From Paper To People

Latest Episodes:

Using Public Records Databases to Find the Living and Recently-Deceased Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever looked someone up on one of those reverse-phone-number sites to see who the heck is calling you at 2am? Did you know that those sites, and the apps that go with them, are great for genealogy? In this episode I'll discuss my favorite, BeenVerified, and how I use it to find generations of family members when I'm shrubbing, and when I'm working with someone whose parentage is unclear and who is using DNA for research. Family trees need all the help that they can get; public records aggregators like BeenVerified can provide up to three generations of relatives for researchers looking to fill blanks on Ancestry trees. I'll also tell you how to remove yourself from these databases to protect your own privacy. Hypocritical, huh?

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

If you want to be on the podcast from ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD using the Zoom platform and a good mic and earphones (how about that Family Cookbook series??), you can contact me at https://bit.ly/2Kxb6rm.

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

The Family Cookbook - Johnny Mazetti, or is it Marzetti? Jul 16, 2018

Show notes

Did you know that family recipes have their own genealogy? I thought I was skimming yet another back-of-the-magazine recipe in a special family cookbook when I Googled Johnny Mazetti, and then one of its key ingredients, Sauce Arturo. It wasn't as simple as I thought. And it made me wonder: did my grandmother pick this recipe up in the Midwest, or did my grandfather's mother pick it up in Panama? A rather big question! I will never find the true answer, but I have solved it to my own satisfaction, barring the additional commentary of food historians or members of the Marzetti family. Join me on the front porch for the story of Sauce Arturo, Teresa Marzetti's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio that became an empire, my mother's undying love for her family, and and my military family's love for Johnny Mazetti.

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

How To Build a Life - John Joseph Dalain Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

I talk a lot about component parts, or the basic how-to's of handling records, but what about the how-to's of building one person's life in your family tree? Genealogy has become an immediate-gratification online phenomenon, but it's not always that at all. How long should a 21st-century online researcher be expected to wait before work is done on any one person in their tree? This episode takes on that question, and replies with my ongoing battle to complete details about one person - my great-aunt Clara's third husband, John Joseph Dalain. This story contains marriages, divorces, two murders, one attempted murder, some drunk driving, and just for some spice, a hog theft. It outlines the lives of some very hard-living people in 20th-century America, and the 44 years of work that my uncle and I have put in (well, 44 years and counting) to get the story of one man told. Strap in - there's a lot of procedure here, but there's also a lot of gothic tragedy and scandalous fun!

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

The Family Cookbook - The Hinzie Family Cornbread Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

For our inaugural episode of the folkloric and gastronomic aspects of family history, I'm presenting a staple recipe from my family's cookbook. It entered my family with my mother's mother's stepmother, and every generation that has made it has put a unique twist on it since. Ethel "Itey" Garrard Drahos Hinzie, who brought it into the family with her marriage to my great-grandfather in 1935, was born in Indiana in 1886. My grandmother took over the recipe when she married in 1931. She, in turn, taught it to my mother, who taught it to me. It's a great, basic, savory recipe, and when Thanksgiving comes, I'll show you how to use it to make the most insanely good Cajun/Creole sausage and cornbread dressing you've ever had in your life! In the meantime, sit back, enjoy the new theme music written and performed exclusively for the Family Cookbook episode series, and take notes so that you can share this recipe with your family, for generations to come.

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Interview with Brooke Schreier Ganz of Reclaim the Records Jun 25, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever gotten frustrated that the records you REALLY need from a US city or state across the country (or world), one you'll NEVER travel to, hasn't released their vital records indexes online? Brooke Schreier Ganz felt that way about New York (as so many have) and she decided to do something about it. Listen to my interview with her as she explains her response to the problem: she created a FREE service (and two websites) called Reclaim the Records, a tax-exempt, charitable organization whose goal it is to use Freedom of Information laws at the state and Federal levels to access public, government records and make them available to all researchers. She'll even explain how you can do it yourself, how Reclaim the Records can help you, and give us a heads up about some upcoming projects. Listen in!

