Must-have genealogy tips featured in new Premium Podcast episode

Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Episode 157 is ready for you! This episode features a variety of must-have tips for the family historian: courthouse research strategies, identifying old family memorabilia, and using YDNA to learn more about your paternal line.

Something I love about the Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast is host and producer Lisa Louise Cooke’s unique ability to bring together the best voices on “all things genealogy.” She truly knows how to pick the most valuable gems—both the topics and the experts—and string them all together in a way that’s easy to listen to and inspiring.

Premium Podcast Episode 157 Highlight

In this episode, I was especially intrigued by Michael Strauss’ segment on identifying old family memorabilia. He’s our Military Minutes contributor. The memorabilia he uses as an example is military-themed—a series of postcards from a soldier during World War I. They’re so intriguing: I’ve shown you just one of those here:

Michael’s tips apply to just about any kind of family artifact you might find in your possession. You’ll hear the questions he asked about these postcards and the kinds of genealogical documents he sought to answer those questions.

Another don’t-miss segment is a voicemail Lisa got from Ken. He’s a riot! And he has a good DNA question for Diahan, which she addresses directly.

Also in this episode: The Archive Lady Melissa Barker chimes in with tips for genealogists on visiting courthouses. I chime in, too, with comments about a fascinating new cemetery database that will bring together not just the data on tombstones but information about the stones’ physical surroundings. You’ll love this if you’re a nature lover–or if you just like the idea that when we are laid to rest, we become part of the natural landscape.

Click here to listen to Premium Podcast Episode #157 (Premium eLearning membership required).

The Perks of Premium eLearning

This and all Premium Podcast episodes are available to our Premium eLearning members. In case you missed the memo, Genealogy Gems Premium Membership is now Premium eLearning—and there’s MUCH more than there ever has been before for Premium members! Click here to learn more about the benefits of Premium eLearning, which we think is the best genealogy education opportunity around.

About the Author: Sunny Morton

About the Author: Sunny Morton

Sunny is a Contributing Editor at Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems; her voice is often heard on the Genealogy Gems Podcast and Premium Podcasts. She’s  known for her expertise on the world’s biggest family history websites (she’s the author of Genealogy Giants: Comparing the 4 Major Websites); writing personal and family histories (she also wrote Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy); and sharing her favorite reads for the Genealogy Gems Book Club.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

WWI-Era Orphaned Heirloom Looking for Its Family

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U.K. news site recently reported a story about an orphaned heirloom World War I medal that is trying to get back home–with help from a retired postal worker.

Terry Lane is a member of a group that searches people’s properties for old artifacts (they get permission!). He discovered the medal in a trash bin in the woods. He cleaned it up enough to tell that it’s a WWI British silver medal with an inscription: “PTE A J Stedman ASC” and a notation that meant he was a supply specialist for Kitchener’s New Army.

Lane contacted an expert researcher who has worked on Who Do You Think You Are? for help. They have determined that the man was likely an Albert J Stedman, who lived in that locale. Lane hopes to track down a descendant to whom he can return the medal.

Do you have any stories of orphaned heirlooms, lost or found? Let us know!

If you like this post….

  • Check out this post with advice on how to track down a family to return something.
  • Interested in genealogy volunteerism? Click here to read a post on what has replaced that classic do-gooder organization, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.

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