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

Published March 2, 2009 In this 60th episode we celebrate the two year birthday of the Genealogy Gems Podcast.  And Lisa's very special guest is Darby Hinton who played the son of Daniel Boone on the hit TV series Daniel Boone that ran from 1964 to 1970.   Darby is currently working on a television pilot for a new series called Hinton Living History. In today's episode is part one of Lisa's interview with Darby, who talks about his TV career which started before he could even walk.  Darby has appeared in in movies like the Son of Flubber, and classic TV shows like Mr. Ed, Wagon Train, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and The Big Valley.  But of course we all know him as Isreal the son of Daniel Boone, played by the wonderful Fess Parker.  He had a fascinating childhood meeting the likes of Walt Disney and having Charleton Heston for a godfather.  GEN CLASS WINNER:  Linda Scham of Illinois is the winner of the two free genealogy classes courtesy of  Congratulations Linda! MAILBOX:  Listener Teresa Redway emailed a brickway about her ancestor Isaac Lovell born in 1844 in Bristol, England. Lisa recommends  investigating both Isaac and Alfred further in England.  Look in church records for Alfred as a witness to the events of others in the church. Locate birth records in Allegheny County, PA:  Start with the site to find out more about the records available in that county as well as the history of county.    Another option is the website. Click through to Pennsylvania and to find more information on the vital records for the county. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, PA hold birth records for Pittsburg from 1870 to 1905.  Fee: $5 US which is a non-refundable fee for search and copy of a Birth record.  For Historical Context, Teresa can check out what was going on in Pennsylvania from 1869-1874 at the website.  About.com website has a timeline on .  also has a chronology of the cityâs history and lots of other great info.  The March 2009 issue of article called "Hard Times" by Fern Glazer on page 29.  GEM: Interview with Darby Hinton of Daniel Boone Fame  Darby Hinton was just seven years old when he signed on to play Isreal, the son of Daniel Boone which ran from Sept 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC.  And over 165 episodes he worked and played alongside the 6 foot 6" actor Fess Parker on the film sets in California and Utah.    In this episode you'll hear part 1 of my three part interview with Darby Hinton  and his lovely wife Shan.  Today we're going to start back at the beginning as Darby shares his memories of how he broke into the TV business, and what it was like to be working on the set of Daniel Boone. Watch The with Fess Parker on YouTube

Published Feb 15, 2008 Family Reunions I'd love to hear from you if you've held a family reunion.  What kinds of activities did you plan, and what kinds of things did you wish you had thought of back in the planning stage?  I've been toying with the idea of having a family reunion on my mom's side of the family, but I could really use some good advice on the subject.  So   if you've organized a family reunion before and tell me about your experiences.  Conferences: The Southern California Genealogical  Society is well into their planning for their 40th Annual Genealogy Jamboree which will be held June 26-28, 2009, at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, in Burbank, California   I wrote about Amazon.com's recent announcement that the New Kindle 2 is ready for pre-order.  if you have or have used a Kindle.   Any time you from one of our website links and purchase something you help keep this genealogy podcast free.  Thank you very much for your support! Lincoln's Birthday:    Ancestry has just announced that they have posted five of those databases: 1.  Abraham Lincoln Papers (from the Library of Congress) 2. The New Orleans Slave Manifests, covering 1807 3. The Confederate Pension Applications from Georgia         4. The Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons 5. The U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Family History: Genealogy Made Easy The Family History Library including catalog research tips that will help you get even better search results!   GEM: Profile America - The First U.S. Presidential Picture   GEM: Interview with Holly Hansen - Family History Expos Watch videos at at YouTube to the conference speakers and exhibitors at podcast. Feb 27 & 28, 2009:  St. George, UT |May 9, 2009: Logan, UT June 12 & 13, 2009:  Colorado Aug 28 & 29, 2009:  Salt Lake City, UT Oct 16 & 17, 2009:  Redding, California Jan.  22 & 23, 2010: Mesa, AZ GEM:  GenClass with Lisa Alzo   GEM: Profile America - Number Please?

Published Jan 31, 2009 #1  Diane Haddad's Family Tree Magazine The latest edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture has been published over at Small-leaved Shamrock   The next edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture will be a St. Patrick's Day "virtual parade" online. Anyone who would like to particiate is welcome, whether or not they have Irish roots.  For more information on how to participate or to check out the latest carnival head over to . Recent Genealogy Gems News Blog postings: I wrapped up my for the new year on Jan 21, 2009  I also Who Do You Think You Are?  Set your recorders to Monday nights at 8PM on NBC starting April 20.  There are some milestones going on these days as well.  The Library of Congress just crossed the 25,000 mark for books digitized.  A good article appeared about that on the Voice of America website: What's new at Lisa's podcast.  : I you a comprehensive overview of online family trees.  And then we go straight to the source with an in depth interview with Kenny Freestone, Senior Product Manager at Ancestry.com whose primary responsibility is their online family tree tool.  :  We continue exploring our tree options with Scott Huskey of Photoloom.com.  They offer an incredible online visual approach to trees and research that centers around your own personal family photos.  Then I talk to Sasha Masick of GeneTree, who spices up their family tree tool with a DNA testing component.  :  You've got to tune in to hear how to go from one name and birth year, to three generations of family in 1 hour or less.  It's absolutely possible, and I'll show you how in this episode.  Then as we finish up with online family trees, I thought it was important to go over the techniques for following up on all those great connections you can make by posting your family tree online.  We'll get started in Episode 14 talking about how to locate telephone numbers online, the prep work you need to do before you start to dial, breaking the ice and conducting the interview.  Then we'll finish up in Episode 15 on Feb 6 with what we as the interviewer should be doing during the call,  what to do if No Answers, we'll cover the "Must Ask" Questions, and how to wrap up the call.     NEW RECORDS ONLINE The folks over at the officially launched their website this month.  And they have added many of the counties that were unavailable during beta testing including Lancashire, Essex, Kent, Yorkshire (West Riding), Nottinghamshire and Herefordshire so you can now access those British census records from 1911. Update: World Vital Records is now part of MyHeritage. Recently added 20 newspaper databases from Mexico and Canada  ranging from 1833-1994: Agricultor Mexicano y Hogar (Ciudad JuÃrez, Chihuahua, Mexico) Apuntes Viejos (General, Mexico) Arte (Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico) British Columbian (New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada) Bytown Gazette (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) Cambridge Daily Reporter (Cambridge(Galt, Hespeler, Preston), Ontario, Canada) Canada Gazette (Ottawa, Federal Government Publications, Canada) Canadian Correspondent (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Charlottetown Examiner (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada) Correo Espanol (General, Mexico) Correspondent and Advocate (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Daily Mirror (London, England - London Area, UK) Diario del Hogar (Mexico D.F., Mexico) Drumheller Mail (Drumheller, Alberta, Canada) Edmonton Bulletin (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) Educador Practico Ilustrado (Mexico D.F., Mexico) Fin de Siglo (General, Mexico) Grand River Sachem (Caledonia, Ontario, Canada) Halifax British Colonist (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) Halifax Citizen (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) MAILBOX:Lisa answers an email from Rollei in Australia about photo preservation and Maria asks for advice on how to inquire about delicate subjects with an elderly relative. FAMILY HISTORY: Genealogy Made Easy   GEM: Profile AmericaFeb 3:  Income Tax History Gem:  Family History ValentineReview Genealogy Gems Podcast The gem was called Christmas in July and I showed you how to make cover a store bought candy bar with a home made Christmas Label that would evoke genealogical memories.  The candy bar made a great stocking stuffer.  Well, I'm up for chocolate any time of year, and Valentines day is a perfect time I think to take a new twist on that idea.  This time we have a new theme to inspire us - the theme of Valentines Day and love.  I'm guessing thereâs a romantic couple or two in your family tree.  Perhaps your bar could pay tribute to one of them or to a few couples.    You could give these candy bars celebrating the love of the past to your family of today.  Your kids and their spouses, grandkids, you get the idea.  Think how surprised and thrilled an elderly aunt or uncle would be to be remembered on Valentines day with a small package in the mail containing a family history candy bar.  Valentine my grandmother received in school If your feeling a little more grand than a simple candy bar, consider buying a heart shaped box of candy, tracing the lid, and creating a label that could cover the entire label with a custom message of ancestral love.  Use heavy weight or photo paper and attach it with a light coat of rubber cement or use double sided tape.  If the box is just a bit bigger than a piece of printer paper you could put the digital file you create on your computer of the label onto a flash drive and take it into your local copy store to print out in the correct size. Here again is your chance to share some of your family's heritage with your family today.  Kindle their interest in the familyâs history while showing them that you care with a sweet memories candy bar or valentine box. If you do create some sweet memory candy bars this Valentine's day be sure and snap a photo and .    I really enjoy seeing what you guys come up with! GEM:  Profile AmericaFeb 5:

GEM: Profile America  Jan 12 Frisbees     GEM: Profile America Jan 13 Fuller Brush  GEM:  Interview with Sally Jacobs, The Practical Archivist PHOTO Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcastBe sure and listen to my other family history podcast called where in each episode what you need to know step-by-step to climb your family tree.  Also in at YouTube

Published Dec 13, 2008 GEM: Name That Tune I'll See You In My Dreams was a big hit for Cliff Edwards who also performed it on the ukuele.  In fact he was known as "Uulele Ike." If you think you know the name of today's mystery song,  call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021.    Dec. 24, 1968   In 1968 the three man crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans in history to orbit the moon.  Their hastily-planned mission saw them enter lunar orbit on Christmas Eve after a three day voyage from earth.  In one of a number of scheduled live TV broadcasts from the spacecrafts, the crew pointed their black and white camera at the lunar horizon and read the first ten verses of the Bible's book of Genesis.   History of British Christmas Traditions I thought it would be fun to ask my friend James Mowatt of the to tell us alittle bit about the history of Christmas in Britain, and describe how our British ancestors might have celebrated the holiday.   From 1940: Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret's Christmas Speech (Below: Princess Elizabeth along with her younger sister Margaret sending Christmas Greetings over the radio airwaves.)       From 1917:  Christmas, Christmas, Blessed Blessed Day      From 1916:  Christmas Eve  Music Box   A solo performed by Robert Gayler on the Celesta - Fantasie on old German Christmas Carols.     A celesta is  a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard.   It looks very much like a miniature upright piano or a large wooden music box.     From 1913: The Bells of Christmasa collection of Christmas carols performed by the Edison Band (below)    From 1911: A Christmas Classic - The Awakening of Scrooge  Music Hall Performer Bransby Williams (b. 1870 - d.1961) recorded this for Edison Records.

Published Dec 1, 2008 Welcome all the NEW listeners who discovered the show at the Family History Expo in Mesa, AZ.  We're so glad you"re on board!  Watch this video to learn how to use the free iTunes software (you don't need an iPod to use it!), and subscribe to this podcast for free. Then watch this video to learn more about how to use the podcast website.   Watching Family History Expo TV is like your own Video Conference!  If you were lucky enough to go youâll get to see the folks you may have missed and get refresher info from those you did hear, and if you weren't able to attend, this is your chance to get some great tips and ideas from the experts who were there.  The next will be in St. George Feb 27 & 28, 2009 Lisaâs Classes: Genealogy Podcasts 101 What You Must Know To Save Your Research From Destruction Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems Part I Google: A Goldmine of Genealogy Gems Part II And while I was in Mesa AZ, I finally got a chance to sit down and interview Dick Eastman.  Dick is always the one doing the interviewing and blogging, and I just thought it was about time I sat him down and got him to tell us his story.  And you can hear that interview in itâs entirety in of my other podcast Family History: Genealogy Made Easy. I love getting to talk to genealogy experts up close and personal and I also have really gotten a lot out of going through the genealogy research process step-by-step. It's a great refresher for me as well as hopefully will help folks new to genealogy get started.  It's a lot of fun! Fun at The Genealogy Gems News Blog featuring genealogy blogger Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Genealogy Podcaster DearMYRTLE, Family Tree Magazine Editor Allison Stacy, and managing editor Diane Haddad. Blog Post: .  Listen to my interview with Susan Kaufman manager, Houston Public Library's Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in the Subscribe to The Family Tree Magazine Podcast free in . New at Ancestry: Sign up for the free Calling all Norwegian researchers!  The folks at Family Search are going to start indexing the 1875 Norway Census!   In the first week of December, they will start indexing the 1875 Norway Census. This will be a large segment of the census for rural areas of Norway, but not the entire census.  FamilySearchâs Historical Family Reconstitution unit has joined forces with the University of Troms in Norway to complete this project. The university is indexing the census records for the urban areas of Norway.  Pass the word along that anyone interested in Norwegian genealogical research is encouraged to help by volunteering as a New Google Gadgets: iGoogle has been discontinued about his musical mom Jeanne T. Lewis.  GEM: Interview with Curt Witcher, of the Allen County Library I got a chance to talk to Curt while attending the Federation of Genealogy Societies Conference in Philadelphia, PA this last Sept. 2008.  Curt explains about the wide range of census records that many genealogists aren't taking advantage of. Name That Tune!   You can even watch Guy Lombardo and Royal Canadians doing the  Darktown Strutters Ball in the 1950s (video below)      If you think you know the name of Mystery Song #3 that Lisa played on this podcast episode or call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021 so your answer can be played on the show. A No Cost Way to Support the free Genealogy Gems Podcast. The holidays approaching and thereâs an easy way for you to get your online shopping done while supporting this show. By accessing websites like Amazon.com through the links on the and throughout the website, Amazon gives The Genealogy Gems Podcast credit for your purchases. It doesn't cost you anything more, but by using the links on our website, you do a lot to help keep the free Genealogy Gems Podcast coming. Thank you! Visit the the where you can watch lots of great genealogy themed videos. at Facebook. Catch up on what's going on in the world of genealogy at

Published Nov 2, 2008 I am very happy to announce that  I just launched my brand new podcast called .   The new show really captures two areas of focus that are really sort of outside the focus of this show.  First, I wanted to do a show that anybody could stumble upon and with absolutely no prior experience in genealogy be able to listen to and enjoy and that would walk them step by step through the process of doing family history research.  It's like a long term free seminar that you can listen to and work along with! The other area I've wanted to focus on is success stories and words of wisdom from experienced genealogists.  As I travel around going to conferences and as I read my email, I hear so many great stories.  I wanted to have a show where I could really showcase these stories and the wisdom of experienced genealogists.  Newbies to genealogy will get a sense of what they can look forward to, and more experienced genealogists like you guys can enjoy hearing  personal stories from those that you have probably heard of in the world of genealogy.  So that's what you'll find at - Personal conversations and stories from the experts, and a genealogy how to course all wrapped in to one.  Flash video issue has been resolved. GEM: Profile AmericaCash Register History  GEM: Interview with Colleen Fitzpatrick, The Forensic Genealogist   Website GEM: Ben Sayer reviews genealogy software for the Macintosh computer:  MacFamily Tree. GEM: Quilting Family Traditions The ladies in our family are Connie Drew, Stacie Sanders, Steffanie Wicker, Shannon Stewart, Shellie Ireland and Brooke Drew  Lee wrote me to say "Seeing your own love of quilts, you know how precious these handmade creations will be to our descendants throughout the generations. And so it goes, passing on skills, love and enjoyment across the generations through the use of sewing needles..." Great Family Tradition & Heirloom Ideas from Lee and Connie Drew: Sister Quilts - Round up relatives from the neighborhood or around the country and start a tradition that will create lasting heirlooms.  If you don't have a lot of quilters in your family, how about doing cross stitch or scrapbook pages. Create a family tree wall hanging.  There are so many mediums you could use.  Quilting, applique, cross stitch, painting, the options are pretty limitless.  I love how Connie incorporated family silhouettes into the tree. Create unique heirloom clothing.  Not artistic or handy with a needle?  How about creating custom shirts on a website like .  Just upload your images and add text if you like.  How about a shirt for each person with the photo of the ancestor they remind you of most? And you could still sew in a little tag that says it was created with love from grandma like Connie did. Whether you're really artsy or don't have a creative bone in your body, there's a project out there for you that will allow you to express yourself, and promote lasting family traditions. More Resources: Genealogy Gems on Heritage Quilts  Genealogy Gems Presents Heritage Quilts Video at the   GEM: Linguistic Bit by James Mowatt Website GEM: Name That TuneAs you'll remember last episode (episode 53) I told you that I had recently inherited a reel to reel tape that was recorded in the 1960s by my husband's Grandfather and Grandmother Cooke.  I played this first of several songs on the tape for you had the old original sheet music.  The song is entitled Hush-a-bye, Ma Baby with a subtitle of the Missouri Waltz.  Lyric by J. R. Shannon.   music from an original melody procured by John Valentine Eppel, and arranged by Frederic Knight Logan. Thanks to those who wrote and called in for identifying the song for me!In this episode I play another song in the hopes that you'll be able to do it again.  Mystery Song #2 - NAME THAT TUNE! If you think you know the name of that song, or better yet call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021. There are lots of ways to contact me: Join the Catch up on what's going on in the world of genealogy at Visit the the where you can watch lots of great genealogy themed videos

Published Oct 20, 2008   Lisa with her prized pumpkin   by WHRO FM radio:  Stories based on ghostly legends and lore of Hampton Roads, Virginia.  Thanks to my friend Michelle Gabriele-Harrell producer off the Halloween Haunts podcast. In iTunes: and the in iTunes  iGoogle UpdateiGoogle has been discontinued.    WorldCat:  I also wrote a blog recently called and I wanted to mention that there is going to be a Free seminar Oct 28 at 2PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific online sponsored by WorldCat so I'll have a link to that posting so you can read all about it. MAILBOX:   Kerry Steward called in about some comments I made on Genealogy Gems podcast Episode #40.  Here are two articles about Henrietta Pruisner Tesch and Katherine Tesch Rugg's families. and GEM: Profile America - Oct. 13 Navy Month "Hit hard, hit fast, hit often"  Admiral "Bull" Halsey (above) GEM: Interview with Yvette Arts, Director of Content Partnerships at World Vital Records Update: World Vital Records is now part of MyHeritage.com Strategies for getting the most out of World Vital Records from Yvette Arts: First-time users/browsing: Perform a Basic Search. You'll get the largest search results by just searching by last name. Look over the results to narrow down all the possibilities. Try adding first name next. Some combinations of first and last names are more difficult to find exact matches for than others (e.g., John Smith). But if you have an unusual name like Jared Quackenbush the search will only return a few results. Next, if you know the location enter a full state name in the Place search. There are some results in their databases, such as for Google Books, that may not come up via the geographic.  Don't forget to try alternative spelling for a surname.   Additional Search Tips:  Entering a date is best when you only give a year.  If you already know a lot about an ancestor and now want to know specific information, try the Advanced Search.  Use broad search terms, not an exact year of birth.  Although you may know this information, mistakes may have been made in a document, or a first name may be abbreviated (e.g., Geo* is a good search term for George or J* may bring up a John that is otherwise listed as Jn). Excluding a source from a search because you have exact knowledge about an ancestor could lead to less accurate search results.  Members Only Podcast Episodes & Videos GEM: Profile America - Oct 24 is the anniversary of Chips the U.S. War Dog being awared the Distinguished Service Medal            Interview with Mary Ann Whitley who's father Herson Lamont Whitley served with Chips the US War Dog  by Mary Ann Whitley at the U.S. War Dogs Website  GEM:  - In today's MacGenealogist Minute with Ben Sayer, Ben's continues his reviews of Genealogy software for the Macintosh computer with a review of .  GEM:  Name That Tune - I need your help.  Several months ago I received a reel to reel tape that was recorded by my husband's Grandfather and Grandmother Cooke.  I'm going to play one song on each episode in the hopes that one of you dear listener's will recognize the tune and  with the name. Or leave a voice mail at 925-272-4021.  Thanks! Support the Show:  With the holidays approaching thereâs a wonderful way for you to do your online shopping while supporting this show.  By accessing websites like Amazon.com through the links on the and through the website, Amazon gives The Genealogy Gems Podcast credit for your purchases.  It doesn't cost you anything more, but by using the links on our website, you do a lot to help keep the free Genealogy Gems Podcast coming.  Thank you! Visit the the where you can watch lots of great genealogy themed videos. Join the Catch up on what's going on in the world of genealogy at

Published Oct 6, 2008 "And this year I hit the jackpot when I was able to track down one of his long lost cousins who had a treasure trove of family history tucked away in the rafters of her garage." (Below: Bill and cousin) all about how to tap into your inner private eye to find those long lost living relatives.   Albert Farrington and chorus from 1914 sing "Rule Britannia"  GEM: Interview with Rick Crume Websites Rick refers to in the show:   and in   - new interface with New Family Search.  Family Tree Magazine Podcast   Genealogy Gems Premium:  and use Coupon code SAVE20 to get 20% off the anual membership  GEM:  Interview with Dr. Christopher Watts  Below: Harry Cooke's Apprenticeship Record, 1872   Additional Gems From Over The Pond:   Lisa's Interview with Feargal O'Donnell of the Irish Family History Foundation.  View the 2 part video series:   British History Podcasts:  with Tony Cocks  with James Mowatt  More Ways To Stay In Touch: Genealogy Gems on

Published Sept 22, 2008 about my trip to FGS.    Sign up for the I enjoyed hanging out at the booth in the Exhibit Hall with editor Allison Stacy and Managing Editor Diane Haddad.  While you're at the you might want to click the SUBSCRIBE button which allows you to be notified when new videos are published so you donât have to check periodically.  My article "" is now out in the November 2008 issue of Family Tree Magazine.  GEM: Interview with Jim Beidler - Chair of FGS 2008 Conference Jim & Lisa GEM: Profile America - ice cream cone Today:Use the Coupon code: SAVE20 to save 20% off annual membership GEM: MacMinutes with Ben Sayer, In today's MacGenealogist Minute with Ben Sayer, Ben's reviews Reunion 9, the leading Mac genealogy application. GEM:  Podcaster Favorite Sayings Montage GEM: Census Abbreviations - at the Ancestors Search website.