​​​​​​​PUBLICATIONS – BLOGS

Trials and Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian, Nov 2011- Present

Personal blog chronicling my beginning journey in Family History research and beyond.

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The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, 2014 – 2016

Created a series of blog posts based on the courses I was taking to earn my Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies through the institute

• Learning How to Create Genealogy Programs (17 March 2017)

• Oh the Records You’ll Find for Institutions (14 March 2017)

• Starting the US: Institutional Records Course (7 March 2017)

• Specialty Newspapers in the United States (14 February 2017)

• What Do You Know About US Newspapers? (7 February 2017)

• Starting the US Newspaper Records Course (31 January 2017)

• Learning More About US Court Records (17 January 2017)

• Planning a Research Trip: Salt Lake City (3 January 2017)

• Start Planning a Research Trip (20 December 2016)

• The Importance of Analysis and Skills Mentoring (31 October 2016)

• Latin and Paleography (28 June 2016)

• Math and Paleography (21 June 2016)

• On Old Handwriting, Shorthand, and Vellum (14 June 2016)

• Starting Paleography: Reading & Understanding Historical Documents (7 June 2016)

• Copyright, Plagiarism, And Fair Use: A Genealogist’s Not So Simple Guide to The Truth (5 April 2016)

• More To Think About In Nuts & Bolts (29 March 2016)

• Nuts and Bolts of Report Writing (22 March 2016)

• The Nuts and Blots of Research Guides (15 March 2016)

• Starting: Nuts and Bolts of Reporting Research (8 March 2016)

• Finishing Up Research: Social History (2 February 2016)

• Your Ancestor’s Game Changers (26 January 2016)

• Your Ancestor’s Life (19 January 2016)

• Your Ancestor’s Childhood (12 January 2016)

• Starting Research: Social History (5 January 2016)

• Societies and Immigrants (29 December 2015)

• Passports and the Immigrant (15 December 2015)

• Immigrant Origins (8 December 2015)

• Starting US Immigration and Naturalization (1 December 2015)

• Finishing Up US: Probate Records (20 October 2015)

• Learning More About Probate in the States (13 October 2015)

• Learning More About the Law (6 October 2015)

• Getting Started with US Probate Records (29 September 2015)

• Finishing Up US: Migration Patterns (15 September 2015)

• 20th Century Migrations (8 September 2015)

• Go West! (1 September 2015)

• The History Behind Migration (25 August 2015)

• My Next Course: US Migration Patterns (18 August 2015)

• Methodology 5 (26 May 2015)

• Stepping Through Methodology 4 (19 May 2015)

• The Steps of Methodology 3 (12 May 2015)

• Finishing Up US Land Records (24 March 2015)

• Maps and Deeds: The Perfect Combination (17 March 2015)

• Homestead Records (10 March 2015)

• Why US Land Records? (3 March 2015)

• Introduction: US Land Records (24 February 2015)

• Analysis and Skills Mentoring Part 1 (17 February 2015)

• U.S. Religious Records Part 2: Immigration and Religion (10 February 2015)

• Finishing Up US Religious Records Part 1 (3 February 2015)

• Colonial America Minority Sects (27 January 2015)

• Uncovering my Religious Heritage (20 January 2015)

• The History of Religions (13 January 2015)

• Starting U.S. Religious Records Part 1 (6 January 2015)

• U.S. Religious Records Part 2: Communities (30 December 2014)

• Finishing Up My Writing Course (23 December 2014)

• Writing Reports (16 December 2014)

• Writing as Volunteer Work (9 December 2014)

• Grammar, Writing, and Writing Groups (2 December 2014)

• Beginning My Next Course: Writing for Genealogy (25 November 2014)

• 10 Things I Think You Should Know About Google (18 November 2014)

• Wrapping Up U.S. Vital Records (4 November 2014)

• Marriage and Death (28 October 2014)

• Alternatives to Vital Records (24 October 2014)

• A Vital Record is a Vital Record (21 October 2014)

• Time for US Vital Records (14 October 2014)

• Finishing Up English Occupations (30 September 2014)

• The Professions (23 September 2014)

• An Apprentice in the Family (16 September 2014)

• Learning More About English Occupations (9 September 2014)

• Finishing Up: The US Census Course (2 September 2014)

• Join us for Skills: Transcribing, Abstracting & Extracting (29 August 2014)

• Maps and the US Census (26 August 2014)

• There’s More to the US Census (19 August 2014)

• Associations and Occupations (16 August 2014)

• Sink or Swim: US Census Records (12 August 2014)

• Starting the US Census Records Course (5 August 2014)

• Extractions (22 July 2014)

• The Down-Low on Abstracting (15 July 2014)

• Do You really Know Transcribing? (8 July 2014)

• Next Course: Transcribing, Abstracting & Extracting (1 July 2014)

• Finishing up Demystifying Culture and Folklore (3 June 2014)

• Your Ancestor the Hero (20 May 2014)

• The Many Facets of the Family Story (13 May 2014)

• Learning More About Family History and Culture (6 May 2014)

• Starting My Next Course: Demystifying Culture and Folklore (22 April 2014)

• Methodology, Part 2: Finishing Up (8 April 2014)

• Methodology, part 2: That 1 Thing (1 April 2014)

• Methodology Part 2: Forms (25 March 2014)

• Methodology Part 2: Transcribing and Abstracting (18 March 2014)

• Methodology, Part 2: an Introduction (11 March 2014)

• Finishing Up Methodology Part 1 (4 March 2014)

• Transcription! Methodology, Part 1 (25 February 2014)

• Who’s Your Cousin (18 February 2014)

• The Search is Afoot: Methodology Part 1 (10 February 2014)

• My Presentation Assignment: Lecture Course Final Module (4 February 2014)

