Blog
WWII Ghost Army Marches into Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 182
An incredible tale of deception during World War II. Inspiring research and storytelling techniques. Learn about the Ghost Army–and the creation of its PBS documentary–in the new, free Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 182.
In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs landed in France to conduct a secret mission. They were to create an elaborate façade of military might for an audience, the German army. These men had one goal: to fool the enemy into believing they were an American army thousands strong, and draw their attention away from the actual fighting troops.
In this podcast episode, we celebrate the Twenty-third Headquarters Special Troops–known as the Ghost Army–with my special guest Rick Beyer, author of the book The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery and director and screenplay author of the acclaimed documentary film Ghost Army, which premiered on PBS.
Rick joins us for a riveting conversation. He explains the three divisions of the Ghost Army, and how they fulfilled their duties with courage and creativity. Then he takes us behind the scenes of the book to explore research strategies and in particular, effective interviewing techniques. Finally he talks to us about putting it all together: storytelling, the integration of all the art, photos and documents, and fantastic catchy chapter titles that make you want to read.
This is a must-hear episode whether you love history, mystery, military stories, family history writing advice or just listening in on a great conversation! Thank you for sharing this episode with others who will enjoy it!
If you love author interviews, check out the Genealogy Gems Book Club. We regularly interview writers of best-selling fiction and nonfiction titles that catch the interest of family history lovers.
WDYTYA Archive: What They Didn’t Tell Us In Ginnifer’s Episode
Not every juicy finding makes it into each episode of Who Do You Think You Are. Here’s what ended up on the cutting room floor for Ginnifer Goodwin. What else might we learn in the upcoming “Into the Archives” episode?
Did you watch the Ginnifer Goodwin episode of WDYTYA? two weeks ago? Lisa thinks it was one of the best episodes they’ve done to date. Well, the show researchers didn’t tell us everything they learned. There were just so many twists and turns in the plot already!
But TLC gave us one more juicy detail. We just couldn’t share it until after the show aired. Remember the divorce record that was found for Nellie’s unknown first marriage? What the episode doesn’t show is that “Ginnifer discovers that Duff Williams sued Nellie for divorce first, and only married Nellie to avoid jail time for having sex with her outside of matrimony. But the tables were turned when he falsely accused Nellie in court of adultery, and his lies sent him to prison.”
This weekend, WDYTYA offers a special glimpse into its archives. You’ll see highlights from past seasons: triumphs and tragedies, delightful discoveries and sobering moments. According to TLC, “this special episode also unveils outtakes and never-before-seen footage from the series’ vault.” Catch the episode this Sunday, August 16 at 9/8c on TLC.
Be sure to share this post with fellow WDYTYA fans!
When sharing stories from my own family history “vault,” I almost always find I have to leave some things out, too. There isn’t room in every telling for every detail! So in this episode, I’ll be watching closely and thinking about why they left out the things they did.
Ready to start writing about the juicy stories and unexpected plot twists in your own family history? Blog it! Get started with our free 5-part series on blogging your family history in our Family History Made Easy podcast (episodes 38-42–and check out episode 45 for more inspiration).
How to Add Text to a Web Clipping in Evernote
Here’s a simple solution for making additions to an existing web clipping in Evernote.
Photo: [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Carolyn wrote me recently when she ran into this problem of how to add text to a web clipping in Evernote: “I clipped a wedding document from FamilySearch to Evernote Notebook [and] added URL to dropdown menu. But where can I add the citation that is given on FS document page?
I tried copy/paste but…back at Evernote, nowhere to paste citation. I like to document everything I use in my family records, so this is important to me…I enjoy using Evernote and following your tutorials that came with my (Genealogy Gems Premium website) membership. I have been using Evernote for just two weeks.”
Carolyn, I’m thrilled to hear that source citation is important to you, because it is the backbone of solid genealogical research! Here’s a simple solution.
How to Add Text to a Web Clipping in Evernote:
1. In Evernote, click once on the web clipping in the existing note
2. Press the right arrow key on your keyboard (you will see that now there is a big flashing cursor to the right of the clipped image)
3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard (just like a Return on a typewriter, your cursor has now moved one line below your clipping.)
4. Type or paste copied source citation as desired.
5. Use the formatting options at the top of the note to change the font size, type, and color, etc.
6. Click the INFO icon to see and add more data as desired (such as the original URL of the webpage where you clipped the item.)
Click here to learn more about using Evernote for genealogy.
Did you find How to Add Text to a Web Clipping in Evernote helpful? It’s easy to share it by clicking any of the social media icons at on this post. And we feel all happy inside here at Genealogy Gems when you do – thanks for being a Gem!
