<div dir="ltr"><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 11 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">** Genealogy Blasphemy</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">** Problem-Solving With NotebookLM--don't miss it</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large">** Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch--still time to get </span></div></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">--------------------------------</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">Genealogical Blasphemy</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">---------------------------------</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></div><div><i><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">From a while back, but still true. </font></i></div><div><i><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"><br></font></i></div><div><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">As an off-the-cuff remark to a question after a presentation I made at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree recently, I said something to the effect that we didn\u2019t need to know every minute detail of our ancestor\u2019s lives.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">It was not a slip of the tongue.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">There were quite a few looks from the audience indicating that some could not believe what I had said. A genealogist who believes that we don\u2019t need to know absolutely everything about our ancestors? Yes. I am a genealogist who thinks we really don\u2019t need to know every detail of our ancestor\u2019s life or our ancestors\u2019 lives. Singular or plural, it makes no difference.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">I\u2019m not talking about information that is in publicly available records. I\u2019m not talking about restricting any access to public information or closing records. Not by a long shot. My comment had nothing to do with public records of any sort nor restricting access to those records or the information they contain.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">And for a variety of reasons, I think it\u2019s beneficial to have a knowledge of your family\u2019s health history.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">But I think there\u2019s a limit.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">The dead need some privacy and there are some details that are better left to the dustbins of history. There are some family squabbles for which we don\u2019t need to have a detailed, blow-by-blow account. It is often sufficient to know that there was \u201cbad blood\u201d between two individuals and what the cause of that \u201cbad blood\u201d was. The minute details are not always necessary. If I witnessed a fight between two brothers at their father\u2019s funeral that resulted in extreme name-calling and their mother returning to the funeral car in tears, I\u2019m not certain anyone is served by a multi-page account of the event. Knowing they argued over their father\u2019s estate from the moment he died is probably sufficient.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">And if, for whatever reason, we only have \u201cpart\u201d of the story, then we should only report that part which we know from our own first hand knowledge and experience. If I personally saw that relative A and relative B did not get along (because I never witnessed them speaking to each other at family functions, was told to never seat them at the same table, witnessed a few [or a great deal of] verbal spars between them, etc.) but have no idea what caused the problem, then I should not speculate in my records about what the problem was.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">Because if I do not know, then I do not know. I should stick to what I know.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">Is it blasphemy to say that we don\u2019t need to know every minute detail of our ancestors\u2019 lives? I don\u2019t think so.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" size="4">I\u2019m reasonably certain that most of us have a detail or two we would like to take to our graves as well.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" style="" size="4">We are researching these long-deceased individuals, we\u2019re not necessarily their personal confidant.</font></p><p 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 face="georgia, serif" style="" size="4"><br></font></p><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_-5551782322369260519m_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"><br></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>
</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"><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></font></div></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div>