• The Business of Genealogy: Lecture Course Modules 3 and 4 (30 January 2014)

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National Genealogical Society, Guest Blog, 2013-2014

• Group Collaboration: Are you taking advantage of this important genealogical research tool? (December 2014)

• Tips for more effective studying: All genealogists do study! (March 2014)

• Post it notes as a great research tool for genealogists (March 2014)

• Kids in the Courthouse (March 2014)

• Reading the book is just the beginning – Do you know how you learn best? Using Mastering Genealogical Proof as an example (November 2013)

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Going In-Depth, 2012 – 2014

• A Source is a Source, of Course, of Course…or is it? (October 2014)

• Book Review: Finding Family (October 2014)

• Book Review: The Family Tree German Genealogy Guide (October 2014)

• Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (October 2014)

• Book Review: The Juggler’s Children (October 2014)

• Book Review: Mind Maps for Genealogy (October 2014)

• Book Review: Stephen King on Writing A Memoir of the Craft (October 2014)

• Book Review: A Beginning Guide of WWII Research by Jennifer Holik (August 2014)

• Book Review: Lost but not Forgotten, Stories of the Lost Chronicles the Stories of Fallen Soldiers by Jennifer Holik (May 2014)

• StoryCatcher Review (May 2014)

• Tech Review: Saving Memories Forever (March 2014)

• Review: BU Certification Program (March 2014)

• Review of Vertex42.com (January 2014)

• Zap the Grandmas Gap Workbooks General Overview (January 2014)

• Zap the Grandmas Gap Workbooks Civil War Workbook (November 2013)

• Data Analysis and Crowd Sourcing Genealogy Style (November 2013)

• Research Possibilities at the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library (October 2013)

• Genealogy Resources at the Library of Virginia (October 2013)

• A workbook of family fun: Zap the Grandma Gap by Jante Havorka (October 2013)

• Do you Make Use of MakeUseOf.com? (October 2013)

• Social Media and Genealogy: It’s Not Just About Chats With Friends Anymore (October 2013)

• FGS from the eyes of a first time attendee (September 2013)

• Review of Aboutone.com (May 2013)

• Tech Blog Review: Genius Scan (May 2013)

• Research in 140 characters or less: Twitter for genealogists (April 2013)

• Got a growing pile of business cards? Use world cat mobile! (April 2013)

• Tech Blog Review: Genius Scan (March 2013)

• Review of World Card Mobile (March 2013)

• Zap the Grandma Gap: Connect with your family by connecting them to their family history by Janet Hovorka (February 2013)

• Craving the pen and paper: handwriting and you iPad (February 2013)

• Review of the new Evidentia software (January 2013)

• Craving the pen and paper: handwriting and your iPad (December 2012)

• Verifying work through the genealogical proof standard just got easier: Review of the new Evidentia Software. (December 2012)

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Family Tree Magazine, Family Tree Firsts Blogger, Dec 2011-Dec 2012

• Shedding the beginner’s cocoon goodbye to a genealogy butterfly (December 2012)

• Coming to terms with slave owning ancestors (December 2012)

• The cemetery a genealogy sanctuary (November 2012)

• Giving thanks for genealogy (November 2012)

• Chasing cousins in ancestry.com DNA tests (November 2012)

• Reflecting on a year of family tree firsts (November 2012)

• Local routes to nearby roots (October 2012)

• Infant mortality past and present (October 2012)

• Heritage in heraldry rooting for a royal line (October 2012)

• Civil war roots and a historic birthday (October 2012)

• Genealogy overload finding time to find your family (September 2012)

• Family research therapy the pure pleasure of a genealogy group (September 2012)

• Bust a brick wall with a phone call (September 2012)

• Living in lineage society limbo (September (2012)

• Why I wore pajamas to a genealogy conference (August 2012)

• Photos for posterity and wedding picture envy (August 2012)

• Hidden history in 1940 census indexes (August (2012)

• Collateral lines to trace or not to trace (August 2012)

• Why genealogy is the best medicine (July 2012)

• Magical moments with military pension files (July 2012)

• Beauty of a breakthrough marching down a maternal line (July (2012)

• One family double enumeration a tale of two Georges (July 2012)

• Genealogy in Jamestown living our family history (June 2012)

• Standing at the edge of the big genealogy pool (June 2012)

• Adventures in genealogy DNA testing part 3 the results (June (2012)

• Adventures in genealogy DNA testing part-2 (June 2012)

• Adventures in genealogy DNA testing part 1 (May 2012)

• A tale of two revolutionary war ancestors (May 2012)

• A letter to a long lost friend pays off (May 2012)

• Feeding a child's interest in history (May (2012)

• The value of old fashioned letters (May 2012)

• The power of cousins (April (2012)

• What happened to the boy who shot his brother (April 2012)

• Time travel with dad (April 2012)

• A pension file reveals a family tragedy (April 2012)

• Indiana genealogy ancestors (March 2012)

• Mrs. Bennett goes to Washington and squeals in the middle of the national archives (March 2012)

• Were these immigrant ancestors beamed down (March 2012)

• A family story delivers a knockout punch (March 2012)

• Genealogy studies lead to research breakthroughs (March 2012)

• Jump starting my civil war research (February 2012)

• Did I marry a relative of Buffalo Bill Cody (February 2012)

• My mother and the haunted tombstone (February 2012)

• My mother and the haunted tombstone (February 2012)

• The cast iron monument (January 2012)

• Breaking down a brick wall with just one letter (January 2012)

• Family tree firsts (January 2012)

• From Arvin to Cannon (January 2012)

• Will DNA testing confirm grandmas' story (January 2012)

• Getting relatives interested in family history (January 2012)

• Powering through (January 2012)

• A perpetual student(December 2011)

• Where do hoosiers come from (December 2011)

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