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In this Episode
Today we’re going to take a look at what so many records and record collections have in common: they are often Lists. Now that may sound pretty straight forward, but there’s a lot more to Lists than meet the eye.
A list of names, places or other information has a lot to tell us and can be used in unique ways. Professional genealogist Cari Taplin joins me in this episode for a conversation about what is so lovely about lists.
My Summer Vacation
If you’ve been following me on Instagram – you can find me here on Instagram or by searching for genealogy gems podcast in the free Instagram app – then you know that I’ve spent a bit of my time this summer getting a taste of some of the work many of my ancestors did and probably that many of your ancestors did: farming.
Bill and I have a close friend who owns his grandfather’s 1904 homestead in North Dakota. A few years back Bill went up there to help them open it back up and get things up and running. This year we helped them harvest their crop of oats. (They even have a sign in the field that says, “These oats will grow up to be Cheerios”)
Of course, we used equipment that our ancestors may not have had. I learned to drive the combine, and I turned the field with the tractor. But in many ways, things haven’t changed all that much.
One of the things that really struck me was how the farming community out there pulls together.
Now to put this in perspective: the 240-acre homestead is about two miles down a dirt road from Canada. The house has fallen into disrepair over the decades, so our friend bought an old farmhouse in the nearby town where he grew up. That town has a population of just over 50 people!
North Dakota farmland. Photo Credit: Lisa Louise Cooke, Genealogy Gems
So, we’re talking about a pretty remote location, and folks are scattered on various farms miles apart. But when a tractor was in need of repair, within the hour a neighbor would be pulling up ready to crawl under it alongside our friend to work on it till it was fixed. When a piece of equipment was needed that he didn’t have, it would soon be rolling down the road from a neighboring farm to pitch in.
Everyone had one eye on the sky at all times to watch the ever-changing weather, and there was such a commitment by all to make sure no neighbor was left with unharvested crops before a storm hit.
So even though the combines of today are motorized massive machines with air conditioning and stereos, the work ethic, the commitment and the community was unchanged from when his granddad first filed his homestead claim. Bill and I felt really blessed to be a part of it.
Think of us next time you eat your cheerios.
Farm selfie
MyHeritage.com is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. Click the logo above to get started.
GEM: Interview with Cari Taplin
If you’ve been doing genealogy for any length of time, then you have probably encountered a list. They come in all shapes and sizes, and at first glance they may seem very straight forward.
Cari Taplin, a certified genealogist out of Pflugerville, Texas, says it’s worth taking the time to really examine lists carefully because there may be more there than meets the eye.
Cari currently serves on the boards of the Association for Professional Genealogists and is the Vice President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking, research, and consultation services, focusing on midwestern and Great Lakes states and methodology.
Types of Lists
Nearly every time we sit down to do genealogy research we run into a list. There are loads of them out there. Here’s just a starter list of the lists you might run into:
indexes of any kind
city directories
tax lists
petitions
censuses
church membership
members of a club or society
fraternal organization member lists
community groups
committees
lists in newspapers like hotel registrations, letters at post office
hospital admittances and discharges
cemetery books
event participants
jurors
estate sales
militia rolls
voter lists
land lottery winners
school class lists
yearbooks
agricultural lists
Census records are examples of lists
Significance of List Construction
Of course, not every list is alphabetically organized by any means. We might run into a list of prison inmates listed by number, or burial sites listed by plot or location. The information can be organized in many different ways.
Cari says that the way the list maker decided to organize the list tells us a lot about the information.
For example, a list that is alphabetized might be an indication that it is a recreated list. Other ways that lists may be constructed include chronologically or by location.
Here are follow up tasks you can do:
Evaluate for potential error
Locate the original source
List Explanation or Instructions
Understanding the thinking behind how the list was constructed is also important.
The U.S. Federal Census is a great example of a list that has other background documents such as the enumerator instructions. We don’t see these instructional documents unless we go looking for them. The instructions provide background on the creation of the list, and that can help us get more out of it.
Research Tip: Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000. From that page you download the PDF of enumerator instructions.
Here’s an example of how understanding the census enumerator instructions can help you better understand how to interpret it:
In 1900 the census was answered as if it were a particular day. This means that if someone died a few days later, they may still be listed as alive in the 1900 census. If you know that they died that year, you now have more information that it was after the enumeration date.
