New or Improved Genealogy Apps! Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage
Have you downloaded the apps that go with your favorite genealogy websites? You should! And if it's been awhile, you should do it again. Why? They just keep getting better! Here's a rundown of new or improved apps from Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and...
Find a Grave Canada: Now Search by Province!
Genealogy Gems Premium member Ken Lange recently wrote us about a GEM of his own he'd like to share with everyone. If you've got Canadian ancestors, check this out! "Dear Lisa, I just renewed my Premium membership (thanks so much for all you do there, BTW), which...
Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 169: Blast from the Past–Episode 14
Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 169 has been published--and it's a blast from the past! I've re-published original Genealogy Gems episode 14, inspired by a passage from my grandmother's journal: a list of the silent films she saw that year and the actors who starred in...
German Newspapers in America: Read All About Them!
Do you have German roots in the U.S.? Have you ever looked for them in newspapers? The folks who run Chronicling America, the most comprehensive free collection of digitized U.S. newspapers, have published a new article on historical German newspapers. Here's an...
How to Set Up Google Alerts for Genealogy
How can you keep up with new online information on your family history that may appear at any moment? You can't, unless you run constant searches on your web browser, and who's got time for that? Google does! And it accomplish that incredible search feat for you...
Living in the past? This woman is–1938, to be exact
Just when you thought a claw-foot tub was the epitome of living in the past.... A historical consultant in Amsterdam is living in the past. To be more precise, she's chosen to live like it's 1938. Her apartment (except for the computer and the refrigerator) is...
WWI 100 Year Anniversary: 5 Ways to Discover Your Family History in World War I
This summer, the world is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War 1. It's hard to imagine any family that wasn't touched by it in some way. If you want to learn more, here are 5 great resources: 1. The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th...
New African American Oral History Collection at Library of Congress
A video archive of oral history interviews about African-American life, history and culture and struggles and achievements of the black experience in the United States has been donated to the Library of Congress. It's called the HistoryMakers archive, and it's the...
Organize a Family Reunion on Facebook? 9 Tips You Can Use
A couple weeks ago, I helped host 47 people at my family reunion here in Cleveland, Ohio. Local relatives made up about half the group: the rest flew and drove in from Arkansas, Nevada and Washington state. We spent 4 days splashing in Lake Erie, driving through the...
Family History Episode 39 – How to Start a Genealogy Blog, Part 2
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished July 8, 2014 https://lisalouisecooke.com/familyhistorypodcast/audio/fh39.mp3 Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more...
Twins Reunited 78 Years After Separation at Birth
Two women born from the same womb lived their lives entirely separately--until recently, when these long-lost twins reunited. TheBlaze.com reported on and followed up with a BBC video of the happy reunion. The article says the women set a world record for the...
Family History Episode 38 – How to Start a Genealogy Blog, Part 1
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished July 1, 2014 https://lisalouisecooke.com/familyhistorypodcast/audio/fh38.mp3 Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more...
One of the Easiest or Most Complicated Genealogies in the World?
Small, isolated populations should mean it's easy to do their genealogy, right? Well, I wonder. I came across this Wikipedia article on Tristan da Cunha, described as "the most remote inhabited island in the world, lying 1,750 miles from the nearest landfall in South...
Family History Episode 37 – Your Genealogy Questions Answered, Part 2
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished June 24, 2014 https://lisalouisecooke.com/familyhistorypodcast/audio/fh37.mp3 Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning...
The Recommended File Formats for Long Term Preservation
You have precious family history files, both physical and digital. Have you ever wondered if they are in the proper form for safe, long term preservation? Consider taking a cue from the United State's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the...
Family History Episode 36 – Your Genealogy Questions Answered, Part 1
Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke Republished June 18, 2014 Download the Show Notes for this Episode Welcome to this step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn...
What to Keep When Cleaning Out a Relative’s Home
Recently, Genealogy Gems podcast listener Debra Ingrum Trammel wrote to me with this question about cleaning out a relative's home. Does it sound familiar? "Hi Lisa, My husband is faced with the daunting task of disposing of his parent’s belongings. His...
Using Evernote for Genealogy: You are One of Evernote’s 100 Million Users!
Are you using Evernote for Genealogy? You're not alone! The company announced recently that over 100 MILLION people now use Evernote to keep track of what they know and how they know it. "When we launched the Evernote service in 2008,...there were many note takers and...