The Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about naturalization records in the United States. We review the genealogical information naturalization records can hold, and discuss various records created in the process. We talk about Declarations of Intention (first papers), Petitions for Naturalization (second or final papers), and Certificates of Naturalization. We also go over the use of census re...

In today's episode of Research Like a Pro, we delve into the life of William Henry Kelsey Jr. (1856-1918), exploring his various roles as a tradesman, entrepreneur, and homesteader. His ventures in the sawmill industry, wholesale fruit and berry business, and homesteading in Idaho are thoroughly examined. Personal accounts from his children enrich our understanding of his experiences and contribut...

In today's episode of Research Like a Pro, we explore the life of Nancy Briscoe Fraser during the Civil War. We focus on the often overlooked experiences of women in this era, specifically examining Nancy's life in the Ozarks. We discuss her marriage to a Confederate soldier amidst the conflict and her life after the war. This conversation emphasizes the resilience of women like Nancy during the C...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about the new DNA tools at LivingDNA. Initially, we discuss our personal projects and thoughts on time management, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing life goals and projects. We then shift to the main topic: our experience with LivingDNA's new tools, specifically the chromosome browser and the Matchbox. We explain how these tools help in organizing...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about conflicts encountered while researching our ancestor Harriet Huggett Kelsey and updating her profile on FamilySearch. Diana found conflicting information about Harriet's birth year, with possible years of 1823, 1825, and 1826 from different sources. We discuss a conflict regarding the name and identity of Harriet's twin sister Hester/Esther, with rec...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor Harriett Huggett (Nicole's 3rd great-grandmother and Diana's 2nd great-grandmother). Diana researched records for Harriett's early life in England. She enjoyed finding a personal history written by Harriett's granddaughter which provided wonderful details about Harriett's decision to leave her wealthy situation. The history describes the...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Torhild Shirley about Scandinavian research. She continues the case study of Gudmund Rasmussen and discusses research planning, carrying out the research, and the conclusion. The central question addressed in this episode revolves around whether Gudmund Rasmusson, presumed to be Rasmus Gudmundsson's father, married twice - first to Elsa T...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Scandinavian research expert, Torhild Shirley, AG. Torhild is a native of Norway. We discuss the challenges of genealogical research in Scandinavia, focusing on a case study from Sweden. In the case, Torhild aims to uniquely identify a person named Rasmus Gudmundsson, born around 1719 in Malmöhus, Sweden, using Swedish tax and church reco...

In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder speak with Sam Howes, an archivist at Bates College in Maine. They discuss his work managing the official records of the college, including administrative documents, student records, yearbooks, and special collections. Sam explains what types of materials college archives typically maintain, like trustee meeting minutes, president...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Selina (Beddoes) Kelsey. Selina lived until age 97, and was regularly featured in Utah newspapers due to being one of the last pioneers to arrive in Utah by wagon (before the railroad). Selina was only 4 years old when she crossed from Nebraska to Salt Lake City by covered wagon. Diana organized the newspaper clippings into a timeline i...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana's visit to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History to learn more about William Keaton, our ancestor. William Keaton received a land grant in the late 1700s in Pendleton District, which became Anderson County. Diana shares what she learned in her visit to the archives and we discuss the land grant. Links Finding William Keaton's La...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about civil marriage records and where to find them. We discuss examples from the U.S. and England and give a tutorial for how to make citations for marriage records from a bound volume at the county courthouse viewed as images online. Links Back to the Basics with Marriage Records Part 4: Civil Marriage Records - https://familylocket.com/back-to-the-basic...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about our distant ancestor, Thomas Royston, who settled in Gloucester County, Virginia. Thomas was granted thousands of acres in the late 1600s, and Diana got to visit Gloucester County and see where he probably lived. Join us as we discuss the historical context and records that make up the story of Thomas Royston's life. Links Visiting the Land of Coloni...

For blog post: Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to unmerge profiles on the FamilySearch Family Tree. When there are many people of the same name who lived in an area, it's common for the profiles to get accidentally merged. When you notice an issue where multiple people have been merged into one person, there are several steps to follow to unmerge the people while preserving the...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about the "other relationships" option in the FamilySearch Family Tree. After the vitals, other information, and family members sections, you will see the other relationships section of the profile page. If you click "add other relationship," you'll see a popup with a dropdown list allowing you to select certain relationships from a list. Many of these are...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to create a family history blog to help you share family stories. Whether you want to write family stories, recruit DNA test-takers to help with a particular research problem, or connect with distant cousins to collaborate on research, a free blog can help you. Learn about free blog platforms, how to organize your blog posts, setting a schedule,...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about the psychological benefits of family history research for young adults. We discuss ideas for celebrating family history month by sharing family history with young people as well as the findings of the study by Brigham Young University professors. The study found that students engaged in family history research had an increase in self-esteem and a dec...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Lillian Wingate about researching in courthouses. Lillian is the president of the Bulloch County [Georgia] Genealogical Society, Education Director for the Georgia Genealogical Society, and the Genealogy & Local History Coordinator at the Statesboro Library. Lillian actively works with GSU interns on various projects. She is also in partn...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about church marriage records. We share some examples of church marriages in Poland, France, England, and the U.S. We talk about what church records can contain and where to find them. Links Back to the Basics with Marriage Records Part 1: Marriage Bonds by Nicole - https://familylocket.com/back-to-the-basics-with-marriage-records-part-1-marriage-bonds/ Ba...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana's research on Mary Clemsy (Cline) Weatherford. Clemsy is a brick wall ancestor. We don't know who her parents were, and record are challenging to come by due to record loss in Izard County, Arkansas. However, Diana shares how she found substitute records at the state and federal level that helped locate a hypothesized father for Clemsy - John C...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about using DNA evidence to confirm a hypothesis created with indirect documentary evidence. We discuss Diana's research on Benjamin Cox, his proposed children, and his migration. We touch on helpful onomastic evidence, DNA evidence, and FAN club connections. Diana shares how she made a McGuire chart to show shared DNA from four Benjamin Cox descendants wh...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about our ancestor, Mariah (Brockhouse) Beddoes who left her parents in England with her husband and two young daughters to join with other Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory. Mariah was born in Willinghall, England, and her father was a locksmith. She married William Beddoes, a miner, and they eventually had a family of 13 children. The stories about Mar...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is a case study about John D. Isenhour and surnames that can be challenging to research. The surname Eisenhower was challenging to research because of the various spellings and eventual anglicization of the name by our branch of the family. We discuss John D. Isenhours migration from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to Missouri, using tax and land records to le...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about an ancestor who died too soon, Diana's great-grandmother, Mary Margaret (Peterson) Creer. We discuss Mary's Danish parents, their immigration, and settlement in Spanish Fork, Utah in the late 1800s. Mary married Charles Cannon Creer in Manti and had a wedding reception in a white brick house Charles built for his bride. Mary was the mother of eleven...

Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about the Georgia land lottery, how it worked, and how it was used as part of a case showing that Thomas Beverly Royston was the son of John Royston. Join us as we talk about the historical context of the Georgia land lottery and the Royston case. Links John Royston's Orphan: Lucky Winner of the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery Research Like a Pro Resources Airta...