Have you taken an AncestryDNA test? If so, you may have noticed a recent update to your Ethnicity Origins. I received my updated results last week, and the biggest change I noticed is that the regions have become more precise. For example, in 2024 my results showed that 63% of my ancestry came from England and Northwest Europe. With the 2025 update, that same percentage is now divided into two regions: …

This week’s Saturdan Night Genealogy Fun challenge by Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings asked us to: Tell us about one (or more) of your ancestors that have no given name and no birth surname who has perhaps married an ancestor with a given name and surname from whom you are descended. Well, I don’t have millions of these unknown individuals lurking in my tree — but I do have…

Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsOLRI Now Digitized by Ken McKinlay on Family Tree Knots. Legacy FamilyTree Webinars (MyHeritage) announce French sessions by Lianne Kruger on iFami...

Wells Family Today’s Friday Find features another fascinating set of family papers preserved in the collection of Preston B. Wells. These handwritten notes trace the Wells lineage across several generations, offering valuable details about births, marriages, and deaths that bring the family’s history to life. Ref 5Wells Family Original Papers belong to Preston Wells10884 Trappers LaneStanwood MI 49346…

Knowing that I wouldn’t be spending time on my computer while enjoying a weekend at the lake with my siblings and their families, I skipped my usual Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post. These weekly prompts are often lighthearted, but this week’s question was more serious—and one I couldn’t ignore. Your mission, should you choose to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible!

Using AI in My Genealogy Work Recently, the Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence group on Facebook asked its members how they were using AI. As I read through the responses, I found myself wishing I could select more than one option—because AI has become part of many aspects of my research and writing. One of my very first experiments with AI was asking it to transcribe a newspaper article.

Do you have DNA matches to members of your FAN club that you just can’t place in your family tree? That’s been my struggle with my SELLERS matches. When I experiment with my Ancestry tree and list Rebekah Douglass Crawford as the mother of my ancestor, James Crawford, those SELLERS matches suddenly appear in ThruLines. Not only does ThruLines connect me to descendants of Mary Crawford Sellers and Sarah Crawford Sellers, but it also identifies a handful of descendants of the James Crawford who married Martha Knight.

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

Frederick Broils Land Grant Do you have photocopies of old land deeds tucked away in your research files? When I opened my BRILES–North Carolina folder, I discovered four such photocopies—unfortunately without any source information. My first thought was that FamilySearch’s Full Text Search capability would quickly help me track them down and create proper citations. I tried searching for both…

Since Octoere 2013, October has meant more than pumpkins and falling leaves for the Crawford family—it has meant gathering at Acorns Resort on Lake Milford, just north of Junction City, Kansas. What began as a simple family getaway has grown into a cherished tradition filled with campfires, games, and plenty of laughter. A Weekend by the Lake Each year, the cabins at Acorns Resort become a temporary home where everyday routines give way to the slower rhythm of the lake.

Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsCatching Up After My English Research Trip; Canadiana by John Reid on Anglo-Celtic Connections.  The UELAC by Brian McConnell, UE, on UE Loyalist H...

Early Life Alma Jean Currey was born on April 5, 1912, in Plainville, Rooks County, Kansas, to Hiram M. Currey and his wifeNarrative Report for Alma Jean …. A short notice in the Plainville Times shared the happy news: “A little daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Currey Thursday of last week.” Tragically, Alma’s mother passed away when Alma was just a year and a half old.

Kennedy Family Today’s Friday Find features another set of handwritten family records preserved in the collection of Preston Wells of Michigan—my 3rd cousin once removed. Preston and I share common ancestors in Ozias Wells and Mary Kennedy. These notes shed light on the family of Mary’s father, John Kennedy, providing valuable details about his life, his wife Anna, and their children.

Learn about the Civil War battle referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West" fought in what is now Kansas City, Missouri.

Have you ever used land records to connect family members? That’s the challenge I’ve taken on—using early Virginia land and court records to sort out the tangled Crawford family lines. Recently, I located a deed in Botetourt County where Andrew Crawford and his mother, Margery, sold land. That discovery led me to the next logical question: when and how did they acquire that land in the first place?

Thanks to the Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence Facebook group—and encouragement from Randy Seaver—I’ve become a frequent user of AI tools. I primarily rely on them for transcription, editing blog posts, and turning genealogy reports into narratives. Because of these experiences, I believe that learning to use AI responsibly should be a basic educational goal for all of us. Recently, I’ve noticed something curious on my own Facebook feed.

Helping Researchers Use the Nemaha County Historical Society Website Do you ever vent in a Facebook group? Recently, I came across a post in the Genealogy Chit Chat group where someone shared their frustration about researchers relying solely on online sources. The author pointed out a good reason for this: not everyone lives close enough to access the resources that aren’t available online.

From the folks at Elephind: After months of development (and your patience — thank you!), Elephind is faster, smarter, and packed with new search features to help you uncover history like never before...

Hello NextGen genealogists, Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we explore our family histories. Tools that use natural‑language processing can rapidly extract names, dates, and locatio…

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

New tools and resources to support families, and notifications to keep teens safe

Do you have old maps tucked away in your genealogy files? Today’s find is a photocopy of a map titled “First Patents of Land in Madison County, Virginia.” Unfortunately, the copy I have does not include the original source, but similar maps can be found online through several sites: Land Patent Maps on RootsWeb Germanna Second Colony Land Patent Map…

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to: 1) Genealogy can be really fun. Please create, or have Artificial Intelligence create, a genealogy-related joke or funny story. Normally, it takes a while to create a Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post.