[Genealogy] Before Searching a Database, Unpleasant Details, Consultation Sale, NotebookLM, Trips

[Michael John Neill]

In this issue:
Things to Think About Before Searching Databases
Should You Tell the Unpleasant Details?
Consultation Sale Extended
NotebookLM
Trips

Note: I'm recovering from bronchitis and am playing catchup slowly over the
next few days with email and other things that need responses. Thanks for
your patience. Michael

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Things to Think About Before Searching Databases
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A few quick reminders before searching for someone in any online database
or set of digitized images.
Familiarize yourself with what the index includes.

   - Is it an every name index?
   - Are only certain names from each record included?

Is the index complete?

Some online indexes are “in progress.” Fee-based sites may post datasets
that are incomplete in order to draw new subscribers. Make certain the
database or set of records include the specific areas or time periods in
which you have an interest, even if it is incomplete. An index may state
that it’s for California between 1800 and 1950, but may only include
certain counties and some counties may not have coverage during that entire
time frame.

Some indexes are created by using volunteer submissions. Volunteers may
submit entries from families in which they have an interest. Consequently
not every record may be in the index.
Determine if the original records are completely extant.

The original records from which the index was created may not be completely
extant.
Determine how to search the index.

   - What search parameters can be used?
   - What database fields can be used to search?
   - Are keyword searches allowed?

Learn how the records are organized so that manual searches can be
conducted.

   - Are the individual original records listed geographically?
   - Are the individual original records created chronologically?
   - Are the individual original records recorded alphabetically?

Know alternate spellings for all names being searched.

   - Spelling variations
   - Handwriting variations

It’s always best to do some thinking before typing a name in that search
box.

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Should You tell the Unpleasant Details?

-------------------------

The brother of an ancestor got drunk and belligerent with his mother. His
brothers were unable to restrain him and the county sheriff came and
arrested him. He served a month in the county jail.

An aunt’s husband attempted to murder her while she was pregnant. He never
served jail time and, based upon their adjacent burial in a local cemetery,
I’m concluding they never were divorced.

A relative passed him off in a town about ten miles from where his wife was
still living. When his wife found out about the girlfriend, he ran off-with
another woman.

A relative borrowed a substantial sum from his grandmother and was supposed
to execute a mortgage to secure the payment. He never did and was
unsuccessfully sued by her estate when she died.

I have an uncle who hung himself in his barn for his teenaged daughter to
find him.

I have an aunt who disemboweled herself when her abdomen was apparently
riddled with cancer.

And there is more.

There is solid evidence in every case as every situation generated one or
more documents.

But how much do I share?

That can be a difficult question to answer.

Years ago, in an attempt to interest a relative in our ancestor, I told her
everything about our common female ancestor. After reading the relative’s
biography on the website of the university where she was employed, I
thought she would be interested in a strong female ancestor who apparently
lived life on her own terms. Apparently my storytelling was too much. After
I spilled the beans about the ancestor, my relative stopped answering my
emails. Maybe the murder, divorces, and accidental death were simply too
much for her.

Do I tell a relative who may have old pictures  I don’t know how her
great-grandfather ended his life? They may not share those pictures with me
if I mention his cause of death.

How much can you omit without altering the story?



How soon do you spill the beans to that new found cousin?

--------------------------------------------------

Genealogy Research Consultation Holiday Sale--save $40

--------------------------------------------------
Need some guidance with your research, but don't need a class, don't need
to hire a researcher for $1000 or more?

Just need someone to look at what you have and give you ideas on what to do
next?

That's exactly what a genealogy consultation is for and we're having a sale
on ours for the Holiday Season.

Save $40! We are offering a limited number of consultations at this reduced
price--normal price is $140.

More details about our consultations are available at:
https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/consultations-with-michael/

Space at this reduced rate is limited!

Reserve your consultation today. Scheduling takes place after registration,
but we are still booking in December!

------------------------------
NotebookLM for Genealogy-Make InfoGraphics, videos, and more
------------------------------

Ever wanted to create graphics, mind maps, and other graphics for your
genealogy research easily? Now you can and we'll show you how.

Notebooklm at Google.

Create audio and video overviews, mind maps, reports, quizzes,
infographics, and slide decks from your uploaded files, genealogy
documents, and the like. Notebooklm is not perfect by a long shot, but it
may give you insight into your own research. We will take a responsible
genealogical approach to using Notebooklm. It is a tool and like any took
needs to be used carefully and judiciously. We won’t necessarily agree with
all the conclusions it reaches, but thinking about its insights and trying
to prove/disprove them or analyze them further may enhance our research in
ways we did not expect.

This presentation will be held live on 15 December 2025 at 8 pm central time.
Live attendance is limited and on a first come, first served basis and is
$28
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QXS2HC8Z23KK8>
. You can pre-order a recording of the presentation and the handout for $22
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B8BZMPFNMATW4>
.


See sample infographics here--just like ones we will show you how to make:

https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/11/24/notebooklm-at-google/


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Let Others Know

------------------------

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https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com


Until Next Time!

Michael


All content (c) 2025 Michael John Neill

--------------------

Michael John Neill

Genealogy Tip of the Day

www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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