Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
What if the answer is already in your files?
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Hi, Reader, A very (very!) belated Happy New Year! I hope your 2026 got off to a fabulous start. You may have noticed, I have not been in your inbox for a while. The last couple of months of been quite full of travel and family. Coupled with 2 years of big life events, I decided to take time off to simply rest. I hadn't realized quite how much I needed it. But I'm back in your inbox and ready to talk genealogy! Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we approach our research. When we’re searching for an elusive ancestor, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of “just one more record.” One more document that will finally spell out the answer we’re looking for. But what if we already have the answer in the records we’ve collected? What if the problem isn’t a lack of records — but a lack of fully understanding what those records are actually telling us? I've fallen into that "just one more record" trap multiple times, because I failed to fully understand all that a record (i.e. a will, a deed, etc.) was conveying. What changed? I research about the document or record first to see what it can and cannot tell me about my ancestors. That shift alone has changed how I work through stubborn problems. And now, with tools like AI, I use those as well, not to replace my research, but to deepen my understanding of records and context. I’ll be digging into that more in future emails. RootsTech 2026 is fast approaching! Mark your calendars for 5-7 March 2026! While I won’t be attending in person this year, I’ll be participating virtually and continuing my involvement behind the scenes. I’ve attended and spoken at RootsTech many times in past years, and it remains one of the most significant international educational events for genealogists at every level. What makes RootsTech valuable isn’t just the size of the event, but the concentration of high-quality education, access to records and tools, and the opportunity to learn directly from experienced researchers. I’ll be following the conference closely and will share practical guidance as we get closer — especially for making the most of the sessions and resources available to virtual attendees. In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing more about how I approach research now — not just what to look for, but how to decide what matters. If you’ve been feeling stuck despite having plenty of records, you’re not alone. If you’re looking for more genealogy education in the meantime: • My website, Are You My Cousin?, has research guides and articles you can explore at your own pace. Happy Ancestor Hunting! |
Are You My Cousin? Newsletter
Hi there! I'm Lisa Lisson, and I'm passionate about helping people like you discover their ancestors and expand their family tree without feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the next steps.
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....
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...
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...