Family Roots Radio

Internet radio show devoted to the widely popular pursuit of genealogy and family history.

To listen to the show live, log on to the VoiceAmerica™ Channel each Thursday at 1pm Pacific (4pm Eastern).

Windows Media Player (version 7 or higher) is required to access live and/or on-demand streaming media content from the VoiceAmerica™ Network. If you do not hear the audio program when you click the links above, refer to How to Listen for assistance.

About This Series

Hosted by well-known genealogical author, speaker and researcher, Kory L. Meyerink, the show will feature a wide range of “how-to” elements designed to assist all people interested in family history, from the novice to the professional.

In addition to answering general questions from listeners, spotlighting important family history news, histoire du cuivre and providing research tips from professionals, the show will include guests from among the most prominent genealogists today. The show will also explore effective ways to use software and the Internet in the pursuit of family history, including spotlighting data-rich websites.

Sponsors

ProGenealogists, Inc.
Genealogy Today LLC

Production Company

Modavox, Inc.

Googling Genealogy and Other Items from 3 May Show

We certainly had a great interview with Paul Allen on May 3rd. His vision of the future of genealogy is far reaching, and one I think most of us can appreciate, and help to bring to pass. You can read more of Paul’s insights on his blog.

Time got away from us in our interactive web site segment, as we explored some less-common ways to use Google. Among the things missed was the promised PowerPoint presentation on “Googling Genealogy.” Well, we posted it on the ProGenealogists’ website, on the Articles page. On that page, look for the section on “Encyclopedic and Educational Materials” and then click on the “Googling Genealogy” link. Note that the link may take 20 seconds or so to load, and you need to manually advance the slides by clicking on them.

We also did not get time for the news items of the week, which was the posting of the Mexican Boarder Crossing database at Ancestry.com. The database covers 1903-1957, with hundreds of thousands of names from over a thousand microfilms. Our free site of the week was the Illinois State Archives, which has posted a significant number of databases, including marriage and death indexes.

Thanks for all your support for this first season of Family Roots Radio. Be sure to send us your questions and comments, as we plan for the next season.

Podcast Schedule

Here’s a listing of the episodes from season one of Family Roots Radio. Click on the title to listen to the episode.

May 3, The Future of Genealogy, Paul Allen
April 26, Common Surname Research, Christine Rose
April 19, Effective Library Research, Tom Kemp
April 12, Colonial Settler Biographies, Martha McCartney
April 5, Finding Living Relatives, Megan Smolenyak
March 29, Maximizing your Genealogy Software, Dick Eastman
March 22, Keeping Current with Genealogy, Leland Meitzler
March 15, Unlocking the Secrets of RootsWeb, Myra Gormley
March 8, Finding Answers through Education, Karen Clifford
March 1, Outfitting Your Genealogy Library, Craig Scott
February 22, Internet Census Records, Kathleen Hinckley
February 15, Surname Genealogy Websites, Matt Helm
February 8, Immigration Sources, John Philip Colletta

Future of Internet Genealogy, and Google the Topics on 3 May

As we approach the end of our first season on Family Roots Radio, we’ve got a great show with significant topics to share. With Paul Allen as our guest, what better topic to discuss than the future of Internet genealogy. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in the past decade or so, but just wait till you hear what’s coming in the future. You’ll enjoy sharing Paul’s vision for what we’ll all be able to do, in the not too distant future.

Of course, as they’ve already proven, Google is a major part of the future of the Internet. They are already a major tool for genealogists, so we’ll explore the topic of “Googling Your Genealogy.” With such a powerful search engine, it’s surprising how much more it can do than we expect. Indeed, we’ll even introduce you to Google’s “custom search engine” function through which you can create a search engine for all your favorite pages. We’ll even demo the concept with our Genealogy Sleuth Search Engine. Powerful things are happening in the future, and with Google. You won’t to miss this.

Then, of course, there’s our professional tip of the week, as well as the software tip. Don’t forget about our free data site of the week as well. It’ll be another jammed packed show. Tune in!

