The Genealogical Proof Standard for Real Life: If you have spent more than five minutes in a genealogy Facebook group or the collaborative areas of

A narrative drawn from court records and local newspaper reports In 1932, Edward Osmond Briles managed the Lyric Theater in Emporia, Kansas—a small, modestly profitable picture house trying to survive...

A narrative drawn from court records and local newspaper reports In 1932, Edward Osmond Briles managed the Lyric Theater in Emporia, Kansas—a small, modestly profitable picture house trying to survive the Great Depression. Moviegoing was one of the few affordable entertainments left, and Sunday had quietly become the most popular day for theaters across Kansas. All around Emporia—little towns throughout the region—Sunday films played without incident.

For years, I’ve avoided using shared facts. Somewhere along the way, I had read the advice not to rely on shared facts because they don’t transfer well via GEDCOM. Even the RootsMagic help page on “Sharing Facts” reinforces this concern, noting that “shared facts are not always transferable to other programs or websites.” That warning was enough to keep me from using the feature.

Winnie Letha Currey: A narrative of upheaval, separation, and rebuilding The Last Day of Childhood (Autumn 1913) In late September 1913, ten-year-old Winnie Currey’s world quietly shifted on its axis. Her mother, Winifred Mae Hutchinson Currey, died unexpectedly, leaving behind seven children whose lives would soon scatter in different directions. Winnie was old enough to understand loss, yet still young enough to feel the ground drop beneath her feet.

My genealogical attention has shifted in the last year from doing actual genelaogical research 40 hours a week to doing it less than 10 hour...

Scores of genealogy and family history bloggers write hundreds of posts every week about their research, their families, and their inter...

See how you can create these unique Top 10 lists using the facts and names in your family tree. Here's how to do it step-by-step. What will you learn?

No spoilers.

No spoilers.

While continuing to dig through my BRILES folder, I uncovered another Randolph County, North Carolina deed—this one dating from 1787. It documents a land grant issued to Adam Broils, an early member of the Broils/Briles family, for property situated along Coatly’s Creek in Randolph County. Finds like this not only shed light on land ownership but also help place our ancestors within a specific geographic and historical landscape.

Calling All Genea-Musings Fans! It’s Saturday night again—time for some more Genealogy Fun! Join in, accept the mission, and execute it with precision. This is your chance to virtually sit on Genea-Santa’s lap and tell him about your Christmases past. 🎅 So rev up the olde thynking cap, cue the Mission: Impossible music, and get ready—your mission, should you decide to accept it (and keeping with the Christmas theme), is:

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/ RootsTech 2026 , the largest genealogy and family history conference in the world, is scheduled...

Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsCanadiana adds London (ON) Newspapers by John Reid on Anglo-Celtic Connections. The Loyalist Directory by Brian McConnell, UE, on UE Loyalist Histo...

Success in our research depends on understanding the locality’s records, history, and required methodology. Whether we’re experienced in the research locality or a newbie, there is alwa…

Early Life and Family Background Pauline Edith Mentzer was born 28 March 1896 in Woodson County, Kansas, the daughter of Charles Oliver Mentzer and Nettie Adell (Wells) Mentzer. She grew up surrounded by extended Mentzer and Wells family connections in Woodson and neighboring Coffey County, Kansas. Her childhood years are well documented through census records showing the family living in rural townships where farming and small-community life shaped her early experiences.

Today’s find from my WELLS notebook is a marriage record documenting the 1866 wedding of Ida M. Wells 9XM1−J489XM1-J489XM1−J48 and Jerome Gregory 93DD−93X93DD-93X93DD−93X. The young couple married in Calhoun County, Michigan, and their record is preserved in the county’s early marriage books. I located the record in Calhoun County, Michigan, Marriage Records 1836–1943, available on FamilySearch. This particular entry appears in…

Have you seen the chalkboard pedigree charts people have been sharing in the Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence Facebook group? I’ve been trying to create one of my own and, so far, it has been a major failure. Some of my early attempts used the suggested “Steve Little” style prompt with my ahnentafel embedded. Here’s the version I started with: Role …

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has recently been using AI to create “day in the life” stories about his ancestors, and his posts inspired me to try something similar. Out of curiosity, I first asked ChatGPT to write a narrative about my grandfather’s service during World War I—and the results were surprisingly moving. Encouraged by that experience, I decided to take the idea a step further and explore another important moment in his life: …

No Creative Cloud required.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when it comes to experimenting with AI tools, I’m definitely more of a follower than a trailblazer. Fortunately, I follow some excellent leaders—one of them being Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings. Recently, Randy demonstrated how he used Google Vids to transform a Google Notebook LM slide deck into a polished video, and his post made the process look incredibly simple.

Scores of genealogy and family history bloggers write hundreds of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interes...

Buried deep in my BRILES folder was a fascinating find—an 1816 deed for land owned by a man named Jacob Briles in Randolph County, North Carolina. As anyone who has researched this family knows, Jacob is a remarkably common given name among the Briles clan. That means identifying exactly which Jacob owned this tract requires more than a quick glance; it calls for careful land research, map work, and a closer look at the surrounding community.

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. Here's your chance to sit on Genea-Santa's lap (virtually) and tell him about your Christmases past. Rev up the olde thynking cap and cue up the Mission Impossible music - your mission should you decide to accept it - keeping with the Christmas theme - is: