Hi, Reader, A quick update on something you may have already noticed. My YouTube channel was recently hijacked. I'm working directly with Google and YouTube to get it restored — these things move slowly, but I'm on it. I'll let you know when it's back up. In the meantime, the website is running normally and everything there is fully accessible. Including the minimalist genealogy toolkit. A few of you had trouble reaching it recently — thank you for your patience while I got it sorted. Here's...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, Ten years ago, I was a "paper based" researcher. Yes, I was moving toward a completely digital system, but I still had a lot of paper. Plus, I had nn elaborate filing system that needed its own management system. Most of the paper is gone now. Good riddance. What's left on my desk is a small collection of tools that actually earn their place, and one upgrade I wish I'd made years earlier. That upgrade? A second monitor. Genealogy is essentially a constant comparison exercise....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, Most genealogists think organization happens at the desk. I used to think that too. But some of my most-used research tools aren't on my computer. They're on my phone — and I reach for them constantly. At the courthouse. In the cemetery. On the couch with a stack of documents. The small moments add up faster than you'd think. This week I updated one of my most practical posts. This one has been sitting in the archives for a while, but the way I actually research today looks a lot...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, Most genealogists eventually end up with more than one subscription. Sometimes it is by accident, and sometimes it is out of frustration. The question is whether it's actually helping your research or just adding to your monthly expenses. Ancestry and MyHeritage both have billions of records. But the difference isn't the number — it's the collections and how they're indexed. I use them differently depending on what I'm trying to solve, and there are specific situations where...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, There’s a genealogy skill that I don’t see talked about very often. It’s not finding records or learning about new databases. It’s not even about organizing your files. It’s observation. It's stepping back from your research to look at it through a different lens. The past couple of months, I’ve been revisiting one of my own brick wall ancestors - King Elliott. (That really is his name!) I've not made progress on this line for years until now. I expect you have a family line or...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, Quick genealogy heads-up. The MyHeritage discount I mentioned earlier this week was supposed to end today but they’ve extended it one more day. If you have been thinking about trying MyHeritage, you now have until Thursday, March 12 to use the 50% off Complete Plan offer. One thing that caught my attention at RootsTech is MyHeritage’s new AI transcription tool (Scribe AI). It transcribes and translates handwritten records, documents and photos. My research has stalled more than...
3 months ago • 1 min read
areyoumycousinmarch26 Gain deeper insights into the lives that shaped yours We’re excited to share an exclusive offer for Are You My Cousin? members: 50% off MyHeritage’s most popular subscription! This offer is valid from March 5th through March 11th. Join now and save 50% Make your family tree bloom Give your tree unlimited space to grow, and add new information with Smart Matches™ and Instant Discoveries™. Access BILLIONS of historical records Explore our huge database of 37 billion...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, Reader, RootsTech 2026 has wrapped, and I hope you were able to participate and spend some focused time on your genealogy. If you've been following along, you know this event brings a lot of announcements, new tools, and plenty of conversation about where genealogy technology is heading. Some of it will be immediately useful for researchers. Some of it will take time before we see how it fits into everyday research. As always, what interests me most is the practical side: what will...
3 months ago • 1 min read
areyoumycousinmarch26 Gain deeper insights into the lives that shaped yours We’re excited to share an exclusive offer for Are You My Cousin? members: 50% off MyHeritage’s most popular subscription! This offer is valid from March 5th through March 11th. Join now and save 50% Make your family tree bloom Give your tree unlimited space to grow, and add new information with Smart Matches™ and Instant Discoveries™. Access BILLIONS of historical records Explore our huge database of 37 billion...
3 months ago • 1 min read