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6/8/2025 Uncovering a Legacy: African American, Native American, and Cherokee Freedmen AncestryRead Now Blended legacy: Portraits representing African American and Cherokee ancestry with the Trail of Tears in the background, honoring a powerful and complex family history Every so often, a genealogy case opens a door not only into a family’s past, but into the very heart of American history. This month, I had the privilege of working on a client case that stands out as one of the most fascinating and meaningful in my career—an extraordinary journey into ancestry that intersected African American history, Native American identity, Cherokee tribal heritage, and the legacy of slavery and survival through the Trail of Tears. As a professional genealogist, I’ve worked with African American families for many years. But this case took me into new and profound territory: tracing a lineage that included African Americans enslaved by Cherokee citizens, Cherokee Freedmen, free African Americans born well before the Civil War, “Intruders” in Indian Territory, and Cherokee ancestors themselves. One of the client’s 4th great-grandfathers, an enslaved African American, was documented as having been part of the Trail of Tears, and there may be more who were forced westward alongside him. This powerful ancestral story, woven through overlapping cultural and historical threads, became a case study in complexity, resilience, and historical truth. A Client’s Search for Her Roots Brittany approached me with a desire to know more about her paternal grandmother, who had died when her father was only about 6 years of age. With only limited information—her grandmother’s name and where she thought she was born and lived—she had struggled, like many descendants of slavery, to get past the genealogical roadblocks of the late 1800s. The 1870 census, often the earliest record available for African Americans, had always been her stopping point. Through careful research, I was able to build her tree back to her 4th great-grandparents, uncovering extraordinary stories along the way. One of the most powerful discoveries: an enslaved, by the Cherokee, African American ancestor who lived through the Trail of Tears, and another line of African American ancestors who had been free nearly a century before Emancipation. “Diane was able to locate census records, newspaper clippings/articles, Dawes Rolls records, marriage records, and death records dating back to the mid-1800s. Her research has helped me to feel empowered... I’ve never felt that before.” — Brittany Douglass, June 5, 2025 Exploring the African American & Native American Line One branch of Brittany’s ancestry told a layered and often painful story—one that included not only Cherokee Freedmen (African Americans who were formerly enslaved by Cherokee citizens and later adopted into the tribe), but also individuals classified as "Intruders" (those living in Indian Territory without tribal citizenship), enslaved African Americans, Cherokee Indians, and guardians assigned to freed people. This case required accessing and interpreting a wide variety of records related to both African American and Cherokee heritage:
The Free-at-Birth African American LineIn contrast to the complexities of tribal identity and enslavement, another branch of Brittany’s family revealed a powerful and lesser-known reality: African American ancestors who were free long before the Civil War. These families lived in North Carolina and surrounding states, owning land, engaging in community life, and navigating legal systems that continuously threatened their status. This line includes not only her direct ancestors, but also their extended networks--neighbors, guardians, church associates, and others who shared surnames or social ties. These clusters of people often served as informal safety nets, and researching them can provide the missing context needed to break through 19th-century barriers. Key records consulted included:
Two Deep-Dive Cluster Studies To build on this research, I am currently conducting two focused deep-dive studies, using cluster analysis to fully explore both lines: Study #1: African American & Cherokee Line This study includes not just the Freedmen and tribal members, but also:
This study examines:
Records and Repositories Utilized This case drew on a wide spectrum of genealogical records, archives, and online tools, including but not limited to: Record Types:
A Legacy Reclaimed This case was not just about finding records. It was about restoring stories—stories of freedom and displacement, survival and endurance, family and identity. It was about giving a modern-day descendant a tangible connection to those who came before her and showing her that her family’s legacy is not only powerful—it’s real, documented, and enduring. “Diane’s research has made me feel like I have a strong family legacy, and I’ve never felt that before.” If you’re struggling to find your roots, particularly if your ancestors were African American, Native American, or both, know this: the journey may be difficult, but your family’s story is out there. And it deserves to be found. More African Amercian GenealogyMore Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. More Genealogy Records
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6/1/2025 Exploring Google NotebookLM for Genealogy: An AI-Powered Research and Storytelling AssistantRead Now Exploring Google NotebookLM for Genealogy: An AI-Powered Research and Storytelling Assistant In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and genealogy, few tools have excited me recently as much as Google NotebookLM (short for “Language Model”). Designed as a powerful, AI-enhanced note-taking and research assistant, this tool is not only versatile but genuinely fun to use. Over the past few days, I’ve had the opportunity to test out its features, run multiple experiments, and explore its potential for genealogy, client work, family history storytelling, blogging, and even podcast creation. Here’s a look at what I discovered—and why this tool may quickly become one of your favorite digital companions in genealogical research. What Is Google NotebookLM? Google NotebookLM is an AI-powered notebook environment designed to help users understand, organize, and interact with their sources. It works by uploading or linking to your research materials—whether that be documents, PDFs, blog posts, URLs, or a combination of these. The AI then enables you to generate summaries, timelines, FAQs, study guides, audio overviews, and even creative outputs like presentation drafts or mind maps. You can think of it as your personal research assistant that reads, processes, and reflects back insights from the content you give it. How I Tested Google NotebookLM for Genealogy To evaluate its effectiveness for genealogical research, I created four notebooks focusing on different kinds of sources: 1. Using URLs as Sources
2. Blog-Based Notebook from a PDF
 Google NotebookLM Blog Commentary Example 3. Ancestor Profile & Research Summary PDFs
 Google NotebookLM Ancestor Research Example  Google NotebookLM Ancestor (Samuel Steinman) Research Mind Map Example 1  Google NotebookLM Ancestor (Samuel Steinman) Research Mind Map Example 1-2  Google NotebookLM Ancestor (Samuel Steinman) Research Mind Map Example 1-3  Google NotebookLM Ancestor (Samuel Steinman) Research Mind Map Example 1-4 4. Expanded Family Unit Research
What Can You Do With It? Here are some of my favorite features—and how I think genealogists can benefit from each: ✅ Generate Summaries Instantly turn long-form blog posts, research notes, or PDFs into a short and clean summary—perfect for client reports or family history write-ups. ✅ Create Study Guides This feature is ideal for genealogical lectures or self-paced learning. Upload materials related to a topic—say, U.S. Census research—and NotebookLM can produce a study guide with key concepts, takeaways, and learning objectives. ✅ Timelines Upload an ancestor profile, then generate a timeline of life events, residence changes, or historical context. Great for visualizing migration paths or summarizing a person’s life for storytelling. ✅ Briefing Documents Useful for prepping for presentations, consultations, or writing, these documents highlight the most important content in your source and synthesize it for quick reference. ✅ Mind Maps Visually organize related people, events, or themes in your research. Helpful for identifying clusters of activity, neighborhood patterns, or overlapping timelines. ✅ Source Guide Summaries & Discussions Let the AI pull out key topics, themes, and facts from a group of sources and engage with it like a thought partner—perfect for refining your analysis. ✅ Audio Overviews By far one of the most exciting features: NotebookLM can generate an audio summary of your notebook, reading out insights and highlights across your sources. You can download these as .wav files. Pro Tip: I took these audio clips and ran them through Adobe Podcast AI, which allowed me to polish them into high-quality MP3 podcast episodes. I even turned them into audigram videos (animated captioned transcripts) and posted them on YouTube using custom background images. This is a game-changer for genealogists looking to share research in accessible, engaging formats. How Genealogists Can Use NotebookLM The possibilities are vast, but here are a few practical ideas for everyday family historians and professionals:
NotebookLM: The Specs As of now, the date of this post (free version):
Final Thoughts: A Research Assistant in Your Pocket Google NotebookLM is still evolving, but its current feature set already offers an incredible amount of support for genealogical professionals, researchers, and bloggers. Whether you’re compiling research, creating content, or just trying to organize your thoughts and findings, this AI tool acts like a personalized assistant—one that reads your sources, listens to your needs, and responds with meaningful output. If you're looking to experiment with AI and haven’t yet tried NotebookLM, I highly recommend giving it a test drive. You may be surprised at how much it can enrich your research, storytelling, and creative process. Have you tried Google NotebookLM yet? What features are you most excited about—or curious to try? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for a follow-up post where I’ll share some real examples from my test notebooks, blog-to-podcast experiments, and ancestor research timelines! More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
5/18/2025 Revisiting My Roots: Tracing the Life of My 6th Great-Grandfather, Michael Howlett (Hulet, Hulett, Hewlett)Read Now A peaceful colonial New England scene, evoking the rural landscape of 18th-century Connecticut where Michael Howlett (Hulet) once lived. For the past three days, I’ve done something I don’t often get to do: focus entirely on my own family history. And not just any part of it—but a line I haven’t seriously worked on in over a decade. What began as a quick revisit turned into a deep dive that consumed my every spare moment, and it reminded me why I love genealogy so much. So today’s blog post is a little different. It’s the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series documenting one ancestral line at a time, beginning with my 6th great-grandfather: Michael Howlett—a man whose descendants carried the name in many forms, from Hulet to Hulett, Hewlett, and back again. 🧬 Meet Michael Howlett (Hulet, Hewlett, Hulett, Hulet)Michael Howlett was born around 1677, likely in Newton, Massachusetts—though some sources point to Boston. His parents were John Howlett and Abigail (Powell), and in 1704, Michael married Experience Newton in Newton, Massachusetts. Together, Michael and Experience raised a large family--nine children born over a 20-year span. Around 1708, the family moved to south Killingly, Connecticut, where Michael purchased land and helped shape the early history of that area. It is unknown when he died (as I have not found any record of it), but many have him passing away around February 1774 in Killingly at the age of 98, which would mean he lived an impressively long life (not likely for that time). 🏡 A Man of the Land—and of the CovenantOne of the fascinating records I uncovered was Michael’s adult baptism at the Putnam First Congregational Church (then known as North Killingly Parish) on December 15, 1717. That same day, he entered into the church covenant and was officially admitted as a member. This detail—often overlooked in genealogies—offers insight into both his faith and community involvement. That community, by the way, was not without its tensions. South Killingly, during Michael's time, was known for irreconcilable religious differences that made life there less prosperous and more turbulent. Yet Michael remained, raised his family, and contributed to the settlement’s development. 📜 Children of Michael and Experience (Newton) Hulet:
*Note: Since all the vital records are abstracts of some kind, I will be using "about" for the dates found in them. Josiah married a Lydia (Lydia Unknown at this time and no marriage record has been found) and had 12 children; although, they seem quite old to have had the later children, but records show these children to be born to a Josiah and Lydia and they are the only Josiah and Lydia in the area and are on the records with other family members. All of their children were born in Killingly CT. Impressively, he d. after 1797, according to his sister, Experience's dated will. Children of Josiah and Lydia:
Daniel married Abigail Unknown and they had one child (only 1 child listed in his will and the same child being the only one found in vital records) who was born in Killingly CT. Daniel d. 1789 Killingly CT, according to his probate (his will was dated: 7 Jul 1789 and inventory of his estate was taken in Sep). Children of John and Sarah:
Nathaniel married Susannah Unknown and they had 5 children, the 1st being born in Killingly and the rest in Plainfied. He d. sometime between Jan-May 1790 (his will was dated 21 Jan 1790 and the inventory of his estate was taken 1 May 1790). Children of Nathaniel and Susannah:
John married Sarah Searls on 4 Dec 1746 in Killingly CT. All of their children were born in Killingly CT. Children of John and Sarah:
Oliver (my 5th great grandfather) married 1st Sarah Bensley, who died 8 FEB 1759 in Killingly and had 5 known children (with a possible 6th that some others have but I have found no record of), and 2nd Elizabeth Searles (possibly a sister to his brother’s wife-still looking into it) on 15 Nov 1759 in Killingly. All of their children were born in Killingly CT. Impressively, he d. after 1797, according to his sister, Experience's dated will. Children of Oliver and Sarah:
Experience married Ebenezer Kingsbury on 23 Feb 1743/4 in Plainfield CT and she died on 6 Nov 1803 in Plainfield CT. According to their wills, census records, and negative findings in vital records, they had no living children. 🔍 Research Tools and Resources
I’ve also been evaluating secondary sources with caution. While many compiled genealogies list children like Michael or Nehemiah, I treat them as unconfirmed until supported by documentary evidence. These phantom ancestors are a good reminder that names in trees aren’t always facts—they’re hypotheses that need testing. 📜 Notes of Records Used
A Note on Name Variations In colonial New England, surname spelling was far from standardized. This line alone has appeared in records as Howlett, Hewlett, Hulett, and Hulet—sometimes even in the same family or generation. Don’t let spelling limit your searches! 📚 What’s Next? In the next post in this series, I’ll shift the spotlight to Michael’s son and my 5th great-grandfather, Oliver Hulet, exploring his life, marriages, and their children—many of whom began to move into western Massachusetts and beyond. This series is part research log, part narrative, and part resource guide. I hope it inspires you to revisit your own lines with fresh eyes or perhaps helps you discover a new connection. Feel free to follow along—and if you’re a descendant or fellow researcher on the Hulet/Howlett line, I’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this family story. *Note: This post will be updated when there are new research findings, so it may constantly change. Have you ever returned to an old family line after years away and found something new? Or are you working on early New England ancestors too? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
 A Genealogy Breakthrough: The Power of Digitization, OCR, & Newspaper Archives For over a decade, I’ve researched the life of my 3rd great-grandfather, John Neilson Beveridge, a Scottish coal miner who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. While I had been able to trace his birth, marriage, and children in Scotland—and later his death in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules—his life in America remained elusive. Until now. This week, I made an unexpected and powerful discovery: two digitized newspaper articles on Newspapers.com that shed new light on his final years in Pennsylvania. These are the only articles I’ve ever found about him in the United States. And they add significant context, mystery, and emotion to his story. 1. The Death Notice — February 1880The first article appeared in The Pittsburgh Post on February 9, 1880. It is a death notice for John Beveridge, revealing more than just his passing: “John Beveridge, a coal miner, died at Wilkinsburg on Saturday, from congestion of the lungs, which was brought on by a severe cold contracted at a meeting of the strikers. Out of these facts arose even a rumor that the man had died of starvation.” This short but striking obituary does more than list a death—it places John in a moment of labor unrest and hints at difficult living conditions. I had already located his death via the 1880 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule, which recorded February 1880 and the cause as pneumonia. But this article not only confirms that data—it deepens it. The phrase “a meeting of the strikers” suggests he was actively involved in labor movements, possibly advocating for better conditions during a time of growing tension between miners and mine owners. The mention of a rumor of starvation paints a grim portrait of economic struggle, perhaps worsened by illness and hardship in Wilkinsburg.  John Beveridge Death Notice: February 9, 1880 2. The Attack — April 1855The second article is far more dramatic and emotional. It recounts a brutal attack on John Beveridge and his wife Margaret, which occurred around midnight at their home. The details are shocking: “Brutal Outrage. A Scotchman, named John Beveridge, Boss minor at the works of Brook & Beury, at Branchdale, narrowly escaped with his life from an attack by a party of Irish men (so he recognized them,) on Tuesday night last. According to his story (in short,) before Esq. Reed, of this place, next day, the assailants, three or four in number, attacked his house about midnight, battered down the door, fired a pistol at his wife, discharged the contents of another in his arm, and beat him in the most violent manner—his life being saved most probably, by his accidental falling in the scuffle through a hole into the cellar, whence he escaped. The party then riddled the house with stones—the wife and children having secreted themselves in the upper story. No specific cause is assigned for the attack. Beveridge bears a generally good character. Another aggravated case occurred at the new mines, on the Forest Improvement Co.’s lands, on Monday. The workmen have been on a “turn-out” there for some two weeks. One of them, (we have not learned the name,) who complained that his wife and child were sick, and that he could not afford to remain idle, went to work; when a party went into the mines, brought him out, and shamefully beat him. No arrests have been made here, either, so far as we know. — Pottsville Miners’ Journal.” Reading it for the first time was definitely horrifying. For years, I had puzzled over why Margaret and the children returned to Scotland after immigrating to the U.S. in August 1850. They are clearly documented back in Scotland by the 1861 census, and one of the daughters later migrated to Australia. I had always wondered: Why would a wife and mother return to Scotland without her husband? While this article may not offer a definitive answer, it certainly provides possible context. The trauma of the assault, the risk to the family, and John’s declining condition may have influenced Margaret’s decision to return to the familiarity—and perhaps safety—of her homeland.  John Beveridge and Family Attacked-1855 Why This Find Matters These two articles, newly indexed and only now discoverable thanks to ongoing digitization efforts, are a perfect reminder that you should always revisit your searches. Digitized newspaper collections continue to grow, and the accuracy of search functions improves as OCR technology advances. It’s also a testament to how much depth and color newspapers can bring to our family history. A death that was once just a record of time and cause has become a human story involving labor activism, illness, and hardship. A family mystery about a return migration is now potentially tied to an act of violence that once made headlines. This experience reinforces several genealogical lessons:
Final Thoughts These two articles, though brief, have transformed how I understand my ancestor’s journey. What had been a thin record of migration and death is now a textured story of survival, community strife, and possible tragedy. If you’ve hit a dead end with an ancestor, especially one in the 19th or early 20th century, it’s time to revisit the newspapers. You never know what might be waiting there—quietly waiting to be discovered. More on Genealogy RecordsMore Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 AI Handwriting OCR for Genealogy: Death Record Transcription Test and Review As genealogists, we know the value—and the challenge—of working with historical documents written in long-forgotten hands. Whether deciphering ornate script or interpreting fading ink, extracting the data we need from original sources takes time, patience, and a good eye. That’s why I was intrigued when I was invited to test Handwriting OCR, an AI-powered handwriting-to-text converter that promises to transform even the toughest handwriting into editable, searchable text with speed and precision. In this blog—the first in a new series where I’ll test this platform across different historical document types—I’ll be sharing my results and observations from using Handwriting OCR on two death certificates from my own family history collection. My goal? To evaluate how this tool performs when handling one of the most commonly used—and often difficult to read—records in genealogical research. Why Death Certificates? Death certificates are critical genealogical records. They typically include a wealth of information: full name, date and place of death, age at death, cause of death, and often key clues like parents' names and birthplaces. But they also present unique transcription challenges. The handwriting is often hurried, medical terminology is complex, and formatting varies by time and location. Most existing OCR platforms struggle to process these handwritten documents effectively, so testing death records seemed like a fitting place to begin. Case Study 1: Samuel Steinman, 2nd Great-Grandfather  AI Handwriting OCR- Death Certificate Example 1 *Note: Click to zoom in
Handwriting OCR did a surprisingly competent job transcribing this document, but several subtle errors did appear—mostly understandable given the script and formatting challenges. Here are the most noteworthy findings:
Final Thoughts on Samuel’s Record: Despite a few small inaccuracies, this was an impressive result for a handwritten death certificate. These are the kinds of records that most OCR platforms simply can’t handle at all, and here the AI provided a nearly complete transcription with minimal editing needed. A human still needs to verify every detail (as we always should), but this tool significantly reduces the time spent manually transcribing. Case Study 2: Mary Harriet (Hulet) Steinman, 2nd Great-Grandmother  AI Handwriting OCR- Death Certificate Example 2 *Note: Click to zoom in
Mary Harriet’s certificate introduced different layout and formatting challenges, including more structured government fields and handwritten entries nestled between printed form labels. Here’s how Handwriting OCR handled it:
Final Thoughts on Mary Harriet’s Record: Again, I was impressed. Despite some layout issues and detail-level inaccuracies, Handwriting OCR extracted nearly all the handwritten content with a high degree of readability. For genealogists, these transcripts are immensely helpful starting points, especially when working with challenging handwriting or in bulk. Takeaways from Testing Death Records on Handwriting OCR AI-powered transcription tools like Handwriting OCR are opening exciting new doors in genealogical research. While they are not perfect (nor should we expect them to be), what they offer is a huge leap forward in automating some of the more tedious aspects of our work. Here’s what stood out most in this first test:
For any genealogist who’s ever squinted at an old death certificate under poor lighting or spent hours transcribing by hand, this platform offers a welcome solution. It’s not a replacement for human verification, but it’s a powerful companion that can accelerate our workflows and help us focus more on the analysis, stories, and connections that make genealogy so rewarding. Coming Soon: Testing Handwriting OCR on Other Genealogy Documents This is just the beginning. In upcoming posts, I’ll be testing Handwriting OCR’s capabilities on:
Have you tested AI handwriting tools for genealogy? What worked (or didn’t) for you? Let me know in the comments! If you find that this would be a valuable addition to you genealogy research toolkit, Handwriting OCR will provide an exclusive offer code to all my blog readers! Just let me know! More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
4/6/2025 Exploring Ancestry’s New “Networks” Feature: A Powerful Tool for Connections Beyond the Family TreeRead Now Visualizing connections beyond the family tree with Ancestry’s Networks feature Ancestry recently unveiled a new tool that has the potential to reshape how we document, visualize, and analyze the relationships surrounding our ancestors. Simply called Networks, this new Pro Tools feature allows researchers to build out dynamic relationship webs that go far beyond traditional family lines. Announced at RootsTech and currently in BETA, Networks is already proving to be a valuable resource for exploring the people who interacted with, lived near, or were otherwise involved in our ancestors’ lives—even if they weren’t blood relatives. In genealogy, we often say that it takes a village—not only to raise a child but also to build out a meaningful, contextual family history. Networks offers a new way to capture that village. What Is the Networks Feature? Networks is designed to:
A Real-World Example: Using Networks for Census Boarders I first encountered the Networks feature while working on a client case, and I decided to give it a try right then and there. In the 1910 census, I found a family living together—husband, wife, children—and several other individuals listed in the household. Among them were three men marked as the husband’s “brothers,” and two boarders. Oddly, I had found no additional records linking the three supposed brothers to the family.  Ancestry Networks Example 1- Boarders and Possible Brothers That’s where Networks came in.  Ancestry Networks Example 2- Creating a Network Using the new tool, I added all of these individuals to a network linked to the head of household. I treated it like a research workspace: I tagged each person, added census data as media, and even began building out mini-profiles for the three “brothers” and the boarders. Whether the census taker made an error or the relationships are genuine but obscured, this feature gave me the freedom to explore those possibilities without needing to force these individuals directly into the family tree structure.  Ancestry Networks Example 3- Adding People, Media, Sources, Tags, and Stickies to Your Network  Ancestry Networks Example 4- Creating Stickies (Notes) for Your Network Key Features That Make Networks Useful
How to Access the Networks Feature As of now, Networks is available only to those with an active Pro Tools membership on Ancestry and can only be accessed through the Ancestry website—not the mobile app. There are multiple ways to get to it:
Why This Matters Genealogy is as much about social context as it is about names, dates, and places. Networks fills an important gap in our research process by giving us a structured, visual way to explore the people who encircled our ancestors’ lives—those who may have had deep personal, social, or economic significance but don't appear in a traditional family tree structure. The tool may especially prove useful for:
Final Thoughts While still in BETA, Ancestry’s Networks feature is a useful addition for genealogists at every level. It encourages critical thinking, offers flexibility, and considers the complexity of human relationships—something every family historian grapples with at some point. Whether you’re piecing together a mystery in the census, mapping out an immigrant cluster, or just trying to figure out who that “mystery boarder” might have been, Networks gives you a new lens to view your research through. And sometimes, that fresh perspective is just what we need to break through a long-standing brick wall. Have you tried the Networks feature yet? Share your experiences—I’d love to hear how others are using it in their research! More Ancestry and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Ancestry.com and the Genealogy Resources categories of my blog and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 MyHeritage’s New Cousin Finder Feature Makes Finding Relatives Easier One of the biggest joys in genealogy is making connections—finding long-lost relatives, collaborating with family members, and discovering shared ancestry. MyHeritage has just made that process even easier with their newest tool, Cousin Finder. This innovative feature helps you identify and connect with relatives who share your ancestors—all without taking a DNA test! What Is Cousin Finder? Cousin Finder is a brand-new feature exclusive to MyHeritage that uses the power of family tree matches to identify your blood relatives. It builds upon MyHeritage’s Smart Matches, which compare your family tree with millions of others to find overlapping ancestors. But rather than leaving you to sift through endless matches, Cousin Finder does the work for you, automatically pinpointing the relatives who share a direct ancestral connection with you. How Does It Work? To take advantage of Cousin Finder, you’ll need a family tree on MyHeritage that includes Smart Matches with other trees. The more detailed your tree, the better your results will be! Here’s how it works:
Why This Matters for Genealogists For years, DNA testing has been a key tool in identifying unknown relatives. But not everyone has taken a DNA test, and not every match provides a clear relationship path. Cousin Finder fills this gap by using well-researched family trees to build connections based on documented lineage. Here’s why it’s a game-changer: ✅ Find cousins who haven’t taken a DNA test – Many genealogists have extensive trees but haven’t tested their DNA. Now, you can connect with them based on shared ancestry alone. ✅ See exactly how you’re related – Unlike DNA matches, which can sometimes be unclear, Cousin Finder provides a definitive relationship path based on family trees. ✅ Collaborate with newfound relatives – Once you find a cousin, you can message them (with a MyHeritage subscription) to share information, exchange records, and fill in missing branches of your tree. ✅ Expand your tree faster – Learning from relatives who have researched different branches of your family can help you uncover new generations, stories, and connections. How Is It Different from Smart Matches and DNA Matches? While Smart Matches highlight possible connections between trees, they can be overwhelming because of the large amount. Cousin Finder simplifies the process by extracting only your confirmed relatives, making it easier to focus on meaningful connections. Unlike DNA matches, which rely on genetic relationships, Cousin Finder works from family trees. While tree-based research requires verification, it offers a clearer picture of exactly how you’re related—something DNA alone can’t always provide. Getting Started with Cousin Finder You'll find Cousin Finder under the Discoveries drop-down, and it's free to use for all MyHeritage users, though reaching out to matches requires a subscription. It’s currently available on the MyHeritage website and mobile browsers, with app support coming soon. If you already have a tree on MyHeritage, now is the perfect time to explore Cousin Finder and see just how many cousins you have waiting to be discovered. And if you don’t have a tree yet—what are you waiting for? This tool makes it easier than ever to build, grow, and connect your family history.  How to Get to Cousin Finder Have you tried Cousin Finder yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences—drop a comment below! More MyHeritage and Other Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more MyHeritage and other family history and genealogy resources under the MyHeritage and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 Ancestry’s New AI Image Transcript Feature in Action Ancestry has rolled out an exciting new feature currently in BETA: the Image Transcript tool! This AI-driven tool can transcribe handwritten journals, diaries, and letters that are uploaded to your family tree, making it easier than ever to preserve and read ancestral documents. While still in development, this tool shows great promise in assisting genealogists with historical handwriting recognition. How to Use the Image Transcript Tool Getting started with this feature is simple. Here’s how you can try it out:
🚨 Note: You may occasionally see an error message stating, “Unfortunately, we can't create a transcription. But this feature is constantly being upgraded to handle more document types. Please try again soon.” If this happens, you can try again later, or it may mean the document is currently unsupported. Putting It to the Test I’ve taken some time to test out this feature with different types of documents, and the results have been quite promising! 🔍 Mid-1800s Bible Page During RootsTech, when Ancestry first announced this tool, I uploaded an old Bible page from my 3rd great-grandfather’s Bible, filled with mid-19th-century handwriting. To my surprise, the tool performed quite well, successfully transcribing a significant portion of the text! While not perfect, it still captured much of the content, and as this tool improves, I expect even better accuracy over time.  Ancestry AI Image Transcript- Example 1-1  Ancestry AI Image Transcript- Example 1-2 📝 1960s Letter Just a couple of weeks later, I tested a handwritten letter from the 1960s, provided by a client. The results were even more impressive! The tool transcribed nearly everything correctly, with only two minor errors. This could be due to either the handwriting being clearer or the AI having already improved in just a short period.  Ancestry AI Image Transcript- Example 2-1  Ancestry AI Image Transcript- Example 2-2 Final Thoughts While still in BETA, Ancestry’s Image Transcript tool is showing great potential. As it continues to develop, it could become an essential resource for genealogists looking to extract text from historical handwritten documents with ease. Whether you’re working with centuries-old diaries or more recent family letters, this tool may soon save you time and effort in reading and preserving family history. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a go and see how well it works for your documents! Have you tested the Image Transcript tool? Share your experiences in the comments! 📌Note:Since the Image Transcript feature is still in BETA, not everyone may have access yet. While Ancestry announced this feature during their RootsTech Innovation and Tech Forum 2025 session, they did not mention it was in BETA at the time. However, because it is still being tested and refined, availability may vary by account, subscription level, and possibly even location (U.S. always seems to be first). If you don’t see the feature yet, keep checking back! More Ancestry and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Ancestry.com and the Genealogy Resources categories of my blog and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. More AI Tips, Tools, and FeaturesLearn about more AI in Genealogy tips, tools, features, and resources under the AI in Genealogy category.
 FamilySearch’s AI Research Assistant helps genealogists discover new ancestors, records, and insights! At this year’s RootsTech conference, FamilySearch unveiled an exciting new experiment in their FamilySearch Labs: the AI Research Assistant. This cutting-edge tool harnesses generative AI to help genealogists discover new ancestors, find records, and even pull insights from the web. If you’ve ever wished for a genealogy assistant that could quickly scan your tree, locate records, and suggest new family members, this new feature might be exactly what you need! What Is the AI Research Assistant? The AI Research Assistant is designed to: ✅ Search your FamilySearch tree to find missing ancestors. ✅ Find historical records and sources from FamilySearch. ✅ Provide genealogical insights based on available records. ✅ Pull information from the web, offering new research avenues. How It Works: A Real-Life Test To see how well this AI-powered feature performs, I tested it on Margaret Brown, a suggested ancestor from my FamilySearch tree. I selected the AI-generated question: “Help me find genealogical information about Margaret Brown.”  FamilySearch’s AI Research Assistant: Example 1 The AI’s Results Within seconds, the AI Research Assistant returned a detailed genealogical summary, confirming: 📌 Full Name: Margaret Brown 📌 Birth Date: March 28, 1863 📌 Birth Place: Dalziel, Lanarkshire, Scotland 📌 Parents: William Brown & Janet Tennant (also recorded as Janet Jeannatt Brown) Here’s a screenshot of what the AI generated:  FamilySearch’s AI Research Assistant: Example 1-2 Even more impressively, the AI cited its sources, providing two records directly from FamilySearch’s collection:  FamilySearch’s AI Research Assistant: Example 1-3 These records were quickly retrieved from Scottish birth and civil registration records, verifying Margaret’s birth details and parentage. Beyond FamilySearch: AI’s Web-Pulling Power While the Margaret Brown example showcased how fast AI can find and summarize FamilySearch records, I wanted to test its ability to search the web for additional genealogy insights—a feature highlighted during RootsTech. I decided to run a search on a more recent ancestor—my father. The results were astonishing. In addition to pulling his birth index, death index, and 1950 census record from FamilySearch, the AI also retrieved a memorial post from my family’s Facebook page—where his passing had been announced. It even included comments from family members, friends, and the Facebook page followers under that post. This demonstrates the real power of AI-assisted genealogy: the ability to bridge historical records with modern digital footprints, uncovering information beyond traditional archives. How to Access the AI Research Assistant Want to try it for yourself? Here’s how to activate this experimental feature: 1️⃣ Sign in (or create) a free FamilySearch account. 2️⃣ On the right-hand side of your FamilySearch home page, scroll down to “FamilySearch Labs.” 3️⃣ Click “View Experiments.” 4️⃣ Find “AI Research Assistant” and click “Try It.” 5️⃣ Start exploring new insights into your family tree! Why This Matters for Genealogy AI is transforming genealogy research by making it faster, more intuitive, and more comprehensive. With FamilySearch’s AI Research Assistant, genealogists can: 🔍 Quickly identify missing ancestors in their tree. 📜 Find relevant records without manual searching. 🌐 Discover web-based family history clues, even from social media. 📝 Ask AI genealogical questions for deeper insights. This is just the beginning of AI-assisted genealogy. As FamilySearch continues refining this tool, we can expect even greater breakthroughs in how we uncover and document our family histories. Have you tested the AI Research Assistant yet? Share your experiences in the comments! More FamilySearch Updates, Features, and ToolsLearn about other FamilySearch updates and features to help in your family history and genealogy research under the FamilySearch category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. More Genealogy ResourcesLearn about other family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 RootsTech 2025: World’s Largest Family History Event Wrap-up If you don’t know what RootsTech is, it’s the largest family history and genealogy event, around the world, of the year, celebrating family! RootsTech has certainly done it again! That was a fantastic, fun-filled 3 days! They seem to top themselves each year! The RootsTech 2025 event, hosted by FamilySearch, has finally come to an end, but the learning has not. Did you know that you can still access RootsTech? Not only can you access almost everything in your playlist for 3 years, the sessions/classes, keynotes, and Expo Hall (just not the deals), but they are keeping your chats available (to copy down your info) for the year, and you can