 Why starting your descendancy research offline can lead to stronger genealogy discoveries Why I Don't Start My Genealogy Research Online: Descendancy Research Series – Part 3It may sound surprising coming from a professional genealogist, but one of the first pieces of advice I give people starting a new genealogy project, such as descendancy research, is this: Don't go online—not yet. In a world where millions of historical records are available with just a few clicks, it seems almost counterintuitive to avoid genealogy websites at the beginning of a project. But after years of researching my own family, clients, descendants, brick walls, and unknown parentage cases, I've learned that spending a little time offline first usually leads to better research, and fewer mistakes. Here's why. Start with What You Already Know Before searching a single online record, gather everything you already have. Talk with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and longtime family friends. Pull out old photographs, letters, certificates, military papers, funeral cards, family Bibles, and other documents tucked away in drawers or boxes. You may be surprised how much information is already sitting in your own home, or in the homes of relatives. These first conversations many times reveal names, places, occupations, family traditions, and stories that never appear in historical records. Family Stories Are Worth RecordingFamily stories aren't always completely accurate. Names get mixed up. Dates change. Events become exaggerated over time. But I've found that most stories contain a kernel of truth somewhere within them. Instead of dismissing them, record everything. Later, you can compare those stories with historical records to determine which details can be confirmed. Sometimes one seemingly insignificant comment becomes the clue that solves an entire research problem. Record Every Clue—Even If It Doesn't Make Sense Yet One of the habits I've developed over the years is writing down every clue, no matter how small or insignificant it seems at the time. A nickname. A military branch. A hometown. An occupation. An illness. A family argument. A mention of "the twins." Even details that don't make sense initially may become incredibly important later. I've had research cases where a single clue, remembered years after a family conversation, eventually led to the correct person once enough evidence had been gathered. Draw Your Family Tree by Hand Yes... By hand. I know genealogy software is wonderful, and I use it regularly. But before entering information into a computer, I still recommend sketching out a simple family tree on paper. Why? Because drawing it yourself forces you to slow down. You begin noticing gaps. Questions naturally appear. Relationships become easier to visualize. You're thinking about the family instead of clicking hints. It doesn't need to be perfect. A rough sketch is usually all you need to organize your thoughts before diving into records. Why I Wait Before Searching Online This is probably the advice that surprises people the most. Online genealogy websites are incredible resources. But they also come with distractions. Within minutes you may find:
Beginning offline helps you develop your own understanding of the family before outside information influences your thinking. I want my conclusions to come from evidence, not suggestions generated by an algorithm. Build Your Own Foundation First Once you've gathered everything your family already knows and organized your information, then it's time to begin searching historical records. Now you're approaching those records with questions to answer rather than simply hoping the next hint will tell you where to go. That small shift in mindset usually leads to stronger research and more confident conclusions. Slow Down to Move Faster It may seem like you're delaying your research by avoiding online resources at first. In reality, you're building a much stronger foundation. The more organized you are before you begin searching records, the less likely you are to chase the wrong family, duplicate work, or overlook important clues already sitting in your own home. Sometimes the fastest way to solve a genealogy problem is to spend a little extra time at the very beginning. Part 2: How to Choose the Best Starting Ancestor for Descendancy Research This is #3 in a series based on my 2017 "Finding Descendants in Your Family Tree" presentation More Genealogy Research Methods & TipsGet more genealogy research tips, under the Genealogy Research Tips and Genealogy Quick Tips categories.
