by Lisa Cooke | Jun 17, 2012 | Uncategorized |
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
by Diahan Southard | Oct 10, 2015 | 01 What's New, Listeners & Readers, Travel
If you would love to take a genealogy travel adventure to your ancestral homeland, consider who might help you make it happen. Get inspired and ready with these tips!
Map: Wikimedia Commons image. Click to view.
Recently Joyce, a Genealogy Gems Premium member, wrote in to thank me for the new Premium video, Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life. Then she asked a great question:
“What I would really like to know is if you have any travel agent/agency that is great for Europe travel to do my own ‘Who Do You Think You Are.’ Any help or direction you can give would be much appreciated.”
I have just the thing for Joyce’s travel question! In the free Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 115, I interviewed Kathy Wurth, who specializes in family history tours of Europe. (You will find her contact information here on the show notes page for the episode.) Even if she doesn’t go to the locations you want to visit, I’m sure that she could help match you up with a travel consultant who does. Tell her “hi” for me!
Before you set off on your own genealogy travel adventure, get inspired and get ready! Here are some great resources for doing just that:
Get inspired! Listen to or read about these genealogists’ travel adventures to ancestral homelands that I’ve covered on Genealogy Gems in the past:
She Left Me the Gun: My Mother’s Life Before Me
by Emma Brockes. An award-winning journalist tells the story of her discovery of her mother’s tragic childhood in South Africa. This is a genealogical journey, complete with trips to archives, poring over old court cases and dramatic reveals. This is the ultimate how-to book for exploring and sharing sensitive family stories because she shows you how it’s done. Listen to an excerpt of our interview with Emma Brockes on the Genealogy Gems podcast episode 174 and the full-length interview in Premium episode 118.
Three Slovak Women, Second Edition
by Lisa Alzo. A popular genealogy expert’s story of three generations of Slovak women in the steel-producing town of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, and the love and sense of family binding them together. Click here to hear Lisa in the free Family History Made Easy podcast talk about her reasons for researching her family history and what she’s learned along the way, including in her travels in Eastern Europe.
Running Away to Home: Our Family’s Journey to Croatia in Search of Who We Are, Where We Came From, and What Really Matters
by Jennifer Wilson. In this book, Jennifer takes us on a once-in-a-lifetime genealogical journey. She walked in her ancestors’ shoes and lived among their descendants. I profiled this book in Episode 129 of the Genealogy Gems podcast and was so inspired by the story that she created this YouTube video on the book.
Get ready! Here are some free travel tips for genealogists from our friends over at Family Tree Magazine:
More Resources from Genealogy Gems on Family History Travel Adventures:
Family History Travel with a Non-Genealogist Companion: Tips and Laughs on the Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast episode 124 (Genealogy Gems Premium website subscription required to access; click here to learn more)
Look for Genealogy Records in a State Capital When You’re Traveling There
Road Trip, Anyone? An Orphan Train Museum
If you want to take a genealogy travel adventure–or invite someone else to–please share this article with them! Just email a link or It’s easy, it’s free–and maybe you’ll pick up a travel companion! Happy travels!
by Lisa Cooke | Mar 12, 2015 | 01 What's New, Health History, Inspiration, Writing Family History
Did you know that writing–and then re-writing–our personal stories can be good for our health? And even better for our future,
Courtesy Houston County, TN. Archives.especially if we are struggling to define that future optimistically.
So says a recent New York Times blog post. “We all have a personal narrative that shapes our view of the world and ourselves,” writes Tara Parker-Pope.
“But sometimes our inner voice doesn’t get it completely right. Some researchers believe that by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand in the way of better health.”
She’s not talking about writing childhood memories or ancestral anecdotes. In several studies, people who were struggling in an area were asked to write about it. Then they were presented with optimistic scenarios about how others had overcome difficulties. Those who rewrote their narratives were able to grab onto some of that optimism. They actually changed the way they thought of their “problem,” whatever it was. And long-term results in some studies showed that these people DID in fact improve.
We often see celebrities on Who Do You Think You Are? talk about how their ancestors’ lives inspire them or teach them new ways of understanding their own lives. Many who write their own family histories say the same thing. As we wrestle with memories or facts and how to present them in writing, we also interpret the past in new ways and, often, this new insight brings hope for a better future.
One more GREAT reason to write your life story and family history, don’t you think? Thanks to my brother Chris McClellan for sharing this blog post with me.
Listen as Lisa and I discuss different styles for writing about your family history in the FREE Genealogy Gems podcast episode 176. Or get inspired by the family history-themed books we love and share on our Genealogy Gems Book Club page. Click here for great suggestions on what to read!
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 21, 2014 | 01 What's New, Book Club, British, Genealogy Gems Podcast
We’ve heard from you, our readers and listeners that you LOVE to read! Well, we’ve just launched a great new FREE program for you: the Genealogy Gems Book Club!
