Disaster Recovery for Genealogy: “Think About the Things That Matter Most”
Damage reports are surfacing in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Today we discuss how two Texas library collections have fared, and disaster recovery strategies for genealogy researchers. I've got a fantastic get-started video tip for those trying to rescue...
New Canadian Genealogy Vital Records & 1851 Census Online
Featured this week are new records for Canada, including the 1851 Canada Census, and BMD for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Other records include new Irish collections, updated New Zealand birth, marriage, and death collections, new marriage record collections for...
Georgia Genealogical Society Seminar
The Georgia Genealogical Society is hosting an all-day seminar on September 16, 2017 in Marietta, Georgia. I'm the invited speaker--and you're invited, too! Come learn cutting-edge skills and tools you can start using in your family history research immediately....
Why Do DNA Testing for Family History If You Already “Know” Your Tree
"I don't need DNA testing for family history: my pedigree is full!" I still hear this occasionally. But here's why everyone doing their family history should take at least one DNA test. Teenagers (including my own) are always talking about the things that "everyone...
Fort Worth Genealogical Society End of Summer Seminar this Weekend with Lisa Louise Cooke
Recharge your genealogy research at the Fort Worth Genealogical Society End of Summer Seminar this Saturday, September 9, 2017. Genealogy and technology expert Lisa Louise Cooke will help you to discover, organize and share your family history more effectively. If...
Time to Check Your DNA Matches Again? Why You Should Review Them Regularly
Has it been awhile since you have perused your DNA matches? Here's how reviewing your DNA test results regularly can help your family history. By now, many (if not most) of the genealogists I meet at conferences have had their DNA tested. Good for you! But how often...
New Online! English Genealogy Records and More
English genealogy records abound in this week's roundup of new family history records online. Find England BMD, parish records, newspapers, and more. Also: an important addition to the British Newspaper Archive's Irish newspaper collection, over 1,000 years of...
You have more families and stories to tell than you think
You probably have more families than you think. I know I do. I'm a pretty lucky lady. My business is a family business. All three of my daughters and my husband work with me to create Genealogy Gems. But our company family also includes Sunny Morton, our Editor and...
Breaking News: Microfilm Lending Expiration Date Extended
I've heard from many of you since publishing my interview with Diane Loosle, Director of Patron Services at FamilySearch on the topic of FamilySearch ending its microfilm lending program on August 31, 2017. As fate would have it, just as the interview published, the...
Tour Your Childhood Home with Google and Google Earth
Ever thought of visiting your childhood home? Here's a story about people who are actually buying theirs back. For the rest of us, here's how to use Google and Google Earth to revisit your childhood home and relive some memories--without spending a dime. Your...
How to Find Images Online for Family History: Free Video Tutorials
Images make your family history more vivid. But how can you find just the right pictures to illustrate your family stories? These short, free video tutorials help genealogists find images online for family history. When it comes to sharing your family history,...
PERSI Adds Thousands of Articles: New Genealogy Records Online
New genealogy records online recently include thousands of articles and images in PERSI, the Periodical Source Index. Also: new and updated Australian vital and parish records, German civil registers, an enormous Japanese newspaper archive, and a variety of newspaper...
Special Episode: The End of FamilySearch Microfilm Lending Program
Change is something we can always count on, but that doesn't make it any easier, does it? Understanding why the change is happening, how it affects you personally, and what you can do to adapt, does. So, when FamilySearch announced the end of their long-standing...
How to Upgrade Your DNA Test with Your DNA Guide
When it comes to chocolate my general rule of thumb is that more is usually better! The same is true with DNA testing. With this big DNA test upgrade sale, now is the perfect time to get MORE! I love being Your DNA Guide here at Genealogy Gems, and today I'll walk you...
Australasian Genealogy Congress 2018: Join Me There
It's a joy to announce that I'll be keynoting at the Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry in Sydney in 2018! Mark your calendars and meet me there! Join Me in Sydney, Australia! The Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry will meet in March 2018 in...
British Isles Genealogy: New Records Online for England, Scotland, Ireland
Trace your British Isles genealogy! This week we report on new genealogy records online for England, Scotland, and Ireland. Read about WWI weekly casualty lists, free census records at FreeCen, English and Scottish burials, Scottish poorhouse--and a free British...
“If My Ancestry Subscription Expires, What Happens to My Tree?”
Are you worried about access to your online tree if you let your Ancestry.com subscription lapse? The tree should still be there. But take these steps to be sure your Ancestry family tree remains accessible and secure--along with the records you've attached to it....
Got Criminal Ancestors? How to Investigate Their Crimes
Lydia thinks her great-grandfather was murdered--perhaps even by her grandfather! Here's some advice for her and everyone researching "cold cases" for criminal ancestors on your family tree. I heard recently from Lydia with these intriguing questions: My great great...