What Mitochondrial DNA and a King have to do with You
Michael Ibsen, a cabinet maker living in London, was recently awarded the title of "royal descendant" when researchers identified him as a direct maternal descendant of Ann of York. Why did this lucky man have an unsolicited team of researchers filling in 17...
World War II Maps: A Revolution in Map-Making
World War II started a revolution in map-making. It didn't just change maps, but it also changed how the world looked at maps. Maps suddenly became very interesting to everyone. Not just war strategists and troops but all those left behind on the home front. This...
Family History Episode 35 – Do Your Genealogy at the Public Library, Part 2
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished June 11, 2014 [display_podcast] Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn...
Who Do You Think You Are? 5th Season Celebs Announced
Who Do You Think You Are? season five (and second on TLC) will feature six popular celebrities from TV and film. The Wrap just posted an article announcing the following: Valerie Bertinelli (a personal fave of mine from childhood days on One Day At a Time to Hot in...
Old Maps Help Locate Mystery Grave of WWI Australian Jockey
Got a mystery grave in your family history? It's not uncommon. It can happen for many reasons: no headstone, unidentified body, paperwork missing or lost, graves moved, cemeteries abandoned. During battles and the immediate aftermath, soldiers' remains can also be...
Family History Episode 34 – Do Your Genealogy at the Public Library, Part 1
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished June 3, 2014 [display_podcast] Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn...
10 Ways to Add Volume to Your Family History with Video
Did you know that in 2013 57% of all Internet traffic was video (according to a Cisco report), and over 100 hours of video get uploaded to YouTube every minute? That's a lot of activity, and plenty of it is family history related! But where do you start? No one could...
The Wife Swapping Scandal That Made for One Complicated Family Tree!
A spontaneous idea one evening in the summer of 1972 led to a very complicated family tree and a scandal that rocked major league baseball. New York Yankee baseball players Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich were finishing an evening at a party with their wives, when...
Family History Episode 33: Organize Your Genealogy Files, Part 2
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished May 27, 2014 [display_podcast] Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn...
Irish Census Records Online at the National Archives of Ireland
If you have Irish roots, you may already know that Ireland's National Archives has put its national 1901 and 1911 censuses online--and it's FREE. Recently, they've added more searchable databases and linked images. Now you can also find: Census Records for 1901 and...
The British Newspaper Archive Reaches 8 Million Online Pages
The British Newspaper Archive has reached a new major milestone: 8 million newspaper pages now online! The counter on the homepage ticked over that amount while adding editions of the Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Cheshire Observer and The Yorkshire Post and Leeds...
A New Genealogists’ Declaration of Rights: You Can Sign It
A new Genealogists' Declaration of Rights was announced before a crowd of more than 2,500 genealogists at the NGS 2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia recently. Jordan Jones, President of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), a sponsoring member of...
Look Who Just Joined the Genealogy Gems Community!
MyHeritage has signed on to sponsor The Genealogy Gems Podcast! Their support helps us to continue to bring you free multimedia content to inspire and inform your genealogy journey. Our editorial team has spent several months getting to know MyHeritage.com. We think...
FREE U.S. Military Records Access on MyHeritage this Memorial Day Weekend
Happy Memorial Day, U.S. residents! From Friday, May 25 through Monday, May 26, 2014, MyHeritage is offering FREE access to millions of US military records. Military records provide insight into the lives of those who have served in the armed forces, as well as their...
How This Site Blew the Lid Off the Silver Surfer Myth: Internet Use by Older Adults
You've heard of the Silver Surfer, right? I'm not talking about the comic book hero. This title is also given to older people who surf the 'net. Are "silver surfers" a myth? Uncommon? Not at all! Genealogy Gems reader David Sawers recently sent me this fantastic...
FGS Conferences, Alaskan Cruise and More!
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has updated its events calendar, which include annual and regional conferences, an Alaskan cruise and more! FGS conferences are always great, and now they're doing cruises. Here's the lineup: 2014 National Conference....
Want to be an FGS Conference Ambassador? Here’s Your Invitation!
Genealogy bloggers, societies, writers and editors are invited to become FGS 2014 Ambassadors. Ambassadors help to spread information about the FGS Conference in San Antonio, Texas, August 27-30, 2014, through social media to their friends, colleagues, and everyone...
Genealogy Conferences: Live v. Virtual – Which is For You?
Genealogy conferences offer fabulous education for family historians in a fun, social setting. But some people can't travel or even clear a full day's schedule to attend a live conference. Did you know there are virtual options? Check out this video interview from...