This is an idea we have been percolating on for quite a while with your encouragement. You regularly send me the names of books you love. I also hear from publishers and the authors themselves. Now we can all come together as a genealogy book club community!
The Genealogy Gems Book Club is a virtual, no-commitment option that features a book every three months that I consider a genealogy gem. We will focus on mainstream nonfiction and fiction titles that explore themes you care about, like family ties, heritage and history. These are books you will want to read for pleasure and recommend to anyone, not just other genealogy lovers.
My favorite part of the Genealogy Gems Book Club is the exclusive author interviews that will appear on the Genealogy Gems free and Premium podcasts in the third month of the featured book (after people have had time to read it). After all, podcasts are all about conversation! I’ve learned in the past that you love interviews with authors, whether you have read the book or not.
She Left Me the Gun: My Mother’s Life Before Me by award-winning U.K. journalist Emma Brockes. It recounts the author’s discovery of her mother’s traumatic childhood in South Africa. Genealogy Gems Contributing Editor and Book Club Guru Sunny Morton loves this book: “This is a genealogical journey, complete with trips to archives, poring over old court cases and dramatic reveals. It’s also about learning the past from living relatives. This is the ultimate how-to book for exploring and sharing sensitive family stories because she shows you how it’s done.”
Here’s how the three-month cycle works for this new genealogy book club:
- In the first month, Sunny Morton, our Genealogy Book Club Guru will introduce us to a new title on the Genealogy Gems free podcast, the Premium Podcast and on the Genealogy Gems blog. She will share a quick run-down on the book and why she recommends it.
- In the second month, Sunny and I will discuss a gem from the book, and recommend additional titles in case you are looking for something more to read.
- In the third month, our featured author will join the Genealogy Gems podcast for an exclusive interview. Excerpts from the interview will run on the free podcast and the entire interview will air on the Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast.
To follow the Genealogy Gems Book Club, go to our home page and sign up to receive our FREE monthly newsletter (you’ll receive my Google Search ebook too as a welcome gift!) Then check in periodically at the Genealogy Gems Book Club webpage, which summarizes all books covered to date and includes additional recommendations. And of course, subscribe to the Genealogy Gems Podcast in iTunes.
Ready to become a Premium member so you’ll catch the full author interviews as well as all the other in-depth coverage on the Genealogy Gems Premium 
podcast? Click here to learn more.
Listen to Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 172 for more details.
See you at the Genealogy Gems Book Club!
by Lisa Cooke | Aug 16, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Episode 21 Show Notes
Genealogy Review Online review of Genealogy Gems, Movie Pick: Full of Life,
FOIA follow up, Thanks for the Memories
Episode 22 Show Notes
Mailbox: Family History Display, Memory Books, Anna-Karin’s Genealogical Podcast,
Turn your iPod into a family history tool.
Episode 23 Show Notes
FOIA Reply, iPod follow up: Photos
Episode 24 Show Notes
NAR Announcement, Genealogy Gems Book, Swedish book recommendations, Genealogy Gems TV tour.
Episode 25 Show Notes
Book announcement, Germany History Videos, Allen County Library Records, N. Utah Genealogy Jamboree, Newspapers at World Vital Records, Newsletter update.
Episode 26 Show Notes
Internet Explorer Favorites Management, The Socks to America Video
Episode 27 Show Notes
Military FOIA, World Vital Records Success, Sharing the podcast with your society, Interview with DearMYRTLE.
Episode 28 Show Notes
Interviewing strangers on the telephone
Episode 29 Show Notes
Interview with Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation
Episode 30 Show Notes
Interview with Ali Selim, director of the film Sweet Land
Episode 31 Show Notes
The Library of Congress, Genealogy for the Next Generation
Episode 32 Show Notes
Freedom of Information Act Followup. Mailbox, Family History Christmas Wreath
Episode 33 Show Notes
History of the Census, The Genealogy Gems News Blog, Kathryn Flocken’s Silhouettes, More Google Gadgets
Episode 34 Show Notes
A Thanksgiving Celebration
Episode 35 Show Notes
Facebook, Funtime.com Genealogy Quizzes, Tapping into the Strengths of Others, Library of Congress Webcasts, Using Juvenile Books, New Access to More British Records
Episode 36 Show Notes
The Book has gone digital, Passport Applications Database, History of Sound Recordings, Lisa’s 10 Golden Rules for making family history sound recordings.
Episode 37 Show Notes
Polycola.com, Family History Expo 2008 Video Premiere, Passport Find, iTunes GET ALL, The History of the Christmas Seal
Episode 38 Show Notes
The Family Tree of Venice
Episode 39 Show Notes
History Podcasts, Heritage Quilts
Episode 40 Show Notes
Everything Old is New Again, Family History Expo 2008, Lisa’s Top 5 Inherited Traits, The Care, Storage and Display of Heritage Quilts
