The Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection

Latest Episodes:

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #297 - 2015 November 29 Dec 01, 2015

Show notes

Listen to the ads for RootsMagic and Evidentia for great holiday savings for a limited time!

The news includes:

· RootsMagic announces the availability of Personal Historian for the Mac, a new book, videos, and a Facebook group for users. You can also install PH on both a PC and a Mac with the same user key.

· The Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG) is accepting applications for a $225 scholarship to the 5th Annual Forensic Genealogy Institute (FGI), to be held March 10-12, 2016. Registration for the FGI is open at http://www.forensicgenealogists.org/institute/. The scholarship is open to anyone wishing financial assistance to attend. Send a request of not more than 400 words to institute@forensicgenealogists.org explaining how the scholarship might best help you in the field of forensic genealogy. Deadline is Friday, December 4th, 2015.

· MyHeritage adds a new search innovation called SearchConnectTM which enables users to connect with others who are searching for the same ancestors or relatives and to take advantage of search synergies.

· Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will be one of the keynote speakers at RootsTech on Saturday, February 6, 2016.

· The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) has elected Billie Stone Fogarty as president for 2016-2017.

· Findmypast has announced the release of a number of new collections and the addition of 3.7 million new articles to its Historic British Newspapers collection.

FamilySearch has marked the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War by releasing two new online collections of records of casualty records from NARA.

· Drew highlights new and updated record collections at FamilySearch.

Book Review:

George reviews an excellent new book by Kerry Scott, How to Use Evernote for Genealogy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Organize Your Research and Boost Your Genealogy Productivity.

Listener email includes:

Jim asks about DNA.land at https://dna.land and how it compares to GedMatch.

· George recaps his research information for Nona concerning her Suit/Suits family in the Rome, Georgia, area.

· Mike would like to connect with Ryan regarding New Jersey death records.

· Michael has questions about the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and the Social Security Applications and Claims collection now at Ancestry.com.

· Kathy has questions about the Wilson families of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. George restates the information about two books he mentioned on an earlier podcast, and he will check again for possible family connection in his ancestral line. The books are:

Alexander, John Brevard: Biographical sketches of the early settlers of the Hopewell section and reminiscences of pioneers and their descendants by families. (Originally published in 1897 in Charlotte, NC, by the Observer Printing & Publishing House.) Reprint. University of California Libraries. Unindexed.
Syfert, Scott. The First American Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. 2014.

George talks about the recent news from Russia concerning the investigation into the murders of the Romanov family, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and their five children, on 17 July 1918. New DNA testing has confirmed all the remains are from the same family, and the tomb of Nicholas II’s father, Alexander III, was opened to obtain DNA to confirm that the remains of the male was, indeed, Nicholai Alexandrovich Romanov.

Drew names four essential websites for genealogical research:

FamilySearch Wiki at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page with more than 82 thousand articles

· The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) at http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/

· The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) of the U.S. Geological Survey at http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html for Domestic Names

· Chronicling America from the Library of Congress at http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/, a source of digitized newspapers from 1836-1922 and the US Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present, at http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #296 - 2015 November 1 Nov 03, 2015

Show notes

The news includes:

· MyHeritage.com has released 46 million Swedish Household Records (1880-1920) with images indexed. George describes how easy it was to find a specific family.

· The Germanic Genealogy Society and the German DAGV (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände (German umbrella organization)) joined forces for a partnership called "Bridging the Gap between North America and Europe for Genealogists“. More information is available at http://www.ggsmn.org/cpage.php?pt=68.

· RootsMagic announces that a single RootsMagic license covers both your PC and Mac. They have also released two new free Magic Guides: Creating a Shareable CD and Downloading and Installing RootsMagic for Mac.

· The New England Historic Genealogical Society has opened its Cemetery Collection on AmericanAncestors.org for free through November 7.

· Evidentia is working on Version 3 but does not expect it to be ready for RootsTech 2016 in February. They are, however working on new user guides and tutorial videos.

· The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) announces that the 2016 Excellence-in-Writing Competition is now open for entries through June 2016. Full details are available at http://isfhwe.com/competition.php.

· The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) has announced that it will relocate its annual immersion classes in 2017 to the University of Georgia in Athens, and will be supported by the Georgia Genealogical Society.

· Findmypast.com has recently added new collections, including: England & Wales, Electoral Registers, 1832-1932; Britain, Absentee Voters Lists 1918-1921; Ireland Electoral Registers 1885-1886; New York Baptisms 1660-1862; New York Marriages 1639-1900; and New York Deaths & Burials 1758-1862.

· Findmypast.com opens its new collection, the 1939 Register of England and Wales on November 2, 2015, with records of more than 41 million people.

· The Illinois State Genealogical Society has announced the ISGS 2016 Webinar Series. Details are available at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=227.

· The FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, celebrated its 30th anniversary on October 23, 2015.

· Drew highlights the FamilySearch.org collections updates for October 2015.

Listener email includes:

· Nona asked George to talk about research in the Rome, Georgia, area. She provided some names and George conducted searches in online municipal cemetery records. He discusses resources in that area which he has used.

· Jim writes about a new genealogical crime mystery by Nathan Dylan Goodwin. It is The America Ground, a Morton Farrier Forensic Genealogist Story. Drew has read and reviews the new book.

· Michael asks for advice from listeners concerning a brick wall about his grandfather who had three names.

· Jason is seeking help from our listeners concerning his third great-grandfather, John L. Brown, born circa 1811, and Brown’s wife.

· Eric recounts the details of his tenacious research concerning the death of his grandfather in 1927, who was killed by a Southern Pacific electric train.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #295 - 2015 October 4 Oct 06, 2015

Show notes

The news includes:

· RootsMagic announces the availability of updates for the iOS and Android apps.

· The city of St. Augustine, Florida, celebrated the 450th anniversary of its settlement by the Spanish on September 6, 2015. The Los Floridanos Society also held a reunion where genealogical information was exchanged, and DNA samples were collected for a study by Dr. Theodore Schurr of the University of Pennsylvania.

· Ancestry.com launched the largest online collection of wills and probate records in the United States in September, more than 170 million documents from 1668-2005.

· Ancestry.com has renewed its digitization partnership agreement with the National Archives and Records Administration.

· AncestryDNA launched a new feature that allows individuals to share their ethnicity results.

· The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) announced the publication of The Great Migration Directory, Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640: A Concise Compendium by award-winning genealogist Robert Charles Anderson.

· FamilySearch.org announced that registration for RootsTech 2016 is now open.

· FamilySearch.org has added more than 2.7 million searchable historical records from the 1915 New Jersey State Census to its free online collections. The images are available on microfilm and they can be ordered for use at Family History Centers.

· Findmypast.com and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society have made thousands of documents and records from the society’s eLibrary available to search online at Findmypast.com.

Book Reviews:

George reviews two great new books by Jennifer Holik that focus on military research from the World War II era. They are:

Stories from the World War II Battlefield – Volume 1 Reconstructing Army, Air Corps, and National Guard Service
Stories from the World War II Battlefield – Volume 2 Navigating Service Records for the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marines

Listener email includes:

Gus extends his thanks to the listeners who provided their great translation of the information on Herb DeNoble’s tombstone relating to his unit during World War I.
Angela and her son Luke shared some helpful and interesting information for genealogical research at Veritas Prep at http://wwww.veritasprep.com/genealogy-resources-by-veritas-prep/.
Ryan is looking for information about the death of his great-grandmother in 1954.
Debi asked for the names of the two books mentioned by George about Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. They are:
- Alexander, John Brevard: Biographical sketches of the early settlers of the Hopewell section and reminiscences of pioneers and their descendants by families. (Originally published in 1897 in Charlotte, NC, by the Observer Printing & Publishing House.) Reprint. University of California Libraries. Unindexed.
- Syfert, Scott. The First American Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. 2014.
Jenny asks how does AncestryDNA come up with the "New Ancestor Discoveries" on its site?
Larry provides a detailed clarification on the subject of marriage bonds.
Matt asks Drew for tips about tracking down common-surnamed ancestors, including the use of DNA testing.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #294 - 2015 September 7 Sep 08, 2015

Show notes

George and Drew celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Genealogy Guys Podcast by sharing their thoughts on the genealogy research process.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #293 - 2015 August 31 Sep 03, 2015

Show notes

The news includes:

Leister Productions has released a new version of its genealogy software, Reunion 11.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society has reached an agreement to publish the journal The Mayflower Descendent, for the next 10 years. NEHGS has appointed Christopher C. Child as editor of the journal.
FamilySearch had a total of 82,039 volunteers help during its worldwide indexing the event, held August 7-14, 2015.
The Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy has announced its fifth annual Forensic Genealogy Institute to be held 10-12 March 2016 at The Historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.
The Family History Library has announced free online classes for September 2015.
Findmypast has released new records for Northumberland, British Army Casualties (War of 1812), the British Jewry Book of Honour (1914-1920), Scottish Covenanters (1679-1688), Probate Calendars of England & Wales (1858-1959), and Hertfordshire records.
FamilySearch has opened a new Family Discovery Center in Bellevue, Washington.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has broken ground for a first-of-its-kind facility in St. George, Utah.
Drew discusses new FamilySearch collections published at its website in August 2015.