Genealogy websites like Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage often provide background on the creation and purpose of their record collections.
Tax List example: there are laws behind them. Look up the statute. Google to find summations of tax laws at the time. Keep in mind that they might be in order of location.
When analyzing a list, ask yourself the following questions:
What was this list created for?
Why is it in this order?
What does that then tell me about these people?
What’s we’re really talking about is educating ourselves
so that we’re not contributing to the errors that get out there.
It’s an investment in accuracy.
Context
It can be tempting to just scan the list, grab your ancestor out of it, and move on. But if we do that, we could be leaving a lot of genealogical gold behind.
“Evidence mining requires attention to detail, including details that might initially seem insignificant.” ––BCG, Genealogy Standards, #40, p. 24
Here are some ideas as to what we should look for:
Sometimes it’s just a name (example: petition lists)
There might be columns at the top – pay attention to those details for more understanding
Other people in the list: the FAN Club (Friends, Associates, Neighbors.) Look for those names in other documents.
Organizing Your Research and the Data Collected from Lists
Cari uses spreadsheets to organize her genealogical research project data.
Come of the benefits of using a spreadsheet are that you can:
Addresses found in German Address Books marked in the spreadsheet
Explore the Bigger List
Often times you do a search, and you find a single record. But that single record is actually part of a massive internal list, an indexed list from which the search engine is pulling.
An example of this is when you run a search for your ancestor at the Bureau of Land Management website (BLM). After finding your ancestor’s record, you can then run a search by that land description to find other people who owned land and possibly lived nearby.
“Evidence mining requires attention to detail, including details that might initially seem insignificant.” – BCG, Genealogy Standards, #40, p.24
Review the Genealogical Proof Standard in the show notes for Genealogy Gems Podcastepisode 232.
2 men with 1 name
When everyone in the family wants to name their children after Grandpa, you can end up with a lot people in a county with the same name. You need to tease them apart.
Questions to ask:
Who did they associate with?
Who were their siblings?
Where were each of them located?
All of these things can help differentiate them. A spreadsheet is an excellent tool for this.
The Yearbook List Example
Very often the list of names is the full list of students. However, not every student necessarily had their photo taken. Count the names and then count the photos to verify you have the right person. Search the Ancestry Yearbook collection to try and find another photo of the person to compare.
Cari’s Main Message
Don’t skip over a list because it’s lacking some identifying information. You still need to record it. You may come back to it one day!
Wednesday, September 11th. This was a day that didn’t exist in Colonial America in 1752, as the familiar calendar underwent what is called the “Gregorian correction,” switching from the ancient Julian calendar to adjust for errors accumulated over centuries.
After September 2nd, the next day was September 14th. The British parliament’s Calendar Act of 1750 had also changed New Year’s Day from March 25th to January 1st. As a result, the year 1751 had only 282 days. Since then, with leap years built in as in 2020, the calendar has remained constant.
One of the great things about genealogy is that there are always new records. Well, not really new records, new OLD records. These records have been around sometimes hundreds of years, but they may have been languishing in the basement of an archive, library or even a private collection. Every day, old records are becoming available, and often right from the comfort of our own home. Who doesn’t love that?! When we can get our hands on those records, it can throw the doors open to new possibilities. Our genealogy brick walls start shaking in their boots because it can take just one record, the right record, to knock it down.
In this article and video we will explore two major genealogy record collections. They are very unique, and yet have some important things in common. Both the Ohio Memory collection and the Freedmen’s Bureau collection are online, and they are both free. Click below to watch the video. We start with Ohio Memory, and the Freedmen’s Bureau discussion begins at the 23:58 mark. Follow along with the show notes below.
Ohio Memory
Website: https://ohiomemory.org
Special Guest: Jenni Salamon, Ohio Memory Digital Services Manager
If your family has any connection with the state of Ohio – and sometimes I think it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have at least one ancestor who did – then you’re going to love the Ohio Memory collection and website.
Even if you don’t have a direct connection with the state of Ohio, like all collections its worth taking a peek. Records don’t care about state lines, and many items in the Ohio Memory collection touch far beyond the Ohio border.