Paul Allen to Guest on 3 May Show


Our May 3rd show will have a very special guest. As the founder of Ancestry.com, Paul Allen, will be discussing the future of Internet genealogy with us. Currently the CEO of World Vital Records, Paul’s been measuring and assessing the Internet as a genealogical venue for more than a decade. Few people know more about how to use the Internet as a vehicle to bring people together with records, other researchers, family members, and even their ancestors. He’ll have the inside scoop for us on Family Link, a new way to approach your family history research. Paul’s excitement and experience is something we can all learn from. You won’t want to miss this special interview with America’s leading Internet genealogy entrepeneur.

Library Links from 26 April Show

We had a great show with Christine Rose, and we again thank her for her time and knowledge, as well as the lifetime of research work she has put into family history. During the show we talked a lot about researching common surnames and there were a couple of points to bring out here on the website. Christine mentioned the value of DNA surname study projects, especially for common surnames, to see into which clan of the name your family might fit. It can be hard to find such projects, so start with the major DNA companies, such as Relative Genetics, Family Tree DNA or Sorensen Molecular Genealogy Foundation, but it would not hurt to do a Google search such as “Miller DNA Study.” Christine also reminded us to make good use of the different genealogy forums, which we discussed further in the show. It is also important to use Cyndi’s List as well as Linkpendium to find surname websites.

Christine is also a noted author. We earlier wrote about her book on courthouse research, but she is also the co-author of the Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, available at most book stores. Her other books are available on her website.

In our research tip from the Pros, we spoke about the very helpful “Site Finder” from Gold Bug. It’s easy to use, and tells you the county for any location, while also plotting it on a map. Be sure to choose “Show both map and table.” Meanwhile, our “Free Data Site” for the week was the excellent Database Searches from the Kentucky Land Office.

We also answered Laurie’s question about creating her own free website by pointing out a series of articles (now up to three installments) on Dick Eastman’s Online Newsletter. Go to “Host Your Own Genealogy Web Server at Home” for more information.

Also, as we wind down the first season of Family Roots Radio, we asked listeners to send us their suggestions for guests and topics as we plan the next season. Just write to korym@familyrootsradio.com. We’re anxious to hear from you!

Tom Kemp to Guest on 19 April Show

Family historians love libraries, in large part because they have so many records. Who better to discuss the effective use of libraries with than Tom Kemp, one of America’s premier genealogical librarians. Not only has Tom worked as a genealogical librarian in several libraries, he has served as the director for two major genealogy libraries in New England. He has also worked for two major library vendors, including his current position as NewsBank’s Director of Genealogy Products. That will give us a chance to discuss America’s Genealogy Bank, one of the newest major collections of information available online for genealogists. We’ll also discuss ways to make your library research more efficient, and what every genealogist needs to know about libraries. So, tune in for more research success!

Colonial Settler Biographies on 12 April Show

With an award winning colonial historian like Martha McCartney on the show, it seems good to explore the growing field of biographical sources for colonial settlers. Her new book is certainly not the first. Genealogists have been writing such books for more than a century. Now there are a growing number of websites devoted to the topic. We’ll explore some of them, including the People of Colonial Albany as well as Mayflower History. Researchers with Pennsylvania German ancestry will want to learn about the Palatine Project, while all will appreciate the introduction to Google Books and how it pertains to this topic.

Add to that discussion our regular features, including the news of the week, the free site selection as well as the software and professional research tips, and you won’t want to miss this show. Tune in right on time, since our question of the week may be considered mildly controversial as well.

Historian Martha McCartney to Guest on 12 April Show


You won’t want to miss this one! You don’t know her yet, but you certainly should. So far, our guests have been well-known in genealogical circles, but it’s also important for Family Roots Radio to introduce others who have had a significant impact on the field. Martha McCartney is an historian-archeologist who has applied her careful and diligent findings to genealogy and the field of family history is much better off for her efforts. A multiple award-winning research historian, with a focus on Jamestown, Virginia, Martha has recently published an 800 page biographical dictionary, Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635. With biographical sketches of 5,500 early settlers, everyone with Virginia ancestors should take notice.

But, we’re not limited to Virginia. We’ll be discussing the kinds of sources and strategies Martha used to develop these biographies. Every researcher will want to learn from her experience. Come listen in, and become a better family historian!