[Genealogy] Do You Full-Text and Prairie Patrimony
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Tue Apr 21 12:07:52 CDT 2026
need to unsubscribe? Manage here
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com>
.
Genealogy Update 21 April 2026
** New Release Date for AI for Genealogy and Brick Walls 2026
*AI for Genealogy and Brick Walls 2026 have revised release dates of 24
April due to technical issues. Thanks for your patience--get yours now at
intro prices. *
*** *Do You Use Full-Text Search
** AI For genealogy and Brick Walls 2026
** Reading an Academic Study: *Prairie Patrimony*
** Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Presentations Available Immediately
---------------------------------
Do You Use Full-Text Searching?
---------------------------------
I was meeting with a client for our consultation on her problem and she
indicated that she had not used full-text search at FamilySearch in her
research. It was first on our list of things to talk about in terms of her
problem--a family from Tennessee who ended up in Texas in the 1830s via
Indiana and Illinois.
There are limitations to full-text search and it cannot solve every
genealogy problem, but it can help you in finding things that may have been
virtually impossible to find before. It may or may not solve my client's
problems, but it definitely should be in the toolbox of things to do.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for Genealogy
------------------------------------------------------------
Been curious about using artificial intelligence for your genealogy
research? In this hour-long session, we will provide an overview of
responsible and simple ways to use artificial intelligence to assist with
your genealogy research. Our focus will be practical, easy-to-follow
techniques to use artificial intelligence to jumpstart your research in a
responsible manner. We won’t talk about ways to create images or fiction
but will show you how to incorporate AI into your research in down-to-earth
ways that don’t waste your time. We will see how to use AI to get research
ideas, focus your research, transcribe handwriting, organize and extract
information—and how to create your own research prompts.
AI can be used as a research assistant that’s always available. See how to
take advantage of it without the hype. Available 24 April (revised date).
Pre-order price is $22
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2DJMKLMETRABQ>
—order yours today
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2DJMKLMETRABQ>.
Price after 24 April is $30.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Brick Wall Busters 2026--New!
-----------------------------------------------
This hour-long presentation is geared towards advanced beginning or
intermediate genealogists. Our focus will be on problems in the United
States between roughly 1700 and 1900. Brick wall ideas will be pulled from
consultations with clients and personal research experience. Approaches
will be practical and down-to-earth. Presentation approach will be through
a series of examples from a variety of time periods, locations, and social
classes. Handout included. Presentation made by Michael John Neill.
Presentation (video/audio) and handout will be released for viewing on 24
April 2026 (revised date). Pre-order price is $22–order today
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=E26EPTPJ3C7AU>.
Price after 24 April 2026 will be $30.
-------------------------------------------
Ancestry DNA webinar
------------------------------------------------------------
*Order today--see below*
AncestryDNA Results Analysis–2026
*Confused with your DNA results at AncestryDNA? *
Michael takes a commonsense, down-to-earth approach to genealogical DNA
match analysis. Emphasis in this presentation is on developing skills, not
on relying on automatic processes that are often misunderstood.
Presentation discusses Michael’s pooling technique that he applies to his
genealogical tree and his DNA matches.
Discussion will include: the importance of reviewing currently known
genealogical information, understanding centimorgans and predicted
relationships, working from the known to the unknown with matches, avoiding
rushing into brickwall work, reaching out to matches, tree-less matches,
clustering matches, tracking progress, documenting reasoning and analysis,
avoiding duplicating work. Then we’ll talk about setting new goals and
problem-solving.
Presentation length is approximately 90 minutes. Handout included. This
session is geared towards beginning and intermediate genealogists.
Michael brings genealogical knowledge and thirty years of classroom
teaching experience to his presentations. His work with math students gives
him a unique perspective on analyzing DNA matches.
Presentation will be released on 1 May 2026. Pre-orders are $30–order yours
today.
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=67LJNCR98WWKA>
-------------------------------------------
Reading an Academic Study: *Prairie Patrimony*
-------------------------------------------
I’m re-reading Sonya Salamon’s Prairie Patrimony: Family, Farming, and
Community in the Midwest (Studies in Rural Culture)
<https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807820458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807820458&linkCode=as2&tag=gentipoftheda-20&linkId=794a6b61d5da8ea5ca76b85100b9c568>
as
a means of re-familiarizing myself with certain concepts for a variety of
personal and professional reasons. Salamon studied four migrant groups into
Illinois in the mid-19th century(*) and their approach to farming and land
tenure. Those groups were:
- German Yeoman–an Ostfriesen (Lutheran) settlement referred to as
“Heartland.”
- German Yeoman–a German Catholic settlement referred to as “St.
Boniface.”