OhioMemory.org was featured in Family Tree Magazine’s 75 Best State Genealogy Websites list in a recent issue of the magazine. I host the Family Tree Magazine podcast, and recently had the opportunity to interview Ohio Memory’s Digital Services Manager, Jenni Salamon for that audio show. Since there’s so much to see at Ohio Memory I’m excited to share the video of that conversation.
What is Ohio Memory?
Ohio Memory is the collaborative digital library program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio. Established in 2000. It was originally established as a bicentennial project they wanted a way to capture some of Ohio’s history and share it more broadly. Ohio turned 200 years old in 2003.
Ohio Memory worked with institutions around the state to build the online collection. They picked their favorite collections which were then digitized and made available as an online scrapbook. Initial submission by 260 institutions resulted in over 13,000 contributed items, and Ohio Memory continues to grow.
Most of the contributing organizations are public libraries, and some are university libraries. Other organizations such as historical societies, government institutions, special libraries, religious archives also contribute to the collection.
What kind of genealogical resources are available at Ohio Memory?
A wide-variety of materials make up Ohio Memory including:
Early Ohio state history
American Indians
The Civil War
World War I
Maps
Drawings
Paintings
Archaeological artifacts
Photographs
Journals
Objects
Oral Histories (audio and video)
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Present Day government records
All 88 Ohio counties are represented in the Ohio Memory collection.
Tips for Searching for Records at Ohio Memory
Everything at Ohio Memory is digital and keyword searchable thanks to Optical Character Recognition (OCR). However, they do sometimes connect back to other catalog records.
Search Tip: Finding Images at Ohio Memory When you use the search box on the home page you will be searching both the text and the metadata provided by the contributor. If you want to search just visual items (photos, images, etc.) select “exclude full text sources.”
It’s important to use keywords relevant to the time period that you are searching. Restrict your format to what you want right from the homepage.
Historical Newspapers at Ohio Memory
The newspaper collection of Ohio Memory does not overlap with the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America collection, but they are all part of the same story and collection. They have contributed a large amount of newspapers to Chronicling America over the years. At last count there are a million pages between the two collections.
Ohio Memory focuses on titles and time periods different from the content on Chronicling America. At Ohio Memory you’ll find deeper runs of newspapers and more recent newspapers. New newspaper content is being added regularly.
They also have some very early newspapers that are significant to Ohio history such as the Ohio State Journal which was the paper of record for Ohio during the 19th century. The Ohio State Journal collection covers 1830-1875 an important time period in Ohio’s growth and the Civil War.
The Lebanon Western Star newspaper from southwest Ohio near Cincinnati and Kings Island is another important newspaper. It covers Ohio history from a more rural area.
Old Yearbooks at Ohio Memory
A lot of Ohio Memory’s public library partners have access to yearbook collections through their partnerships with local schools. Many have worked to digitize their materials and put them on Ohio Memory. Some are quite early, some more recent although not very recent due to privacy concerns.
Many of the yearbooks at Ohio Memory come from northwest and northeast Ohio. You’ll also find student histories from southwest Ohio from a couple of universities, as well as other related materials such as student photos.
Is Ohio Memory Free?
Yes! They used to have one collection that was behind a pay wall. That was the Underground Railroad Wilbur H Siebert collection which features information about underground railroad activities in Ohio and beyond. It’s a strong resource for looking at research methods of the era, and the stories of how the underground railroad operated. That collection was opened up a couple of years ago and has remained free.
Ohio Memory Help Resources
Videos, an FAQ and search guides are available to help you learn how to dig into the Ohio Memory website. You can also reach Ohio Memory by email for additional assistance.
The Future of Ohio Memory
They continue to digitize and add new materials based on their strategic goals. Recently they focused on President Warren G. Harding since it is the 100th anniversary of his election. They are continuing to add more content to that collection.
Ohio Memory has about 40 active partners around the state that are choosing items from their own collections for inclusion. Examples include Wood County in northwest Ohio, Mount Saint Joseph University and the Sister of Charity in the Cincinnati area. They welcome new partners every year.
Copyright and Usage at Ohio Memory
While you may or may not find things specifically about your ancestors, Ohio Memory offers a wonderful opportunity to find things that help fill in their story and their community.
