Genealogy Gems - Your Family History Channel

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 205 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! https://lisalouisecooke.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/GGP-205-with-Lisa.png This episode breaks two huge pieces of genealogy news and shares two great conversations: FamilySearch ends microfilm lending: how you can get the records you need; RootsMagic adds Ancestry.com compatibility: sync your Ancestry.com tree to your master RootsMagic file and search Ancestry.com from within the software; Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, talks about visiting archives to explore original manuscript record treasures; Nicole Dyer shares a fun family history activity idea to do with kids—do you have a family gathering coming up that could use this inspiration? A SURPRISE IN MY MAILBOX! NEWS Navigating the end of FamilySearch Microfilm Lending RootsMagic Adds Ancestry.com Sync and Search NEW PREMIUM VIDEO! Lisa Louise Cooke shows you how to use the free Google Earth Pro software to create your own historic map collection customized for your genealogy and family history research. By the end of this class you’ll have a permanent collection of hundreds of gorgeous historic and vintage maps from around the world, organized and ready to use for family history. Click here to watch a free preview of this full-length video class. Genealogy Gems Premium website members can watch the whole thing: click here to learn more. LISA: I thought the resolution of the jpg version wasn’t good, so I just left this ad as text. The 4th Annual Northwest Genealogy Conference This episode today is brought to you by the 4rd Annual Northwest Genealogy Conference, hosted by the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society, north of Seattle in Arlington, WA. Centering on the theme, “Where Does Your Story Begin?” it’s four days PACKED full of genealogy. There will be well-known and respected keynote speakers, including our friend and genetic genealogist Diahan Southard, speaking on DNA; Kenyatta Berry of Genealogy Roadshow fame, speaking on Caribbean research and using slave schedules in research; and Daniel Earl speaking on Putting History in Your Family History. Starting off with the Free Day Wednesday afternoon, Speaker Peggy Lauritzen will address beginner's issues in her Genealogy 101 presentation, which is also a good refresher for the more seasoned genealogists. There will be such great genealogical information for all levels, AND it'll be lot of fun! Between classes take a chance to meet a distant cousin with the “Cousin Wall”. Participate in the genealogy-related scavenger hunt, the Wednesday evening meet and greet and the Friday dress-as-your-ancestor day, and much, much more! Go to www.NwGC.org for details and to register. Check it out now -- registrations are limited, so it's good to get in early. It’s August 16-19, 2017. It’ll be a great show: don’t miss it! INTERVIEW: MELISSA BARKER, THE ARCHIVE LADY Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Records Manager, the Houston County, Tennessee Archivist and author of the popular blog A Genealogist in the Archives and bi-weekly advice column The Archive Lady. She has been researching her own family history for the past 27 years. Preserve your own family archive: Items in danger: Original items in attics, basements What to preserve first: The most precious and original items you have! Restoration tips: Clean documents and photos with archival sponges. Lay the item perfectly flat. Gently place a finger or hand to hold it steady. Work with the sponge from the center outward, in small sections. Keep two-dimensional items as flat as possible. Encase fragile items in Mylar sleeves (buy from archival supply companies). Visiting an archive: Call ahead! Don’t trust the operational hours from the website. Ask about parking – it’s often very limited. Ask ahead about access to archival items of interest. Archive etiquette: Follow the rules. Be courteous when working with staff. Museums, societies, archives, and libraries may all have collections in back rooms you can’t see—but you can ask for them. Vertical Files – in folders in cabinets Manuscript Collections – underused in genealogy! Ask for finding aid. Loose Records – the working papers of a court case, for example Unprocessed Records – not yet incorporated into the official collection Tips for using your mobile devices in archives: Ask for procedures for taking photos with your own device. There may be rules against this or a use fee. Capture the source information by photographs: cover page, page number, folder, box number, manuscript collection name, etc. BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users Get the app here If you’re listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus audio content for this...

As a premium member of Genealogy Gems, you have access to all of the podcasts, ebooks and class videos. Our latest release is this class by Lisa Louise Cooke. Learn how to use the free Google Earth Pro software to create your own historic map collection customized for your genealogy and family history research. By the end of of this 1 hour class you'll have a permanent collection of hundreds of gorgeous historic and vintage maps from around the world, organized and ready to use for family history. Lisa is the leader in using Google Earth for genealogy and this class shows you why. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to follow all of our video created just for you and your family history. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member here: https://lisalouisecooke.com/premium-membership/ Download Google Earth Pro for free: https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html Listen to the free Genealogy Gems Podcast at https://www.genealogygems.com Download the Genealogy Gems app from your favorite app store. Get Lisa's book The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, and her Google Earth for Genealogy video tutorial series at the Genealogy Gems Store: https://www.shopgenealogygems.com/

Join Lisa Louise Cooke and Sunny Morton of The Genealogy Gems Podcast at www.genealogygems.com and in iTunes as they explore the new Discovery Center at the Salt Lake City Genealogical Library in Utah. With the latest in technology, you can explore the your family history in a mind-blowing new way! The Discovery Center is located on the first floor of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the largest genealogy library in the world. Centers will be popping up in more locations in the future. https://familysearch.org/discovery/

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 204 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! Canadian expert Dave Obee shares the story of the Canadian home children tips on newspaper research. Also in this episode: New site features at MyHeritage, including improved DNA ethnicity analysis (it’s free—upload your DNA!); An excerpt from the Genealogy Gems Book Club interview with Fannie Flagg about The Whole Town’s Talking—and a great summer reading idea; A detailed get-started guide to British Isles research: Terminology and census/civil BMD record tips from Kate Eakman at Legacy Tree Genealogists Why so many weddings are traditionally held in June. NEWS: DNA AND CATALOG UPDATES AT MYHERITAGE MyHeritage.com: DNA ethnicity estimate updates and new collection Catalog View an example of the new ethnicity analysis presentation here: https://vimeo.com/218348730/51174e0b49 3 top uses for the new MyHeritage catalog (with additional details and commentary) MyHeritage Quick Reference Guide (Newly-updated in 2017) Genealogy Giants: Comparing the 4 Major Websites. This brand new, comprehensive guide helps you answer the question, "Which genealogy websites should I use?" MAILBOX: BOOK CLUB COMMENTS Visit the book club here. Companion video recommendations: Genealogy Journey: Running Away to Home video (click here to see the book) “You Came and Saved Us” video with author Chris Cleave, Everyone Brave is Forgiven Alan Cumming on Who Do You Think You Are? Episode summary Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming For more information: www.nwgc.org Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends RootsMagic family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. In the works: soon RootsMagic will be fully integrated with Ancestry.com, too: you’ll be able to sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site. Learn more or sign up for Backblaze here. Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at http://www.backblaze.com/. INTERVIEW: DAVE OBEE Continuing our celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday! Dave Obee is an internationally-renowned Canadian journalist, historian and genealogist. Dave is a columnist for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today (formerly Family Chronicle). Dave has also written about family history for Canada's History and Your Family Tree in the United Kingdom. Put Dave’s books on your shelf - you can get them here. Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census Destination Canada: A Genealogical Guide to Immigration Records Making the News: A Times Columnist Look at 150 Years of History Canada research tips: Look in newspapers for ship crossings, notable people sailing, approximate numbers of passengers etc. Don’t just rely on search engines for digitized newspapers. Browse the papers where you find some hits. Canada Home Children: Watch and Learn Forgotten, an award-winning documentary (watch the trailer here) Childhood Lost: The Story of Canada’s Home Children documentary (watch it on YouTube) LEGACY TREE GEM: ENGLISH PARISH RECORDS Visit Legacy Tree Genealogists: http://www.legacytree.com/genealogygems Read a companion blog post on English parish records, with several image examples and links to the resources Kate Eakman recommends. Legacy Tree Genealogists provides expert genealogy research service that works with your research goals, budget and schedule. The Legacy Tree Discovery package offers 3.5 hours of preliminary analysis and research recommendations: a great choice if you’ve hit a brick wall in your research and could use some expert guidance. EXCLUSIVE OFFER for Genealogy Gems readers! Receive $100 off a 20-hour+ research project from Legacy Tree Genealogists with code GG100, valid through July 31st, 2017. GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB: FANNIE FLAGG INTERVIEW The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg Genealogy Gems Premium website members may hear this entire conversation in the upcoming Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast episode #148. BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users LINK IMAGE TO: http://lisalouisecooke.com/get-app/ If you’re listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus audio content for this episode comes from Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, in honor of International Archives Day on June 9. The Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and is only $2.99 for Windows,...

Here's an example of a very easy to create family history video. It took me less than an hour start to finish. My husband Bill does not enjoy being on camera, and if I add an interview to the scenerio, I have an even bigger challenge on my hands. Does that sound like anyone in your family? Getting a family member to sit down and answer questions about their life or an ancestor they remember can be an uphill battle, but the climb is worth it. Each one of us has a very unique view of the world. Even though we may remember the same person, our memories and feelings will be distinctly individual, and therefore are worth capturing. With Father's Day is just around the corner, and we have a new granddaughter joining our family next month. Now seemed like the perfect time to quickly cobble together an interview video with Bill sharing his memories about his dad. I shared some old photos with him and captured his memories. I hope you this has inspired you my friends to capture your family's memories! Learn how to easily make a video like this yourself: https://lisalouisecooke.com/2017/06/remembering-dad-video/ Learn how to use Animoto for family history videos and genealogy: https://lisalouisecooke.com/family-history-videos/

CLASS PREVIEW: Have you had your DNA tested? Your ethnicity results are just part of value of DNA testing. With your DNA results you will also start getting a lot of genetic matches. In our full length Genealogy Gems Premium Video Class called Organizing DNA, you'll learn how to organize all those DNA matches from my dear friend, Diahan Southard Your DNA Guide. This quick class preview gives you a feel for what we cover in that class. I’m Lisa Louise Cooke and I’m so please to bring to you Your DNA Guide at the Genealogy Gems Podcast, Diahan Southard. She is a microbiology graduate who worked before and after graduation with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. Growing up with the budding genetic genealogy industry led her to her current position as Your DNA Guide at yourdnaguide.com where she provides personalized and interactive experiences to assist individuals and families in interpreting their genetic results in the context of their genealogical information. Diahan has a passion for genealogy that you’ll hear in this presentation, and she has a beautiful way of making the technical sounds oh so understandable. You can become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member here: https://lisalouisecooke.com/premium-membership/ Your one year subscription (with no annoying auto renewal) gets you over 30 genealogy classes on video complete with downloadable handouts, and over 140 exclusive podcast episode for your listening pleasure. Check out the Premium class topics: https://lisalouisecooke.com/premium-videos/ Check out the Premium Podcast episodes: https://lisalouisecooke.com/premium-episode-archive/ Get Diahan's DNA quick reference guides / cheat sheets: https://www.shopgenealogygems.com/collections/dna-guides-print

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 203 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! This episode features a special interview with renowned Canadian expert Dave Obee. He shares his favorite tips on researching the Canadian census—his insights are fascinating whether you have Canadian ancestors or not! Also in this episode: an inspiring adoption discovery, DNA testing news at 23andMe, a tip for incorporating family history into a wedding, and a brand-new resource that can finally help you solve one of genealogy’s most perplexing questions. NEWS: ATLAS OF HISTORICAL COUNTY BOUNDARIES UPDATE Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Google Earth for Genealogy (and more on Google Earth Pro) LINK: https://lisalouisecooke.com/free-google-earth-for-genealogy-video-class-by-lisa-louise-cooke/ NEWS: 23andME DNA TEST UPDATES Click here for the full news and Diahan’s comments MORE recent DNA news: Family Tree DNA enhancements:Click here for the full story, with comments and step-by-step instructions on updated myOrigins tool Get help with DNA testing at both these sites with these quick reference guides by Diahan Southard: Understanding 23andMe Understanding Family Tree DNA NEW! GENEALOGY GIANTS GUIDE by Genealogy Gems Editor Sunny Morton Click here to watch the presentation that inspired this guide: a popular RootsTech 2017 lecture comparing the four major genealogy records websites: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. LINK: https://www.shopgenealogygems.com/collections/genealogy-guides/products/genealogy-giants-quick-guide Available in print or digital format This comprehensive quick reference guide explains: How knowing about all four websites can improve your family history research How the sites stack up when it comes to the numbers of historical records, names in trees, DNA profiles, site users, site languages and subscription costs Unique strengths of each website and cautions for using each What to keep in mind as you evaluate record content between sites Geographic record strengths: A unique table has an at-a-glance comparison for 30+ countries How to see what kinds of records are on each site without subscribing How family trees are structured differently at these websites—and why it matters Privacy, collaboration and security options at each site How DNA testing features differ at the two websites that offer it What you can do with free guest accounts at each website Subscription and free access options MAILBOX: LIZ ON FINDING CHUCK’S BIRTH FAMILY Click here to learn more about Diahan Southard’s genetic genealogy video tutorials—and a special discount price for Genealogy Gems fans. LINK TO: https://www.yourdnaguide.com/genealogy-gems-dna-tutorial Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends RootsMagic family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. In the works: soon RootsMagic will be fully integrated with Ancestry.com, too: you’ll be able to sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site. Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at http://www.backblaze.com/Lisa  MAILBOX: THANKS FOR 1940 CENSUS TIPS Kate Eakman shares tips for understanding the 1940: click here to read them or click here to listen to them on Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 201 MAILBOX: WEDDING TIP Before a wedding: start an online family tree and invite each family member to add what they know! Share family history this summer: Reunions, weddings, BBQs, etc Genealogy Gems Pinterest Page: Incorporating Family History Ideas into Your Wedding Go to: https://www.pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke/incorporating-family-history-into-your-wedding/ Our sponsor for this episode: StoryWorth Give Mom the gift of StoryWorth this Mother's Day Visit www.StoryWorth.com/Lisa to get $20 off Visit: www.StoryWorth.com/Lisa INTERVIEW: DAVE OBEE Continuing our celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday! Dave Obee is an internationally-renowned Canadian journalist, historian and genealogist. Dave is a columnist for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today (formerly Family Chronicle). Dave has also written about family history for Canada's History and Your Family Tree in the United Kingdom. Put Dave’s books on your shelf: Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census ...