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 Choosing the right starting ancestor when beginning a descendancy research project in genealogy How to Choose the Best Starting Ancestor for Descendancy Research: Descendancy Research Series – Part 2Once you've decided to research your ancestors' descendants, the next question is often the hardest: Which ancestor should you begin with? It may seem like a simple decision, but choosing the right starting point can make the difference between an enjoyable, productive project and one that quickly becomes overwhelming. Over the years, I've found that a little planning before you begin can save countless hours later. Rather than selecting an ancestor at random, I recommend choosing one that gives you the greatest opportunity for success while keeping the project manageable. Here are the factors I consider when deciding where to begin. Start with an Individual or an Ancestral CoupleOne of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether to begin with a single ancestor or an ancestral couple. In most cases, I recommend starting with an ancestral couple whenever possible. This allows you to research all of their children and descendants together, providing a more complete picture of the family. If information about one spouse is limited, however, beginning with an individual ancestor may make more sense until additional records are located. If an ancestor has more than one spouse, you may want to choose that individual to start with. Four to Five Generations Back Is Usually Ideal One of the most common mistakes I see is starting too far back in the family tree. While it may be tempting to begin with your earliest known ancestor, doing so can create an enormous amount of unnecessary work. Every additional generation dramatically increases the number of descendants you'll need to research. In many cases, I find that choosing an ancestor about four to five generations back strikes a good balance. The family is large enough to provide valuable clues while still remaining manageable for most research projects. Consider an Immigrant Ancestor If your goal is to better understand how your family arrived in a new country, an immigrant ancestor often makes an excellent starting point. Researching all of their descendants can reveal migration patterns, settlement locations, occupations, military service, family traditions, and how later generations spread across the country. You may discover branches of the family you never knew existed. Choose Someone with an Interesting Story Sometimes the best starting ancestor is simply the one who sparks your curiosity. Perhaps they served in the military, survived a historical event, immigrated from another country, or left behind an intriguing family mystery. Research is often easier, and a lot more enjoyable, when you're genuinely interested in the person you're studying. Why I Usually Recommend an Ancestor Who Was Living Around 1850 Whenever possible, I recommend choosing an ancestor who lived around the mid-1800s. For many researchers in the United States, this provides access to a growing number of census records and other valuable historical sources while keeping the project within a manageable timeframe. Beginning much earlier often means working with fewer surviving records and significantly more generations of descendants to research. Don't Make the Project Bigger Than It Needs to Be I learned this lesson firsthand. For one of my own family lines, I decided to begin one generation earlier than I normally recommend. While it certainly can be done, it also created considerably more work because every additional generation adds more descendants to research. That experience reinforced something I still recommend today: start with a project you can realistically complete before expanding it further. There's always time to go back another generation later. Think About Your Research Goal Before selecting a starting ancestor, ask yourself:
You Don't Have to Start with the "Oldest" Ancestor Many beginners assume they should always start with the earliest known ancestor in their tree. In reality, that's rarely necessary. A more recent ancestor usually provides plenty of opportunities to learn descendancy research techniques while producing faster and more rewarding results. As your confidence grows, you can always expand your research to earlier generations. Start Smart, Not Big One of the keys to successful descendancy research isn't simply choosing an ancestor—it's choosing the right ancestor. By selecting a manageable starting point that fits your research goals, you'll build a stronger, more organized descendancy tree while avoiding unnecessary frustration. Remember, every successful research project begins with a single ancestor. Choosing that ancestor wisely can set the stage for discoveries that extend far beyond your direct family line. This is #2 in a series based on my 2017 "Finding Descendants in Your Family Tree" presentation More Genealogy Research Methods & TipsGet more genealogy research tips, under the Genealogy Research Tips and Genealogy Quick Tips categories.
