AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES:  Whether you want to visit the village where your ancestor was born on your next vacation, or you just want to find their records, you’ll need to know the exact place name and location. Professional genealogist Rich Venezia of  joins me in this video to help us pin down those ancestral places. This interview is also available in video form on the show notes page. And if you’re a Genealogy Gems Premium Member, you’ll be able to download those show notes as a PDF cheat sheet in the Resources section at the bottom of the page. Visit the  for this episode.  Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your  and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode:    Our Sponsors: MyHeritage     Learn more: watch    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code GenealogyGems    Archives.com Archives is an invaluable resource if you want to make your family history research simple and affordable.  and let your family history journey begin.  Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast  downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets  Become a member .    Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don’t miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. .  Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership. . Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 280 - 16 Ways to Find Your Ancestors’ Village

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES:  I've got two great genealogy topics and interviews for you in this audio podcast episode. First up we’re going to tackle the problem of conflicting birthdates. When you find different dates in a variety of genealogical records, how do you decide which one to record in your family tree database? Well, you have to do more digging and analysis! So, we’re going to talk about:  Reasons for Birthdate Discrepancies in Genealogy 5 Questions You Should Ask About Conflicting Birthdates Birth Record Substitutes Case Study Strategies for Solving Conflicting Birthdates  Then we’re going to switch gears and take a look at a popular online DNA tool called DNA Painter and who better to tell us about that than the creator of the shared centimorgans project on DNApainter.com, Genetic Genealogist Blaine Bettinger. He’s going to explain DNA Painter, the Shared Centimorgans tool, and what he sees coming next in genetic genealogy. Visit the  for this episode.  Watch the Videos  Watch the video version:  . Watch the video version:  .  Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your  and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode:     Our Sponsors: Get your     Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code GenealogyGems    Archives.com Archives is an invaluable resource if you want to make your family history research simple and affordable.  and let your family history journey begin.  Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast  downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets  Become a member .    Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don’t miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. .  Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership. . Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 279 - DNA Painter and Resolving Conflicting Birthdates

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Get the very latest on the major update Google has made to Bard, and the answer to the question "Should I use Bard, ChatGPT, or any of the other chatbots for genealogy research?" I've got some surprising answers for you! Visit the show notes page for this episode.  Watch the Video You can watch the video version:  Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your  and download the ad-free  that complements this episode. Our Sponsors: MyHeritage     Learn more: watch  Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second-largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast  downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets  Become a member .    Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don’t miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. .  Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership. . Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 278 - AI Updates and Should you use AI like ChatGPT and Bard for genealogy

Show Notes: Professional Genealogist J Mark Lowe joins Lisa Louise Cooke on the show to share a marriage research case study that highlights the importance of understanding Gretna Greens. Then Professional Genealogist and blogger Robyn Smith shares her 3 step process for researching witnesses found on records from her new Family Tree Magazine article Witness Testimony.   Visit the  Watch the Videos Watch Lisa Louise Cooke's  on Marriage Research.  Watch Lisa Louise Cooke's  on researching witnesses found on genealogical records. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and then download the handy show notes PDFs that complement the topics covered in this podcast episode:     Our Sponsors: MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code GenealogyGems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast  downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets  Become a member .    Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don’t miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. .  Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership. . Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 277 - Marriage Case Study and Researching Witnesses

Google Books is known for having millions of free digitized books. But did you know that it’s also packed with hidden old newspapers? Since newspapers don’t typically appear in your initial search results in Google Books, I’ll show you two ways to filter down to only newspapers. Plus I’ll also show you some of the most effective ways to quickly find the right ancestor and the right article.  Get the . (This page includes affiliate links from which we are compensated. Thank you for supporting this free podcast. )  MyHeritage Get your  today!   Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:

Episode 276 - Free Old Newspapers at Google Books

Has it been a while since you worked on your genealogy research? As passionate as we may be about genealogy, the reality is that a little thing called “Life” can get in the way! Getting back into genealogy can actually be a bit daunting. Where did you leave off? Where should you start back up? If it’s been months or even years since you had your hands in genealogy, you’re in the right place. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how to pick up your genealogy after a hands-off spell so that you can quickly and efficiently get back on the trail of your ancestors.  Get the .  (This page includes affiliate links from which we are compensated. Thank you for supporting this free podcast. )  MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:

Episode 275 Restarting Your Genealogy Research - Getting Started

Gretna Green is a term you need to know if you are searching for marriage records. In this video professional genealogist J. Mark Lowe joins me to discuss Gretna Green: what it means, why it matters, and how Gretna Greens may have affected your ability to find your ancestors’ marriage records.  Get the .  MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:

Episode 274 - Marriage Records and Gretna Green

The GEDCOM digital file format is essential to genealogy. My expert guest from FamilySearch explains what a GEDCOM is, how to use it, and the most recent changes. He’ll also answer some of the most common GEDCOM questions.   Get the   MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:        

Episode 273 - GEDCOM Genealogy Files

A ton of genealogy and family history research can be done for free. In this episode I’ll share 15 fabulous free websites and what I love about them. These are essential for everyone serious about saving money while climbing their family tree.  Get the .  MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:

Episode 272 - 15 Freebies for Genealogy

Finding great sources of information is part of what makes genealogy so fun! But citing those sources may not be so much. In this episode professional genealogist, Gail Schaefer Blankenau makes the case why source citation is a vital part of great genealogy research and she’s going to give us the resources to help get the job done right.  Get the .  MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems:

Episode 271 Genealogy Source Citations

In this episode, we’re going to be visiting two of the most pivotal states in the U.S. for genealogy research. These states played key roles in the development and expansion of the United States of America, and we’re going to explore a top online resource for each. First up is the state of Pennsylvania, officially known as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, and established as a haven for religious and political tolerance. And since for over 300 years the port of Philadelphia was a major gateway for arriving immigrants, many many family trees include people who passed through Pennsylvania. One of the best and most important resources for records of interest to genealogists is the State Library of Pennsylvania, and we’ll be exploring it today with Kathy Hale, the Government Documents Librarian, and Amy Woytovich, the Genealogy Librarian at the State Library of PA. Then we will head west to Ohio which joined the union back in 1803, and where many of our ancestors settled, or passed through on their way West.  The Ohio Memory website is a rich source of historical materials that tell the story of this state and potentially many American families. Jenni Salamon, the Ohio Memory Digital Services Manager will be joining me to explain the depth of the available materials and provide insight into how to best navigate the website.  Get the full show notes for this episode here.   MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Sign Up for the Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 270 Pennsylvania and Ohio Genealogy

In this episode, we’re focusing on early Virginia genealogy.   In our first segment, I’ve invited a professional genealogist to join us to help pave the way for tracing our ancestors back to Virginia just prior to the Revolutionary War. Jeri Satterwhite-Dearing specializes in early Virginia research in her work as a professional genealogist with  In this video, she explains some of the biggest challenges you’ll face when researching early Virginian ancestors, the records you should be looking for, and some of the best resources.     In the second segment, I’ll cover a list of the best websites for Virginia Genealogy.  Get the full   MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Sign Up for the Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 269 Virginia Genealogy Strategies and Best Websites

In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke and Jenny Ashcraft from Newspapers.com discuss how to use newspapers to fill in the missing stories in your ancestors’ lives. Jenny shares strategic tips on finding unique information many researchers miss.  Get the full .      From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!"  Get your .      Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .  Sign Up for the Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 268 Reconstructing an ancestor's story with newspapers

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a Forensic Genetic Genealogist. Dr. Claire Glynn joins me to talk about the field of investigative genetic genealogy, criminal cold cases solved, and the new F she has developed at the Henry C. Lee (notable for his work on the OJ Simpson case and many others) College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. .   MyHeritage Get your    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .   Sign Up for the Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today.   Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 267 Become a Forensic Genetic Genealogist

