Weekly Genealogy Toolkit

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. 
 
@theWGTPod

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
 

Military Records - World War 2

Fall in! you've reached the last episode in the special series on military records. If this is your first to tune into, have a look back through the series. It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about World War 2.
Links in this episode:
Masters of the Air by Donald Miller
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer
Silent Victory by Clay Blair Jr.
A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II
UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II: READER'S GUIDE
Request Military Service Records
IDPF FOIA Address:
Department of the ArmyU.S. Army Human Resources CommandATTN: AHRC-FOIA1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Dept. 107Fort Knox, Kentucky 40122-5504502-613-4400usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.foia@army.mil
Select Online IDPFs at the National Archives
American Battle Monuments CommissionCourthouse Plaza II2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 500Arlington, VA 22201703-696-6897
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Submarine War Patrol Reports
Veterans Affairs Regional Offices
Unit Histories
US Army Center of Military History
US Naval History and Heritage Command
USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Military Records - World War 1

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about World War 1. 
Links in this episode:
A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin
Over There: The United States Army in the Great War 1917-1918 by Byron Farwell
ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE UNITED STATES LAND FORCES IN THE WORLD WAR
UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE WORLD WAR 1917-1919
THE U.S. ARMY IN THE WORLD WAR I ERA
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION CLAIM FILES AND WORLD WAR I BURIAL FILES
Request Military Service Records
The American Legion Digital Archive
Order of the First World War Resource Page
US Army Center of Military History
US Naval History and Heritage Command
USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Military Records - The Civil War

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about The Civil War
Links in this episode:
This Great Struggle by Stephen Woodworth
The organization and administration of the Union army, 1861-1865 / by Fred Albert Shannon v.1
The organization and administration of the Union army, 1861-1865 / by Fred Albert Shannon v.2
The Armies in Gray by Dan Fullerton
Fold3.com Civil War Collection
National Archives Civil War Collection
US Army Register of Enlistments (FamilySearch, Ancestry, Fold3)
Civil War era medical terms
Union Pension Records
Confederate Pension Records
1883 Pension Roll (Ancestry)
US Army Center of Military History
US Naval History and Heritage Command
American Battlefield Trust
USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Military Records - Mexican War & more

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about the Mexican War
Links in this episode:
The Occupation of Mexico (PDF)
What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe (Amazon)
Abstract of Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers (FamilySearch)
Order Compiled Service Records from the National Archives
Limited Compiled Service Records (Ancestry)
US Army Register of Enlistments (FamilySearch, Ancestry, Fold3)
Pension Records Index (FamilySearch)
1883 Pension Roll (Ancestry)
US Army Center of Military History
US Naval History and Heritage Command
USMA Digital History Center - Atlases