Watch this quick preview of our newly updated Genealogy Gems Premium Video. Then, join Lisa Louise Cooke of The Genealogy Gems Podcast as she reveals 9 strategies to find your living relatives. Unleash your inner private eye and discover the tools that will help you connect with long lost cousins who may just hold the key to your genealogy brick wall! Become a Premium member at https://lisalouisecooke.com/premium-membership/ Individual Premium Membership includes dozens of Lisa's most popular family history presentations on video complete with downloadable PDF handouts. Watch from the comfort of your own home on your schedule all year long. Genealogy Societies and Libraries option: Our Genealogy Gems package for Societies and Libraries provides you with a year long license to show Lisa's video classes at your next event. Learn more at https://lisalouisecooke.com/society/.

On Earth Day 2017 Google launched the new Google Earth for Chrome. I'm a HUGE fan of using Google Earth Pro for Genealogy (check out my free tutorial at packed with Google Earth secrets at http://tinyurl.com/GoogleEarthFreeClass to see the awesome things you can do!) so in this video I'll take you on a tour of the new Google Earth for Chrome, and tell you whether you should make the switch when it comes to Genealogy and family history. Join me, Lisa Louise Cooke, for the free Genealogy Gems Podcast at www.genealogygems.com. It's available through iTunes, TuneIn (listen on your Amazon Echo!) and many other podcast forums. Download our app in Apple's App Store, or from Google Play for Android. You'll get the best genealogy strategies and inspirations whether you are brand new to genealogy, or a seasoned genealogist.

Video creation has never been easier thanks to Animoto. Beth Forester of Animoto explains how to get started, and I'll show you awesome examples from my own family history that I created literally in just minutes. And we'll chat about why sharing your family history research through fun family history video is so powerful and is the BEST way to reach the next generation. We filmed this at the RootsTech 2017 national conference. I have a ton of great how-to content on my site to help you make your awesome videos: https://lisalouisecooke.com/family-history-videos/ Join me, Lisa Louise Cooke, for the free Genealogy Gems Podcast at www.genealogygems.com. It's available through iTunes, TuneIn (listen on your Amazon Echo!) and many other podcast forums. Download our app in Apple's App Store, or from Google Play for Android. You'll get the best genealogy strategies and inspirations whether you are brand new to genealogy, or a seasoned genealogist.

Premium Class Preview: Here's a preview of my Institutional Records video class. This video class is available as part of Genealogy Gems Premium Website Membership at http://www.genealogygems.com If you are in search of genealogical records such as hospitals, asylums, workhouses and other types of institutional records, this class is for you. I'll show you how to establish a work flow and conduct online searches to help you locate the best resources available both online and offline at archives and other repositories. This 40 minute class comes with a downloadable handout. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership at www.genealogygems.com Thanks for watching!

The App Essentials Video Class Preview is a quick way to see what we cover in our full length Genealogy Gems Premium video class. This exclusive video class will reveal the essential tips for finding and using the apps that apply directly to your Genealogy and Family History Research. Explore the world of technology with Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems Podcast and discover what tools are out there that you may be missing.

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 202 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! Highlights of this episode include: AncestryDNA’s new Genetic Communities: An Interview with Catherine Ball, Ancestry’s Chief Scientific Officer; Meet contestant Joe Greer from Relative Race, the genealogy reality show; The new Genealogy Gems Book Club featured title: a novel from an internationally best-selling author A botched reference to the 1950 census in a Stephen King novel—and 5 tips for counting down to the 1950 census release in exactly 5 years Naming traditions tip from a listener Lisa’s Google search strategies: search operators, YouTube and more. NEWS: ANCESTRYDNA GENETIC COMMUNITIES Ancestry.com rolls out AncestryDNA Genetic Communities FREE VIDEO: Introducing AncestryDNA Genetic Communities Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 201 about new AncestryDNA study. NEWS: MYHERITAGE CONSISTENCY CHECKER Access by logging in to your MyHeritage account and find this tool under the Family Tree dropdown menu: The tool searches for different kinds of potential errors or inconsistencies in your tree: A Similar Tool: RootsMagic Problem Search In RootsMagic, find it under the Tools menu. Select Problem Search, then Problem List to select the different kinds of problems you can have RootsMagic identify for you and to choose what age ranges you decide are out of bounds for a new father or mother. MAILBOX: NAMING TRADITIONS Norwegian naming traditions tip from listener Irish naming conventions mentioned in this Q&A with Irish expert Kate Eakman Mexican Genealogy Guide by David A. Fryxell (Use promo code GEMS17 for 10% off this great product. Good through 12/31/17.) 2 more places to find naming traditions: Google search: for the name of the country or ethnic group, plus naming traditions FamilySearch Wiki MAILBOX: GOOGLE SEARCH OPERATOR TIP: “Oppenheim the butcher, NOT the bomb!” FREE VIDEO TUTORIAL: Speak Google’s Language: Google Search Operator Basics The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, 2nd edition by Lisa Louise Cooke MAILBOX: STEPHEN KING AND THE 1950 CENSUS To search inside books in Amazon: INTERVIEW: JOE GREER ON RELATIVE RACE Meet Team Black: Joe and Madison Greer of Portland, OR Relative Race: “What happens when genealogy meets reality TV? Using their DNA as a guide, contestants embark on the ultimate road trip across America, completing challenges and meeting unknown relatives along the way.” Click here to watch past episodes online for free. The last two episodes of season two, 9 & 10, will air back to back respectively at 7pm MT/9pm ET and 8pm MT/10PM ET on Sunday, April 30. Click here to learn more about the show BONUS CONTENT FOR GENEALOGY GEMS APP USERSFree PDF summary of 8 top genealogy TV shows from the past several years and where you can watch them online—a few of them for free, including Relative Race. The Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users. INTERVIEW: Catherine Ball, Chief Scientific Officer, Ancestry.com About Catherine Ball: Chief Scientific Officer at Ancestry FREE VIDEO DEMO: Introducing AncestryDNA Genetic Communities Study using AncestryDNA data identifies group migration patterns Thanks to Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard for joining us to talk about this new development in genetic genealogy. Click here to learn more about Diahan’s how-to DNA video tutorials and personal consultation services for solving your family history mysteries with DNA. GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB New featured title: The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg A multi-generational novel about a Swedish immigrant and the town he builds in the American Midwest by luring other Swedish settlers and a mail-order bride. As characters die, they take up residency in the local cemetery and continue to comment on the activities and people of the town. Also recommended by Fannie Flagg: The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion New from past Book Club authors: The Missing Man by Nathan Dylan Goodwin, a novella in his popular Forensic Genealogist series Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave is now available in paperback PROFILE AMERICA: THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE PRODUCTION CREDITS Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer Sunny Morton, Editor Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide, Content Contributor Lacey Cooke, Service Manager Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer

Beginning your genealogy research is challenging, so it's important to know the top tips on how to get started. Amie Tennant and Lisa Louise Cooke discuss where to start, interviewing family members, and what to do with that information. Tip #1: Start with yourself and work backwards. Tip #2: Interview relatives closest to you. Tip #3: Then verify that information by through records. Tip #4: Take one generation at a time. Visit our Beginning Genealogy page at http://lisalouisecooke.com/beginning-genealogy/ Filmed at #Rootstech2017

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 201 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! In this episode, I chat with Angela Walton-Raji, expert in U.S. and African-American research, about tips for interviewing relatives and taking your African-American family tree back to the era of slavery. Other highlights of this episode include: A RootsTech 2017 recap, with info on archived streaming sessions; Great news from Findmypast about its new Catholic Heritage Archive; A ground-breaking study from AncestryDNA that identifies specific migration patterns among genetically-related clusters of people; Follow-up mail from Lisa’s Episode 200 celebration; An expert Q&A on finding relatives who don’t appear in the census where you expect them to; A teaser clip from the upcoming Genealogy Gems Book Club interview with Annie Barrows, author of The Truth According to Us. ROOTSTECH 2017 RECAP Genealogy Gems booth streaming sessions are on the Genealogy Gems Podcast Facebook page. "Like" our page, and then scroll down to Videos and click See all (shown here). You’ll find: Lisa Louise Cooke: Google search methodology for genealogy, using Google Earth for genealogy and creating memorable, easy family history videos; Diahan Southard: Understanding your DNA ethnic pie chart; Amie Tennant: Digital journaling and scrapbooking; Sunny Morton: Jogging your memories and “Genealogy Jackpot” (on researching her ancestors’ survival of the Great Johnstown flood of 1889. POPULAR ROOTSTECH STREAMING LECTURE “THE BIG 4” NOW ONLINE Watch “The Big 4: Comparing Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage” by Gems Editor Sunny Morton and catch a summary of its main points Catch our future free Genealogy Gems streaming sessions on Facebook! You can also Like and follow the Genealogy Gems Facebook page to hear about (and sometimes watch) streaming sessions. GENEALOGY GEMS APP BONUS MATERIAL If you listen through the Genealogy Gems app (FREE in Google Play) and $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users), your bonus material for this episode is a short video clip showing a time-lapse perspective on RootsTech 2017 from the exhibitor hall. NEWS: FINDMYPAST CATHOLIC HERITAGE ARCHIVE Catholic Heritage Archive at Findmypast.com In the Boston Globe: Archdiocese of Boston and New England Historic Genealogical Society plans to bring 10 million+ parish records online MAILBOX: Robin mentioned she’s learned so much from Lisa on these topics: Evernote, Google Books for genealogy, Newspaper research, How to use an iPad for genealogy, How to organize electronic files (see the free Family History Made Easy podcast, episodes 32-33) Google Drive Scrivener software for writing family history Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with Animoto.com. You don’t need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You’ve got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at Animoto.com. Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at http://www.backblaze.com/Lisa. INTERVIEW: ANGELA WALTON-RAJI Angela Walton-Raji instructs the African-American Genealogy Research Essentials webinar. Purchase it with this link and use coupon code GEMS17 for 10% off, valid through 12/31/17. Angela’s oral history questions: What to ask your elders Did they happen to know anyone who had been born a slave when they were a child? Who was the oldest person that you remember when you were a child? And did that person ever talk about anyone who may have been enslaved? What do you know about where the family was from? (Were we always from Georgia, or, were we always from Pennsylvania, or was there a time when we came from another place? (Read more about the Great Migration she mentioned.) Why did we move? Who remembers that journey? Were people involved in the Civil Rights movement, in the Garvey era, with the Freedom Riders, or other important events in their lifetime? What kinds of things did they see? Who in the family participated in the military (in World War II, I, the Spanish-American War)? African-American military units through the mid-20th century were still referred to as Buffalo soldiers. (She mentioned the Triple Nickel, a unit of all-black World War II paratroopers. MyHeritage.com is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. Click here to see what MyHeritage can do for you: it’s free to get started. Lisa Louise Cooke uses and...

Here's a 1 minute time lapse view of what goes into bringing Genealogy Gems and The Genealogy Gems Podcast to #Rootstech2017 You'll also learn how you can watch videos of our free genealogy classes that we presented throughout the conference. Download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app from your favorite mobile app store and take us with you all year long! www.GenealogyGems.com

Irish genealogy research is challenging, so it's important to follow a proven process. Donna Moughty and Lisa Louise Cooke discuss where to start, defining your research goal, gathering the information in the U.S. that you will need to research in Ireland, and how research in Irish records has changed dramatically. Guide #1: Preparing for Success in Irish Records Research (U.S. research) Guide #2: Irish Civil Registration and Church Records Available individually or as a bundle at https://www.shopgenealogygems.com Filmed at #Rootstech2017

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 200 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! It’s finally here—the 200th episode of the free Genealogy Gems podcast, also celebrating its 10th year. In this special episode, Lisa invites Professor Mark Auslander to share his discoveries about a mother and young daughter separated by slavery. Learn how he pieced together their story from a poignant family heirloom found at a flea market. Throughout the episode, you will hear from several listeners, past podcast guests, Gems staffers and supporters in the genealogy industry with congratulations, memories, stories, and favorite Gems tips. Listen for the DNA success story of an adoptee who never gave up his search for his biological roots. Thanks to all listeners and friends who sent congratulations! Among them are: Allison Dolan, Publisher, Family Tree Magazine. She mentioned the Family Tree Magazine Podcast Bruce Buzbee, RootsMagic family history software DearMYRTLE, veteran online genealogy educator and author of the award-winning DearMYRTLE blog. She mentioned Lisa’s Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast; her all-day seminars at societies; and classes at her booth during conferences. Geoff Rasmussen, Legacy Family Tree webinars, and author of Kindred Voices: Listening for Our Ancestors Jim Shaughnessy, Findmypast.com Mary Tedesco, host and genealogist on PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow, founder of Origins Italy, co-author of Tracing Your Italian Ancestors and a guest on Genealogy Gems Podcast episode #175, talking about Italian research and her work on Genealogy Roadshow Steve Luxenberg, author of Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret. Listen to Lisa’s conversation with him in The Genealogy Gems Podcast episodes 120 and 121. This book and interview planted the seed for the Genealogy Gems Book Club! Yev Pusin, Social Marketing Marketer, Backblaze online computer backup service, also celebrating its 10th anniversary NEWS: FAMICITY KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN Famicity Kickstarter campaign: see several options for contributing, including options that come with a Famicity Premium subscription as a reward. Pledges will only be collected if they reach their Kickstarter goal, and subscriptions become active in the summer with the official launch. Tip: the Kickstarter page gives contributions in British currency. Google currency converter to see a tool for converting those amounts to your currency. ROOTSTECH 2017: IN PERSON AND STREAMING CLASSES IN PERSON: If you’re attending RootsTech on February 8-11, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah, come by the Genealogy Gems booth for exclusive 30-minute classes on the hottest topics; prizes at every class AND a Saturday Grand Prize drawing; great Gems product specials and a new and wider selection of products we love. Click here to learn more. LIVE STREAMING: Lisa will be live-streaming marked sessions (above) via the free Periscope app. Get it in Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Sign up for a free account and follow Lisa Louise Cooke to tune in. Sign up for notifications in Periscope, and your phone will “ping” whenever Lisa starts streaming! Broadcasts stay in the Periscope app for 24 hours. Like and follow the Genealogy Gems Facebook page to hear about more streaming sessions. RootsTech offers a few free live-streaming sessions; click here to see the full schedule. Gems editor Sunny Morton will be streaming on Friday, Feb 10 at 3:00 pm Mountain Time with “The Big 4: Comparing Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage.” MAILBOX: LISA AND SUNNY The following were mentioned in listener emails and voicemails: Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast by Lisa Louise Cooke. This is a FREE step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn something new. One listener mentioned the series on naturalization records in episodes 29-31. The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast by Lisa Louise Cooke. Monthly episodes—and the full archive of past episodes—are available to Genealogy Gems Premium website subscribers. This podcast takes what you love about the free Genealogy Gems podcast and goes deeper, broader and more exclusively into topics of interest for U.S. and international audiences. The Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and is only $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users. Free video at Lisa’s YouTube Channel: The history of Christmas seals. Subscribe for free to the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel so you’ll get notice about all her upcoming videos, including future installations of her popular Google video tip series. Using Evernote to organize your family history research: free tips and great resources to help you make the most of this free app (or its Premium version) to...

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 199 with Lisa Louise Cooke www.GenealogyGems.com Download our FREE App! In this episode, Lisa celebrates Canada’s 150th anniversary with Clare Banton from Library and Archives Canada. You’ll also hear how Lisa will be marking another anniversary in 2017: the 10th year of this Genealogy Gems podcast. More episode highlights: Google Earth VR. The VR stands for virtual reality and yes, it’s just as cool as it sounds. An inspiring follow-up email from Gay, whose YouTube discovery Lisa shared in episode 198, and a great conference tip from Barbara just in time for RootsTech. Genealogy Gems Book Club Guru Sunny Morton announces the new Book Club title. Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard shares thoughts about DNA testing with kids. JOIN THE CELEBRATION! 10th ANNIVERSARY AND 200th EPISODE You’re invited to send in well-wishes and win a chance at a prize! Email Lisa by January 31, 2017 at genealogygemspodcast @ gmail.com OR call her voicemail line at 925-272-4021. Share your first name and where you live. Share a memory of listening to this podcast, such as: When did you start listening? What’s one of your favorite things you’ve learned from this show? Lisa will randomly select one response to receive a free year of Genealogy Gems Premium membership. Thanks for helping all of us here at Genealogy Gems celebrate 10 years of doing something we love! NEWS: ROOTSTECH 2017 RootsTech will be held on February 8-11, 2017 in Salt Lake City, UT: learn more and register. Genealogy Gems events at RootsTech Lisa will be live-streaming FREE sessions the marked session via the free Periscope app. Get it in Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Sign up for a free account and follow Lisa Louise Cooke to tune in. Sign up for notifications in Periscope, and your phone will “ping” whenever Lisa starts streaming! Broadcasts stay in the Periscope app for 24 hours. Like and follow the Genealogy Gems Facebook page to hear about more streaming sessions! NEWS: FAMICITY KICK-STARTER Famicity is a free, private website for families to share pictures, videos, memories, family activities and the family tree. The company has been very successful in France where it was launched, and the founder is working to bring the new English platform to the United States. He’s launched a Kickstarter campaign to support their U.S. launch. Click here to support it. BONUS CONTENT FOR GENEALOGY GEMS APP USERSIf you’re listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus content for this episode is a tutorial on Feedly, an easy way to consume just the online content you want. The Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and is only $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends RootsMagic family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search WebHints on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. Soon RootsMagic will also be able to search records and even sync your tree with Ancestry.com, too. Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at http://www.backblaze.com/Lisa. MAILBOX: YOUTUBE DISCOVERY FOLLOW-UP Remember the YouTube success story from Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 198? Gay as a young woman attended a dedication ceremony for the saline water treatment in Freeport, Texas—and with Lisa’s tips she found video footage on YouTube. Gay wrote back to send us more about that, including this page from her diary that day and this news clipping. Check out the news clipping to see why that plant was so important, Pres. John F. Kennedy gave the dedication speech. (See what newspapers can tell you?!) Find your own family history on YouTube. Click here to learn how or read an entire chapter on YouTube in Lisa Louise Cooke’s book, The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, 2nd revised edition. Click here to learn how to turn family stories and artifacts like these into videos to share with relatives. Learn to find articles such as this one that can put your family’s story in context—locally and even nationally. Read How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers by Lisa Louise Cooke. INTERVIEW: CLAIRE BANTON, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA (LAC) Claire Banton obtained her Masters of Library and Information Studies degree in 2006. She has worked in Reference Services at LAC for 10 years, where she has enjoyed learning something new every day. She is currently Chief, Orientation Services, where she works with an awesome team who help people search for information. She loves being an information detective and...

Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode #158 with Lisa Louise Cooke August 2, 2013 NEWS: Attention Gmail Users:Google has revised the Gmail dashboard to now include tabs, separating your emails based on the type of content. Overall, I really like it, but I wanted to bring to your attention to the fact that your Genealogy Gems email newsletters will probably land in the Promotions tab, rather than your Primary tab. The problem with this is that we are used to focusing on what is in the in box in front of us, and I know I'm having a little difficulty retraining myself to check the other tabs. To ensure that you get your Genealogy Gems newsletter emails instantly, move the newsletter to your Primary tab. Click on the email to grab, drag and drop it on the Primary tab. From that point forward your newsletter emails should show up in your Primary tab, and you won't miss a thing! The Genealogy Gems Podcast App is now available for Windows 8 phone, tablets and desktop! Our app provides you the ability to stream or download free Genealogy Gems Podcast content, and even share your favorite episodes. Here's what you need to know: Phone / Tablet First, download the Genealogy Gems phone app for $2.99 from the Windows Phone Store. Once installed, a live tile will be available on the start menu. Opening the app will provide you a list of episodes available for the show. You can swipe left or right to move through favorites, downloaded episodes, and recently played episodes. Selected episodes will be highlighted with a check mark in the corner. Tapping on an episode you wish to listen to will open an in app player. Clicking on the three dots in the lower right hand corner will open up the menu shortcuts, giving easy access to marking episodes as favorites, downloading the episodes for offline listening, or sharing the episodes out with your friends. Desktop: Download the Genealogy Gems desktop app ($2.99 from the Windows Desktop App Store.) Opening the app will provide you a list of episodes available for the show on the right with a player on the left and utilizes all the standards of the Windows 8 navigation. Selected episodes will be highlighted with a check mark in the corner. An episode can be bookmarked by marking it as a favorite, and episodes can be downloaded so that they are available offline. When downloading a file, the status of the download will appear. Once an episode is favorited or downloaded, you can set the app to show only those favorite episodes or those downloaded files. You can also view a list of what episodes were recently played. The Genealogy Gems Podcast app is the one and only family history podcast app available, and was named a Must Have Apps for Hobbies by App Advice. Fold3 and Ancestry Trees Now when you discover an ancestor's record on Fold3.com, you can save it to your online tree at Ancestry.com. According to Fold3.com's press release: "Whenever you see a green 'Save to Ancestry' button above a document or on a Fold3 memorial page, you can link that document or page directly to someone's profile on Ancestry." "You'll be asked to log into your Ancestry.com account, and then you'll see a drop-down list of your trees. Locate the tree you wish to save the document to, begin typing the name of the person to whom the record should be attached, choose the correct name from the list that appears, and then press save." Watch this tutorial video to learn more and see how it's done: OCLC and FamilySearch PartnershipThe patron catalog on FamilySearch.org is renamed the FamilySearch Catalog. It is re-branding of the FHL Catalog. FamilySearch is planning to load their catalog records into WorldCat by the end of the year. In the case of our very larger records, these may be abbreviated. Patrons discovering their catalog records on WorldCat will be able to click through from WorldCat to the FamilySearch Catalog to view the complete record. WorldCat will eventually show holdings in selected regional family history centers as well. There are currently no plans to change circulation policy. Films can be ordered to FamilySearch Centers as before. Other materials are not circulated. However, they are scanning their books and have over 80,000 of them on line. There are links to them in the catalog. They can also be searched on Familysearch.org by selecting Books. PAF Retires If you've been doing family history research for a while, you probably have heard of (and maybe used) PAF: Personal Ancestral File software. Well, it's been hard at work for a long time--as a true pioneer in genealogy computing--and now it's...

Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 124 with Lisa Louise Cooke Published Jan 10, 2012 What's Black, and White and READ all over? Your Ancestors in old newspapers! In fact, your ancestors could be anywhere! Most likely they were mentioned at some point in their own local paper, but they might also show up in a neighboring towns paper, or in a paper located thousands of miles away. Nothing is more exciting than finding information in an old newspaper that adds to your family history! And I've been working feverishly on a new book that I can finally tell you about that is going to finally give you the answers and resources you need to be successful finding your ancestors in the new. It's called Everything You Need to Know About Finding Your Family History in Newspapers and that's exactly what it is. It's everything you need to know. This book is going to change all that. I spell out a step-by-step process and give you a worksheet you can copy and use again and again. There are tons of websites, search tips, and 3 very Cool Online tools that probably aren't using but you should be! Stay tuned because we'll be doing an official launch very soon, and I'm going to have a very special opportunity for you to get a signed copy of the book first. NEWS: Get Your Kids Involved in Genealogy with the Chart ChickHave you been following The Chart Chick blog lately? It's written by my friend Janet Hovorka and boy or boy she's been running a terrific series on getting your kids involved in genealogy. Polish Genealogy Podcast by Dave NewmanNew Website: http://polgenpodcast.com. Also now in iTunes Keynote Workshop at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in London I'll be on the panel discussing genealogy social networking. RootsTech and Book Sellers The genealogy world has had a bit of controversy lately: Genealogy Book Sellers encouraged to sign up for booths in the RootsTech Expo Hall Genealogy Book Sellers sent & No Thank You emails on a Friday Afternoon Social Networking Genealogist Firestorm erupts and burns through the weekend Genealogy Book Sellers now provided Expo Hall booth space RootsTech Schedule is FINALLY published! Also, just a reminder for your readers that the special discounted registration price of $149 ends on Friday, January 13. My Classes at RootsTech: Thurs. Feb 2 at 11:00 am a hands on Google Workshop Friday Feb. 3 at 9:45 am Genealogy Blogs and Podcasts Saturday Feb. 4 at 1:45 Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life New Irish Issue of Family Chronicle Family Chronicle has just announced they have published their newest special publication called Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Cover price is $9.95 plus $4.50 shipping and it's available at the Family Chronicle bookstore at http://familychronicle.com/books.htm/ Improved Blog Search from GoogleNow you can search for blogs specifically focused on the family history topics that mean the most to you! New Google Search Option: 1. Go to Google.com 2. Search on specific keywords (ex. County Cork Ireland Genealogy) 3. Click More in the Search Options Column on the left side of the page 4. Click Blogs 5. Click Homepages or blog Homepages 6. Now your search results are for blogs focused on those keywords and not just individual articles 7. Click the RSS or Google button to add the blog to your Homepage in a Gadget (Learn more about transforming Google.com into your own Genealogy Research Dashboard by becoming a Genealogy Gems Premium Member) MAILBOX: Timothy wrote: I want to thank you for having Steve Luxenberg on podcast episodes #120 and #121 to discuss his book Annie's Ghosts. PBS documentary Triumph at Carville: A Tale of Leprosy in America http://www.pbs.org/triumphatcarville Your interview with Steve also spurred me on to conduct further research into two other folks that I have been researching, both of whom died in the South Carolina State Hospital. The following brief history is from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, "The State Dept. of Mental Health has undergone several name changes in its history. The original name was the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum (1821-1895) which was followed by the South Carolina State Hospital for the Insane (1896-1919), the South Carolina State Hospital (1920-1963), and finally the State Dept. of Mental Health (1964 to the present)." I am now currently awaiting to hear back from the archives. Book ReviewsHave a Voice: Post positive reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and Lulu for genealogy books you enjoy! Richard Needs Your Help As I was going back over some items...

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 197 with Lisa Louise Cooke Download these show notes www.GenealogyGems.com Download the FREE app! This episode celebrates the most recent family history there is—our own. A chat between host and producer Lisa Louise Cooke and Gems editor Sunny Morton explores the meaning and memories behind heirlooms in Lisa’s home. They comment on the larger value, for self and others, of recording our own memories in honor of Sunny’s new book, Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy. Also in this episode: A spotlight on new marriage records online for the U.S. and around the world. Lisa walks a listener through several tips for learning more about her immigrant ancestors (a mother and daughter). Lisa shows how to use today’s technology tools to help with traditional research skills such as locating passenger lists, immigrant society records and naturalization. Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard talks about organizing your DNA matches so you can get the most out of them. Genealogy Gems Book Club featured author and Victorian lifestyle expert Sarah Chrisman describes what it’s like in her home—which doesn’t use electricity—as the days grow shorter and the darkness comes earlier. LISA SHARES HER RECENT DISCOVERIES The original photograph of her grandmother: The writing on the backside of the photo. Can you read he second line? NEW RECORDS ONLINE: Marriage Records New York City Marriages: a new index to more than 3 million marriage licenses for recent New York City marriages (1950-1995) Free FamilySearch marriage record collections recently added or updated include: Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 Nebraska, Box Butte County Marriages, 1887-2015 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950 Washington, County Marriages for 1855-2008 Washington, Marriage Records, 1854-2013 California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1896 Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration, 1588-1913; Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration, 1541-1914; Belgium, Liège, Civil Registration, 1621-1914; Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration, 1798-1906 Nicaragua Civil Registration, 1809-2013 Russia, Tatarstan Church Books, 1721-1939 Argentina, Cordoba, Catholic Church Records, 1557-1974 Sweden, Gävleborg Church Records, 1616-1908; index 1671-1860 Learn more about marriage record research: Listen to Using Marriage Records in Family History: Episode 24 in Lisa Louise Cooke’s free step-by-step podcast, Genealogy: Family History Made Easy. BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users: Finding Copies of Images Online with Google on Your Mobile Device If you’re listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus content for this episode is an exclusive step-by-step tutorial PDF that shows you how to use your mobile device and Google to locate copies of images online. Remember, the Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and is only $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users. MAILBOX: Finding a Female Immigrant Ancestor Question from Jo: “I have been fortunate to find information about most of my great-grandparents. I have hit a wall with my maternal great grandmother who immigrated from Switzerland to the US in the 1880's when she was 8 years old. I was hoping that by upgrading to International records on Ancestry that I could find the ship and where she and her mother came from. The curious thing for me is that she and her mother traveled solo to the US and went to Cincinnati, Ohio. I've been to Cincinnati and have searched there and have found directories with addresses but no profession is listed like other people. I didn't find any ship records either. Where might you suggest that I look or search to find more information?” Tips for searching passenger arrival lists: Consider what ports would have been the most logical point of arrival for an immigrant ancestor based on the time period and the U.S. location in which you find them. Cincinnati, Ohio, was reachable by rail by the 1880s from major ports, as well as by water via the Mississippi River for southern ports, so that doesn’t narrow things down much. According to an Ancestry.com article, more than 80% of immigrants arrived at the Port of New York by the 1890s, so Jo might scrutinize those New York passenger arrival lists for the 1880s again. Free New York City passenger arrival databases at Castlegarden.org Major U.S. Immigration Ports (Ancestry.com) New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (Ancestry.com) New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 (FamilySearch.org; New York City, NARA M237) New York Passenger Lists & Arrivals, 1846-1890 Search multiple NYC passenger lists simultaneously at Steve Morse’s One-Step web portal For...

Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 163 with Lisa Louise Cooke Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 163: Get ready to flip out with me over Flipboard. It's a free app and web tool that you have to see to fully appreciate. In this episode I'll take you behind the scenes at Flipboard in the Silicon Valley and talk to the folks who create the product that helps you enjoy the online content you love. I'll also share a little discovery I made about family history when I threw my back out over the holidays (there's got to be an easier and less painful way to do family history research!) and get you up to date on all the genealogy news. The back pain in my family history was there all the times but I didn't recognize it! My Great Grandmother Louise's hand on hips stance in many of the old family photos was more than just a sassy attitude. It reflected a family history of back pain that plagued my grandmother, my uncle, and me. And what do you suppose folks will think a 100 years from now when the news stories are long gone, and they are reviewing the footage of the sign language guy at Nelson Mandela's funeral? A reminder that not everything we see in old home movies and photos may necessarily be as it seems? NEWS: Read: iTunes hits 1 Billion podcast subscribers Happy 4th Birthday Genealogy Gems App! Get the App: For AndroidFor iPadFor iPhoneFor Windows 8 New Episodes of Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast Episode 9 The fourth annual Rootstech conference, hosted by FamilySearch, will be held February 6-8, 2014 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to renowned keynote speakers, the conference features over 200 classes, hundreds of booths in a huge Expo Hall, and evening events. PinterestPinterest as has given users three more secret boards where you can pin privately.Visit Lisa's Pinterest boards at www.pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke MAILBOX: Keith wrote: I previously wrote you a few months ago when I launched my own blog, sonofswift.tumblr.com. I am happy to report that tomorrow marks my 150th post. Thank you for reading my first message on your show. I have since had it listed on Geneabloggers and started a weekly picture post, Wordless Wednesday. After spending a considerable amount of time trying to break down brick walls, I'm currently focused on learning about my, and my wife's, great grandparents, which I call "thickening the branch. In the new year I plan on releasing eBooks containing all my research from the past six months with accompanying trees. All of it is thanks to guidance I get from listening to your podcast. Thank you for all that you've done and will continue to do. www.Megankeith.com/past Sonofswift.tumblr.com Congratulations on your blog's milestone! Now anytime someone searches Google for one of your ancestors they will find you. I'm so happy to hear that the podcast has been helpful to you in your journey. From Maryann: Sitting here addressing Christmas cards and grabbing a bit of lunch when I decided to check my email. Spotted your email and opened it up. Skimmed through it, went back to the top again to check out more of what you wrote about the RootsTech 2014 Flipboard magazine you put together. Looked over at the stack of cards still waiting, but thought I'd grab a few minutes to just get it downloaded. Thanks to your book, I already have and use Flipboard, so it didn't take long to find the magazine and subscribe. It looks FANTASTIC. Can hardly wait to sit down and spend time reading through the articles and watching the videos. Right now, though, that stack of cards is shouting me, so I'd better set aside my iPad (after reading your book, I chose a mini, and am forever grateful for the help your book gave me, especially in setting up my apps) and get back to them. And Taunja is also flipping over Flipboard: I've had Flipboard on my smartphone and didn't know what to do with it! Just subscribed to the Rootstech magazine and it looks wonderful...thanks so much! Looks like a better learn a little bit more about Flipboard. GEM: Flipboard InterviewIf you've been listening to this podcast since the beginning, or have gone back and caught up on the previous episodes, then you know that I was a big advocate of iGoogle as a way to stay organized online. And one of the things I used to love to organize were all my favorite podcasts, blogs, and videos having to do with family history. I say used to because back in November 2013 Google did away with iGoogle, much to my dismay. They want their users to focus on Google+, which frankly is not a favorite of mine. In fact I was just reading the other day that Google's CEO was saying that they made a big mistake in underestimating social media...

