[Genealogy] Is It Worth It and webinars

Mon Aug 10 09:36:56 CDT 2026

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Genealogy Update 10 August 2026

** Problem-Solving With NotebookLM
** Is It Worth It?
** Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch

*Intro price  ($23)  ending today 10 August--save $5*

*We are excited to announce this completely new program!*

Problem-Solving with NotebookLM

Unlock your family history with the power of AI!
[image: image.png]

Michael John Neill’s presentation, "Genealogy Problem-Solving with
Notebook," provides a comprehensive guide to using Google’s free NotebookLM
platform to revolutionize your research.The presentation is down-to-earth,
practical, and…not full of AI hype and exaggeration.

This session explores how genealogists can upload up to 50 diverse
sources—including PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, and even audio
files—to 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.

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.

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.

Discover how to leverage this cutting-edge technology to notice details you
might have otherwise overlooked.

Download the presentation and handout immediately for $23 (our introductory
price). No streaming
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/buy?product_id=250942&product_price_id=274053&gateway=paypal>.
View as often as you want.

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Is It Worth It?

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

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Genealogical curiosity can kill your
budget and bank account.

An earlier post discussed Soundex cards to Baltimore passenger lists in the
19th century. The cards located were for several members of my family. I’ve
seen the actual passenger lists for this family so locating the cards for
me was an academic exercise.

As mentioned in the blog post, the cards referenced the back of the card in
the location where “other family members” were to be listed. The back of
the cards were not filmed. Because of how the  cards were created, I
decided it wasn’t going to be worth it to obtain a copy of the back of the
card.

And then I got emails saying that I should see the back of the cards.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know what it would cost to get the copy of the back
of the card. And while I realize curiosity is a good thing for the
genealogist, curiosity must be balanced with practicality and reality. As
mentioned in the blog post, the cards were a finding aid to the actual
manifest. Information on the card was simply taken from the manifest
decades later in the creation of the index.

Here is where thinking about how the records were created and why they were
created is important. The cards were a finding aid for someone who needed
to locate his date and place of entry into the United States. The names of
others who were travelling with the person on the manifest were added to
assist the searcher in locating the desired name. This way if the “right
name” could not be found by searching for it directly (because it was
written incorrectly on the actual manifest and hence indexed in the same
way), a searcher could search for others that the immigrant remembered
traveled with and if their name was located on an index card, the name of
the person of interest should show up as someone in the “traveling with”
section of the card. It’s worth remembering that these cards were created
before computerized database searches and searching for other family
members was a good technique. The cards were not created as a genealogical
source.

While it may be desirable to obtain a copy of every record created on your
relative, there are some things to consider:

   - What is the cost of obtaining the record?
   - Was this “record” really a new record or was it created from
   information on another record (ie. an abstract)?
   - Is the probable informant on this record an informant whose “opinion”
   or “information” I don’t already have?
   - What information is typically on this record?
   - How reliable do I perceive the information to be on this record?
   - How was this record created and what was its purpose?
   - Do I already have this information from reliable sources?
   - Is this record likely to provide really new information?

Of course, sometimes it interesting to have any record on an ancestor and
any record can contain new information. But sometimes some thinking and
reflection may make you decide if obtaining the record is actually worth
it–especially if the cost is significant.
Because we can’t always afford everything.

-------------------------
Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch Webinar
-------------------------

No Monkeying Around!
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** FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar August 2026 Version Released

We're excited!

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.

We talk about various ways to use the advanced search--keywords, wildcards,
places, dates, searching versus filtering, and more.

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.

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.

Save $10 (extended for one day--last day is 8 August) by ordering now
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>---download
is immediate. View as often as you like. No streaming.

Order your copy today at the intro price of $25
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>--regularly
$35.

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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
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