Show Notes
News You Can Use and Share The Genealogy Guys Learn site is still on sale through January 1, 2024! MyHeritage announces the release of a new exclusive collection: marriage certificates for North Rhine and Westphalia from 1874 through 1899. MyHeritage announces the release of AI Record Finder™, an interactive, free text chat to help locate historical records about an ancestor among MH's 20 billion records. MyHeritage announces the release of AI Biographer™, which compiles a Wikipedia-like article about a person's life. It uses details from matching historical records and family tree profiles. The Society of Genealogists has officially reopened at its new address on Wharf Road in London, England. The Society of Genealogists has launched a brand-new search tool called SoG Explore. The Guys give a shout-out to Graham Walter, who has been named Chairman of the Society of Genealogists' Trustees. Scottish Indexes reached a new milestone with the addition of 180,000 prison record entries among over half a million records from 38 Scottish Prisons. Visit https://www.scottishindexes.com/ScotlandsCriminalDatabase.aspx. Drew recaps the highlights of the newest record releases at FamilySearch from October and November 2023. Listener Email Ashley asks about uploading Ancestry DNA results to MyHeritage as compared with taking a test there. Ashley also asks about searching probate court books for records of the institutionalization of a great-grand-uncle in Dayton, Ohio, and needs suggestions to help find his records. Jean Daniel from Metz, France, asks for suggestions about locating records for a 4x grandfather who spent some years in the U.S. Kelly is looking for ideas to help locate records about her great aunt, Wilhemine Mae Rauch (b. 1909 in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, USA), and twice married to Floyd Stevens. Listener suggestions are also requested. The Guys give a shout-out to Scott Fisher for his years of work on the Extreme Genes Podcast, which is ending this month. The Guys recommend a new podcast by Mike Scozzari called "Roots: Everyone Has a Story," which can be found at https://www.michaelscozzari.com/podcast. Drew and George talk about some of the topics most likely to dominate in 2024, including AI, DNA, and conferences. Thank you to all our Patreon supporting members for their support. Your Patreon support helps us improve our technology and provide even more podcast content to you! You can join us for as little as $1 a month or as much as you'd like to contribute. Visit https://www.patreon.com/genealogyguys to get started. Please also tell your friends and your genealogical society about our free podcasts, blog, and our Genealogy Guys Learn subscription education website. And don't forget to order Drew's new book, Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy, from Genealogical Publishing Company (https://genealogical.com/) or Amazon.com. Please let us hear from you at [email protected].
More from The Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection
News You Can Use and Share RootsMagic 12 has just been released. MyHeritage has added 338 million records in August and 450 million records in September. Ancestry released an update to its DNA regions. Registration is now open for RootsTech 2027. Drew shares newly released records at FamilySearch. Listener Email Carol writes about obtaining Swiss canton records from FamilySearch online or in person from the FamilySearch Library. George discusses how he used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate a handbook of genealogical AI prompts. He steps through his process and how he combined three results into a single prompt library in an MS Word document. Drew describes how he used AI to migrate from one iMac computer to the new Studio and display. The checklist this assistant compiled captured the details and nuances of migrating computers. Please email us at [email protected] with your questions and comments. And please support us on Patreon!
News You Can Use and Share! Drew talks about the new Y-DNA offerings from MyHeritage. George highlights millions of new records added at MyHeritage during July and August. Drew discusses a new Ancestry DNA feature for finding relatives from particular regions. Nathan Dylan Goodwin has released a new book from a new series; The Dover Trunk Murder is the title. Drew highlights the millions of new records made available at FamilySearch during July and August. Drew discusses the establishment of an AI SIG in our local genealogical society and recommends that other societies do the same. George discusses MyHeritage's OldNews and the plethora of information available from these records. Drew talks about genealogy institutes such as SLIG, IGHR, GRIP, and GenFed and their value. CORRECTION: IGHR does not now offer an in-person option, only a virtual one. Apologies from Drew for that error. Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments. And please support us at Patreon!
News You Can Use and Share! Highlights of awards made at the NGS Conference this year. NewspaperFinder is a database for locating and accessing digitized newspapers at https://newspaperfinder.com/. George highlights millions of new records added at MyHeritage during May and June. Archivists from 30 countries convened in Kazakhstan to explore digital records access. Drew highlights the millions of new records made available at FamilySearch during May and June. Listener Email Jean complimented Drew's recent appearance on DearMyrtle's online show. Drew discusses his recent participation in the GRIP immersive genealogy training institute, and he fills us in about other institutes. Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments. And please support us at Patreon!
News You Can Use and Share The Zion Cemetery Project in Tampa has moved a step closer to the realization of the creation of a dedicated memorial site. The City of Tampa has agreed to trade land with one of the two major landowners whose building spans some of the Zion Cemetery site. This is a project win in which The Guys were deeply involved, and they celebrate this victory. MyHeritage has introduced Infographics, a new tool that takes your MyHeritage family tree data and generates an attractive graphic highlighting the individuals and events in their lives. MyHeritage's new AI tool, Scribe AI, is now available for iOS and Android devices. George shares details about My Heritage's new record releases. The BBC reported on a new database that allows you to search Nazi Party Membership Cards from Germany for the names of members. Margaret Lance Cheney was awarded the Fellow of the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has served OGS for many years as president and in other capacities. Congratulations on this well-deserved, long-overdue recognition! RootsMagic has announced that Ancestry has changed its API (Application Program Interface) and that RootsMagic has released a new version of the software, Version 11.2.0.0, and that users should upgrade to the newest version in order to connect with Ancestry changes. Older versions of the program still work, but they will no longer connect with Ancestry. FindMyPast has released Ireland, Directories and Almanacs 1844-1928, and the Ireland National Census of 1928. In March, FamilySearch added more than 30 million records from 28 countries. Drew highlights the millions of new records available at FamilySearch. What We're Up To Drew recently presented in person at the Sacramento Genealogical Society in California. Drew announces that RootsTech 2027 is now accepting speaking proposals. Drew will be presenting at the Genealogy Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), hosted by the National Genealogical Society (NGS). There are both in-person courses and online courses available. George shares that his research on two intermarried lines can be traced back to 15th-century England. These include his fourteenth great-grandparents. The Guys discuss the need for backups for all of your genealogical society officers. This can prevent the loss of access to essential resources and procedures for the organization. Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments.
The Guys return after George has been exploring new treatment options for effective management of severe depression. More details can be shared if you email [email protected]. The Guys are devastated at the news that the historic courthouse in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia, was destroyed by fire on 23 March 2026. This is the epicenter of George's research into his maternal ancestry. The Guys are celebrating 20 YEARS of the podcasts! News You Can Use and Share WikiTree is one of the biggest collaborative genealogy research sites on the Internet. WikiTree invited George to share his GEDCOM and allow WikiTree volunteers one week to collaborate on his ancestral research. The WikiTree Reveal can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2Ea6XxZFRY&t=2402s. Nathan Dylan Goodman's latest book, The Hop-Picker Murders has been released. Drew reviews the latest installment of the Forensic Genealogist mysteries with Morton Farrier. MyHeritage has released UK and Ireland incoming and outgoing passenger lists (1678-1960). They also released Nonconformist Births, Deaths & Burials. MyHeritage has released the Spanish Newspaper Collection on OldNews.com. MyHeritage has published the England & Wales Probate Index (1858-1995) and the 1890 New York Police Census. MyHeritage has now expanded its contents and it is now available in 50 languages, perfect for precise research! MyHeritage is now home to the complete Swedish Births (1850-1920), Marriages (1850-1945), and Deaths (1850-1945). MyHeritage introduced Scibe AI, a powerful new feature that uses AI to transcribe, translate, and analyze historical documents and photographs. FamilySearch announces a collaboration with America250 to celebrate the founding of the United States in 1776. FamilySearch in March added more than 30 million records from 28 countries. Listener Email Judy asks about legal obligations to register a name change in the U.S. Drew responds in detail. Laurie asks about George's deep dive into Scots-Irish records and reference books he has found helpful and instructive. Drew recaps his experiences at RootsTech 2026 in Salt Lake City. Drew will be presenting in person for the Sacramento Roots Cellar Spring Seminar on 18 April 2026. Get the details and register online at https://www.rootcellar.org/. Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments.