Show Notes
The Guys wish everyone a Happy New Year! George gives a shout-out to Ed Brown for his continued support for the podcast! News You Can Use and Share The Genealogy Guys issued a press release announcing the discontinuation of the Genealogy Guys Learn subscription educational website effective 1 January 2025. The Guys have partnered with Legacy Family Tree Webinars to migrate their video content to Legacy over time. MyHeritage has announced the suspension of services in Russia due to Russian regulations concerning hosting personal data on its web service. MyHeritage recapped its growth in 2024 with impressive statistics. MyHeritage announced the completion of images and indexes for 15 collections of newspaper names and stories at OldNews.com. This is an addition of 11.6 billion records. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, a subsidiary of MyHeritage, announced that registration is now open for 2025. FamilySearch added free historical record collections in December 2024 from 49 countries. FamilySearch has announced its plans for 2025. Listener Email Several people responded on the subject of genealogy-based trips to Ireland, similar to those that Irish expert Donna M. Moughty offered. We share their suggestions. Brian also responds to the question of whether there is a genealogy podcast that shares people's stories of family history research. Christina asks whether it is worthwhile to upgrade from RootsMagic 9 to RootsMagic 10, and The Guys respond. In addition to Brian, Kamai responded to a previous podcast's query about podcasts specifically related to family histories. Crista Cowan, known as The Barefoot Genealogist, has a podcast called Stories That Live in Us at https://www.cristacowan.com/stories-that-live-in-us-podcast. Kenith is searching for Calvin Reed, his wife Rhoda (?), and their daughter, Eliza Ruth Reed, Ohio. If you have information or research suggestions, please email The Guys. George is working on a family book and sought the 1880 U.S. Federal Census Agricultural Schedules for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It highlights the critical absence of Agricultural Schedules, Manufacturing Schedules, Mortality Schedules, some Slave Schedules (1850 and 1860), and the unique 7-page 1880 Federal Census' Defective, Delinquent, and Dependent Schedules. These documents all enhance the context of our ancestors' lives and provide insights into the communities and potentially new resource clues. The originals of many of these documents were returned to individual states, and have found their way into state archives, state libraries, county courthouses, and other places. George wants the sites like MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, and others to actively renew their research to locate, digitize, and index these census documents before they are completely lost. Drew will be speaking at the Genealogical Society of Kendall County, Texas, on Saturday, 15 February 2025. See https://gskctx.org/ for details. Drew will also be presenting in person at RootsTech 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 6-8 March 2025. Registration for RootsTech is open for on-site attendance and virtual sessions.Visit https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/ for details. Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments.
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.