<div dir="ltr"><div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif">Need to </span><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com" target="_blank" style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif">unsubscribe</a><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif">?</span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif"><br></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif"><font size="4">Genealogy Update 13 Sept 2026</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">** When Mom Does What GGG-Grandmaa Did</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">** Using AI as a Genealogy Consultant</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">** General Suggestions for Tracking the Family Farm</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">** Recorded Webinars</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif"><br></font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">----------------------------</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">When Mom Does what GGG-Grandma did</font></span></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent"><font size="4" face="georgia, serif">----------------------------</font></span></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" style="" size="4">They say time heals all wounds. That may or may not be true.</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">Perspective matters. Emotional attachment matters. Knowing the individuals involved personally involved in a situation matters.</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">Sometimes individuals wax poetically and eagerly share the \u201cblack sheep\u201d in their family. Some view it as romantic when a 18th century relative leaves their family, heads to parts unknown, and starts a new life.  It can be entertaining to read about a relative\u2019s exploits in the newspapers and criminal court records.</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 saying that we should hide these stories or that we should be embarrassed by them. We shouldn\u2019t. Genealogists have an obligation to report accurately what information is given in records. We are not responsible for the transgressions of the deceased or activities in which we took no part.</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 it\u2019s different when the discovery involves someone the researcher personally knew. What is eccentric about an aunt in the 1850s is an entirely different challenge when it involves your own mother. That 1890 secret about uncle Herman is a something else when it\u2019s your mother\u2019s brother. It\u2019s understandable when a relative does not want to talk about \u201cnegative\u201d events in which they were personally involved or that involves individuals the relative knew personally. We can\u2019t force someone to share things they don\u2019t want to share. We can\u2019t force them to react in ways that we would\u2013or think we would.</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 we can\u2019t know how we would respond to certain discoveries about our own immediate family until we make them. We can\u2019t know how members of our immediate family we react until these discoveries are made.</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\u2019s academic when an article written by someone you don\u2019t know discusses the three brothers they discovered through a DNA test. It\u2019s not so academic when your own DNA test reveals your mother had children you never existed. The \u201cisn\u2019t that neat?\u201d reaction turns into \u201choly crap\u201d in an instant.</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">In the pre-DNA test days of genealogical research, it was easier for some secrets to stay hidden. DNA has changed that. Secrets that some thought would never be discovered are being discovered.</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">Just remember that when the secrets involve living individuals, the excitement over a \u201cscandal\u201d might not be the sort of excitement you are looking for.</font></p></div><div><span style="text-align:initial;background-color:transparent;font-family:georgia,serif"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:xx-large;font-weight:700;text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:xx-large;font-weight:700;text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap">Using AI as a Genealogy Consultant</span></div><p style="font-family:georgia,serif;text-align:center;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><font color="#000000" size="4"><i><u><b>Our approach is to always use AI responsibly and practically.</b></u></i></font></p><p style="font-family:georgia,serif;text-align:center;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><font color="#000000"><i><font size="4"><b>See how to use AI as your own genealogy consultant.</b></font></i></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;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">Maybe you can\u2019t afford a consultant for your own research or you have too many genealogy problems to hire help with every one.  AI can serve as your own genealogy research consultant. </span></p><br style="font-family:georgia,serif"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;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">As with a human consultant, you\u2019ll need to do the initial work on your ancestor, gather what you have, and familiarize yourself with basic sources in the area. There is no guarantee that AI will solve your problem. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But using AI as your personal research consultant can help. Not by doing the research for you,  or inventing ancestors that never existed, but by doing what a good consultant actually does: looking at what you have, summarizing it, discussing it, and giving you ideas on where to look next or to help you see things in a different way.  It may even tell you where you need to go to improve your research skills. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">After using AI, you still may decide to use a human consultant. The work you did with AI will help you prepare to get the most from that advice from a real person and to make the best use of your time and money should that be necessary. We acknowledge in this presentation and approach that AI does not know everything, is not perfect, and cannot solve every problem. It\u2019s just another tool.  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">You&#39;ll see how to frame a research problem so AI gives you something useful instead of something vague. You&#39;ll learn to recognize when it&#39;s guessing, because it will, and how to catch hallucinations and how to use AI in a discerning fashion.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The goal isn&#39;t to replace your judgment. It&#39;s to give you a thinking partner available at two in the morning when you finally realize you need to get outside your own mind on a certain ancestral problem. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&amp;hosted_button_id=3SJCPREXK5EUC" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Pre-order the presentation now.</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Release date:</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> 25 September</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Price:</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> $15.99</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Includes the full presentation, a detailed handout, and a ready-to-use set of prompts you can adapt to your own research problems.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><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-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">General Suggestions for Tracking the Family Farm</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">-----------------------------</span></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="inherit" style="font-size:16px"><span style="margin:0px auto;padding:0px;outline:0px;height:auto;text-align:initial"><img class="gmail-aligncenter gmail-wp-image-2813" src="https://rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/trautvetter-christian-deed-300x139.jpg" alt="" width="429" height="199" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; vertical-align: middle; display: block; text-align: initial; font-family: inherit; clear: both; transition-property: background, padding, margin, border, transform, box-shadow, opacity, color, fill, font, border-radius, max-height, max-width, filter, -webkit-transform, -webkit-box-shadow, -webkit-filter; transition-duration: 0.5s;"></span></font><font face="georgia, serif" style="" size="4">From a reader:</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">\u201cMy ancestors came into possession of farmland in Indiana circa 1815.  A portion of that original land has been passed to me and I am a current owner \u2013 and nonresident farmer.  I would love to identify the start of this land ownership and the subsequent transfers by will or otherwise \u2013 no family exists today to ask.  Do you have any recommendations for me on how to begin and what records to begin with? I have some particulars on land ID numbers, etc., but that\u2019s about it.\u201d</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">Since the land is still in the family, the number of transfers should not be all that great and would probably have been done by either a deed or a will. The place to start looking is at the local Recorder of Deeds office. The first deed by which the family acquired the property should be recorded there. It is possible that the original acquisition was by the purchase or patenting of federal land, but there should still be a record copy of that document at the county Recorder of Deeds office.</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">Subsequent transfers of land are probably within the family either through deeds or wills and probate documents. Deeds would have likely been from parent to child or from a group of heirs to the remaining heir. It is also possible that the transfers from one generation to the next were effected by will or probate records.</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">Searching the land records can be done by searching for the various family owners in the grantor/grantee indexes in the recorder\u2019s office. Given that Indiana is a federal land state it is also possible that lot or tract indexes exist. These geographic indexes would be the ideal ones to use since you know the location of the property and are wanting to document the chain of ownership over time.</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 real estate in question could also be referenced in will or probate records for the various owners. As a consequence those records should be checked 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">Lastly, real property tax records should indicate who was paying tax on the property during what time. Those records could augment what is found in other records and may help to fill in gaps that can\u2019t be located in land and will/probate records. Given the goal of your project, I would research the tax records last as the other record types discussed will likely provide the details for which you are looking.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(70,112,127);font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;;background-color:transparent">--------------------</span></p><div><font color="#46707f" face="georgia, serif" size="4">Webinars</font></div><div><font color="#46707f" face="Open Sans"><span style="font-size:16px">--------------------</span></font></div><div><font color="#46707f" face="Open Sans"><span style="font-size:16px"><br></span></font></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(23,37,42);font-family:georgia,serif;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">Ready-to-Go Webinars from Michael\u2013download immediate:</span></p><ul style="color:rgb(23,37,42);font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-childrens-stories-from-genealogy-information/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Creating Children\u2019s Stories from Genealogy Events</span></a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-families-from-pre-1850-census-records/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records</span></a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/deedmapper-intro-and-more-deedmapper-webinars/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">DeedMapper webinars</span></a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/02/19/using-the-familysearch-catalog-webinar/" target="_blank">FamilySearch Catalog</a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/rooting-around-for-farmers-and-tenants-and-laborers/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Farming Ancestor webinars\u2013landowner and non-landowner versions</span></a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/08/05/updated-familysearch-full-text-search-webinar/" target="_blank">Full-Text Search at FamilySearch </a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/11/04/common-names-at-familysearch-full-text-webinar/" target="_blank">Full-Text Search at FamilySearch with Common Names</a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/how-errors-get-in-records-webinar/" target="_blank">How Errors Get in Records</a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/03/10/genealogy-research-in-illinois-webinar/" target="_blank">Illinois Genealogy Research</a></p></li><li style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/unburying-funeral-home-records/" target="_blank">Unburying Funeral Home Records</a></p></li></ul></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><font face="georgia, serif" size="4">----------------------------------------<br></font></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 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"><br></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></a></b></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"><font face="georgia, serif" size="4"></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></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" size="4"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:georgia,serif;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></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4">Michael John Neill</font></div><div><font size="4">Genealogy Tip of the Day</font></div><div><font size="4">PO Box 17</font></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;outline:0px;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;;line-height:1.6;color:rgb(70,112,127)"><font color="#888888" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><font color="#888888" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:large"></font></font></p><div><font size="4">Henderson, IL 61439</font></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div>