Episodes

No, seriously, get out of your head, Whenever you hit a brick wall, a Jeffrey, a Jeffreytina, one of Ancestry's infamous hang-ups, someone who's a 125cM match on AncestryDNA but who won't build a tree (but asks YOU to do it for him/her), or the documents start swimming before your eyes, it's time to STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER and get out of your head and into your body. Or, at least, get into a different part of your head. This episode discusses some of the ways that I step back in order to get...

While I truly enjoy meeting my ancestors, I have learned that the greatest joy in genealogy and family history work is the live people I meet and get to know. Melanie McComb is one of those people. I met her first on Twitter, and she taught me by example how to encounter and engage in the world of Genie Twitter. I took on her ways, and now I'm more comfortable there than in any other online platform! I've also found hundreds of friends there, and I feel comfortable asking and answering questions...

While I truly enjoy meeting my ancestors, I have learned that the greatest joy in genealogy and family history work is the live people I meet and get to know. Melanie McComb is one of those people. I met her first on Twitter, and she taught me by example how to encounter and engage in the world of Genie Twitter. I took on her ways, and now I'm more comfortable there than in any other online platform! I've also found hundreds of friends there, and I feel comfortable asking and answering questions...

While I truly enjoy meeting my ancestors, I have learned that the greatest joy in genealogy and family history work is the live people I meet and get to know. Melanie McComb is one of those people. I met her first on Twitter, and she taught me by example how to encounter and engage in the world of Genie Twitter. I took on her ways, and now I'm more comfortable there than in any other online platform! I've also found hundreds of friends there, and I feel comfortable asking and answering questions...

Did you ever take Home Economics in school? In the 1950s, only girls and women did, all the way through college. My mother ended up taking Home Economics at the University of Hawaii because she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She ended up leaving college, becoming a stewardess, meeting my dad, and having a family. But first, she learned this recipe in class. Enjoy the first Family Cookbook episode of 2019 and have some muffins soon. Please rate and review the podcast on your pod...

Did you ever take Home Economics in school? In the 1950s, only girls and women did, all the way through college. My mother ended up taking Home Economics at the University of Hawaii because she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She ended up leaving college, becoming a stewardess, meeting my dad, and having a family. But first, she learned this recipe in class. Enjoy the first Family Cookbook episode of 2019 and have some muffins soon. Please rate and review the podcast on your pod...

Did you ever take Home Economics in school? In the 1950s, only girls and women did, all the way through college. My mother ended up taking Home Economics at the University of Hawaii because she was trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She ended up leaving college, becoming a stewardess, meeting my dad, and having a family. But first, she learned this recipe in class. Enjoy the first Family Cookbook episode of 2019 and have some muffins soon. Please rate and review the podcast on your pod...

If you are a fan of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you are on Genie Twitter, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you have been to, or seen talks from, SLIG or RootsTech, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. And if you're one of the many people who've bought The Family Tree Toolkit, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. But if you don't, this interview is a great chance to get to know her - she's an author, a researcher, a speaker, and a TV host. She's also very funny and candid....

If you are a fan of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you are on Genie Twitter, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you have been to, or seen talks from, SLIG or RootsTech, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. And if you're one of the many people who've bought The Family Tree Toolkit, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. But if you don't, this interview is a great chance to get to know her - she's an author, a researcher, a speaker, and a TV host. She's also very funny and candid....

If you are a fan of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you are on Genie Twitter, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. If you have been to, or seen talks from, SLIG or RootsTech, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. And if you're one of the many people who've bought The Family Tree Toolkit, you know who Kenyatta Berry is. But if you don't, this interview is a great chance to get to know her - she's an author, a researcher, a speaker, and a TV host. She's also very funny and candid....

Wow, was this weekend big! Correcting one set of errors about my grand-aunt led me to find an absolutely horrific story about her, her husband, and her children. I'm telling it to you in all its gory glory, ruminating a bit on how my great-grandparents were responsible for parts of it, and drawing what genealogical lessons and morals I can from it and passing those on to you. Honestly, it's the worst story I've ever run across in my tree, involving orphan's asylums, mental hospitals, untimely an...

Wow, was this weekend big! Correcting one set of errors about my grand-aunt led me to find an absolutely horrific story about her, her husband, and her children. I'm telling it to you in all its gory glory, ruminating a bit on how my great-grandparents were responsible for parts of it, and drawing what genealogical lessons and morals I can from it and passing those on to you. Honestly, it's the worst story I've ever run across in my tree, involving orphan's asylums, mental hospitals, untimely an...

Wow, was this weekend big! Correcting one set of errors about my grand-aunt led me to find an absolutely horrific story about her, her husband, and her children. I'm telling it to you in all its gory glory, ruminating a bit on how my great-grandparents were responsible for parts of it, and drawing what genealogical lessons and morals I can from it and passing those on to you. Honestly, it's the worst story I've ever run across in my tree, involving orphan's asylums, mental hospitals, untimely an...

Happy New Year, and welcome to Season 2! I meet so many people who have no idea about that which should not be a well-kept secret: Twitter is fantastic for genealogists! If you do the right things in the right ways (yes, of COURSE I'll teach you those), you can build a community for yourself in the genealogy section of Twitter. People are funny, kind, helpful, and they will not only help you, they'll give you the opportunity to help them with their research. Strap in and come for a ride with me ...

Happy New Year, and welcome to Season 2! I meet so many people who have no idea about that which should not be a well-kept secret: Twitter is fantastic for genealogists! If you do the right things in the right ways (yes, of COURSE I'll teach you those), you can build a community for yourself in the genealogy section of Twitter. People are funny, kind, helpful, and they will not only help you, they'll give you the opportunity to help them with their research. Strap in and come for a ride with me ...

Happy New Year, and welcome to Season 2! I meet so many people who have no idea about that which should not be a well-kept secret: Twitter is fantastic for genealogists! If you do the right things in the right ways (yes, of COURSE I'll teach you those), you can build a community for yourself in the genealogy section of Twitter. People are funny, kind, helpful, and they will not only help you, they'll give you the opportunity to help them with their research. Strap in and come for a ride with me ...

In Western culture, what's the most important Christmas food? The Christmas cookie! There are entire baking competition TV series about the creation and decoration of Christmas cookies. There are entire family traditions about families baking and distributing Christmas cookies. There are secret recipes, national recipes, traditional recipes. In fact, it's become kind-of an obsession in the United States. I'm reaching back to the late 19th- and early 20th-century for cookie recipes (along with on...

In Western culture, what's the most important Christmas food? The Christmas cookie! There are entire baking competition TV series about the creation and decoration of Christmas cookies. There are entire family traditions about families baking and distributing Christmas cookies. There are secret recipes, national recipes, traditional recipes. In fact, it's become kind-of an obsession in the United States. I'm reaching back to the late 19th- and early 20th-century for cookie recipes (along with on...

In Western culture, what's the most important Christmas food? The Christmas cookie! There are entire baking competition TV series about the creation and decoration of Christmas cookies. There are entire family traditions about families baking and distributing Christmas cookies. There are secret recipes, national recipes, traditional recipes. In fact, it's become kind-of an obsession in the United States. I'm reaching back to the late 19th- and early 20th-century for cookie recipes (along with on...

Time for a quick episode of The Genie News, to keep you apprised of a week of good things and some things you might not have known. Listen to the end for the best news of all! The podcast is now on iHeartRADIO - you can catch it on ALL SORTS of devices using the app, or catch it online at goo.gl/YuLTe8. I give a complete breakdown of all the goodies you can get for giving at all available levels at Patreon (yes, including SWAG). We talk for a moment about the Facebook group, the future, and then...

Time for a quick episode of The Genie News, to keep you apprised of a week of good things and some things you might not have known. Listen to the end for the best news of all! The podcast is now on iHeartRADIO - you can catch it on ALL SORTS of devices using the app, or catch it online at goo.gl/YuLTe8. I give a complete breakdown of all the goodies you can get for giving at all available levels at Patreon (yes, including SWAG). We talk for a moment about the Facebook group, the future, and then...

Time for a quick episode of The Genie News, to keep you apprised of a week of good things and some things you might not have known. Listen to the end for the best news of all! The podcast is now on iHeartRADIO - you can catch it on ALL SORTS of devices using the app, or catch it online at goo.gl/YuLTe8. I give a complete breakdown of all the goodies you can get for giving at all available levels at Patreon (yes, including SWAG). We talk for a moment about the Facebook group, the future, and then...

Have you ever wondered what an old-fashioned, 19th-century, British-traditioned Yankee Thanksgiving was like? In the land of the original Pilgrims, did they really eat turkey? This episode draws on recipes from a November, 1895 issue of The Boston Globe and in it we'll explore recipes that go all the way back to the 16th century in England. We'll also learn whether mince pies really contain minced meat, whether there are plums in plum pudding, and we'll see by comparison to a menu from El Paso, ...

Have you ever wondered what an old-fashioned, 19th-century, British-traditioned Yankee Thanksgiving was like? In the land of the original Pilgrims, did they really eat turkey? This episode draws on recipes from a November, 1895 issue of The Boston Globe and in it we'll explore recipes that go all the way back to the 16th century in England. We'll also learn whether mince pies really contain minced meat, whether there are plums in plum pudding, and we'll see by comparison to a menu from El Paso, ...