Listener email includes:

Gabriella asks for suggestions for finding her family of Hispanic descent in Mexico (originally from Northern Spain) and George provides several suggestions
Mahlon and Lucia responded to Gus's question in the last podcast and provided an interpretation of a World War I tombstone inscription: WAGR 356 AMB CO.
Cheryl has a question about a collateral ancestor who was working in Germany in 1930, and whether he would've been enumerated in the 1930 US Federal Census.
Jim reports that Tom Neel, Library Director for the Ohio Genealogical Society, provided information about Simon P. Rice of Company K, 66th OVI.
Mike asked for suggestions for locating English ancestors in Cornwall, England, and George provides some suggestions.

The Guys discuss some favorite research facilities available on the Internet.

Drew discusses Ancestry.com's new In Common DNA matching facility and how it can help in triangulation of common genetic ancestors.
George discusses his recent successes using MyHeritage.com’s Smart Matches suggested by the site and other researchers. He also discusses RootsMagic’s hints facilities that interface with both FamilySearch and MyHeritage, and the excellent matching results that these have provided in his research.

Drew also discusses his new all-in-one printer, the Epson Expression ET-2500 EcoTank. This brand-new technology eliminates the need for expensive replacement cartridges by using tanks of liquid ink instead.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #292 - 2015 August 13 Aug 15, 2015

Show notes

Drew goes solo this episode, hinting at an upcoming book and announcing his new Evernote "Genealogy at a Glance" publication. He lets Amazon Echo users know that The Genealogy Guys Podcast is now available via TuneIn. And he is pleased to announce that Family Tree Magazine has selected the Podcast as one of their 101 Best Websites for 2015!

News includes:

RootsMagic provides updates to address issues with FamilySearch changes and the new Windows 10.
Ancestry launches a new free service in beta, AncestryHealth, and also announces that 1 million users have tested with AncestryDNA.
Findmypast has added military school records, more Norfolk parish records, more Irish newspapers, and an update to PERSI.
The Guild of One-Name Studies has added its 7000th member.
FamilySearch and the LDS Church History Library has redesigned the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel website.
FamilySearch has released tens of millions of new images and new indexed records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Listener email includes:

Pat’s story about the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters records.
Peter’s humorous discovery involving an ancestor related in more than one way.
Gus’s investigation of his maternal-side Lange family from Norway.
Patti’s use of an unusual record set to add credence to a family story.
Tracie’s disappointment with an online subscription service.
Sherlene’s attempt to discover the identities of a couple in a combination photo that is marked only as being Lankfords from Clay County, Indiana.
Gus’s hope that listeners can identify a gravestone marking that refers to World War I service on the Iowa, using the abbreviation WAGR 356 AMB CO.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #291 - 2015 July 8 Jul 11, 2015

Show notes

The news includes:

· MyHeritage has launched a new technology called Global Name Translation to power its Family History Discoveries. The technology automatically translates names found in historical records and family trees from one language into another, with high accuracy, generating all the plausible translations.

· Evidentia has released its new software version 2.4, with revised citation templates based on Evidence Explained, 3rd edition.

· FamilySearch International has appointed Steve Rockwood as President and CEO effective 1 October 2015 to replace Dennis Brimhall, who will retire.

· The National Library of Ireland has just released the digitized images of Irish parish registers at http://registers.nli.ie/.

· Heredis has announced the new version Heredis 2015 for Windows and Mac.

· Findmypast has announced the availability of the Findmypast Library Edition as a subscription offering for libraries and other organizations in the United States.

· Drew discusses FamilySearch's recent release of more than 15.6 million indexed records and images for its website.

The Guys discuss upcoming appearances and the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa)'s annual Fall Seminar with special guest Cyndi Ingle.

The Guys share George's recent interview with noted genealogy speaker and writer Lisa Alzo.

Listener email includes:

· Bill has questions about DNA testing and methods of retrieving the data.

· Daniel discusses problems with uploading a GEDCOM file to FamilySearch.