still access RootsTech Relatives for the rest of the month! So, if you want to view any of the more than 1,500+ RootsTech Sessions (most of the 412+ in-person and online sessions for 2025 and most of the other sessions from the past 3 years), Keynote Speakers or the Expo Hall, they are all still available, and will continue to be available! RootsTech: The Event of the Year, Once Again RootsTech began in 2011, in-person, in Salt Lake City, and for their 10th anniversary, had to get creative, due to Covid. RootsTech 2021 was such a hit going virtual and FREE three years ago, due to Covid, that they went from about 30,000 attendees the year before to over 1,000,000! It was so amazing that they decided to do it again for 2022, and once again broke their record to 3,000,000! Then, they really outdid themselves by going hybrid two years ago, keeping the virtual platform, they designed just to use with the 2021 pandemic event that reached the entire world, and combining it smoothly with an in-person event for those missing the in-person experience, in which they had over 4,000,000 attendees worldwide from 240 countries and territories! This year, hybrid as well, was no exception and was once again the most fantastic global, family discovery event of the year, genealogy or otherwise! My RootsTech 2025 Faves Although I joined virtually and missed out on just a few in-person only sessions and aspects like MyHeritage's featured session and joining up with groups that I'm a part of, I had a great time! I absolutely loved everything about RootsTech, from ALL of the keynote speakers, the sessions, the new RootsTech theme song, “Who I Am” and featured video, the Relatives at RootsTech, the Expo Hall, to the chat and more, all of it was fantastic! All the keynote speakers were amazing, but my absolute faves this year were designer and artist, Dana Tanamachi’s inspiring and emotional personal family history story and journey; activist, author, and missionary to youngsters to preserve their family history and stories, Ndaba Mandela’s powerful and meaningful message; and singer, song writer and YouTube content creator Ysabelle Cuevas’ inspiring personal family history story, that hit home, and her version of the theme song! My other absolute faves at RootsTech were the Innovation and Tech Forum and FamilySearch Global and Tech Forum, as always; the Impact Forum, especially photographer Mylo Fowler’s powerful and inspiring story and message; the beautiful rendition of the theme song that was song by both Tanner Towsend (who did the original) and Ysabelle Cuevas! I joined many classes and have to say my faves this year were the very well organized, clear, concise, thorough, and excellent speakers and their topics, Mindy Taylor and her topic “ Analyzing Evidence: A Research Game Changer”; David Allen Lambert and his topic “ Getting Started in Scottish Research” that covered information fill for ALL levels and Alice Childs and her topic “ Extracting Evidence: Strategies for Analyzing Genealogical Sources! RootsTech 2025 at a Glance Attendees:
Relatives at RootsTech 2025:  Out of over 460, 000 participants of Relatives at RootsTech...  I had over 30,000 relatives at RootsTech this year! New 2025 Innovations and Tech I Got to Learn About
I saw as much of the main stage as possible and joined quite a few classes, and I’m so glad that I can save the rest to my playlist for later; of course, there was no way to get in everything in just 3 short days! 😉
It was such a big hit once again that they’ll being going hybrid again next year! See you on March 5th of 2025! Don't forget to discover your past and those that came before, by including family, friends, strangers, communities, and the world! Discover those that have made the biggest impact on you, your stories, memories, traditions, and more, and preserve those memories for future generations so they can learn from our experiences! Discover how you can share your family history discoveries, knowledge, and resources to help others discover those that came before and who had the greatest impact on their lives! Discover you, discover connection, discover something new about your story and connect with it in a deeper way! If you missed the RootsTech 2025 event, you can still sign up for FREE online and view all the classes for FREE, at RootsTech! Don’t have an account? You can create your FREE FamilySearch account at FamilySearch! |
Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family: Family History and Genealogy BlogI hope my family history and genealogy blog on genealogy research tips, resources, events, and more, along with my own genealogy journeys, will help you in your research and in building your family tree to learn more about your ancestors and family history to preserve for future generations to come! Categories
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