Weekly Genealogy Toolkit

Audit your tree

It's only natural that the more genealogy we do, the better we get at it. In genealogy being better means being finding more records and being more accurate. So what do you do about all that work you did earlier when your skills weren't as developed. It's time for an audit.
 
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Foreign Language Records

As an American doing genealogy, it's so exciting when you finally see those documents that show what country your family came from. Once you've learned everything there is to learn in America about them, it's time to cross the pond and start learning about them in the home country... But what if that country's records aren't in English? Have no fear, you're not at a dead end just yet. 
 
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Burned Counties

We've all come across that location that is challenging to research because the courthouse burned, or flooded, or was destroyed by a tornado. It's a common enough occurrence that just about every genealogist has bumped into this problem. For many this becomes a brick wall for them... don't be content to leave walls in your tree. While some information is truly lost, don't give up until you've done everything you can. 
Listen to hear tips on how to get around pesky record loss and still find out the answers to your questions. 
 
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Offline Research

I've said it many times before, but not everything that you are going to be looking for can be found online. So grab your keys, we're going to hit the road and go check out the libraries, court houses, and dusty back rooms to find some neat stuff. 

Finding Women

Let's dive into a common challenge for beginner genealogists—tracking down the women in your family tree. Often, maiden names feel like locked doorways, especially in records predating 1850. We can overcome these "brick walls." From scouring censuses for hidden clues to finding forgotten family connections in wills and death certificates, this episode offers practical advice for uncovering the women in your ancestry. Learn how creativity and persistence can reveal the stories that go unnoticed.
Tune in for tips, stories, and a reminder that offline research still holds treasure!

Legal Research

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.
 
Are you understanding your sources fully? Or are you missing parts and pieces, or worse yet, are you misunderstanding what your source is or what it is saying? Spend some time researching the process that generated the document you are looking at, and research any terms that you don't fully understand. You might be surprised what you find. 
The Legal Genealogist

History Focus - The North Carolina Regulators

Sorry for the lengthy episode this week, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to talk about an episode of early American history little known outside of the state of North Carolina. It's an important event though, and it's a great example of the kind of small historical footnotes that may have featured prominently in the lives of your ancestors. 
 
If you want to learn more about the North Carolina Regulator Movement, check out the following books:
Dissenting Farmers by Carole Watterson Troxler
Breaking Loose Together by Marjoleine Kars

Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy

These days, it seems like even your breakfast cereal has AI in it. But can you use the most common AI tools for genealogy? Absolutely yes! but they should come with a surgeon general's warning. 

Social Media for Genealogy

You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and probably just about any other social media platform out there for genealogy. This episode will go over a brief "walkthrough" of how to find some cousins, and even more good information using your favorite time-waster. 
 
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Genealogy on the cheap

Have you ever gotten into a new hobby and it seemed so affordable at first. You buy a thing here or there, none of which cost much money... but after you've been in it for a bit and you tally it up, you've spent a small fortune? Genealogy is like that, but the spending never really ends. 
It's okay though, because you can absolutely get a lot of family history research done for little or even no money. Let's jump in and figure out how to be kind to our piggy bank, and still uncover all those family mysteries. 
 
FamilySearch
USGenWeb
RootsWeb
Cyndi's List