· Steve recounts his recent successes with his great-grandfather, based on a suggestion from The Guys and recent additions of new data collections at Ancestry.com.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #290 - 2015 June 22 Jun 24, 2015

Show notes

The news includes:

· FamilySearch has announced an important project to digitize and index the Freedmen’s Bureau Records. Learn more at http://discoverfreedmen.org.

· Ancestry.com has released its new version of its website with timeline and storytelling features.

· Ancestry.com’s new online courses at Ancestry Academy at https://www.ancestry.com/academy has a wealth of courses with the best genealogical speakers presenting today.

· Evidentia is reviewing its citation templates to insure accuracy and compliance with Elizabeth Shown Mills’ new third edition of Evidence Explained.

· MyHeritage has taken its Instant Discoveries filming to the streets of Oslo, with video available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9wE_3Luh4I.

· Findmypast announces the release of new records.

· An update to the Iowa Prison Memory Project is announced,

· Drew discusses the more than 3.7 million new records released by FamilySearch in recent weeks.

Listener email includes:

· Steven discuses a Boston city directory from 1848 that included monument transcriptions from Auburn Cemetery.

· Arthur wants to know if The Guys are planning another research trip to England. The Guys ask whether there is interest in another trip.

· Steven provides a tip for locating obituaries of married women.

· Carole shares information about genealogical mystery books.

· Matt shares details about old newspaper articles that paint a “Wild West story.”

· Jen Baldwin provides a clarification about the recent release of Quaker records at findmypast.com

Drew discusses his recent experience in receiving an unexpected email about his Smith ancestors.

The Guys discuss research strategies for FamilySearch’s Descendency View.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #289 - 2015 May 28 May 30, 2015

Show notes

Listen to The Guys on the “Talk Back Florida” radio show broadcast on Saturday, 23 May 2015. The recorded broadcast is available at http://www.newstalkflorida.com/talk-back-florida-creating-your-family-tree-with-the-genealogy-guys/ .

The news includes:

· MyHeritage has unveiled their new MyHeritage Stories website, showcasing some videos and stories capturing amazing discoveries made by users around the world. It can be found at http://www.myheritage.com/stories. (A link labeled User Stories can also be found at the bottom of the MyHeritage website.)

· The Federation of Genealogical Societies has announced new editors of their electronic FORUM Magazine. Julie Tarr is the new Managing Editor and Jennifer Alford is the new Associate Editor. Congratulations!

· Drew discusses the more than 13.4 million new records released by FamilySearch in recent weeks.

· Findmypast has released a large collection of Dublin Workhouse records and additions to British newspapers.

The Guys review new books and magazines available for your reading and reference pleasure. All of the items are available through Amazon.com unless otherwise noted. The list includes:

The In-Depth Genealogist is a publishing company that provides educational resources to the genealogical community. Drew reviews: Going In-Depth magazine and a new book, Ancestors in a Nation Divided: An In-Depth Guide to Researching Your Civil War Ancestors, by Cindy Freed.

Other reviews include:

George reviews Discover English Parish Registers, and Buried Treasure: What's in the English Parish Chest, both written by Paul Milner and published by Unlock the Past. The books are available at their website at http://www.unlockthepast.com.au.
Drew reviews Photo Organizing Practices: Daguerreotypes to Digital by Maureen A. Taylor.
He also reviews How to Archive Family Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide to Organize and Share Your Photos Digitally by Denise May Levenick.
George reviews James M. Beidler’s book, the fourth edition of The Best of Roots & Branches. The book is available through the online store of the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society at http://www.biblio.com/bookstore/lancaster-mennonite-historical-society-lancaster/genealogy-genealogical-research-aids .
George reviews a new book, Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514-1866, on Microfilm at the Family History Library by Teresa S. McMillin, CG.
Drew reviews a new book, When Descendents Become Ancestors by David A. Kendall, PhD.

George reviews a new publication by Moorshead Magazines in their Tracing Your Ancestors series. The new title is titled Tracing Your Female Ancestor, Volume II. It is available at the online store at Moorshead Magazines at http://your-genealogy-history-store-usa.myshopify.com/collections/tracing-your-ancestors-series .

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #288 - 2015 May 11 May 12, 2015

Show notes

Drew shares two interviews that the Guys conducted while they were at the 2015 Conference of the Ohio Genealogical Society:

Kris Rzepczynski, Senior Archivist at the Archives of Michigan, who tells the Guys all about the Seeking Michigan website and the great records in his archives
Cyndi Ingle, speaker, writer, and the person behind the amazing Cyndi's List website

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