Episode Eight: Podcast Available

If you missed our eighth episode, you can listen to the archived version, or feel free to download a copy to your desktop or mp3 player.

The quickest way to download is to right click on the "download a copy" link above and select "Save Link As" (Mozilla) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). You will then be given options where on your computer to store the file. Our podcasts are 60 minutes long and average approximately 12mb in size.

If you use Apple iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) to listen to podcasts, click here to subscribe via iTunes to Family Roots Radio.

Genealogical Software on 29 March Show

With a genealogy techno-authority like Dick Eastman on the show, what better topic to explore than genealogy software. Many listeners have questions about the "best" software to use for genealogy, so we'll try to come up with some answers. In our "Interactive Website" section, we'll explore a couple of the major software sites, where you can learn more about the features, and even download free or test versions of the most popular software. Be ready to follow along as we explore Family Tree Maker, the number one software, as well as other full-featured software such as Legacy and PAF. Other important software to review includes RootsMagic and Ancestral Quest. Many professionals like The Master Genealogist for it's wide range of features.

Of course, that's not all. You'll want to learn about the free site of the week, and a software tip that could just save your computer when things go wrong. Plus, we'll reveal the sales ranking for the software we discuss, something you'll not find anywhere else! Our "Tip from the Pros" should help you get more out of those documents you've been gathering about your ancestors. So, tune in and enjoy!

Dick Eastman to Guest on 29 March Show

Dick Eastman, what more do we need to say? The editor of the very popular "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter" will be our guest on the next show. We'll discuss some of the leading edge technology being used in genealogy. He will also help us explore the wide open world of genealogical software. Come listen to his tips as to what to consider when you're thinking about trying new software.

Dick is also just back from a major genealogical computer conference, and I'm sure he'll have some new insights to share with you. Come on, you've been reading him for years; now's your chance to hear his advice, straight from his lips. Tune in and join us!

More Links from 22 March "Keeping Current" Show

Our "Keeping Current" show included a great interview with genealogical editor Leland Meitzler, and a few links came up in that interview and later in the show we wanted to share with you. Leland mentioned Liz Kersten's "Digital Genealogist" as a great example of an on-line, electronic magazine. We also talked about the many genealogy blogs, and noted Randy Seaver's blog, which also has a great list of other genealogy blogs you might want to check out.

For our "Research Tip from the Pros" we mentioned the many on-line dictionaries you can use to find meanings of obscure words. One of our favorites is Dict.org, since it allows you to search many different dictionaries. You should also check out Bartleby.com, another great reference website.

Our free data site of the week was Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, available at RootsWeb. Of course, there's a link on the Genealogy Sleuth page as well, under Court, Estate and Probate links.

We also touched on genealogical newsletters distributed on-line, but did not get a chance to identify many of them. In addition to the sites discussed in our "Interactive Website" segments (links in the show's description below), here's a starter list to check out. Go their webpages and subscribe, for free:
DearMYRTLE's Daily Genealogy Column
RootsWeb Review
The Global Gazette
Ancestry Weekly Journal
Branching Out
Family Tree Magazine Newsletter

Episode Seven: Podcast Available

If you missed our seventh episode, you can listen to the archived version, or feel free to download a copy to your desktop or mp3 player.

The quickest way to download is to right click on the "download a copy" link above and select "Save Link As" (Mozilla) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). You will then be given options where on your computer to store the file. Our podcasts are 60 minutes long and average approximately 12mb in size.

If you use Apple iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) to listen to podcasts, click here to subscribe via iTunes to Family Roots Radio.

Keeping Current is Theme of 22 March Show

We've all got that problem--how do we keep up with all the new stuff going on in genealogy? Experienced researchers know that the next great source for their own research problem may be released next week--somewhere on some web site, but where, or when? Issues related to records access, such as increased fees or limitations on accessing a site change frequently.

"Keeping Current" is a great topic for our guest, Leland Meitzler to discuss, since he's been keeping us all current for 25 years. With dozens of genealogy blogs and e-zines, as well as the current paper magazines, how do you choose? Come and explore places such as Everton's Newsline as a news source, or About.com's list of genealogy blogs. Our interactive web site discussion will focus on Genealogy Today as well as Eastman's Online Newsletter.

You won't want to miss the news segment, and our discussion of the recent decision to end free access to Ancestry.com at Family History Centers. We've got a unique and different take on the topic that might just surprise you!

Leland Meitzler to Guest on 22 March Show

This week we're happy to welcome Leland Meitzler to Family Roots Radio as our guest. Leland has been involved in family history as a publisher and instructor for more than 25 years, and is one of the most helpful and friendliest genealogists you'll ever meet. As one of genealogy's most popular magazine editors and regular bloggers, Leland has his pulse on what's happening in the world of family history. His insights into what's new, and even more importantly, how to keep current, will aid all listeners, regardless of one's level of experience.

Take a minute to review his blog at Genealogy Blog and then be prepared for an entertaining Q & A from your friend and mine.

Links from 15 March Show

We had a great show with Myra Gormley on March 15. Her insights into RootsWeb will make us all more successful as we continue to mine that great site for more data on our ancestors. Among other things, she mentioned some instructional guides to help researchers learn more. They are posted at RootsWeb as their "Guide to Tracing Family Trees." With 31 brief guides, you'll be certain to learn new things about your family history search.

We also discussed a couple of other important websites. At NewEnglandAncestors.org, they have a few free websites for St. Patrick's Day. Our news item featured a great collection of passenger lists from England at AncestorsOnBoard.com. Meanwhile our free data site was the new site, Immigrant Servants, with it's growing list of colonial immigrants. Remember, that, and most of our free data sites are all listed on the Genealogy Sleuth page; maybe you'll want to make that your own homepage! Stay tuned for more great sites and research tips.

Sixth Episode: Podcast Available

If you missed our sixth episode, you can listen to the archived version, or feel free to download a copy to your desktop or mp3 player.

The quickest way to download is to right click on the "download a copy" link above and select "Save Link As" (Mozilla) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). You will then be given options where on your computer to store the file. Our podcasts are 60 minutes long and average approximately 12mb in size.

If you use Apple iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) to listen to podcasts, click here to subscribe via iTunes to Family Roots Radio.

RootsWeb on 15 March Show

RootsWeb is rightly considered one of the most important and helpful websites for family historians. With all of the FREE data on the site, we all use it regularly, but there is much more to this site than most of us realize! It is a large and deep site with an estimated billion names or more on its thousands of pages. However, it's not easy to get the most out of this wonderful collection. Join our guest Myra Gormley as we explore this complex site, and help you find even more information there about your ancestors. Be sure to be logged onto RootsWeb as we explore it further in our interactive website segment.

Of course, that's not all of the show. Our question of the week deals with a thorny immigration issue, while the weekly news item reveals another subscription site offering FREE data for the next few days, as well as a new site with 30 million passengers. Our free data site of the week reveals an unhearlded site with information on colonial immigrants you'll want to check out.

Myra Gormley on 15 March Show

Few people have done as much to popularize Internet genealogy in recent years than Myra Vanderpool Gormley. She began her career working for newspapers, so when she started doing serious genealogy, she was a natural to start a newspaper column, "Shaking Your Family Tree" in the early 1980s. It was successfully syndicated into many major newspapers around the country. She was also an early Internet pioneer, starting in 1990 as a genealogy content provider for Prodigy, an early ISP. The growth of the Internet, and the popularity of RootsWeb led to the creation of RootsWeb Review in 1998, with Julia Case, one of the first and largest e-zines for genealogy.

Myra knows what's happening out there in genealogy, and she knows the kind of questions and problems family historians face. You can learn more about her in an article from Genealogical Computing. Come listen to Myra as we explore the world of RootsWeb, and the future of online genealogy!

Genealogical Education and So Much More

The March 8th show focused on where you can go to increase your genealogy know-how. Karen Clifford, our guest, discussed the many ways to continue learning about family history. She mentioned that genealogy conferences such as those sponsored by the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS) offer brief classes taught by experts in their fields. genealogy institutes are usually intense week long courses that focus on a specific area to help you solve a particular problem. Some colleges and universities offer genealogy courses through their departments for continuing education. Then of course, there are companies such as Karen’s own, GRA, which hosts on-line courses.

In answer to the listener question, we identified the three books Craig Scott mentioned in a previous show with which all genealogists should be familiar. The titles of those books are The Red Book and The Source, both published by Ancestry and The Handybook for Genealogists by Everton Publishers.

We also talked briefly about WorldVitalRecords.com and their new online collections, and spotlighted the Cleveland Necrology File website from the Genealogy Sleuth page. Don’t forget to take a look at these important websites!

Episode Five: Podcast Available

If you missed our fifth episode, you can listen to the archived version, or feel free to download a copy to your desktop or mp3 player.

The quickest way to download is to right click on the "download a copy" link above and select "Save Link As" (Mozilla) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). You will then be given options where on your computer to store the file. Our podcasts are 60 minutes long and average approximately 12mb in size.

If you use Apple iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) to listen to podcasts, click here to subscribe via iTunes to Family Roots Radio.

Finding Answers through Education on 8 March Show

Family historians all know there's no shortage of research problems to pursue, but sometimes we feel like we don't know where to go next in our pursuit of those elusive ancestors. That's why the 8 March show is so important, since we'll be discussing, among other things, genealogical education. It's amazing how many avenues there are out there to learn about new sources and techniques. In addition to the excellent advice Karen Clifford will be giving us, there's two websites we'll want to explore.

The Ancestry Learning Center is free to all, and includes hundreds of articles by many noted genealogists that explore almost every topic under the sun. In addition, Genealogy.com also has a Learning Center with additional articles and helpful guides. We'll walk through some of the ways to maximize your search of these helpful sites. By the way, at Genealogy.com the complete list of articles is "hidden" on the How-To Articles page, which you can sort by topic or author, but there does not seem to be a link from the main page.

But, that's not all. We've got a hot tip in the "What's New" section about a subscription site that's made 100 new databases free for the next couple of days, but you'll have to act on it right away. Our research tip from the pros may just provide more answers than you thought were in that document the county sent you, and you'll want to learn about our free data site of the week. Listen live or to the archive, or download the webcast, just be sure to stop by and listen to the cool stuff we're talking about this week.

Karen Clifford to Guest on 8 March Show

We are very pleased to have long-time genealogical educator, Karen Clifford as our guest on Family Roots Radio on 8 March. One thing all genealogists soon realize is that they need more information about how to pursue their ancestral hunt. It may be a need to learn about a new source, a new location, or a better strategy for solving a genealogical problem. Karen has been at the forefront of genealogical education for almost two decades. Not only has she taught at local, state and national conferences, she has also created college-level courses for both classroom and Internet use. She has also written several genealogical textbooks, such as The Complete Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program.

Karen is a past director of a Family History Center, served on the board of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and was the president of the Utah Genealogical Association. She is the owner and president of GRA Online. Come give a listen as we discuss the many ways you can learn just what you need to know to become more successful in your family history pursuit.

We hope you enjoyed our discussion from yesterday’s show on genealogy books. While the Internet has become a great tool for genealogists in recent years, we still rely heavily on the printed word. On the show we mentioned a few more links to books and other important information that we want to make available to you.

In addition to many of the fine books that Heritage Books publishes, Craig Scott mentioned a few books, like Elizabeth Shown Mills’s Evidence, and Kenneth L. Smith’s Estate Inventories: How To Use Them, that every genealogist should know about and be familiar with (if not own their own copy).

Additionally, we discussed a few software options for cataloging our own ever expanding personal library of books (You know every genealogist has one). Software like Collectorz, Librarything, Books 3.0b6 (for Mac Users) and even freeware like BookDB make keeping track of our precious books easier than ever.

You may find you really need to invest in one of these programs, especially if you joined in our exploration of Genealogical.com and found the many resources available there in Book and CD format that will aid you in your pursuit of your ancestors. They have books for research in so many areas of the world in addition to the US that cover a wide variety of topics

The WWII Ration Books were mentioned in GenWeekly. You can read the article at Genealogy Today, and feel free to read more about and join in the discussion on the National Archives’s proposed rate hikes over at Eastman's Online Genealogical Newsletter. Find out where to voice your opinion on the increase of rates at our National Archives.

And, finally, don’t forget to check out the link to free Massachusetts vital records over at the Genealogy Sleuth Page.

Episode Four: Podcast Available

If you missed our fourth episode, you can listen to the archived version, or feel free to download a copy to your desktop or mp3 player.

The quickest way to download is to right click on the "download a copy" link above and select "Save Link As" (Mozilla) or "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer). You will then be given options where on your computer to store the file. Our podcasts are 60 minutes long and average approximately 12mb in size.

If you use Apple iTunes (available for Mac and Windows) to listen to podcasts, click here to subscribe via iTunes to Family Roots Radio.

Best Books is Topic of 1 March Show

With a guest as exciting as Craig Scott, you just knew we'd have to talk about genealogy books for our show this week. Good researchers know it's not all on the Internet and that libraries are full of books that can help us with our research. In addition to Heritage Books, Craig's company, genealogists always find helpful books from Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore, Maryland. They have a very helpful website, which we'll explore in our Interactive Website segment.

Of course, you don't need to always be buying a book. Libraries are full of the books genealogists need, so we'll also explore the world's largest library catalog during the show. Get ready to learn about WorldCat and the marvelous tool this is in finding books of interest, as well as where those books are.

And there's more! The Research Tip from the Pros will discuss some efficient ways to use the notes function in your database program, while the Software segment will help bibliophiles learn about some software that can help them manage their own personal book collection. In addition, you won't want to miss What's New and the free Data Site of the Week will introduce a time-saving way of getting to important books that are already online.