by Lisa Cooke | Mar 4, 2014 | 01 What's New, Family History Podcast, Irish, Mobile, RootsMagic, Source Citation

Listen to the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast by Lisa Louise Cooke. It’s a great series for learning the research ropes and well as refreshing your skills.
Originally published 2009. Republished March 4, 2014
https://lisalouisecooke.com/familyhistorypodcast/audio/fh21.mp3
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 something new. I first ran this series in 2008-2009. So many people have asked about it, I’m bringing it back in weekly segments.
Episode 21: RootsMagic and Irish Genealogy
Lacey Cooke guest-hosts this double-feature episode on two big topics in family history: RootsMagic genealogy software and how to get started in Irish research.
In the first segment you’ll from Bruce Buzbee, president and founder of RootsMagic Genealogy Software. He talks about his industry-leading software, RootsMagic, which you can try in basic form for free (RootsMagic Essentials) or purchase with all the bells and whistles (totally worth it!) for $29.95.
And in our second segment you’ll hear from Judith Wight. This is a very timely conversation since we are soon to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Judith is a professional genealogist whose specialty (and personal passion) is Irish research. This is your chance to learn from a master about how to find those elusive Irish ancestors! Listen for her tips on finding Church of Ireland records, civil registrations, estate records and how history helps us understand gaps in the records.
More Irish Research Links!
Irish Genealogy
RootsIreland
by Lisa Cooke | Sep 25, 2019 | 01 What's New, FamilySearch |
When new genealogy records come online, they can be in different forms. Sometimes they are indexed records and sometime they are browse-only digital images.
Either way, new genealogy content online is always welcome. And this week this new content is free thanks to FamilySearch.

Don’t let the fact that some of these genealogy records are currently browse-only images. in our article Browse Only Databases at FamilySearch are Easy to Use, we’ll help you navigate these types of records. It’s not difficult to do, and the rewards can be big.

Example of accessing browse-only digital images at FamilySearch
If you haven’t used FamilySearch before, all it requires is that you sign up for a free account which you can do here at their website.
Here’s the latest press release from FamilySearch detailing the newest content.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT—FamilySearch.org added over 13 million new, free, unindexed digital images of historical Italian records this week from Avellino, Belluno, Caserta, Matera, Verona, and Vicenza, Italy. Other indexed records include areas from Brazil, Germany, Peru, South Africa and the United States, including Alabama and Kansas.
Click here to search over 8 billion free names and record images catalogued on FamilySearch.
(Find and share this announcement online from the FamilySearch Newsroom.)
Brazil
Brazil, Pernambuco, Civil Registration, 1804-2016
Indexed records: 162,706
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil, São Paulo, Civil Registration, 1925-1995
Indexed Records: 199
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Germany

Germany, Baden, Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau, Catholic Church Records, 1678-1930
Indexed records: 1,045,113
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Germany, Bavaria, Diocese of Augsburg, Catholic Church Records, 1615-1939
Indexed Records: 383,480
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Italy

Italy, Avellino, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1947
Digital Images: 3,099,458
Added images to an existing collection
Italy, Belluno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815
Digital Images: 43,298 New browsable image collection.
Italy, Caserta, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1866
Digital Images: 4,543,698
Added images to an existing collection
Italy, Matera, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1925
Digital Images: 1,323,614
New browsable image collection.
Italy, Verona, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1630-1942
Digital Images: 2,796,910
New browsable image collection.
Italy, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1871-1942
Digital Images: 1,637,660
Added images to an existing collection
Peru
Peru, Lima, Civil Registration, 1874-1996
Digital Images: 175,257
Added images to an existing collection
The records newly added to this collection have not yet been digitized. Click the clink at the bottom of the search page to browse.

Click to browse genealogy records from Peru
Here’s an example of what these Civil Registration record from Peru look like:

Example of Civil Registration records from Peru
South Africa
South Africa, Natal, Passenger Lists, 1860-1911
Indexed Records: 154,091
Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States
Alabama, Jefferson County Circuit Court Papers, 1870-1916
Indexed Records: 30,070
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Kansas, Grant County, Census Records, 1895-1982
Indexed Records: 87,928 0
New indexed records collection

An example of a record from the Kansas Grant County Census Record Collection
United States Census, 1880
Digital Images: 13
Added images to an existing collection
United States, Cemetery Abstracts
Indexed Records: 179,757
Added indexed records to an existing collection
Share Your Findings
Did you find a genealogy gems in one of these new records at FamilySearch? Please leave a comment below.
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 18, 2015 | 01 What's New, Ancestry, DNA
“This is huge!” That’s how DNA expert Diahan Southard summed up major advances at AncestryDNA this past year. Her post was huge, too: it landed the #5 spot on our Top 10 genealogy blog posts for 2015 countdown. See why!
To those who have spent a lot of time doing genetic genealogy, bringing up the launch of significant updates to AncestryDNA earlier this year may seem like old news. But it’s not. AncestryDNA is still the only company with fairly advanced tools for integrating your genetic matches with your family tree. That combo is so attractive, they’ve already acquired more than a million samples in their current DNA database–a huge pond in which to fish for genetic matches.
That’s why Diahan’s popular post on updates to AncestryDNA and DNA Circles is still newsworthy. As she explained, “This is really the first time a DNA testing company has so fully integrated genetics and genealogy. We can now find cousins in the database who do not share our particular genetics, but who do share some of the genetics of our common ancestor.”
Before doing any DNA test, we always encourage genealogists to do their homework. Different tests should be used for different genealogical questions. Each company offers unique tools, perks and sometimes drawbacks for genealogy customers. Unexpected results and unpredictable encounters with genetic relatives may be difficult for some. Diahan’s Autosomal DNA for the Genealogist quick guide can help you find your way. Her other guides include those specific to AncestryDNA and autosomal DNA (the type of DNA they test at Ancestry). Click here to check them out–and see a great value price to bundle her guides.
Once you’re ready to try an AncestryDNA test, click here to purchase, and you’ll support the free Genealogy Gem blog and podcast. (Thank you!)
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!