Kelly Clarkson on Who Do You Think You Are? #WDYTYA
Many of us have been anticipating the return of Who Do You Think You Are?, the popular family history-themed television show. After three seasons, the WDYTYA? was canceled by NBC in 2012. Reportedly, TLC has since picked up the show for a fourth season. Executive...
FamilySearch Adds New Records
Recently FamilySearch announced the addition of another 1.7 million indexed records and images to its free online Historical Records Collection. According to FamilySearch, "Notable collection updates include the 13,110 images from the new Arizona, Maricopa, Mesa City...
National Archives and Digital Public Library of America
The National Archives announced recently that it will help with the first pilot project of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). According to the National Archives' press release, "The DPLA is a large-scale, collaborative project across government, research...
New WikiTree Feature: Surname Following
Users of WikiTree, a shared family tree website, will notice a new feature on the website now: Surname Following. Utilizing the new Wiki Genealogy Feed, users can enter specific surnames to follow. They'll receive updates via email when other WikiTree users update...
RootsTech Report: It’s All About Stories
Salt Lake City, Utah Lisa is all over RootsTech this year, teaching and running demos and--her favorite part--meeting many of YOU! So she's asked me, Gems editor Sunny Morton, to send out a RootsTech Report for those of you who aren't here. In case you're not familiar...
Classic Children’s Books: Before Dr. Seuss
Many of us have books we loved when we were young. Maybe for you it was a picture book like Corduroy or a series like The Bobsey Twins, Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. I would guess most of us read Dr. Seuss' rhymes and enjoyed his whimsical illustrations. Well, before...
Family Tree Relationships – It’s Complicated (Chinese Genealogy)
Do you think it's complicated to remember the definition of a third cousin, or what it means to be twice removed? What if every relationship in the family had a different name? If there was one word to describe your paternal grandmother and another for your maternal...
Where You Should Sit at a Genealogy Conference
This spring we've got some great conferences coming up in the U.S., like #RootsTech2013 in Salt Lake and the National Genealogical Society conference in Las Vegas, as well as events in Fairfax (VA), Wausau (WI), Manchester (NH), Cincinnati (OH), the Houston area, and...
Find Your Criminal Ancestors: UK collection from Findmypast.com
If you have British roots, you'll want to check out the new collection available on Findmypast.com: a half million criminal records dating from 1770-1934! This sounds like a pretty gripping collection, whether you've got British roots or not. It contains records like...
RootsTech 2013: There’s an App for That!
Are you going to RootsTech in March? Do you have an iPad, tablet or smart phone? Then you need to download a free app! RootsTech 2013 is your personal conference assistant. It delivers to your palm all the information you need on exhibitors and speakers along with a...
Family History & DNA Jamboree Event: Featured Speakers
The Southern California Genealogical Society is known to dish out the best time a family historian can have at a conference. Its Jamborees offer some of the most engaging learning experiences around. Need proof? Look no further than this year's one-day themed...
Free Webinars: Photos on FamilySearch
There's possibly no better way for genealogists to attract the attention of long-lost cousins than to post pictures they want! Now there's a new place to do that: on one of the world's leading FREE genealogical data websites. FamilySearch is rolling out a new Photos...
Who Do You Think You Are? Live in London: Highlights and Helps
I'm busy packing my bags getting ready to make the trip from California to London for my third appearance at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in London. I'll be teaching some of my favorite classes (sorry, they are already sold out, but I look forward to seeing those of...
Here’s What a Virtual Genealogy Conference Really Looks Like
Have you ever wondered what in the world goes on at a "Virtual" Conference? Here's your chance to see first hand. And if you decide to join us for the Winter Virtual Conference at Family Tree University, be sure to use this coupon code to get 20% off:...
Free Webinars for RootsMagic Users
Have you ever checked out RootsMagic? This award-winning software helps family historians record and share their research. Much more than just another family tree organizer, its full-bodied publishing features help you translate your research into...
And the Winner of the Looking for Family History Love at RootsTech is…
Congratulations to Sarah Stout the randomly selected winner of my Looking for Family History Love at RootsTech contest. She would love to learn more about DNA. She says "The Introduction class to Genetic Genealogy at Family Tree DNA could be a good one to check out!"...
WorldCat + FHL Catalog = True Genealogical Love!
It’s a match made in genealogical heaven: two of our most important online tools for finding family history resources, WorldCat and the Family History Library catalog, will soon be searchable simultaneously. Recently OCLC (the company that runs WorldCat.org) announced...
Love Was in the Air: Our Ancestors and Valentine’s Day
This weekend many of us will show love with chocolates, flowers, jewelry or--as my husband prefers--tools and Chinese takeout. Many of us will also turn to Hallmark or American Greetings for the perfect card. Our ancestors exchanged of love tokens at Valentine's Day,...