The Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke - Your Family History Show

NEWS: The Genealogy Guys are going to be at the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Little Rock, AR  Sept 2-5 2009 recording their show before a live audience on Sept 3 at 3:30 pm. Listen to Drew Smith interview Lisa on the Genealogy Guys Podcast   The Library of Congress has launched "The on iTunes U, featuring historic video and sound recordings.  Lisa discusses the start up and rocky road of the new social networking website for genealogists called Genealogy Wise by familylink.com to Terry Thornton  So where do we go from here?  Well, I still wholeheartedly encourage genealogists to network Where Are Paper of Record's Records?It"s all still pretty murky.  But it seems to be a pretty unanimous decision that Paper of Record was really a terrific newspaper website and though Google and WVR so far are not offering the same kind of search capabilities, they both seem to have some of the content.  So my recommendation is to check first - which is free, and then check to see if WVR has the newspaper you're looking for.  Lisa's Video on the Google News Timeline (Update: The Timeline has been discontinued.) If you have information about the progress being made with the paper of records content I'd love to hear from you so I can update everyone here on the show.   or call the voice mail line at 925-272-4021 to leave a message that I can play on the show. GEM: Profile America40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - July 20 Visit NASA's website's Watch the Launch- as you would have seen it on July 16, 1969, at 9:26 AM EDT T-minus 00:5:59 and counting   GEM: Interview with Geneablogger Thomas MacEnteeThomas talks about how to do genealogy blogging, his own numerous blogs, and some tips for you to get started blogging about your own family history.  Watch the video version of this interview at the    Thomas MacEnteeâs Blogroll:                             GEM: The July 2009 Family Tree Magazine Podcast EpisodeSnippet of my interview with Eric Grundset, Library Director at the Eric's fave collection: GRC National Index 2 Volume - Vital Records of Americans in China and Korea Mark your calendars: Join Lisa at the Family History Expo in Sandy, Utah just outside Salt Lake City August 28 & 29, 2009.

For more info on next year's Jamboree: Read Lisa's Blog Posts about this year's Jamboree: Listen to Lisa's one on one interview with Tukufu in   NEWS: Genealogy Gems Premium eLearning Members can watch the webinar  in the members-only area. Lisa's article called Grave Transformations appears in the September 2009 issue of Family Tree Magazine on news stands now. Watch the video for step-by-step instructions. GEM: Interview with Randy Seaver, Genealogy Blogger Randy's Blogs:

Published June 7, 2009 GEM: 65th Anniversary of D-Day I've written a  about the D-Day anniversary that includes an article that appeared in the Yorkshire Post about how the memory of WWII is slipping through the cracks of time.  In my own family my grandfather's brother Elzie Cecil Moore who we called Uncle Elzie participated in the invasion of Normandy and received the bronze star and a purple heart for a shot he took to his shoulder during the invasion.  Shortly after that he received a second purple hear for a shot he received through his face.  Growing up I always noticed that scar on his chin and thought it was a cute dimple, not realizing until I started asking questions about family history that it was from a bullet. Above:  Elzie in Boot Camp My Grandmother Pauline Moore worked at the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California building the Navy ships that sailed the Pacific.  She was the secretary to the Dock Yard Manager for Yard #2 and that meant that she helped hire and process all the Rosies.   In fact, when the Yard was finally closed down at the end of the war, Grandma was the last women through the gates.  Like so many women she sacrified time with my dad was born in 1939 and was not yet in school.  But she often told me it was one of the happiest times in her life because everyone was pulling together.       Above:  Grandma Pauline during WWII Check out the post on the Genealogy Gems Blog where you will find a link to the Yorkshire Post as well as a video of the events of D Day.     NEWS: On the genealogy conference front there are several great events coming up:     The Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado June 12 - 13, 2009.   The Southern California Genealogical Jamboree in Burbank, CA on  June 26 - 28, 2009 which I'll be attending. I'll be teaching two classes on Google, a beginning and Advanced, and I'll also be on the panel for the Son of a Blogger Summitt with Dick Eastman, Steve Danko, DearMyrtle, George Morgan and others.  And when I'm not doing that I'll be at the Family Tree Magazine booth in exhibit hall.    I'll also be at the Family History Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah August 28 & 29, 2009  Genealogy Records Update: In May of 2009 announced that it has published millions of records from Southern states to its free online collection.         The most recent additions to the Indexing Project:     Alabama Statewide Deaths 1908 to 1974 (Index)  Arkansas County Marriages: 1837 to 1957  Civil War Pension Index Cards (Digital Images)  Florida Deaths 1877 to 1939 (Index)  Florida State Censuses: 1855, 1935, 1945 (Digital Images)  Georgia Deaths 1914 to 1927  Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists (Images)  North Carolina, Davidson County Marriages and Deaths, 1867-1984 (Digital Images)  Texas Death Index 1964 to 1998 (Index)  Texas Deaths 1890 to 1976   West Virginia Births 1853 to 1990 (Index)  West Virginia Marriages 1853 to 1970 (Index)  West Virginia Deaths 1853 to 1970 (Index) Thank you for supporting this free podcast by clicking the and other sponsor links to do your online shopping! GEM: Interview with Kathy Meade of Genline.com Lisa talks with Kathy about new Transcription Service Also check out Lisa's other interview with Kathy Meade in the June 2009 episode of the          You need to be registered, but no credit card is required to register.    Visit with Kathy in person at the upcoming Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado on June 12 - 13, 2009.  She will also be at the in Burbank, CA June 26 - 28, 2009.  Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member GEM: Paper of Record / Google News Archive of what is currently online in the Google News Archive, as well as content that will be added in the next three months, and the records that at this point in time will not be added due to lack of display rights.

This special Memorial Day episode is dedicated to the men and women who lost their lives defending our country. (This podcast episode is an Enhanced Version which will include images that will appear on your Video iPod screen or in iTunes artwork area.  Download the mp4 file to your hard drive or download in iTunes)

This special Memorial Day episode is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces who lost their lives defending our country.(This podcast episode is audio only)

Published May 11, 2008 MAILBOX: Lisa reads an email from Mark Winter in Hixson, TN TIP:  "I use my digital camera to help document my findings.  It is also very helpful in copying photographs so I don't have to take the originals.” QUESTION:  “I have had several relatives ask for book of the family.  In a podcast do you discuss considerations in what kind of "book" to produce?” ANSWER: The Genealogy Gems Podcast I cover publishing family history books using Kodak Gallery.  I think these books are great for creating something beautiful and easy to read to share with non-genealogist relatives.  They love them because they can read them in one sitting and they can be packed full of wonderful old family photos. Of course there are many different approaches you can take when publishing a family history book and the Kodak books are just one approach.  Stay tuned because I plan on covering publishing more in depth in the future on the If you want to share your genealogy stories or have a question do like Mark did and . GEM: Profile America - Odometer Inventor William Clayton  GEM: Interview with George Morgan   Today

April 26, 2009 Get a free copy of my e-book 5 Fabulous Google Strategies for the Family Historian as a thankyou for NEWS:  Lisa discusses 9 newspaper databases being launched by Genealogy Bank  MAILBOX FOLLOWUP:  Russ Worthington's answers to a listener's question on familial relationships in Family Tree Maker.    Listen to GEM: Online Downloadable Source Citations It's A Gem of An Idea!  Mark Tucker who writes the ThinkGenealogy blog posted a provocative video on April 20, 2009.  The blog post is entitled .    The heart of his proposal is this:  In order to encourage quality genealogy research among their customers, shouldn't the websites that sell access to genealogical records online also provide a source citation for those records that the user can download and include in their research?  As it stands today, when we download let's say a page from a census record or a page from a newspaper, there's often times nothing on the digitized image itself to indicate which database it came from, or even a location or date.  Mark emailed me to say âever since our interviews in St. George, I have not stopped thinking of ways to get the message out for simplifying citing sources using Evidence Explained.  And he sent me a link from Elizabeth Shown Mills. Randy Seaver's comments on the subject at the    This last week I had a chance to sit down and interview genealogy blogger and lecturer for the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast and I took the opportunity to ask him for his input.  We really need to hear from at this point are the genealogy subscription records websites themselves.  It's their product that we are talking about.  And in the end, these digitized genealogy records we are talking about citing sources for are indeed "products."   And for companies like Ancestry and World Vital Records / familylink.com this is about business.  I contacted both Ancestry and World Vital Records to do brief interviews with their reps about this proposed idea, and how they see it potentially fitting in to their future business plan, and also to hear what they think of this grass roots effort amongst their valued customers - In these tough economic times it must be great to see the interest that their customers have in their product and their willingness to stay engaged with them and provide input as to what elements could be added to their products to add increased value and draw for their customers. I've done many interviews with folks from Ancestry with the help of their very efficient and responsive publicist, as well as interviews with folks at familylink.  Most recently I had a great time interviewing the COO of familylink Steve Nickle who gave us a terrific sneak peek at their newest venture called Genseek.  And you can listen to that interview in Genealogy Gems Podcast .   In this episode I will play for you the responses from both Ancestry and familylink / World Vital Records to my inquiry about whether record sites providing source citations for the records they provide to their customers.  Yep, you heard it correctly.  For the first time in two years of this podcast not only did they not provide a telephone interview, they didn't respond to my inquiry at all.   That's never happened before.  The silence is deafening! As a genealogy media producer I'm pretty disappointed in both Ancestry and World Vital Records responses because any time they send out a press release or want to talk about a new venture they are launching I have welcomed the information and provided it here on the show and on my blog, as so many of us who podcast and blog do â and that kind of passing the word on has got to help their bottomline.  This is the first time that I haven't had a reply within 24 hours of an interview inquiry with Ancestry.  And I think that tells us a lot! Elizabeth Shown Mills:  "I suspect they'll do that catch-up (and she's referring to how these companies will have to go back and cite sources for the thousands of databases they've built up over the years) only if newer companies adopt Mark's recommendation and the older companies then feel the pressure to compete." So what do you think?  This is one of those questions that affects all of us.  or leave your comment on the Genealogy Gems voice mail line at (925) 272-4021 and I will play it on the next episode.  Let your voice be heard!  GEM:  Google News Timeline The Google News Timeline has been discontinued. GEM: Interview with Maureen Taylor Maureen discusses her upcoming appearance at the Southern California Genealogical  GEM:  Profile America Casey Jones  Share the Podcast...If you enjoyed what you heard in todayâs show and you find this free podcast helpful then be sure and spread the word.  Podcasts are still fairly new to most folks, and your friends, and genealogy society may just need someone like you to introduce them to the wonderful world of free podcasts.  So I hope you'll help me get the word out by sharing the website address

Published April 12, 2009 SHOW NOTES Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast The Genealogical Proof Standard is a tool that the pros use and I really want to encourage all researchers professional or not, to follow it as well because it causes you to stop and think before passing on information.  In episode 23 I'm providing you with a free downloadable research worksheet that incorporates the elements of the GPS while prompting you to find and even more importantly document those sources.  NEWS:  In March Ancestry reported that they added or updated more than 775 databases and or book titles on Ancestry.com. That's an average of more than 35 titles each weekday. New and Updated Content and Web Site Improvements at Ancestry are covered. MAILBOX:  Listener Question regarding Family Tree Maker 2009 Platinum Edition. "I have at least one instance in my husband's tree where two first cousins married. This, of course means that some of the tree overlaps itself. I can not get the FTM software to recognize that the people are the same-Do you or any of your listeners know if I am just missing something or can it not be done?" If you have an answer to this dilemma please at or call in and leave the answer on the voicemail line to be played on the next episode at (925) 272-4021  GEM: Interview with Tukufu Zuberi By now you have probably heard that the Southern California Genealogical Society is holding their annual Jamboree on June 26 through the 28.  But what you may not know is that there's a lot more to the Jamboree than just great classes and the exhibitors.  For example, at the Friday night banquet they have arranged for a very special keynote speaker - and I'm really excited to have him on the show with me today.  You know his as one of the sleuths on the PBS series , Tukufu Zuberi. Dr. Tukufu Zuberi is an important academic voice. He is the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology, and the Faculty Associate Director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania He is best recognized for his research on African and American society, and for developing and expanding the Africana Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania and receive the FREE 20 page downloadable e-book 5 Fabulous Google Research Strategies for the Family Historian

March 28, 2008 . The show is all about making improvements and changes in your life and I got a chance to share what genealogy has meant in my life and how it can be a positive journey for everyone regardless of their background.   Jim Mowatt over at the HistoryIne podcast invited Lisa to be a part of the show.  Jim has always been a macro history guy, but he has finally caught the genealogy bug and he invited me to come on and give a pitch to his listeners about why researching their own family history can be fascinating and actually dove tail into their love of world history.   Historyzine Episode 14.   Genealogy Gems was featured in the March 20, 2009 World Vital Records Newsletter.  I recently interviewed Steve Nickle the President and Chief Operating Officer for familylink about their brand new website that will be launched here in the next few months called GenSeek. .     In today's episode it's time to shake off Winter and we're going to do some Genealogical Channel Surfing!   GEM: Part 3 of Lisa's Interview with Darby Hinton, Actor and Producer   Grab your surf board and get ready to ride the wave of the final segment of my interview with Darby Hinton who played Fess Parker's son for 6 years on the old Daniel Boone series.  In today's episode Darby is going to tell us all about his brand new television series that he's working on called Hintons Living History.    Darby Hinton shared what it was like growing up in Hollywood the son of an actor, and a child actor himself.   I got a chance to share the research that I did on the Hinton Family Tree with Darby & his wife Shan. In this final interview, Darby explains how his background in Hollywood and his interest in his family history have merged together in an exciting new television series that he's producing called .   GEM: Hang Ten with Ken Marks, Executive Producer of Legend Seekers.  We spent of my Family History Genealogy Made Easy podcast talking to Ken about this new show that features the discovery and portrayal of real life family history stories.  In today's interview, Ken is going to give us a personal look at their brand new website that just launched this week, and how YOU can submit your own family stories for inclusion in the series!   So grab your remote and get ready to channel surf the genealogy wave!     GEM:  Profile AmericaA Favorite Drink Goes on Sale March 30, 2009  GEM: Who Do You Think You Are TV Series Scheduled   Bloggers are reporting that the new Who Do You Think You Are TV series which is coming to America from the UK has won it's spot back on the Spring calendar.   It's great to see this wave of genealogy shows hitting the airwaves, and my hope is that it will bring genealogy to the forefront of the television viewers minds as a fun and challenging endeavor.   for the free Genealogy Gems e-Newsletter

Published March 14, 2009 I am just back from attending the Family History Expo in St. George Utah.  And once again my Google classes were packed!  In fact I got word that both my Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems Parts 1 and 2 classes broke attendance records. Here are some of the folks you're going to hear from on today's show- We talked about how to set up a genealogy iGoogle page, Google Alerts, Site Search and a wide range of brand new Google tools that can be used to move your research forward. MAILBOX:  I got an email from Tina Kelly who lives in the United Kingdom and she has a question about obtaining vital records here in the U.S. and since I have lots of listeners outside the U.S. I thought this would be worth sharing. GEM: Interview with Steve Nickle, President of Familylink.com  Steve Nickle, President of Familylink.com shares some exciting news about a new website they are preparing to launch called GenSeek.   GEM:  Part 2 Interview with Darby Hinton of Daniel Boone Fame  In our last we got to spend some time with Darby Hinton who was a child star back in the 1960s, and for six of those years he played Isreal the son of Daniel Boone played by Fess Parker in the hit TV series Daniel Boone.  In part 2 of my interview with Darby and his wife Shan I get to share what I found on the Hinton Family History. I've got more genealogy podcasting for you over at the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast. In Episode 21 I'm going to share a tool with you that will help you navigate your genealogy research.  It's called the Genealogical Proof Standard, or GPS.  And my special guest on the show is Mark Tucker of the ThinkGenealogy blog who has created a terrific visual map of the GPS.    Listen to because that's how you'll find out about what's coming up in the show, where I'll be speaking and some of the cool websites and tips that are only mentioned in newsletter.