Our Listeners, Readers & Viewers

Genealogy Gems Blog AwardI  love the dedicated family historians who listen to The Genealogy Gems Podcast, watch my videos, and read our blog. They are the true Gems in the treasure chest that is genealogy, and provide daily inspiration.

And I couldn’t be more proud of the ones who have taken the plunge and started their own family history blog. Blogging is a brilliant way to attract and connect with others, from close relatives to distant yet-unknown cousins, and write your narrative – a powerful genealogical tool!

Join the Genealogy Gems Treasure Chest of Websites

All of us here at Genealogy Gems celebrate those who are getting the family history word out. Add your blog to our list! Email your name, blog URL, and a paragraph about your blog to service at genealogygems.com. We will review your blog, send you this webpage badge  and add you to the treasure chest!

Genealogy Education Can Be a “GRIPping” Experience

GRIP logo captureHello from Genealogy Gems Contributing Editor Sunny McClellan Morton. I’m still flying high after a week just spent at GRIP, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. This was like mini-graduate school for genealogists, complete with a lush green campus in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania; immediate access to legendary instructors; rigorous coursework that’s exactly what I want to learn; a great genealogy bookstore; and plenty of after-hours socializing.

While I was there, GRIP announced an exciting lineup for 2014 (it’s not even on their website yet). Here are the topics and instructors:

  • Finding and Documenting African-American Families with J. Mark Lowe, CG, and Deborah Abbott, PhD.
  • Practical Genetic Genealogy with Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL, CeCe Moore and Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD.
  • Law School for Genealogists with Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL and Richard G. “Rick” Sayre, CG, CGL.
  • Becoming an Online Expert: Mastering Search Engines and Digital Archives with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS.
  • Determining Kinship Reliably with the Genealogical Proof Standard with Thomas W. Jones, PhD.
  • Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA.

All those initials after these instructors’ names means tons of expertise is poured into every GRIP experience, and if you know any of these folks you know there’s not a “boring professor” among them!

If you’re ready for seriously advanced genealogy education, check out GRIP or other learning experiences like it. In the United States, I know about SLIG in Salt Lake City, IGHR at Samford University in Birmingham, and NIGR at the National Archives. There are also more flexible (but still demanding) options like ProGen Study Groups, Boston University’s Genealogical Research Programs and the National Genealogical Society’s American Genealogy Home Study course.

Don’t forget to check out programs and conferences offered by your own state, regional and local genealogical societies. They usually offer a variety of topics for beginners to more advanced students–and they’ll be closer to home and less expensive. Our own Genealogy Gems premium memberships offers a fabulous genealogy education for a fabulous price: in addition to premium podcast episodes, you also get a new, full-length video tutorial every MONTH to watch whenever you like, along with unlimited access to all previous full-length video tutorials. Check out our list of Premium Videos here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Season Seven

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episodes
2011 – 2012 Season Seven

Episode 121
Part 2 of Lisa’s interview with Steve Luxenberg, author of the book Annie’s Ghosts

Episode 122
Find out what a Forensic Genealogist Does. Plus suggestions for “Family Medical History” reading, and how to find “Bonus Content” for Steve Luxenberg’s book Annie’s Ghosts

Episode 123
Taking Genealogy out into the Community. Plus Part 3 of Your Life in 5 Minutes, New Records, and a new name for Grandma.

Episode 124
A new way to search with Google, Photo Mystery, Newspapers with Tom Kemp, plus Part 4 of Your Life in 5 Minutes

Episode 125
Genealogist Shirley Gage Hodges will share her genealogical wisdom with you as well as talk about her status as “perennial student.”

Episode 126
The latest news from RootsTech 2012, my video interview with Nick Barratt, and an in depth look at Find A Grave with the website’s creator, Jim Tipton.

Episode 127
Interview with Historian Nick Barratt of the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series in the UK

Episode 128
WDYTYA Live recap, a Family History Mystery Solved, and an interview with Chris van der Kuyl CEO of brightsolid

Episode 129
Genealogy Gems Book Club:  Running Away to Home with author Jennifer Wilson

Episode 130
RootsMagic 5, APG, the 1940 Census…

Episode 131
Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Census Schedules, and Ancestry acquires Archives.com.

Episode 132
Bonnets and Hats with Maureen Taylor, and the Genealogy Widower

Episode 133
Lisa interviews Henry Louis Gates about his TV series Finding Your Roots.

Episode 134
A Blast from the Past! This episode includes Episodes 1 and 2!

Episode 135
Interview with Linda Chavez of Finding Your Roots

Episode 136
Life After iGoogle!  And the brand new Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems website has launched!

Episode 137
Food and Family History with author Gena Philibert Ortega Part 1. Includes a companion video, AND Bonus Video of Gena and Lisa in the kitchen cooking up a Blast from the Past!

Episode 138
Food and Family History with author Gena Philibert Ortega Part 2.

Episode 139
Head back to (family history) school! Lisa announces her brand new book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse

Episode 140
Blast from the Past: Episodes 3 and 4. eBay Alerts, Family History Displays, Irish Genealogy

 

Why Genealogists are Flocking to the London Metropolitan Archives

The London Metropolitan Archives says that half the inquiries they receive are from family historians. This is likely due to their rich resources (click here to peruse the collections)

Because there is such a strong genealogy interest in the LMA, they are making a huge effort to reach out to genealogists. They’re all about educating us and sharing what’s at LMA through their website, hands-on classes, remote research services and partnerships with data sites like Ancestry.co.uk and FindMyPast.co.uk. All this from a city archive!

Check out this video they’ve made for family history researchers:

Doesn’t that video make you want to check out the LMA for yourself? On their website, click on Family History. Read up on the basics, then click on Information Leaflet No.1 for a detailed description of their holdings. If you can’t visit, you can use their Family History Research Service. But it looks like a pretty tempting research destination!

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