Confused by Your AncestryDNA Matches? Read This Post
Opening your AncestryDNA account to find a New Ancestor Discovery can be a bit like the experience my nine-year old had at the beach today. He noticed something unusual in the sand on his way down to the beach and excitedly used his hands to unearth the treasure....
Help! My Email Doesn’t Fit in Viewer Window
Recently I heard from Carol in St. Louis, Missouri, who was frustrated that she couldn't read my entire email newsletter. "Would love to know what you are saying," she says. But my newsletter email doesn't fit in her email window. "I don’t want to toggle to the right...
Need Family Reunion Ideas? Family Tree Hopscotch
Recently Lisa heard from Mary Ann, a Genealogy Gems Premium member who met her at the NGS Conference in St. Charles this past spring. She appreciated the Outside the Box sessions we co-presented along with some of our partner exhibitors, particularly one by Janet...
Find Your Ancestors in Freedmen’s Bureau Records–or Help Others Do the Same
The more I learn about U.S. history and records, the more I appreciate the challenges faced by those researching their African-American roots. In addition to the emotional toll of learning about their ancestors' hardships, today's researchers face the practical...
DNA for Family History: Free Genetic Genealogy Videos Now on YouTube
Two interviews by Lisa Louise Cooke with Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard are among the latest videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel. These free, quick chats can help you along your genetic genealogy path. How to Get Started Using DNA for Family History Research...
Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 180 is Ready!
The free Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 180 has been published! Click here to enjoy an episode about big names, like Ancestry and Google and FamilySearch. And big numbers, like the possible price tag for Ancestry at auction, AND small numbers, like the small price of...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Do any of the collections below relate to your family history? This week we cover burials in Cleveland, Ohio; an Oakland, CA newspaper; travelers to the U.S. via Canada, early Vermont pioneers and a...
What’s Your Computer Backup Plan? Better Than Mine Was, I Hope
Not so long ago, my computer backup plan against various calamities looked something like this: Against flood: keep my laptop off the floor. Against fire: grab my laptop in one hand and my youngest child in the other. Against theft: hide my laptop under a different...
See the Incredible Piece of History This Auctioneer Stumbled Into
Every man-made object has a story behind it--and sometimes an entire chapter in history. One such object is a bottle of ale recently discovered in a garage in Shropshire, England. As reported by TheBlaze.com, a British auctioneer found the bottle. “It looked...
Missing Birth Record? Here’s What You Can Do To Track It Down
Have you ever had a case of a missing birth record, in a time and place where you know there should be one? It's so frustrating! Recently Michelle shared her missing birth record dilemma on our Genealogy Gems Facebook page: "I am having a problem with my grandfather's...
Annie Barrows Talks Family History and The Truth According to Us
If you've read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you know how brilliantly co-author Annie Barrows stitched together letters, conversations and history in her fictional love story and account of the Nazi-occupied island of Guernsey during World War II....
Easy Family History Craft: Framed Ornaments
Looking for a quick and easy craft to do? My mom made these cute ornaments for volunteers who work in the genealogy room of the public library with her. These little framed photos of the volunteers' ancestors would make fantastic ornaments to hang on a holiday tree...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. This week's findings include a major Cincinnati newspaper collection, Cuban genealogy resources, a burial index for New York City and records for a mental hospital in Surrey, England. Might any of the...
The 1910 Census in Puerto Rico: A Surprising Lesson on Using Census Records for Genealogy
Imagine taking a standard U.S. census form, translating it into Spanish, administering it to a newly-American population whose racial identity is highly politicized, translating the results back into English and trying to make sense of them 100 years later. That's...
The New Ancestry Site: New Features, Mixed Reviews
Ancestry's new site is now available to all U.S. users--across browsers, mobile devices, and the PC/Mac divide. It's more than just a cosmetic or branding overhaul. The way Ancestry explains it, many changes boil down to helping users find family stories and improving...
FREE RootsMagic Magic Guides
Great news for RootsMagic users! The popular family history software company has released the first of its forthcoming "Magic Guides." These free how-to handouts each cover a single RootsMagic topic, step-by-step, with tips and illustrations. "Magic Guides are in .pdf...
DNA Down Under: AncestryDNA in Australia and NZ
AncestryDNA test kits are now available to purchase in Australia and New Zealand, according to a recent statement from Ancestry. These two countries join the UK, Ireland and the US in having access to AncestryDNA's popular autosomal kits. DNA testing for genetic...
Use Skype Translator to Speak Another Language
Do you use Skype or another video chat service to keep in touch with loved ones? Have you considered using it for long-distance oral history interviews or collaborating on your genealogy with a faraway cousin? Language barriers can sometimes become a problem. Skype...