You are free to use items for educational and personal use without needing extra permission. If you’re a family historian and you are wanting to put a picture in a presentation for your family or you just want to keep it with your own research records, you are welcome to do so.
Jenni Salamon, Ohio Memory’s Digital Services Manager says that if you want to post something on social media, simply include a link back to the Ohio Memory site so others know where it came from Ohio Memory. If you want to use an item for a formal publication or commercial use, contact Ohio Memory. Copyright varies by item and research is required.
Record Collection #2:
Freedmen’s Bureau Records
FamilySearch’s Freedmen’s Bureau Project website: http://www.discoverfreedmen.org Guest: Thom Reed, Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer FamilySearch International
FamilySearch is always busy bringing new, exciting and unique record collections to genealogists, and the Freedmen’s Bureau records certainly fall into that category. FamilySearch Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch, Thom Reed spearheaded the project.
What was the Freedman’s Bureau?
The Freedmen’s Bureau (known as The Bureau of Refugees Freedmen and Abandoned Lands) was established shortly after the Civil War to help newly freed individuals and poor Southerners get back on their feet and start anew.
The Department of the Army established the Freedmen Bureau field offices and local offices in 15 states and the District of Columbia where people could seek assistance. Many African Americans who had been enslaved were on their own and they needed, work, food and housing. In the course of administering that help the government kept great records. These records were sometimes the first records of African Americans in this country. Many had not been documented before, or perhaps were only listed by first name. These records form a sort of bridge between the “1870 brick wall” often found in African American research and earlier records.
Freedmen’s Bureau Years of Operation
The Freedmen’s Bureau operated between 1865-1872. It was difficult to maintain. After it closed, other programs surfaced. In some cases, states took over the programs.
What types of records can be found in Freedmen’s Bureau Records?
While not all the records created by the Freedmen’s Bureau are genealogically relevant, many are.
Freedmen’s Bureau Records Include:
Labor contracts
Apprenticeship records
Solemnized marriages
Education records
Hospital records
Court documents and complaints
Food Ration records
Correspondence (this is the majority of the records and may name people)
Banking records
The Freedmen’s Bureau Project
The Freedmen’s Bureau Project extracted the genealogically relevant information so that volunteers could index it and make it searchable. This effort resulted in 1, 783,463 names being made searchable.
There’s also pages and pages of documentation that are not yet indexed. They didn’t index a lot of the correspondence. You will need to use the finding aids, descriptive guides and pamphlets and go through and look at the images. All of the images are available online to view.
The Freedmen’s Bureau Project was completed in 2016, just 366 days since it began.
FamilySearch partnered with many organizations and 25,550 volunteers to complete the project including:
The National Archives and Records Administration
National Museum of African American History and Culture
They opened in 2016, and as a gift FamilySearch gave them the database.
Societies include the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society – several of their 35 chapter across the United States assisted with the indexing.
Where you start depends on what you want to do and what you know. For many people, Discover Freedmen is a good place to start. You can simply enter your ancestor’s first and last name and it will search all of the indexed collections that they have available at FamilySearch including the Freemen Bank records which was a separate entity from the Freedmen’s Bureau. It will allow you to search all of those record collections together and show you where that name appears.
If you know the location or the specific type of record you are interested in, you may want to go directly to FamilySearch and start searching.
The Freedmen’s Savings and Trust Bank
The Freedmen’s Bank was a separate entity from the Freedmen’s Bureau. It was based in Washington D.C. After the war it allowed newly freed individuals to deposit their funds in a bank account and start to establish some kind of wealth.
The Freedmen’s Savings and Trust Bank operated from 1865 to 1874, just a little bit longer than the Freedmen’s Bureau.
The interesting thing about their deposit records is that to be a depositor you had to include information about your family and where you lived. This means that in these records you may find entire family groups listed in a depositor’s application. You could find a husband and wife, all their children, where they lived, and in some instances who they were formerly enslaved by.
Unfortunately, due to mismanagement and other financial issues, they closed. However, the records remain. The National Archives and Records Administration held those records for years, and FamilySearch indexed them back in 2001. Over 469,000 names and the associated digitized images can be found in the collection database at Familysearch.
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day I did some restoration work on an old photograph of my great, great, grandmother that was taken in the 1920s. She came to American from Limerick Ireland in the 1850s. Here’s the process I followed to create it:
Digitize the image at the highest resolution possible.
