When we have a female brick wall ancestor with no clues to her origins besides a maiden name, careful research can provide a hypothesis that DNA evidence can confirm. In the case of my third great-grandmother, Clemsy (Cline) Weatherford, the research was challenging because of record loss in the northeastern Arkansas counties that could have held records stating relationships. I discussed the documentary research in federal and state records in my post, 5 Tips for Research When the Courthouse Burned. In this blog post, I’ll show how I tackled the DNA portion of the project. Step 1: Documentar ..read more

If you’ve tried researching in an area with severe record loss, you’ll know this comes with many challenges. Often, the records you need most to prove relationships don’t exist: probate, marriage, deeds, etc. All is not lost, though; with perseverance, you can make progress one step at a time. Using my research in northeastern Arkansas burned counties, I’ll show examples of how I reconstructed a family using alternate jurisdictions, attention to detail, and correlating every piece of evidence. Here are five tips for dealing with the challenge of record loss. Tip 1: Discover the Record Loss Ex ..read more

In the podcast episode of “Research Like Pro,” Betsy Ko, a mentor and leader of the WikiTree Events Committee, discusses her background and role at WikiTree. Betsy began her genealogy journey influenced by a family belief related to historical ties and deepened her commitment by studying genealogical principles. She participates in projects focused on England, Scotland, Wales, and Canada, leads the Events Committee, mentors new members, and hosts livecasts. WikiTree itself was described as a platform where users can collaborate on building a single, shared family tree. Starting an account on ..read more

  In this podcast episode, Diana and Nicole introduce Cyndi Ingle, the creator of CyndisList.com, a renowned resource for genealogical research. Cyndi, with over 44 years of experience in genealogy, is currently serving as the Executive Director for the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). They discuss the distinctiveness of genealogy institutes in comparison to other forms of genealogy education and inquire about Cyndi’s preference between virtual and in-person institutes. They delve into topics like homework and assignments during institute courses, the registration ..read more

After taking a mitochondrial DNA test and reviewing your results at Family Tree DNA, you might wonder what else you can do with it. Perhaps you took the mtDNA test to compare with a descendant of a hypothesized ancestor. Or, you might have taken the mtDNA test to see your haplogroup. By adding your matrilineal line to the collaborative Wiki Tree, you can also add your mtDNA haplogroup, which will then populate the profile of every female ancestor with that unique DNA inheritance. That haplogroup will also populate any descendants of each ancestor who would have received that mtDNA. This is po ..read more

In this podcast episode, Diana and Nicole talk with guest Michelle Mickelson, AG, about the significance of the Homestead Act of 1862 in spurring westward expansion and its implications for genealogy. They explore how this act allowed people to claim and cultivate land in states like Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, and discuss how genealogists can access these land records through the National Archives, Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office, and state archives. The documents typically include crucial details such as land location, descriptions, and proo ..read more

In this podcast episode, hosts Diana, Nicole, talk with Michelle Mickelson, AG, and discuss the crucial role of church, cemetery, Native American, and Spanish language records in Southwestern genealogy. They emphasize that these records, often predating government documentation, are indispensable for exploring family relationships, migration patterns, and cultural practices through details found in baptism, marriage, and burial entries. The discussion covers a variety of denominations including Catholic, Episcopal, and Methodist, among others. They also offer strategies for accessing these r ..read more

Artificial Intelligence tools have made huge strides in transcribing handwritten text in recent years. I’ve already written about FamilySearch’s use of AI to transcribe thousands of deed and probate images here: AI-Powered Full-Text Search of Handwritten Text at FamilySearch. In this post, I’ll share how I’ve been using ChatGPT 4.0 (the paid version) and Claude (free version) to upload  images (.jpg and .png) and transcribe them quickly. These large language models (LLMs) do a pretty good job of reading  clear handwriting. I often use them when the task is simple and will take me 3 ..read more

  In this episode, Diana and Nicole welcome guest Michelle Mickelson, AG, to discuss key records and repositories for researching ancestors in the Southwestern United States. They explore the differences between federal, state, and local records, highlighting the importance of each for uncovering vital information. Michelle guide listeners through navigating the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), state archives, historical societies, local government records, university archives, and private collections. They emphasize the value of collaboration with historical and gen ..read more

Finding an immigration record for an ancestor arriving in the United States after 1906 will depend on record availability and good search techniques. Identifying your ancestor among people of the same name is a challenge and thorough research in the U.S. records is important to find every clue available. Timeline of Immigration Laws Key to understanding 20th-century immigration is knowing the laws and historical context that influenced an ancestor’s desire to emigrate from their home country. Looking for immigration patterns can put an ancestor’s choices into perspective across the broader fr ..read more