- Yankee Entrepreneur–a Illinois settlement of American natives from
across the United States who Salamon referred to as “Yankees.” She made her
case for the use of that term in her book and in that context it makes
perfect for several reasons including the fact that European immigrants
often referred to all Americans as “English” because of the language they
spoke–no matter what part of the US they were from. That settlement was
referred to as Wheeler in her book.
- A mixed German/Yankee settlement–referred to as Prairie Gem.
The book holds high personal interest for me because all my Illinois
families arrived during the time period covered in Salamon’s book. All
(except for one ggg-grandfather) were farmers. Half my ancestors settled
in a settlement like Heartland (and were Ostfriesen), and most of the rest
fell into one of the other categories. The only exception was that my
Germans were Lutheran and not Catholic. The distinctions in terms of
farming are minimal.
Salamon’s discussion of the differences in how different members of
different ethnic groups approached farm growth and inheritance resonated
with me because it confirmed differences among my own families that I had
noticed, but had never verbalized.
>From a very large perspective, the Ostfriesen farmer typically settled in
one spot and stayed put (or maybe moved once until he “settled.”) His
general goal was to see that his children (either as farmers or as the
wives of farmers) were established near him. The Yankee perspective was to
send children out on their own and have them succeed and settle where they
might. Ostfriesens (and the Germans) generally wanted their farm to pass to
their children, Yankees were not as concerned about passing on the physical
farm to their families and retaining it “in the family name.”
With any study generalizing human behavior it is important to remember that
there will be exceptions. Not everyone behaves the same. Genealogists live
in those exceptions. Despite this caveat, generalizations can help provide
some perspective and it’s advantageous to know what the expectations of the
peer group were even if our ancestor did not follow those expectations. Not
following the expectations of the culture peer group can lead to tension.
In several of my Ostfriesen families who settled in Illinois, the farms
purchased by the immigrant generations are still owned by descendants
today. Some are operated by descendants and some are not. Farms my “Yankee”
settled on in Illinois are no longer owned by descendants. Most left family
ownership upon the death of the settler/owner or in some cases, one of
their children.
How did your ancestors fit in to the expectations of their peers?
Have you read academic treatments of your ancestor’s social/ethnic group
and has it given you some insight into their life and experience?
Full Text Webinars
*Check out our offerings on full-text search at FamilySearch. Get the most
of it!*
*download immediate*
FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar
We’re excited to offer this revised presentation on the full-text searching
at *FamilySearch*--reflecting changes made to the site since this was
recorded in August 2025. We’ve redesigned our presentation as this
functionality continues to change. And…we have an extensive handout
complete with forms to help you find more people.
If you have purchased an earlier version of this presentation--email me at
mjnrootdig at gmail.com for the code to order this revision for $10.
Fully Utilizing Full-Text Search: Revised for 2026
Your purchase includes:
- *A 90 minute (or more presentation)* you can view as often as you want.
- *Detailed handout* with charts and forms to help organize your
searches. Charts and forms sent as separate files you can edit and
customize and not as a locked PDF you have to re-create yourself as a new
document.
We’ll be including and discussing:
*Determining what is in Full-Text Search—*what you can access at home and
what you will have to be in a FamilySearch facility or affiliate to access.
*Seeing How AI Transcriptions are different*—they aren’t like the
transcriptions made by humans. That can change your approach.
*Remembering that Full-Text means every word*—approaches need to differ as
we aren’t looking up a name in an index any more.
*Asking Who* is in the record? We aren’t just searching for the main person
like we did with traditional indexes. We’ll discuss how to determine who
could be mentioned in a record.
*Determining How to search?* There are a variety of ways to search and
filter results. We’ll see how each one works to help determine the best
strategy.
*Creating search strategies*—how full-text search changes your approach and
why just dumping terms in search boxes is not always effective.
*Determining what you found* The interface does not always make this clear.
We will show you how to get beyond the confusion and help you get enough
detail for a citation.
*Creating effective problem-solving approaches*—what to do when you cannot
find something you want.
*Demonstrating practical examples*—completely new people and families from
our previous presentations.
Available for immediate download for $30
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>.
Complete handout included and additional forms.
---------------------------
Why There?
----------------------------
When a record is located for a relative, one should always ask “why there?
Why was that record in that place?”
Many times the reasons are mundane and have obvious, instant answers. The
land deed was recorded in the jurisdiction in which the property was
located. The relative died at home and the death certificate was filed in
the local records office.
The answer may be known and that answer may still be a clue. A relative may
die in the nearest hospital in a different county or a different state. A
couple may travel to a neighboring county because that county seat is
easier to get to or no one at that courthouse knows the father of the
bride. A relative may naturalize a few counties from home because his
nearest relative (and witness) lives in that other county.
Or the location itself may be a clue. Many relatives of my own from Hancock
County, Illinois, married in Kahoka, Missouri, in the 1941-1945 era.