In this episode Lisa Louise Cooke discusses:  Organizing and Reducing inherited genealogical information Ideas for donating portions of genealogy research How to decide what to keep and what to toss How to process information gleaned items such as compiled family histories  .    From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!"  Get your .    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at      Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member .   Sign Up for the Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today.   Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:        

Episode 266 Dealing with Inherited Genealogy

If you’ve been wondering how to write and self-publish a book about your family history, my guest has answers for you! In this episode author J.M. Phillips shares:  How to be a great family history storyteller Her favorite writing techniques that help create a compelling story What she learned about self-publishing (and what you need to know) Her experience living on and writing about Lamlash Street  .    From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!” Get your  and make new discoveries!   Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member . Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 265 - Writing a Family History Book with Author J.M. Phillips

In this episode you'll discover the best places to locate records that can substitute for the lost 1890 census. You'll learn:  what happened to the 1890 census which parts of the 1890 census survived Information that was provided in the 1890 census the best substitute records and where to find them   From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!” Get your    Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member . Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 264 - 1890 Census Substitutes

In this episode we're talking about this unique moment in time where we have access to the 1950 U.S. Census but we don't yet have the full index.    The 1950 census must be indexed so that we can search for relatives by name, location and much, much more. You can help with this exciting project, and no special skills or background are required. Jim Ericson of FamilySearch  explains what’s happening and how you can get involved.   Resources mentioned:    (How to find and use them)       From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!”     Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs  Become a Premium Member . Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:

Episode 263 1950 Census Update and FamilySearch Indexing

When you’re working on our genealogy, you’ve got data and records coming from all directions: websites, interviews, archives, downloadable documents, and more. Some of it you’re actively working on, some of it you need to save for later, and the rest has already been analyzed and is ready for archiving. This variety of data requires a variety of storage locations.   In this audio podcast episode I’m going to share with you my genealogy data workflow. We’ll talk about how it all fits together to ensure an uncluttered desk and the ability to instantly put my hands on what I need when I need it.     From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!” Video and Show NotesThis audio comes from my video series Elevenses with Lisa .  have exclusive access to the downloadable show notes "cheat sheet" handout. Premium Members also have access to all of the archived earlier episodes. To access the Elevenses with Lisa Premium Member , log in to your membership at  and under in the main menu under Premium go to Premium Videos and click on Elevenses with Lisa. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes PDF  Become a Premium Member . Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:       #genealogy #genealogypodcast

Episode 262 - Genealogy Data Workflow

Researching ancestors in another country can be a little daunting. Challenges include foreign languages, moving boundaries, and spelling variations. This is certainly true for German genealogy. If you’re new to German genealogy or your research has stalled, this episode is for you. In fact, even if you don’t have German ancestors I think you will still find the principles and ideas covered very helpful. Translator, author and German handwriting expert Katherine Schober shares her 10 Top Tips for Beginning Germany Genealogy. These tips are packed with tools and resources that you can start using right away. Katherine Schober is a German / English translator, specializing in the old German handwriting. She is the author of “The Magic of German Church Records” and “Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting”, as well as the creator of the online course “Reading the Old German Handwriting.”  This episode brings you the audio from Elevenses with Lisa episode 52. You can watch the video version on the .   From Lisa: “I use MyHeritage for my own genealogy research. It makes all the difference!”     Get 20% off.  and use coupon code genealogygems    Video and Show NotesThis audio comes from my video series Elevenses with Lisa . Genealogy Gems Premium Members have exclusive access to the downloadable show notes "cheat sheet" handout. Premium Members also have access to all of the archived earlier episodes. To access the Elevenses with Lisa Premium Member , log in to your membership at  and under in the main menu under Premium go to Premium Videos and click on Elevenses with Lisa. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to:  Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes PDF  Become a Premium Member . Stay Up to Date with the Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.  to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:       #genealogy #germangenealogy

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