From Paper To People

Have you ever looked someone up on one of those reverse-phone-number sites to see who the heck is calling you at 2am? Did you know that those sites, and the apps that go with them, are great for gene…

Did you know that family recipes have their own genealogy? I thought I was skimming yet another back-of-the-magazine recipe in a special family cookbook when I Googled Johnny Mazetti, and then one of…

I talk a lot about component parts, or the basic how-to's of handling records, but what about the how-to's of building one person's life in your family tree? Genealogy has become an immediate-gratifi…

For our inaugural episode of the folkloric and gastronomic aspects of family history, I'm presenting a staple recipe from my family's cookbook. It entered my family with my mother's mother's stepmoth…

Have you ever gotten frustrated that the records you REALLY need from a US city or state across the country (or world), one you'll NEVER travel to, hasn't released their vital records indexes online?…

Have you heard of a holiday called Juneteenth? Do you know what it is, or why it's important in American history? Well, listen here - this is the episode for you. This is straight-up history - Ancest…

It's our first mail bag, filled with questions and answers from the FPPP community! What's up with Ancestry, which of their records are good, do you believe a record over a human or vice-versa, and h…

This week is something special: my first-ever interview! My friend Christopher Harris joins the podcast to discuss his 12-year learning curve about family history through folklore, DNA, and African-A…

Understanding the historical genesis and management of the decennial Federal Census, the digitization or "indexing" of the Census by FamilySearch, and the proper utilization of Census records in Ance…

If you listen regularly but haven't started supporting the podcast financially, it's time to consider anteing up, my pumpkins! 2000 downloads, 200 listeners, and only 6 supporters. Can you help suppo…

An Australian listener pointed out to me today that the fantastic $59 DNA sale on Ancestry that runs through April 29th 2018 only applies to the US. That's not fair! In fact, AncestryDNA didn't even …

I'm baaaaaaack! I think it's time to revisit the basics of the podcast - just in time for lucky episode #13! But why am I here? Having learning disabilities and neurological issues has made me sensit…

Are you new to Ancestry.com? Do you like the FamilySearch interface better? Do hints just freak you out? Are all those possible document matches overwhelming you? If you answered "yes" to one or more…

Findagrave.com is another great way to provide service to the world of genealogy and family history. It's maintained by a worldwide army of genie geeks with cameras, and who can resist that? Membersh…

There are a lot of ways that we can serve one another in the world of family history. I like direct service the best. Researching for one another, teaching others, and giving back to those who deserv…

Sometimes, it's good to just stop and take a breath. This week, I'm discussing how to keep it simple in research by focusing all of your energies on one tree, where you provide for everyone in your f…

Biography can be really dry and boring stuff, a string of facts without seasoning or flavor. In this episode, I'll teach you how to use genealogical research of your subject to add spice and life to …

I hate Valentine's Day, so this holiday episode is all about death records. They rock my world. The focus is on Social Security and county-level death records, featuring my favorite: DEATH CERTIFICAT…

Genealogy is populated with lots of groovy people, and just enough Jeffreys doing things the wrong way to thoroughly annoy the rest of us. Don't be a Jeffrey, be awesome! Follow the best practice and…

"Cage Match! Ancestry vs FamilySearch" is about the pros and cons of using Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, the two main family tree sites used by the majority of researchers I know. Each has asset…