8/2/2026 Gemini's AI Video for Genealogy: My First Ancestor Video Experiments (The Good, the Bad, and the Hilarious)Read Now Testing Gemini's new Omni AI video generation to create historical ancestor videos for genealogy Artificial intelligence continues to evolve at an incredible pace, and naturally, I couldn't resist testing another new feature. After experimenting with Google's new Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro music generation tools, I decided to see what Gemini could do with AI-generated video. Could it create realistic scenes from an ancestor's life? Could multiple short clips be combined into a believable historical story? As usual, I turned to my "official AI test ancestor," Samuel Steinman. For the past few years, Samuel has been my consistent benchmark for testing new AI genealogy tools. Using the same ancestor across different AI platforms allows me to compare results more fairly over time. This time, however, I wasn't asking AI to write about Samuel. I wanted it to bring him to life. Experiment #1: No Prompt at AllFor my first test, I decided to do almost nothing. I uploaded only the AI-generated character portrait I had previously created of Samuel (in ChatGPT a little over a year ago)—no prompt, no instructions, no historical context. Gemini automatically generated a short 10-second video. To my surprise, it didn't simply animate the portrait. It also created an entire scene, complete with sound effects, dialogue, and a setting inspired by the background in the image. Because Samuel's character portrait happened to include a farm auction sign in the background, Gemini built an entirely new scene around that setting. While the story it created wasn't historically relevant to Samuel's actual life, it was very interesting to watch. The video felt surprisingly cinematic considering I hadn't given the AI any direction whatsoever. It was a pretty impressive demonstration of Gemini's creativity, but not necessarily of historical storytelling. Experiment #2: Directing "A Day in the Life of Samuel Steinman"Next, I wanted to see whether Gemini could create something much more meaningful for genealogy. Rather than letting AI invent its own story, I wanted to direct one myself. The idea was simple:
Samuel looked exactly like the character portrait I'd been using for a little over a year. The historical atmosphere was beautiful, the lighting felt cinematic, and watching him walk through town toward his butcher shop was genuinely impressive. At that point, I was thinking... "This might actually work." Then the AI Gremlins ArrivedThe second scene started well enough. Samuel unlocked the door to his butcher shop, reached up to remove his hat... ...and then immediately put it back on. Without explanation. Without reason. Apparently, he changed his mind. The third scene introduced an even more entertaining challenge. As Samuel prepared for the day, he began sharpening his butcher knives. Except the knives couldn't decide how many of themselves existed. One knife somehow became two. Then three. A cleaver suddenly appeared. Another knife seemed to duplicate itself. At one point, Samuel briefly wandered away from the butcher block before instantly returning as though nothing had happened. It reminded me a lot of the early days of AI image generation, when people mysteriously had six fingers or extra limbs. Instead of extra fingers... Samuel had extra knives.
What I LearnedDespite the amusing glitches, I actually came away fairly encouraged. Gemini did an excellent job maintaining Samuel's overall appearance from scene to scene. His facial features, clothing style, and the historical setting remained surprisingly consistent. Where the AI struggled was with object permanence and complex actions. Simple scenes, like walking, looking around, entering a building, etc., worked really well. Scenes involving multiple objects, hand movements, or several sequential actions were much less reliable. Hats developed minds of their own, knives multiplied, and continuity occasionally wandered off in unexpected directions. In other words, AI video today feels very much like AI image generation did a couple of years ago. The potential is obvious. The technology simply isn't quite there yet, at least maybe not for Omni. Will I Keep Testing It?Absolutely. This first experiment wasn't about creating a polished historical film. It was about discovering what today's AI video tools can, and can't, do for genealogy. As these models improve, I plan to continue using Samuel Steinman as my benchmark ancestor. Running the same prompts over time should provide an interesting look at how rapidly AI video evolves and whether it eventually becomes practical for creating historically inspired ancestor stories. For now, though... I'll probably keep a close eye on Samuel's hat. And count the knives. A Note on Responsible AI UseAs with all of my AI experiments, these videos are creative interpretations, not historical evidence. While AI can help visualize an ancestor's world, it should never replace documented research or be presented as an accurate reconstruction of events. If you choose to create AI-generated ancestor videos, consider clearly disclosing that they are artistic interpretations based on historical research. The genealogy, records, source analysis, and conclusions should always come from documented evidence, not the AI itself. Have you experimented with AI video yet? If so, I'd love to hear which tool you used and how your results compared. Did your ancestor behave perfectly...or did hats and household objects suddenly develop a mind of their own, too? More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
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Welcome to the BlogWelcome to Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family! Here you'll find genealogy research tips, family history resources, DNA insights, technology and AI tools, genealogy news, and stories from my own research journey. Whether you're just starting your family tree, exploring your ancestry, or tackling a challenging brick wall, my goal is to help you discover, understand, and preserve your family's story. Categories
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