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Juneteenth! Jun 18, 2018

Show notes

Have you heard of a holiday called Juneteenth? Do you know what it is, or why it's important in American history? Well, listen here - this is the episode for you. This is straight-up history - Ancestry.com is on the blink, so we're steering clear of Ancestry lessons for a few weeks in order to let them get themselves together again. And since there's a holiday to discuss, why not use the opportunity to learn in a whole new way? We've got quotes from the Emancipation Proclamation and General Order #3, from Henry Louis Gates Jr and from an array of private researchers who were good enough to lend us their views and understanding of Juneteenth. Grab your Faygo Red Pop. It's time to learn!

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Mail Bag for June 2018 Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

It's our first mail bag, filled with questions and answers from the FPPP community! What's up with Ancestry, which of their records are good, do you believe a record over a human or vice-versa, and how do you make your slave-holding ancestors' info available to researchers of color? There are lots of goodies in this bag, provided by the entire group, so hop on in with us - there's plenty of room. Also, I'm introducing everyone to a new episode concept, and am asking for recipes for the new Family Cookbook series, a mini-ep within the FPPP podcast series. And finally, there's homework - prepare yourself for a lesson (or two) in the wonders of genealogy on Twitter by dipping your toe in the water of genie Twitter. Ready? Steady? Listen!

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Interview with Christopher Harris May 20, 2018

Show notes

This week is something special: my first-ever interview! My friend Christopher Harris joins the podcast to discuss his 12-year learning curve about family history through folklore, DNA, and African-American documentary methodology. He’ll discuss with us how he records conversations and organizes his work, treeing vs shrubbing, the key role that DNA and GEDmatch play, and how genealogy led him to make jollof rice on Facebook live. He’ll also talk about the importance of Freedmen’s Bureau records in FamilySearch and tell us some long-buried stories that he’s learned about his ancestors that would have been lost but for his work. I think you’ll enjoy this change of pace. I know I did.

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Hygienealogy 2: The Federal Census May 12, 2018

Show notes

Understanding the historical genesis and management of the decennial Federal Census, the digitization or "indexing" of the Census by FamilySearch, and the proper utilization of Census records in Ancestry is important to good Hygienealogy. And in Ancestry, Federal Census records don't always work the same way - some add all family members to your tree at once, while others only add one person at a time. So, why is that? And what ARE all of the origins of these records? I'll talk about that today in Hygienealogy 2: The Federal Census. You're going to want to listen to this one twice - once just to hear it, and another time in front of Ancestry so you can see the screens I'm describing. We're making up for lost time, folks!

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

Shrubbing, Gedmatch, and the Golden State Killer May 03, 2018

Show notes

If you listen regularly but haven't started supporting the podcast financially, it's time to consider anteing up, my pumpkins! 2000 downloads, 200 listeners, and only 6 supporters. Can you help support this work? This ep is a twofer - first, I discuss shrubbing versus treeing, and why my way is better (surprise!), and second, I talk about some basic etiquette and understanding concerning various points of view surrounding the Golden State Killer task force's use of GEDMATCH's DNA database to find a solid lead to a viable suspect. Shrubbing is a tree-building technique that will make you a better genealogist, and I hope that my discussion of the Golden State case will make us all slightly better people. There are very good reasons why some people are unhappy about privacy issues and DNA research. I quote Teresa Vega, a member of #BlackProGen, and she sums it up quite nicely. But the ultimate point, as always, is this: don't be a Jeffrey.

Please rate and review the podcast on your podcast provider, at https://apple.co/2MLZW4H, at facebook.com/AncestorsAliveGenealogy, or at Thumbtack.com.

Hire me for American genealogical research, teaching, and forensic genealogy at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. Only $50/hr, with a free consultation!

Stop by the website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com, IG @ancestorsalivegenealogy and Twitter @ancestorsalive

Sponsor the podcast at patreon.com/AncestorsAlive for super-fantastic rewards, including SWAG for different levels of sponsorship.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2lmhYha and the newsletter at paper.li/AncestorsAlive/1557599531.

Check out my Zazzle shop at zazzle.com/store/fppppodcast for the aforementioned swag.

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