Restore the photo first – I use the free Adobe Photoshop Fix app on my phone.
Head to MyHeritage and use the Enhancer tool to further improve the image.
Then use MyHeritage’s Colorization tool if desired.
Apply MyHeritage’s Deep Nostalgia tool to animate the face.
I compiled the images and rendered the final video using Camtasia. This video software program made it possible to transition from photo to animation and back again.
(These are affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase using these links. Thank you for supporting the free show.)
Learn more about Irish Research and how I busted my brick wall in Elevenses with LisaEpisode 18. (Premium membership required.)
Resources
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SHOW NOTES: A comparison of the top three genealogy websites and an update on the latest artificial intelligence news. Lisa interviews genealogy author Sunny Morton about her article “Three’s Company” from the March/April 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine. They dive into a detailed comparison of the top three genealogy websites—Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and MyHeritage.com—focusing on historical records, DNA tools, family tree features, and more. Sunny shares insights on how these platforms differ, their strengths, and practical tips for genealogists to maximize their research. Whether you’re a U.S.-focused researcher or tracing global roots, this episode has something for everyone.
Listen to Podcast Episode #293
To Listen click the media player below (AUDIO ONLY):
What Is a Historical Record and Does Its Definition Differ Between the Three Websites?
Timestamp: 00:31
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• Definition: A historical record is a document created in the past, ideally close to the time of the events it describes, offering a more accurate glimpse into history than later recollections.
• Differences: The definition varies slightly across platforms. Ancestry, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage count records differently—sometimes focusing on the primary person (e.g., the deceased on a death certificate) and sometimes including secondary individuals (e.g., parents or witnesses).
• Tip: Don’t assume every “record” is a unique historical document. A single certificate might be counted multiple times if it names several people. Check how each site labels the “primary person” to understand what you’re working with.
How Do the Number of Records Stack Up Across the Three Websites?
Timestamp: 04:43
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• Numbers Overview: Ancestry boasts ~60 billion records, FamilySearch ~66.24 billion (13 billion searchable names + 5 billion+ unindexed images), and MyHeritage ~32 billion.
• Ancestry: Strong U.S. focus; top 20 collections (e.g., city directories, yearbooks, newspapers) make up a third of its total, boosted by AI indexing of recent centuries. Less helpful for pre-1800 research.
• MyHeritage: More global, Euro-centric, with 40% of its total in its top 5 collections (e.g., family trees, newspapers via OldNews.com). Great for non-U.S. research.
• FamilySearch: Truly global, free, and diverse; top 20 collections are less than 20% of its total, plus 500,000+ digitized books. Hard to pin down exact counts due to unindexed images.
• Tip: Focus on “where and when” your ancestors lived. Use Ancestry for U.S. depth, MyHeritage for European roots, and FamilySearch for global coverage or record-loss areas.
What’s Your Elevator Speech for the Primary Strength of Each Website?
Timestamp: 12:50
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• Ancestry: U.S.-centric with vast records—start here for American research, paired with FamilySearch.
• FamilySearch: Free, global focus, no target customer—ideal for international searches and unique collections.
• MyHeritage: Euro-centric, excels in language translation (e.g., German trees)—perfect for non-English records and global connections.
• Tip: Before subscribing, browse each site’s catalog to see if it matches your research area. Combine platforms based on your needs—don’t skip one just because it’s not your “main” focus.
How Do They Stack Up for DNA Research?
Timestamp: 16:30
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• FamilySearch: No DNA tools—focuses on records, not genetics.
• Ancestry & MyHeritage: Both excel at DNA, making complex data accessible. Offer ethnicity estimates (improving over time) and match tools.
Ancestry: Groups matches by common ancestors; recently added shared matches of matches.
MyHeritage: “Theory of Family Relativity” maps person-to-person connections; accepts raw DNA uploads ($29 for advanced tools or free with subscription).
• Tip: Revisit DNA results every 3-6 months for updated ethnicity estimates and new matches. Rotate subscriptions if budget’s tight—your data stays, and hints accumulate.
How Do Their Family Tree Features Compare?
Timestamp: 23:26
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• Ancestry & MyHeritage: Private, individual trees you control—shareable if desired. Multiple trees allowed for testing theories. No source requirement, but tree checkers flag unsourced data.
