research done at the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City. Eventually, though, I came to a stopping...

RLP 231: Family History Road Trip

Dec 12, 2022

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s road trip to Oklahoma to visit sites relevant to her great-grandparents, William Huston Shults and Dora Algie Royston. She shares her experiences finding cemeteries, visiting small towns, and reading her ancestors’ stories as they drove around. She also shares a few tips for preparing for a family history road trip, including bringing a map and printing out the histories of your ancestors before you go....

Releasing Slave Names Found in Genealogy Research

Feb 23, 2017

(1937) Attendants at Old Slave Day, Southern Pines. Apr. 8. [Image] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/99615435/.As African American History month comes to a close, I’m writing my first post releasing the names of enslaved individuals found in my genealogy research. Inspired by other bloggers and my experiences during African Heritage day at RootsTech 2017, I am joining in the effort to help African Americans find their family, taking inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King...

Why DNA? How I Connected a Family Line with Y-DNA Testing

Dec 27, 2016

Are you intrigued with the idea of using DNA to break down your brick walls? Have you done a DNA test but don’t know what to do with your results? Have you wondered what the future holds for DNA and genealogy? You might want to consider attending RootsTech 2017 where more classes than ever will focus on DNA. Popular genetic genealogist, CeCe Moore, will be giving the Saturday keynote address and she is certain to entertain and...

Back To School: Those Valuable Homestead Records

Sep 19, 2016

Do you have anyone in your family who took advantage of the Homestead Law of 1862? It is estimated that 2 million individuals applied for up to 320 acres of free land and your ancestor might be among them. What kind of records did the Homestead Law generate? How can you find out if your ancestors filed claims? What does a case file look like? September is “back to school month,” so get ready to learn the...

3 Reasons to Revisit Your Research: Discovering the Story of C.B. Royston, Confederate Soldier

Aug 25, 2016

How long has it been since you looked at some of your oldest research? A year or two? Several years? You might be surprised and in for a treat if you pick up one of your loose ends. With the number of new databases added daily to the internet, the answer to a nagging question might be waiting. Need more convincing? Keep reading for three reasons to revisit your research. I recently revisited a Confederate...