Generally speaking the groom was home on a short leave and at that time a
couple could go to Kahoka and get married the same day. They could not do
that in Illinois. In this case, a marriage of a couple in that place may
cause me to wonder if the groom was in the military.
There are many other examples. But the point here is that researchers
should ask themselves “why is this record here?” Just thinking through that
question can help our research and give us some insight.
Sometimes there is a reason, but we will never know what it is. Some
mysteries are destined to remain mysteries.
And sometimes, particularly in the case of elopements, the location may
really have no connection to the couple or the marriage. It may have just
been the first stop on a trip where a license could be had.
And then if the marriage is relatively recent, they might have eloped to
Las Vegas.
But that’s a whole other story.
Full-Text Presentations are all available for immediate download
Common Names at FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar
*Overwhelmed by common names like Smith or Jones in your family tree? This
presentation offers advanced strategies and techniques to help you
effectively use FamilySearch’s full-text search and find those elusive
ancestors.*
Download immediately for
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=247700&method_id=270565>
$40–use
code common26 and save 30%.
*Full-Texting the Smiths and Jones:*
*Strategies for Common Names*
Using FamilySearch’s Full-Text search is easier when the name is relatively
uncommon. It’s more of a challenge when the last name is Smith, Jones,
Brown, or something similarly common. In this presentation, we will look at
approaches to maximize the chance you find that common-named person. No
approach is full-proof and we will not be so brazen to guarantee success.
No genealogist should ever do that.
What we will do is help give you some ideas and techniques to give you a
better shot at finding your commonly named person. We can lead you through
some examples and give you some ideas to modify to search for your own
people. *We will assume you’ve got an understanding of how full-text search
works*. This presentation will not cover the basics of using the full-text
search functionality of FamilySearch (you can watch our first presentation
for that—nearly two hours and an extensive handout
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/09/05/fully-utilizing-full-text-search/>
).
The Smith-Jones presentation will cover:
*Identifying all the key elements* that distinguish your ancestor from
others. Your ancestor is more than a name. Crafting as detailed an
ancestral profile as possible facilitates the construction of effective
searches and we will see how to elicit as many of those details as possible
from records you already have.
*Organizing a search strategy.* Making certain all relevant search
combinations have been searched is key to maximizing the chance you find
your commonly named ancestor. We will see how to create your own forms and
outlines to do just that.
*Tracking Results to Problem-Solve.* Searching for common names requires
the researcher to be as methodological as possible to make certain all
options have been considered. It is impossible to determine if all
effective means of search were used if negative results tracking is not
done.
*The Name’s the Thing.* Last names such as Bird, Lake, and Farmer have
their own issues as well. We will see some approaches that can help locate
these names.
*Case Studies*. We will look at sample case studies common-named persons.
*Please note*: *We can’t guarantee success*. What we can do is help to give
you tools to increase your chances of success with common names.
Order for immediate download at our regular price of $40
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HQM8799ZLWSQS>
.
FamilySearch Full-Text Problem Solving Webinar
This presentation assumes that you have a working knowledge of how to use
the full-text search at FamilySearch (order that presentation for $30
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>—download
immediate).
We will look at examples (ones not discussed in the original presentation)
and follow a consistent process and methodology to maximize the chance that
we find what’s available for the individuals in question. It’s important to
leverage all you know about an ancestor combined with the power of
full-text search—we will focus on: family members, migrations, and known
events and relationships. Our approach is systematic—we avoid the rabbit
hole approach that can make full-text searches inefficient.
Released. Pre-orders have been sent. Regular price $28
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=249265&method_id=272262>
.
Using the FamilySearch Catalog Webinar
Media file and handout released--nearly 60 minutes!
Order for immediate download (no streaming) for $24.00
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=248898&method_id=271851>
.
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=248898&method_id=271851>Normal
price is $28.00
Confused about what is on FamilySearch? Having difficulty knowing what is
online there and how to access it? This presentation will lead you out of
the confusion.
Contents will include:
Various ways the catalog can be searched–the six verbal ways (location,
title, keyword, surname, author, subject) and the two more numeric ways
(call number and film/image group number). We will see how to:
-
effectively navigate the catalog search results,
-
determine how catalog materials can be accessed,
-
be aware of all geographic levels for a specific location,
-
determine what indexes and finding aids are available
-
see how common record types are frequently cataloged
Presentation made by Michael John Neill
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=248898&method_id=271851>
*Purchase for immediate download
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=248898&method_id=271851>*
----------------------
*Need to unsubscribe? Do so at:*
*https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/listinfo/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com>*
------------------------------------
Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17, Henderson, IL 61439
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://genealogytipoftheday.com/pipermail/genealogy_genealogytipoftheday.com/attachments/20260421/16243f8b/attachment-0001.html>
More information about the Genealogy
mailing list