• FamilySearch: One giant, public, collaborative tree—nothing private for deceased individuals. Emphasizes sources and reason statements to improve accuracy.
• Tip: Use online trees as “bait” for hints, keeping your full research offline in software. Politely ask public tree owners for sources if unsourced data intrigues you.
How Do They Compare for Searchability in Family Trees?
Timestamp: 29:45
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• All Three: Excellent search portals for minimal or detailed queries.
• FamilySearch Bonus: Search its tree even if you don’t contribute—great for harvesting clues about ancestors.
• Tip: Use tree searches strategically to uncover new leads or verify info, even if you’re not building online. Refine searches as trees grow to stay efficient.
How Do They Compare for Photos, Memories, and Stories?
Timestamp: 31:56
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• General: All are works in progress, with best tools on apps (not always ideal for big-screen users). AI-generated life histories check tree completeness.
• MyHeritage: Leads with photo tools (enhancing, colorizing, animating) and “My Stories” for living-generation narratives.
• Tip: Use MyHeritage’s photo animations to engage family—watermarked as AI-generated, they spark curiosity without claiming historical fact.
How Compatible Are They for Syncing with Desktop Software?
Timestamp: 36:28
Key Takeaways and Tips:
• MyHeritage: Free Family Tree Builder syncs with online trees.
• Ancestry: Syncs well with Family Tree Maker (despite separate ownership).
• FamilySearch: RootsMagic and others pull sections of its global tree.
• Tip: Prioritize sync compatibility when choosing a site—check software options before committing to an online tree platform.
All information was to the best of our guest’s knowledge as of the date of recording.
Latest advancements in AU and their application to genealogy research.
Timestamp: 48:11
1. Gemini Updates by Google. o New Features Announcement (March 2025):
Google’s Gemini app rolled out significant updates, available to try for free, with enhanced features for all users and premium options for subscribers.
2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental:
Offers file upload capabilities (crucial for genealogy context), improved reasoning, efficiency, and speed.
Advanced users (subscribers) get a 1-million-token context window, allowing more extensive project interactions.
Free users can test it with a one-month trial of Gemini Advanced.
Deep Research Tool:
Now upgraded with 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, it searches and synthesizes web information quickly, producing detailed multi-page reports.
Available globally in 45 languages; free users get limited tries, while advanced users have expanded access.
Shows real-time reasoning, similar to Grok, enhancing transparency in research processes.
Personalization (Experimental):
Integrates with Google apps (starting with search) to tailor responses based on user history, e.g., genealogy-focused search patterns.
Users control personalization settings and can disconnect if desired.
2. Connected Apps Integration
Gemini now connects with Google Calendar, Notes, Tasks, and soon Photos (in English), allowing complex, multi-app requests.
Example: Genealogy applications could involve organizing research notes or creating itineraries from ancestral photo locations.
3. Gems Feature
A new customizable AI tool, free for all Gemini app users, enabling creation of personal AI experts for specific topics (e.g., genealogy).
Users can upload files and set instructions via the Gems Manager on desktop, tailoring it to repetitive research tasks.
Lisa plans to explore this deeply in upcoming premium videos and live streams, emphasizing its potential for genealogists.
4. AI Competition and Future
Gemini is positioned as a competitor to Grok, with features like file uploads and deep research mirroring Grok’s capabilities.
Lisa predicts AI will eventually replace Google search, with ongoing competition determining the leading AI tool.
5. Practical Tips / Getting Started with AI
Try Gemini at gemini.google.com; start with the free version, then consider the one-month trial of Gemini Advanced for full access.
Closing Note: AI tools like Gemini are like “shovels” for genealogists—essential for digging deeper and enhancing research efficiency. Stay tuned for more in-depth explorations in premium content!
Sign up today here. The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.
The Social Security Applications and Claims Index was one of 2015’s most important new online resources for U.S. researchers (keep reading to see the other). No wonder it made the #7 spot on this week’s Top 10 genealogy blog post countdown!
This summer, Ancestry.com quietly released a major addition to its U.S. record resources. We already rely on the Social Security Death Index to help us find 20th-century relatives. But so many of us have lamented at how limited is the info in that index, and how expensive to order the original application when there’s no guarantee we’ll find the person’s parents names (which are requested on the form).
