Was This My Ancestor’s Neighborhood? Using Google Earth for Genealogy
by Sunny Jane Morton When Lisa blogged recently about Google Earth's 10th birthday, it reminded me of something on my family history "to do" list. A few years ago I found a postcard of what I thought was an ancestor's neighborhood. Could Google Earth confirm it?...
Genealogy Gems Podcast Nominated! Academy of Podcasters Award
We're so pleased we just had to tell you our great news....The Genealogy Gems Podcast has been nominated for the first-ever Academy of Podcasters Awards! Ten nominees were named in each category by The Academy of Podcasters in an event expected to become annual,...
Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 181
Sock hops. Drive-ins. Juke boxes. Fuzzy dice. Letterman jackets. Poodle skirts, bobby socks and saddle shoes. Do the 1950s come to mind? They will when you listen to the newly-published Genealogy Gems podcast, episode 181! The 1950s are a great era to research your...
NEW Genealogy Gems Book Club Title: Pioneer Girl (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
When Lisa and I were young we read the "Little House" series of children's books about growing up on the western U.S. frontier. These books continue to shape the way Lisa and I imagine our ancestors' lives during that era. Well, the "grown-up" version of the Little...
Here’s What Evernote Can and Can’t Do for Family History
Recently Genealogy Gems Podcast listener Rosie wrote in with an Evernote question: "I really enjoy listening to your podcasts. Thanks so much for all your efforts. As a long time researcher I always wondered how the Hunt family got from New England to Ohio around...
What To Do If a Scrapbook Gets Wet (or Photo Album or Pictures)
When family scrapbooks get wet, the result is not pretty. In fact, it can be quite dire for the scrapbook and its precious contents. "Water can cause the bleeding of inks and dyes in journal entries, digital photographs, and decorative papers, causing them to appear...
Can You Believe Google Earth is 10 Years Old?? Are You Using Google Earth for Genealogy Yet?
Ten years ago in June, Google Earth was born. The world put it right to work. Within months, recalls a Google Earth employee, "Hurricane Katrina showed us how useful mapping tools like Earth could be for crisis response efforts. Rescue workers compared before and...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Do any of the collections below relate to your family history? Please share this post with any genealogy buddies or societies that might be interested. At the end of this post is a search tip for researching...
Language Translation Tool for Genealogy: MyHeritage’s New Global Name Translation
At some point in the past, many of our relatives--overseas or in the same land--spoke a different language. They used different versions of names we know. Records about their lives were created in a language we don't know, whether their home tongue or the language of...
Irish Catholic Parish Registers from National Library of Ireland
As of today, the National Library of Ireland expects to launch a free, digitized collection of ALL its Catholic parish registers on its website (this link takes you to the English version; it's also available in Irish). Nearly 400,000 digital images of microfilmed...
Findmypast Library Edition: Request it At Your Public Library!
findmypast now has a Library Edition available within the United States. Patrons of subscribing libraries can now have access to their billions of records from England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Highlights of what...
How to Unsend Gmail email message
Have you ever clicked the Send button on an email message only to seconds later have a wave of regret fall over you? At a moment like that it would be very helpful to know how to unsend Gmail email messages. At one time or another we have all left out vital...
Family Photo Charm Bracelet: Heritage Jewelry Idea
Recently we received this picture of a photo charm bracelet made by Genealogy Gems Premium member Mary Ann. We loved it so much we thought we'd share it with everyone (with her permission, of course). "I got the idea from one of the vendors you had spoken about on one...
We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online
Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Do any of the collections below relate to your family history? Look below for early Australian settlers, Canadian military and vital records, the 1925 Iowa State Census and a fascinating collection of old New...
Using Evernote for Genealogy: The New Web Clipper
Do you use Evernote for Genealogy? Genealogists everywhere are singing its praises and it's a regular feature here on Genealogy Gems. Well, Evernote just got a little better today. Evernote has just released a new web clipper and it oozes with awesomeness. It works...
Free Records at Ancestry Now through Sunday
Free Records at Ancestry are available now through Sunday July 5, 2015. (Use our convenient social media buttons at the top of this post to get the word out to your genealogy friends!) Ancestry is inviting you to "Discover your American story this 4th of July" by...
Search for Early New England Ancestors FREE this Coming Week
In honor of Independence Day in the United States, AmericanAncestors.org is offering free access to databases on early New England ancestors starting TODAY through July 8. If you have Mayflower, Pilgrim or Puritan ancestors (or want to confirm the rumor that you do!),...
Interview with Nathan Dylan Goodwin: Genealogy Gems Book Club
As part of our Genealogy Gems Book Club, author Nathan Dylan Goodwin joined us on the Genealogy Gems podcast to talk about the newest book in The Forensic Genealogist series: The Lost Ancestor (The Forensic Genealogist series Book 2). In our interview, Nathan talks...