[Genealogy] Getting Possessive, Dead Men and Taxes, Notebook Class, Metes and Bounds, and More
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Tue Aug 18 06:51:19 CDT 2026
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Genealogy Update
17 August 2026
** Getting Possessive about a 1763 Will
** Notebook for Genealogy Class Spots Filling Up
** Math for Genealogists
** Dead Men Pay No Taxes
** Metes and Bounds Deeds Using AI
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Getting Possessive about a 1763 Will
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*from a while back...*
Part of the 1763 will of Joseph Daby from Middlesex County, Massachusetts,
reads “…was my Sons Viz Daniel Daby Deceased…”
A superficial reading may interpret the word “Sons” to mean that Joseph had
more than one son. The intent in this rendering is to indicate that Joseph
is bequeathing something in his will that used to belong to his son Daniel.
It’s not used to indicate that Joseph had multiple sons.
18th century scribes don’t often use apostrophes to indicate possession.
Genealogists need to “cut the scribe some grammar slack” or risk making
incorrect conclusions.
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Notebook for Genealogy Class--Don't Miss It!--spots are filling up
-------------------------------------
*Announcing!*
Due to several requests, we've developed this class on using Notebook for
Genealogy.
Notebook for Genealogy–A Four Session Pick Your Own Problem Course
With Michael John Neill
Our focus is on being practical, exhibiting sound genealogy methodology,
and demonstrating responsible use of Notebook (Google’s suite of AI tools)
in genealogy research. This course is for those who would like guidance and
suggestions in how to use Notebook and have a place to get feedback and
additional direction.
Course Prerequisites & Required Materials You should have digital records
for one ancestor or a father-mother-children family, including every extant
record available.
-
Format: PDF or JPG for images; PDF, Word, or raw text for transcriptions.
-
Preparation: Be familiar with the specific ancestral research problem
you plan to work on to get the most from Notebook LM and AI concepts.
Gather all materials between registration and the start of class.
Course Format & Zoom Sessions
-
Pre-Recorded Lectures: Students will view two hours of presentations
before group sessions begin.
-
Live Zoom Sessions: Held on Sunday nights (and recorded for later
viewing). Sessions combine live demonstrations by Michael working through a
set of family records alongside group discussions where students share
prompts, results, challenges, and questions.
Class Focus & Weekly Assignments
-
Weekly Assignments: One assignment per week focused on Notebook's media
outputs using your own research problem.
-
Scope: The course focuses on mastering the tools and capabilities of
Notebook rather than providing individual research advice, making it
accessible to participants working on problems from any region.
Community Discussion & Communication
-
Private Google Group: Used for asynchronous discussion, peer
interaction, Q&A, and prompt sharing outside of live sessions.
-
Email Requirement: A Gmail account is strongly recommended. Accounts
with AOL, Yahoo, or Hotmail frequently experience delivery issues with
group emails.
Important Dates
-
1 September: Pre-recorded lectures become available for download, and
the private Google Group opens.
-
Live Zoom Discussions (Sunday Nights): 13 September, 20 September, 27
September, and 11 October. Meetings are at 7 PM Central Daylight Time. They
will be recorded and posted for those unable to attend live.
Registration & Tuition
-
Fee: $70–register now to save your spot
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EAYH3Z2FWUR9S>
.
-
Availability: Registration is limited.
Develop your AI skills today!
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EAYH3Z2FWUR9S>
------------------------------
*Math For Genealogists*
------------------------------
Don’t the numbers fool or confuse you. Download this informative webinar by
ordering
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/buy?product_id=241021&product_price_id=263164&gateway=paypal>
a
recording to view at your convenience.
Why did great-great-grandma get 34/99 of her late husband’s estate—when
there was no will? We will answer this question and others during this
presentation.
Topics included: Calculating probate fractions, dates and ages,
Wolframalpha for genealogists, land measurements, money, and more. The math
will be low-key, but ignoring the numbers can cause you to miss ancestral
clues. Michael was a community college math instructor (teaching from basic
arithmetic to calculus) in another life and brings that experience to the
presentation. There is no math prerequisite for this class, but you are
required to be interested in improving your genealogical skills and getting
as much from ancestral numbers as you can!
Get recording for immediate download
<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/buy?product_id=241021&product_price_id=263164&gateway=paypal>
.
------------------------------
Dead Men Pay No Taxes
------------------------------
Personal and property tax records are one of those documents that usually
have to be analyzed carefully to get more than the very basic information
from them. Property taxes document land ownership and tax payment
(usually)–they don’t guarantee residence on the property.
Personal tax records usually document financial value over a given
threshold and usually document residence within the location where the tax
was assessed–unless the individual had personal property within the
assessed region and lived somewhere else. That’s possible, but individuals
are likely to live where they have personal property assessed.
On 4 November 1806 a local tax collector in Bedford County, Pennsylvania,
indicated that he was unable to collect the tax from Joshua Luman because
Joshua was dead. Tax records don’t always document deaths in this fashion,
but sometimes they do.
-------------------------------------
Using AI for Metes and Bounds Deed Analysis
-------------------------------------
A completely new presentation!
*Using AI for Metes and Bounds Deed Analysis*
[image: image.png]
Do deeds with metes and bounds descriptions give you headaches? You are not
alone. We will see how to use AI to help with drawing properties, analyzing
deed transactions, noticing patterns, and more. Our presentation is
easy-to-follow, down-to-earth, and practical. This presentation is not
about how to find land records. We will assume you already know how to do
that.
[image: image.png]
Topics covered will include:
-
Using AI to work with metes and bounds descriptions.
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Manual versus AI transcriptions
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Fitting parcels together
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Viewing acquisitions and sales over time
-
Creating ownership chronologies
Participants are encouraged to send Michael a limited number of questions
after they have viewed the presentation.
Release date 23 August 2026. Pre-order price $21
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WZ7W2VTNUFRM6>.
Post-release price $27.00. Handout included which will include commentary
and prompts that were used. The presentation is approximately an hour long
and can be viewed more than once.. Order yours today
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WZ7W2VTNUFRM6>.
Don’t wait as we tend to forget.
About Michael:
Michael John Neill has actively researched his genealogy since the early
1980s. He has given genealogy lectures at a variety of national and small
conferences since the 1990s. Michael has a master’s degree in mathematics
and taught mathematics at a community college for thirty years. He has led
research trips to the FamilySearch Library for over twenty years.
------------------------------
*Upcoming Trips*
------------------------------
Join me on one of these research trips:
- Midwest Genealogy Center–October 2026
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/mid-continent-genealogy-library-october-2025-research-trip/>--registration
ending soon!
- Library of Virginia–March 2027
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025-library-of-virginia-research-trip-richmond-virginia/>
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
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