I’m guessing that’s why Lisa’s post on Ancestry’s new Social Security Applications and Claims Index made the #7 spot on our genealogy blog countdown this week! This enriched index adds parents’ names and more to millions of SSDI indexed entries. Click here to read more about it and search the index.
Want to read about another top database for U.S. researchers that was recently released? Click here!
Don’t forget about our countdown prize this week!Click here to see all Top 10 blog posts–and share that post on your Facebook page by THIS Friday (November 20, 2015). Use the hashtag #genealogygems, and you’ll be entered in a contest to win my Pain Free Family History Writing Project video course download, kindly donated by our friends at Family Tree University. You’re welcome to add any comments on your “shared” post, like which Genealogy Gems blog post has most inspired you or helped your research. That feedback helps us bring you more posts you’ll love.
Ready, set, SHARE! And thank YOU for helping us celebrate our 1000th blog post here at Genealogy Gems.
You’re invited to join Lisa Louise Cooke for a Roswell, NM genealogy seminar. “Solving Family History Mysteries with Lisa Louise Cooke” will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2017 as the Wilson-Cobb History and Genealogy Library Annual Workshop. Please come!
Roswell, NM Genealogy Seminar with Lisa Louise Cooke
The Wilson-Cobb Library in Roswell, New Mexico is hosting Lisa Louise Cooke for an exciting, informative all-day workshop that will help you solve your family history mysteries! Here’s what’s happening:
What: Solving Family History Mysteries with Lisa Louise Cooke Where: Roswell Civic and Convention Center, 912 N Main St, Roswell, NM 88201 When: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (On-site registration opens at 8:30 am) Hosted by: Wilson-Cobb History and Genealogy Library Registration:Click here for more information and to register Bonus: Snacks, beverages and a catered lunch will be served. (Donations gratefully accepted for lunch.)
If you haven’t registered ahead of time, plan to be there at 8:30 am for onsite registration. At 9:00, Lisa will start teaching the day’s class lineup:
Google Tools & Procedures for Solving Family History Mysteries. In this session, we will walk through the process, provide you with the tools, and wow your socks off with real-life examples of Googling success. You will leave this class inspired to revisit using Google for your online searches, and armed with the latest strategies to do so successfully. Not everything is online by any stretch, but even offline sources are more efficiently discovered and accessed when you start online. And the fastest and most effective way to locate online data, whether it resides on a university website or the blog of a distant cousin you’ve never met, is Google!
Update: Google! Everything New That You Need to Know for Genealogy. Google continues to evolve and change every day. In this session, Google Guru Lisa Louise Cooke will give you an update on the most recent Google changes. Then she will unleash advanced search strategies for genealogy that you probably aren’t using, but are ‘must-haves’ in order to get the best results possible. Here are tips and tricks you can put into practice right away.
How to Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case. Become a genealogical detective in this vital session. You’ll learn to track ancestors like a criminal cold case detective, sniffing out holes in your research and getting missing information on the record with cutting edge technology.
Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames. Discover tips and tricks to find your ancestors with common surnames and surnames that double as common words in the English language with Google. Learn how to weed out irrelevant search results to save time and get to what you want faster. Then save and automate your searches to run for you! You’ll not only improve your searches, but also improve the chances that the information you post online will be found by other genealogists facilitating collaboration!
Don’t miss Lisa’s Google tips!
Solve more family history mysteries with Lisa Louise Cooke’s top-selling book, The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox (2nd edition). This “Google bible” for the genealogist tells you everything you need to know to master Google’s many powerful tools. Step-by-step instructions, clear illustrations and inspiring examples will teach you how to get the most out of Google searching (even for common surnames), Google Earth, Google Books, Google Scholar, Google Alerts, Google Translate and even YouTube.
wonder it made the #7 spot on this week’s Top 10 genealogy blog post countdown!
I’m guessing that’s why Lisa’s post on Ancestry’s new Social Security Applications and Claims Index made the #7 spot on our genealogy blog countdown this week! This enriched index adds parents’ names and more to millions of SSDI indexed entries. 
Ready, set, SHARE! And thank YOU for helping us celebrate our 1000th blog post here at Genealogy Gems.
