AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In this episode of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, Lisa Louise Cooke explores exciting developments in the world of historical newspapers, including the revival of a beloved search engine and major enhancements to a key U.S. archive. Discover the latest innovations from MyHeritage that can supercharge your family tree research and photo storytelling, along with a spotlight on Ancestry's exclusive new membershi...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into the fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence — and how it can seriously boost your genealogy game.

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Native American genealogy research follows the same path that all good genealogy research does, but it also includes some unique records along the way. It’s a fascinating journey, and in this episode professional genealogist Judy Nimer Muhn (Lineage Journeys) joins Lisa Louise Cooke to pave the way.

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Get started climbing your family tree with these 10 steps to genealogy success. Whether you're looking for Beginner Genealogy 101, or you are coming back to genealogy after a break, these steps will get you on track. And if you're a seasoned researcher, it's a good time to review the basics and make sure you haven't missed anything along the way.

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: This episode shines a spotlight on 15 under-the-radar websites that serious genealogists should know about. Lisa Louise Cooke reveals powerful resources like AI tools capable of deciphering old handwriting in unindexed records, clever ways to hunt for unique family artifacts and ephemera online, specialized digital libraries perfect for finding memoirs, how obscure fashion archives can help date your myste...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In episode 291 of the Genealogy Gems podcast, host Lisa Louise Cooke interviews genealogy author Sunny Morton about her article "Three's Company" from the March/April 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine. They dive into a detailed comparison of the top three genealogy websites—Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and MyHeritage.com—focusing on historical records, D...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Lisa Louise Cooke discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on genealogy research, exploring its evolution, ethical considerations, and the importance of data privacy. Genealogists need to understand AI's capabilities and limitations and develop a balanced approach to its use in research. She also covers the significance of being aware of data privacy when using AI tools. This video comes from o...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In episode 291 of the Genealogy Gems podcast, host Lisa Louise Cooke discusses the launch of the 1921 England and Wales census on Ancestry. Crista Cowan, Ancestry's corporate genealogist, discusses the census that covers 38 million people and it's significance due to its 100-year privacy law. Cowan highlights the importance of understanding the context, including the delay in census day due to a potential ...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke shares 5 genealogy gems from 2024 that you can use to boost your family history. Get the show notes for Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 290. 

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke covers the groundbreaking LiveMemory™ tool from MyHeritage, a revolutionary advancement that harnesses the power of AI to transform still photos into mesmerizing short videos.

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Finding the maiden names of your ancestors can be challenging, but with the right research strategies they can be found. Author Shelley Bishop joins me in this episode to discuss 12 strategies for finding elusive maiden names of female ancestors. Then I'll cover additional resources to help you track down the records. 

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Food has always been at the center of family life, so if you want to know more about your family’s history, a logical and tasty place to start is with your family’s culinary heritage.  The food they ate and  the recipes they cooked can ac...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: When you find family history information online it's important to make every effort to find the original genealogy record. There are 5 reasons to find original records. I’ll explain what they are, and what to look for so that you get the most information possible for your family tree. Then I'll help you get the most out of those genealogy websites that you pay for. Avoid randomly searching in hopes of find...

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Cemeteries have some of the most intriguing stories to tell us about our ancestors. In this episode, Joy Neighbors (The Tombstone Tourist), author of the book The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide joins me to discuss:

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Learn the 5 steps to successfully finding marriage records for genealogy research. 

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Do you have a revolutionary war ancestor? Have you thought about joining the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)? I’ve invited Barbara Jurs of the DAR to explain the process. In this video, you’ll learn the answers to the questions:

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. 

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.