New Videos Can Help You Find African-American Family History in Freedmen’s Bureau Records
FamilySearch has posted a series of new videos aimed at helping people trace their African-American family history with Freedmen's Bureau records. FamilySearch's YouTube channel has published several new videos to help researchers better understand how to trace...
Google Alerts for Genealogy: “Not What They Used to Be?”
Do you ever feel like Google Alerts aren't what they used to be? Or have you never used them? It's time to revisit your strategy for using Google Alerts for genealogy! Google Alerts are customized, automated Google keyword searches. You can set them up to...
Find Your Family History in World War II: WWII Yearbooks
Many of us are interested in learning about our relatives' World War II military service. One important--but little-known--resource may be a military yearbook. World War II Era Yearbooks From Eric, a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener: Several years ago, my husband was...
How to Share Family History with the Non-Genealogists in Your Family
How can you share family history stories and memories without boring your relatives? Catch this free video preview of a new Premium video class that inspires YOU on how to inspire THEM! If you are researching your family tree but haven’t shared it with your family in...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every week we blog about new genealogy records online. Which ones might help you find your family history? New this week: more Italian civil registrations, Ohio and Pennsylvania marriage records, thousands of New York genealogical resources, Illinois state censuses...
Why Use Ancestry for FREE if You’re NOT a Subscriber
Many of us already know that some of Ancestry's content is free to search for everyone. But did you know that you can use Ancestry's powerful search interface to search genealogy databases on OTHER websites, too? This includes sites that may be in another...
The Bombing of London in WWII: Check Out this Interactive Map of The Blitz
An interactive map lets you explore The Blitz: the intensive Bombing of London by the Germans in 1940-1941. We see the images often in WWII-era movies. Londoners hunched in tube station tunnels during air raids. Children evacuating the city by the thousand. The Blitz...
Tell Your Ancestor’s Story: Use Social History for Genealogy
Do you wish you knew more about your ancestor's everyday life experience? Use social history for genealogy: to fill in the gaps between documented events. Recently we heard from Barbara Starmans, a social historian, genealogist and longtime listener of three of Lisa's...
The Tech Gadget Lisa is Crazy About and Why It’s So Cool: Amazon Echo
Millions of us already rely on Siri (that disembodied voice on our iPhones) to find us the nearest gas station, make hands-free calls and answer random questions. Amazon Echo now offers that same kind of voice-activated help throughout your house. There's a lot of...
Here’s How You Can Bring Your Family History to a Big Screen: How to Use Chromecast
Here at Genealogy Gems we love using Google for genealogy. Today we have another exciting Google resource that can transform how you share your genealogy with your family – because ultimately, genealogy is all about sharing your family’s story! While the mobile device...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every week we blog about new genealogy records online. Which ones could be the key to busting your genealogy brick walls? New this week? Vital records for Delaware, South Dakota, Illinois and Texas. Italy civil registrations. Newspapers from Indianapolis, Louisville...
Celebrate Constitution Day with The National Archives on YouTube
Today is Constitution Day: the 228th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The National Archives is celebrating with free programs and a special Family Day. Most of us won't be able to attend in person, but the National Archives will be webcasting...
Interview with Laura Ingalls Wilder Editor Pamela Smith Hill: Genealogy Gems Book Club
Are you a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, lover of western U.S. history or writer of family history? You'll love our exclusive interview with Pamela Smith Hill, editor of the new Laura Ingalls Wilder autobiography Pioneer Girl. The “grown-up” version of Laura Ingalls...
Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Episode 127 Ready for You
Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast episode 127 has been published! It's got our exclusive interview with Pamela Smith Hill, editor of the new Laura Ingalls Wilder autobiography Pioneer Girl and much more. Genealogy Gems Premium members can now tune in to Genealogy Gems...
A Tech Tool You Need: Another way to Use Dropbox for Genealogy
Now you can save the links to your favorite websites in Dropbox. It's another great way to use Dropbox for genealogy! Here's how.... Big news: Dropbox recently announced that you can now save web page URLs to Dropbox on the web or on your PC. It's as simple as drag...
DNA Confirms Presidential Love Affair 90 Years Later
New evidence in a 90 year-old paternity case came to light recently in the form of a DNA test. This one had the unique distinction of involving the president of the United States: Warren G Harding. The New York Times recently named former president Warren G Harding...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Here's our weekly list of new genealogy records online. Do any collections below relate to your family history? Please share with your genealogy buddies or with societies that might be interested! New this week are records for free people of color in Louisiana,...
U.S. Passport Applications for Genealogy: Find Immigrant and Traveling Ancestors
Have you ever thought to use passport applications for genealogy--to search for your immigrant or traveling ancestors? Passports were issued in the U.S. beginning in the late 1700s, but weren’t required except during times of war until 1941. These records can be an...