Free Civil War Veterans Database: Soldiers and Sailors
Recently Tom wrote in with a question about a Civil War veterans database: "I've been a listener of your podcast for quite a long time. Great job. "We have a grass-roots group trying to locate and document Civil War Veterans buried in Washington state. Is...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Might these collections include your ancestors? This week: Civil War stereographs, Dublin workhouse registers, Illinois naturalizations, a Jersey digital archive and Oregon motor registrations and...
Find Old Maps and More: Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Episode 122
Genealogy Gems Premium members can now listen to Genealogy Gems Premium podcast episode 122! This episode brings to your ears the newest Premium video: Best Websites for Finding Historical Maps. My favorite take-away from this Premium episode? The shownotes! There's a...
Family Tree DNA Privacy Update: Why Private Trees?
While attending the NGS conference in beautiful St. Charles recently--during a rare calm moment at the Genealogy Gems booth--I slipped over to the Family Tree DNA booth to talk to Taylor Trusty, the FTDNA product manager. There's been a question on my mind about...
Free Video: How to Read a Faded Tombstone Without Damaging the Stone
Recently I heard from listener Tom, who is trying to document Civil War veterans from Washington state. "I am taking pictures of their headstones," he says. "I currently use just a spray bottle and soft brush to wash away the 100 years plus of dirt so I can better see...
Google Keep versus Evernote for Your Note-Taking Needs
Google Keep, Google's note-taking app, is getting better. According to a post on an unofficial Google blog, "Google Keep now lets you add labels to your notes. Just click the 3-dot icon below the note and select 'add label.' There are 3 default labels (inspiration,...
3 Sources for Historic Maps that May Surprise You
Old maps are an essential tool for discovering more about your family's history. If you have exhausted more traditional sources, here are three places to find maps that may surprise you. #1 Surprising Finds within the David Rumsey Map Collection www.davidrumsey.com...
Link Your Home Movies to Your Family Tree
More old home movies are being digitized and more historical footage is coming online. Do you know how to integrate these with your family tree or blog? Wouldn't it be great to show that you found great-grandpa in four censuses, the SSDI and a 1937 news reel showing...
MyHeritage App Ranks in Top 100–and Gets A Redesign
The MyHeritage app is growing in popularity around the world, and it's got a fresh new update! A "completely redesigned version of our mobile app for iOS and Android" is now available, says Chief Genealogist Daniel Horowitz. "The enhanced app enables families around...
We Dig These Gems: New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Might these collections include your ancestors? Today: British apprenticeships, Cleveland Jewish newspapers, Costa Rica civil registrations, Croatia church books, North Dakota state censuses, and Pennsylvania...
Her Birth Mom Was Her Co-Worker! Birth Family Reunion
A woman recently went searching for her birth mom after receiving a copy of her adoption records (these recently opened in her home state of Ohio). She didn't have to search very far: just in a different department at her workplace. "When [La-Sonya] Mitchell-Clark...
Amazing Family History Find in a Basement!
A recent email from listener Helen reminds us to search our basements and attics for unique and amazing family history finds. There's no substitute for being able to tell family members' stories through their own words and photographs. "I just had to tell you about my...
NGS 2015 App: A New Generation in Conference Apps
Are you heading to NGS this week along with us and thousands of others? Download the NGS app if you haven't already. This free, multi-event app will work for all current and future conferences of the National Genealogical Society (U.S.). According to conference...
Find Your Ancestors in English Manorial Records
Was your ancestor the lord of an English manor or, more likely, someone who lived and worked in the vicinity of one? Or are you a Downton Abbey fan who would just enjoy reading the old records kept by a grand manor? Then you should know about English...
Family Tree DNA Review: GEDCOM Search Tool Added!
Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has some of my very favorite genetic tools to help you make connections with your DNA matches when you can’t immediately find a genealogical connection, but it's no secret that their genealogy tools leave much to be desired. However, their...
Jellybean Video: How We Spend Our Time
A friend sent me a link to this short, thought-provoking video demonstrating how we use our time. In this video, 28,835 jellybeans represent the days of an average life. The narrator adds up how we spend those, from caring for others to commuting to working to...
Road Trip, Anyone? An Orphan Train Museum
We've heard from many of you that the best-selling novel Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, featured in our Genealogy Gems Book Club, has piqued your interest in that sad chapter in U.S. and Canadian history. So I thought I'd share this comment from Jenna Mills on...
New Pictorial Maps on David Rumsey Map Collection
Pictorial maps are both fun and useful for finding our family history. These use illustrations in addition to regular cartographic images to communicate their messages. For example, this 1928 map of Hollywood, California, inserts faces of the famous and illustrations...
