<div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">Need to unsubscribe?</span><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com" target="_blank" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large"> Manage here</a><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">. </span><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"></font></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">Genealogy Update 10 August 2026</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">** Problem-Solving With NotebookLM</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">** Is It Worth It?</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">** Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch</span></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align:center"><i><font size="6">Intro price ($23) ending today 10 August--save $5</font></i></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><b><i>We are excited to announce this completely new program!</i></b></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif"><span id="m_4408018708662326261gmail-docs-internal-guid-c501111c-7fff-9548-b06c-5d9685c9e87b"><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font size="6">Problem-Solving with NotebookLM</font></span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Unlock your family history with the power of AI!</span></p></span></font><img src="cid:ii_msm2sl370" alt="image.png" width="543" height="244" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;"><br><font face="georgia, serif"><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Michael John Neill\u2019s presentation, "Genealogy Problem-Solving with Notebook," provides a comprehensive guide to using Google\u2019s free NotebookLM platform to revolutionize your research.The presentation is down-to-earth, practical, and\u2026not full of AI hype and exaggeration.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This session explores how genealogists can upload up to 50 diverse sources\u2014including PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, and even audio files\u2014to create a centralized research hub . Neill demonstrates practical applications such as analyzing 1860 census enumerations to identify family structures and migration paths, as well as synthesizing complex War of 1812 bounty land files . Participants will learn to generate high-quality outputs like family history monographs, infographics, and interactive slide decks directly from their documents.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Beyond technical setup, the presentation emphasizes responsible AI use. Neill offers critical insights into avoiding "hallucinations," validating AI-generated conclusions, and using specific prompts to ensure accuracy.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Whether you are looking to transcribe audio recordings or compare your own findings against AI analysis, this presentation offers the strategic tools needed to turn a mountain of documents into actionable insights.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Discover how to leverage this cutting-edge technology to notice details you might have otherwise overlooked.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/buy?product_id=250942&product_price_id=274053&gateway=paypal" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Download the presentation and handout immediately for $23 (our introductory price). No streaming</span></a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. View as often as you want. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">
-------------------</span></p><p style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Is It Worth It?</span></p><p style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">-------------------</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font size="4">
</font></span></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Genealogical curiosity can kill your budget and bank account.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">An earlier post discussed Soundex cards to Baltimore passenger lists in the 19th century. The cards located were for several members of my family. I\u2019ve seen the actual passenger lists for this family so locating the cards for me was an academic exercise.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">As mentioned in the blog post, the cards referenced the back of the card in the location where \u201cother family members\u201d were to be listed. The back of the cards were not filmed. Because of how the cards were created, I decided it wasn\u2019t going to be worth it to obtain a copy of the back of the card.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">And then I got emails saying that I should see the back of the cards.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">I\u2019ll be honest, I don\u2019t know what it would cost to get the copy of the back of the card. And while I realize curiosity is a good thing for the genealogist, curiosity must be balanced with practicality and reality. As mentioned in the blog post, the cards were a finding aid to the actual manifest. Information on the card was simply taken from the manifest decades later in the creation of the index.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Here is where thinking about how the records were created and why they were created is important. The cards were a finding aid for someone who needed to locate his date and place of entry into the United States. The names of others who were travelling with the person on the manifest were added to assist the searcher in locating the desired name. This way if the \u201cright name\u201d could not be found by searching for it directly (because it was written incorrectly on the actual manifest and hence indexed in the same way), a searcher could search for others that the immigrant remembered traveled with and if their name was located on an index card, the name of the person of interest should show up as someone in the \u201ctraveling with\u201d section of the card. It\u2019s worth remembering that these cards were created before computerized database searches and searching for other family members was a good technique. The cards were not created as a genealogical source.</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">While it may be desirable to obtain a copy of every record created on your relative, there are some things to consider:</font></p><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"></p><ul class="gmail-wp-block-list" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:auto 1.5em 1em;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%;color:rgb(23,37,42)"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">What is the cost of obtaining the record?</font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Was this \u201crecord\u201d really a new record or was it created from information on another record (ie. an abstract)?</font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Is the probable informant on this record an informant whose \u201copinion\u201d or \u201cinformation\u201d I don\u2019t already have?</font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">What information is typically on this record?</font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">How reliable do I perceive the information to be on this record?</font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">How was this record created and what was its purpose? </font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Do I already have this information from reliable sources? </font></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Is this record likely to provide really new information?</font></li></ul><p class="gmail-wp-block-paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);text-align:initial;max-width:100%"><font size="4">Of course, sometimes it interesting to have any record on an ancestor and any record can contain new information. But sometimes some thinking and reflection may make you decide if obtaining the record is actually worth it\u2013especially if the cost is significant. <br style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;outline:0px;text-align:initial;max-width:100%">Because we can\u2019t always afford everything.</font></p><p style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">
</span></p><div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">-------------------------</font></div><div><div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar</font></div></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">-------------------------</font></div><div><br></div><div><p style="text-align:initial;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(37,41,42);max-width:100%"><br></p><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">No Monkeying Around!</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"></font></div><div><img src="cid:ii_msg09du90" alt="image.png" width="452" height="240" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;"><br></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">** FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar August 2026 Version Released</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">We're excited!</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">We have finally released our updated webinar on using FamilySearch's full-text search. If you pre-ordered this presentation and did not get your download link, please let me know. </font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">We talk about various ways to use the advanced search--keywords, wildcards, places, dates, searching versus filtering, and more.</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">This updated presentation is an hour long, includes discussion on full-text search strategies, options and includes an extensive handout. Presentation style is clear, informal, and practical. </font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">Learn how to get the most from full-text search and what search options are available. Full-text search is more than just typing a few words in boxes and hoping for the best. </font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">Save $10 (extended for one day--last day is 8 August) by <a href="https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990" target="_blank">ordering now</a>---download is immediate. View as often as you like. No streaming. </font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><a href="https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990" target="_blank">Order your copy today at the intro price of $25</a>--regularly $35.</font></div></div></div></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline">
</span></p><br></font></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><b><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">Need to unsubscribe? Do so at:</font></b></div><div><b><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com" target="_blank"><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com</font></a></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888" face="georgia, serif" size="4"><div><br></div><div>Michael John Neill</div><div>Genealogy Tip of the Day</div><div>PO Box 17</div><div>Henderson, IL 61439</div></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div>