In this episode you will meet other listeners who are getting the word out about their family history through blogging as well as give you some genealogy blogging pointers,and I will introduce you to one of my first “Favorite Genealogy Gems” Look who I ran into in Detroit: Steve Luxenberg, author of "Annie's Ghosts" Cruise with LisaIt’s always a joy for me to get to get out and about and meet so many of you in person. And, have I got an amazing event to tell you about where we can get together in person, talk genealogy and experience the joy of travel! I’ve just signed on with Unlock the Past Cruises for their 2014 British Isles Cruise. Presenters page Itinerary:  day 1 – depart Tilbury, London – 6pm (boarding from 12.30pm) day 2 – at sea day 3 – Invergordon, Scotland – 7.30am-10pm day 4 – Kirkwall, Orkney Islands – 7am-6pm day 5 – Stornoway, Outer Hebrides – 7.30am-10pm (transfer to shore by tender) day 6 – Tobermory, Isle of Mull – 7.30am-4pm (transfer to shore by tender) day 7 – Dublin, Ireland – 8am-5.45pm day 8 – St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly - 9am-6pm (transfer to shore by tender) day 9 – St Peter Port, Guernsey - 7.30am-6pm (transfer to shore by tender) day 10 – Honfleur, France –  9am-5pm day 11 – arrive Tilbury, London – 9am You’ll have around 40 topics to choose from, held mostly in the evening so there will be loads of time to explore the landscape. My understanding is that this cruise is filling up very quickly so if you’re interested be sure and click the links above for more details. Brand New in the Genealogy Gems Store Evernote for Windows for Genealogists Quick Reference Guide “a nice easy to grab and use laminated cheat sheet that can instantly answer your most important questions and give you easy ways to use Evernote more quickly and efficiently.” Evernote is certainly the fastest-growing note-taking technology out there, so it is no wonder that it is incredibly popular with genealogists. But there is so much packed in to it that I notice that many genealogists aren’t taking full advantage. Keep this handy cheat sheet close at hand and you’ll have everything you need. This four page laminated guide includes: A Getting Started Checklist Quick Key Break Out Boxes – packed with keystrokes to speed up your use of Evernote Specialized Note-taking Actions How to Get the Most Out of Clipping Tips for Maneuvering the Desktop Client Genealogical Organization Recommendations Little Known Search Strategies Specialized Genealogy Focused Techniques such as Source Citation Tips, Clipping Recommendations, and Using Reminders Evernote Premium vs. Free Comparison $8.95 plus shipping.  Also available for UK, Canada or Australia shipping Genealogy News: ANCESTRY.COM and FamilySearch recently announced that they have made an agreement to jointly make a billion global records available online over the next five years by digitizing, indexing and publishing the records from the FamilySearch vault. Ancestry.com expects to invest more than $60 million alongside thousands of hours of volunteer efforts facilitated by FamilySearch.  The companies also announced in early 2013 an additional project where they plan to publish 140 million U.S. Wills & Probate images and indexes over the next three years—creating a national database of wills and other probate documents spanning 1800-1930 online for the very first time.   Daughter Receives WWII Soldier Father's Letter Decades Later - Read the article Watch the Video:     MAILBOX: In this episode we celebrate listeners who are sharing their family history through blogging: New Blogger Keith is a Son of a Swifthttp://www.megankeith.com/past I have run a personal family history site for the past five years and now, based on your advice, launched my own genealogy blog. I already had a tumblr account, so I started sonofswift.tumblr.com (Son of Swift is a translation of my name from the original Gaelic, O'Seibhleain).  Thanks for the great idea and I will continue to listen as I conduct my research into the future.”   Chris is Now Blogging http://leaftwigandstem.blogspot.com/   “OK listening to the folks in your latest podcasts convinced me. I started my own genealogy blog last month. So far there's not a lot of "traffic" but I've gotten good reviews from the family members…Hoping you have some tips in mind for a future podcast...sort of a maintaining a blog for the long run -tips and tricks type thing. Take a look and let me know what you think. LOVE the podcast.” Follow up from Chris: “After getting my feet wet, I decided to join...

Genealogy Gems Podcast Episode 162 with Lisa Louise Cooke Download the FREE App www.GenealogyGems.com Wondering how to get your kids and grandkids engaged in family history? Looking for worthwhile activities for the kids over the Christmas break? In this episode author Janet Hovorka provides answers. Our children are the future of our families, and there's no better time to help them engage, explore and enjoy their family history! App Users: Be sure to check out the audio Bonus Content in the Genealogy Gems App! NEWS: Congratulations to the winner of the 1 year digital subscription to Family Tree Magazine. Amanda's Blog: ABT UNK Tips for Collaborative Genealogy Read about FamilySearch Updates Include VA Pension Cards, South American Records 2014 NGS Program and Registration Where You Can Find Over a Million British Church Records that are Now Indexed! MAILBOX: From Gary: There was a recent episode of the Las Vegas Based on the CSI show in which a genealogist was used to help solve a crime and the head CSI guy (Ted Dansen) and the Genealogist debated about Genealogy being a science. Only took them 1 hr (and 30 commercials) to do what takes us a live time Hummmmmm!!! Premium member Roger in Utah: Thanks for another great podcast this time on MY ancestral homeland of Norway. I have spent many hours using the digitalarchivet.no website. While you can use the English version, parts of it are only in Norwegian. Norway, like most Scandinavian countries, has put nearly all of their parish records online. It is a wonderful resource. You have to learn what some of words are, such as birth, Christening, confirmation, marriage, death, etc. But even just these can help a lot. If you learn a few more Norwegian words, you can more fully access the vast amount on information available on that site. In that podcast you also talked about taking a risk and contacting someone about possible family information. Through some of my Norwegian research I found a man who lives in a little town about an hour north of Oslo. He is the leader of a group called the Hadelandlag Society. Hadeland is a region of Norway. I got an email address for this man, Ole, and contacted him. He has been wonderful to me. He went to a local repository and looked up information on my family from the information I gave him. Of course, I thanked him profusely for helping someone he did not even know. We have now emailed several times. Certainly the risk paid off. I have also found some US chapters of the Hadelandlag Society and have become a member. And I found some distant cousins as a result, one in Canada, and one in Minnesota. We email somewhat regularly. See what taking the risk can do. Matt Has a Mystery and is Looking for Extra Sets of Eyes: Thank you for your podcasts! He's even listening to the older podcasts can provide needed perspective on how to break through your brick walls. Speaking of brick walls, mine may be crumbling. I've been trying to trace the parents/ancestors of my great-grandmother. Up until this past summer, I had no information whatsoever. On May 30, 2013, I found an 1855 New York State Census entry that may tell me who her family is. I wrote up a blog entry about the current status of the search and I'd be interested in your thoughts. Matt's Blog From Alan in Minneapolis, MN: I started listening to the podcast about a year ago, and it's been a great reminder of things that I had forgotten how to use Google for. Thanks to your hints, I've found descendants for 2 of my wife's great-great uncles who moved away from the farm in Illinois and we lost track of. The Google tips from early on in the series have even helped in projects at work- my colleagues think I'm spending hours searching for things that I'm finding in a couple minutes with some of the tricks. Also after hearing about blogging your family history for at least the last 3 pod casts, I've finally decided to take the leap and start publishing my discoveries on a blog (groundhoggenealogist.blogspot.com) so I can post there rather than send emails and miss some of the cousins or send Facebook messages and miss the others. I've only written two posts (one's up one set to publish Sunday morning), but I hope this is something I can keep up. Just a note to say thanks. Janice in Montreal started a genealogy blog: I attended several of your presentations at the BIFHSGO conference a few weeks ago and really enjoyed them. Partly as a result of hearing your advice, I have started a blog on which I'm posting the short family history articles I've been writing, as well as comments on the research process. The story called "An Economic Emigrant" explains why I'm a Canadian rather than an American. Please take a quick...