

The Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke - Your Family History Show
Lisa Louise Cooke
Genealogy Gems Podcast shows you, the family historian, how to make the most out of your family history research time by providing quick and easy to use research techniques. In addition, you will learn creative ways to share your family tree and the legacy of your ancestors.
Lisa Louise Cooke guides you through the exhilarating process of discovering your family tree. She scours the family history landscape to find and bring you the best websites, best practices, and best resources available. And Lisa's interviews with the experts in the field of genealogy make the Genealogy Gems Podcast your own personal genealogy conference. Guests include genealogists such as Dick Eastman, DearMYRTLE, Curt Witcher, Arlene Eakle, and the folks from Ancestry.com, as well as celebrities such as Tukufu Zuberi of The History Detectives, Kathy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters, Tim Russell of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, the band Venice, and Darby Hinton of the Daniel Boone TV series from the 1960s.
Your family history is world history.
Lisa Louise Cooke guides you through the exhilarating process of discovering your family tree. She scours the family history landscape to find and bring you the best websites, best practices, and best resources available. And Lisa's interviews with the experts in the field of genealogy make the Genealogy Gems Podcast your own personal genealogy conference. Guests include genealogists such as Dick Eastman, DearMYRTLE, Curt Witcher, Arlene Eakle, and the folks from Ancestry.com, as well as celebrities such as Tukufu Zuberi of The History Detectives, Kathy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters, Tim Russell of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, the band Venice, and Darby Hinton of the Daniel Boone TV series from the 1960s.
Your family history is world history.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 20, 2024 • 46min
Episode 282 - Newspapers and Obituaries for Genealogy
AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In our first segment, Lisa Louise Cooke and her guest Jenny Ashcraft from Newspapers.com discuss how to use newspapers to fill in the missing stories in your ancestors' lives. Jenny shares strategic tips on finding unique information many researchers miss. In the second segment of this episode, Shannon Combs-Bennett, the author of the article A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Using Historical Obituaries published in Family Tree Magazine, covers everything you need to know about obituaries including: the important backstory on obituaries, what obituaries can tell you about your ancestors, where you can find obituaries, both online and offline, and strategies you can use when obituaries aren't where you expected to find them. These interviews are also available in video form on the show notes page. And if you're a Genealogy Gems Premium Member, you'll be able to download those show notes as a PDF cheat sheet in the Resources section at the bottom of the page. Visit the show notes page for this episode. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode: Reconstructing Ancestors' Lives with Newspapers with Jenny Ashcraft Newspaper Obituaries for Genealogy with Shannon Combs Bennett Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Our Sponsors: Get your MyHeritage free trial today. Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Mar 13, 2024 • 28min
Episode 281 - Find and Identify Old Family Photos at DeadFred
AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Discover more than 100,000 old family photos on Dead Fred. Founder Joe Bott explains how to find photos of your relatives on this free website, as well as how to post your unidentified photos. Who knows, someone else may spot your photo and have the answers. This interview is also available in video form on the show notes page. And if you're a Genealogy Gems Premium Member, you'll be able to download those show notes as a PDF cheat sheet in the Resources section at the bottom of the page. Visit the show notes page for this episode. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode: Find and Identify Old Family Photos at DeadFred Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Our Sponsors: Get your MyHeritage DNA Test Kit Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems Archives.com Archives is an invaluable resource if you want to make your family history research simple and affordable. Visit Archives.com and let your family history journey begin. Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Feb 14, 2024 • 45min
Episode 280 - 16 Ways to Find Your Ancestors' Village
AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Whether you want to visit the village where your ancestor was born on your next vacation, or you just want to find their records, you'll need to know the exact place name and location. Professional genealogist Rich Venezia of Rich Roots Genealogy joins me in this video to help us pin down those ancestral places. This interview is also available in video form on the show notes page. And if you're a Genealogy Gems Premium Member, you'll be able to download those show notes as a PDF cheat sheet in the Resources section at the bottom of the page. Visit the show notes page for this episode. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode: 16 Ways to Find Your Ancestor's Village Our Sponsors: MyHeritage Click here to start finding your family history at MyHeritage Learn more: watch MyHeritage 10 "Don't Miss" Features You Need. Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems Archives.com Archives is an invaluable resource if you want to make your family history research simple and affordable. Visit Archives.com and let your family history journey begin. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Jan 15, 2024 • 37min
Episode 279 - DNA Painter and Resolving Conflicting Birthdates
AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: I've got two great genealogy topics and interviews for you in this audio podcast episode. First up we're going to tackle the problem of conflicting birthdates. When you find different dates in a variety of genealogical records, how do you decide which one to record in your family tree database? Well, you have to do more digging and analysis! So, we're going to talk about: Reasons for Birthdate Discrepancies in Genealogy 5 Questions You Should Ask About Conflicting Birthdates Birth Record Substitutes Case Study Strategies for Solving Conflicting Birthdates Then we're going to switch gears and take a look at a popular online DNA tool called DNA Painter and who better to tell us about that than the creator of the shared centimorgans project on DNApainter.com, Genetic Genealogist Blaine Bettinger. He's going to explain DNA Painter, the Shared Centimorgans tool, and what he sees coming next in genetic genealogy. Visit the show notes page for this episode. Watch the Videos Watch the video version: Genealogy Problem Solving: Conflicting Birthdates. Watch the video version: DNA Painter with Genetic Genealogist Blaine Bettinger. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode: Resolving Conflicting Birthdates PDF DNA Painter PDF Our Sponsors: Get your MyHeritage DNA Test Kit Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems Archives.com Archives is an invaluable resource if you want to make your family history research simple and affordable. Visit Archives.com and let your family history journey begin. Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Jul 15, 2023 • 36min
Episode 278 - AI Updates and Should you use AI like ChatGPT and Bard for genealogy
AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Get the very latest on the major update Google has made to Bard, and the answer to the question "Should I use Bard, ChatGPT, or any of the other chatbots for genealogy research?" I've got some surprising answers for you! Visit the show notes page for this episode. Watch the Video You can watch the video version: SHOCKING RESULTS! Should you use AI Chatbots for Genealogy? Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and download the ad-free Show Notes handout that complements this episode. Our Sponsors: MyHeritage Click here to start finding your family history at MyHeritage Learn more: watch MyHeritage 10 "Don't Miss" Features You Need. Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second-largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at https://www.visitfortwayne.com Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Jun 16, 2023 • 46min
Episode 277 - Marriage Case Study and Researching Witnesses
Show Notes: Professional Genealogist J Mark Lowe joins Lisa Louise Cooke on the show to share a marriage research case study that highlights the importance of understanding Gretna Greens. Then Professional Genealogist and blogger Robyn Smith shares her 3 step process for researching witnesses found on records from her new Family Tree Magazine article Witness Testimony. Visit the show notes page for this episode. Watch the Videos Watch Lisa Louise Cooke's video interview with J Mark Lowe on Marriage Research. Watch Lisa Louise Cooke's video interview with Robyn Smith on researching witnesses found on genealogical records. Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download: Log into your Premium membership and then download the handy show notes PDFs that complement the topics covered in this podcast episode: Marriage Case Study Researching Witnesses Our Sponsors: MyHeritage Get your MyHeritage DNA Test Kit Newspapers.com Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at https://www.visitfortwayne.com Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member Premium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Elevenses with Lisa downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership. Genealogy Gems Podcast App Don't miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here. Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

May 15, 2023 • 27min
Episode 276 - Free Old Newspapers at Google Books
Google Books is known for having millions of free digitized books. But did you know that it's also packed with hidden old newspapers? Since newspapers don't typically appear in your initial search results in Google Books, I'll show you two ways to filter down to only newspapers. Plus I'll also show you some of the most effective ways to quickly find the right ancestor and the right article. Get the show notes for this episode. (This page includes affiliate links from which we are compensated. Thank you for supporting this free podcast. ) MyHeritage Get your MyHeritage free trial today! Newspapers.com Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code genealogygems Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at https://www.visitfortwayne.com Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs Become a Premium Member here. Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Click here to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

5 snips
Apr 15, 2023 • 29min
Episode 275 Restarting Your Genealogy Research - Getting Started
Has it been a while since you worked on your genealogy research? As passionate as we may be about genealogy, the reality is that a little thing called "Life" can get in the way! Getting back into genealogy can actually be a bit daunting. Where did you leave off? Where should you start back up? If it's been months or even years since you had your hands in genealogy, you're in the right place. In this episode, we're going to talk about how to pick up your genealogy after a hands-off spell so that you can quickly and efficiently get back on the trail of your ancestors. Get the show notes for this episode. (This page includes affiliate links from which we are compensated. Thank you for supporting this free podcast. ) MyHeritage Get your MyHeritage DNA Test Kit Newspapers.com Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code genealogygems Visit Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit today. Learn more at https://www.visitfortwayne.com Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs Become a Premium Member here. Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Click here to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Mar 12, 2023 • 52min
Episode 274 - Marriage Records and Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a term you need to know if you are searching for marriage records. In this video professional genealogist J. Mark Lowe joins me to discuss Gretna Green: what it means, why it matters, and how Gretna Greens may have affected your ability to find your ancestors' marriage records. Get the show notes for this episode. MyHeritage Get your MyHeritage Complete Subscription Free Trial Newspapers.com Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code genealogygems Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs Become a Premium Member here. Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Click here to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems

Feb 7, 2023 • 31min
Episode 273 - GEDCOM Genealogy Files
The GEDCOM digital file format is essential to genealogy. My expert guest from FamilySearch explains what a GEDCOM is, how to use it, and the most recent changes. He'll also answer some of the most common GEDCOM questions. Get the show notes for this episode. MyHeritage Get your MyHeritage DNA Kit Newspapers.com Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code genealogygems Become a Genealogy Gems Premium MemberPremium Members have exclusive access to: Video classes and downloadable handouts Monthly Elevenses with Lisa show The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast downloadable show notes handout PDFs Become a Premium Member here. Free Genealogy Gems NewsletterThe Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what's available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Click here to sign up today. Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems: Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast Facebook.com/genealogygems Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke YouTube.com/GenealogyGems


