One of our goals here is to get you to think about what and how you research and analyze material. It’s ok if people use the online trees. It’s ok if they don’t. It’s ok if people use FindaGrave. It’s ok if they don’t. It’s ok if you use full-text search at FamilySearch. It’s ok if you don’t. If you’re going to use any of those things, then it’s imperative that you know HOW to use them, HOW they work, and what the limitations of those things are. Stating limitations and pitfalls is not bad–it makes you more effective users of those sources which should be the goal for people who use those sources. Join our methodology class!
There is much more to FamilySearch than the online tree. There are images of thousands of original records from across the world. The indexes to the these records are of varying quality, but it’s worth remembering that one can use FamilySearch without ever looking at any of the collaborative tree. One can use the finding aids and indexes to find some things, but sometimes the original indexes created by the original holder of the record will locate things other indexes to do not. And the original records can be manually browsed for searching if that should be desired, although sometimes (depending up the quantity of documents in a record set) that may not be practical. My Perplexity AI and Full-Text Searching Webinars.
I had great fun putting the final touches on the new Perplexity AI webinar yesterday. The best way, in my opinion, to use AI is to treat it as a research intern or assistant that needs direction. It’s a tool like anything else and not necessarily appropriate for every task…but it does have some uses. But it’s not going to solve all your genealogy problems nor is it going to do your research for you. Nothing will do that and don’t let anyone tell you they have the “trick” that always works. There’s no such thing. Details of our new Perplexity presentation are here.
Before querying that database, before hitting “search” on that website, and before typing names into a search box, there are things you need to know about what you are searching. What exactly are you searching when querying this database? Is it just a database of main names in a set of records? Is it an index to every name? Is it a complete transcription? Will you be able to see actual images of the record as well as a database or index entry? Is the data complete–or are parts missing? How do searches actually work–do you know whether you can use wildcards, Boolean operators, and the like? Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to more effectively search.
If you have the one of the few paper copies of a family item–funeral folders, mass cards, wedding announcements, photographs, etc., have you digitized it? That way the paper copy you have is not the only copy of it in existence. Be certain to share the copies with others who are interested in the family. Copies can be more easily shared than originals. Always consider using a camera instead of a scanner on fragile items. Check out Genealogy Tip of the Day book version for other tips and questions you should ask yourself about your research.
Perplexity for Genealogy–New and Improved We’re released our revised Perplexity for Genealogy presentation into a two-hour long session–complete with handout. Download is immediate. If you pre-ordered this presentation, your order has already been sent. Our focus is on a practical, down-to-earth approach. You’ll be able to play the video more than once and see research approaches that are easy-to-follow. New examples, new families, new prompts, with a continued focus on practical, down-to-earth application of AI for genealogy—focused on Perplexity. Perplexity is a combined search engine and research assistant that uses large language models to answers questions, summarize content, and create responses to queries. Thoughtful genealogists do not use AI to replace their brain—they use it to preform tasks more quickly than they can and with precise attention to […]
Reprinted from our Rootdig blog. In performing a manual search of naturalization records for Hancock County, Illinois, I discovered a large number of naturalizations that took place on 12 October of 1858. There were a total of twenty-two men who became United States citizens on that date. Given the location and the population of the county, that seemed like a large number. Knowing that “seeming” doesn’t mean something is true, I did some further looking and looked into the dates of naturalization for individuals between 1858 and 1859 in Hancock County. The naturalizations only took place during March, May, June, and October during those two years and usually on a handful of days during those times. The May and June dates were close to each other. That suggested […]
When searching the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office (GLO) records database of federal land patents for warrantees, remember that the warrant is geographically tagged to the location where the patented property was located, not necessarily to where the warrantee was living. If the warrantee assigned the patent to someone else, the warrantee likely did not move to the area where the property was located. Your War of 1812 ancestor who never left Kentucky may have received a land warrant that he eventually assigned to someone who settled in Iowa. The resulting patent (which is on the BLM GLO site) will be tagged to the Iowa location where that property was located by the patentee–not to Kentucky where the veteran resided. Upcoming: We’ve moved the start […]
There are times where seeing things on your screen or being able to search quickly to “figure out who someone is” isn’t quite enough–at least for me. I’ve been working on my Ostfriesen families and the similarity of the names can lead to confusion. There are times where the names Antje Jurgens Ehmen Antje Tonjes Ehmen, Tonjes Jurgens Ehmen, Jurgen Ehmen, Willm Jurgens Ehmen, and Willm Tonjes Ehmen start to run together to the point where I’m about ready to start looking for Tonjes Antje Ehmen (there was no such person). These individuals are all children or grandchildren of the same ancestral couple (and there are more similar names that are not included here). To keep me organized and to where I don’t have to search for them […]
We’ve moved the start date for our Genealogy Methods Class to 21 Oct–so there’s still time to join us! Details are on our announcement page.
If you are taking a trip to a genealogical library, browsing the stacks can be a great way to find and locate materials that could be helpful in your research. However… There is also the card catalog and that needs to be used. Books may be catalogued for more than one county or location but they can only physically be in one place in the bookshelves. A book may contain Revolutionary war materials on Bedford and Amherst Counties in Virginia, but it cannot be in two places at once. A card catalog search for either county will locate the book in the catalog and then it can be located on the shelf. If you only browse the shelf for one county, you may miss it.
From a while back… Note: I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one on the Internet. Seek legal counsel if you have serious copyright issues you wish to pursue legally–but remember–it ain’t cheap. I realize that they are “your” ancestors and you probably have some emotional attachment to them. That’s perfectly normal. You may also have some emotional attachment to facts that have taken you a long time, some money, and a great deal of time to ascertain. Let’s say that you “discover” that Johann Schmitpluffer was born on 12 August 1739 in Gottareallylongschmirkingname, Germany, the son of Erasmus and Anna (Umlautholder) Schmitpluffer. You decide put those facts online, perhaps including your analysis along with those facts. It is a very long and detailed analysis, reflecting your […]
Learn more about our Genealogy Process class starting this week. Full-Text searching at FamilySearch got you confused? Our two-hour presentation is getting rave reviews.
A record indicates that a last name is a woman’s “maiden name.” Is it possible that it’s technically not her last name at birth, but something slightly different? It could be any of the following: •Last name at birth? •Biological father’s last name? •Biological mother’s last name? •Step-father’s last name? •Adoptive parents’ last name? First husband’s last name? We’ve moved the start date for our Genealogy Methods Class to 21 Oct–so there’s still time to join us! Details are on our aannouncement page. Full-Text searching at FamilySearch got you confused? Our two-hour presentation is getting rave reviews.
Thanks to everyone who support our webiar closeout sale. If you missed it, details are on our page and we’ve extended it for readers of Genealogy Tip of the Day. If you had issues with a download, please let me know.
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