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Is Your Process the Problem?

with Michael John Neill

of Genealogy Tip of the Day

Research practices that get in the way

This session will look at some research processes that can hinder our chances of succeeding in our genealogical endeavors. Some approaches are best avoided entirely, but we’ll see others that need modification instead of complete avoidance. We will also look at approaches that do work, but our concentration will be on mindsets and practices that can get in the way if we are not careful. It’s important to remember that even if we are organized and methodical, there can still be things we are doing that could be hindering our research. As usual, our approach will be practical and exhibit sound methodology without being tedious and pedantic.

Purchase for immediate download. View as often as you want--intro price of $15.

Earlier recorded presentations

Creating Children's Stories from Genealogy Information

See ways to weave genealogical records about your ancestor into a story

appropriate for a child. Good news? No citations!

This presentation will discuss ways that ancestral stories—obtained from current documents and records—can be converted to children's stories. The created story is not necessarily going to be entirely genealogically accurate. The goal of stories for children is to hopefully nurture an interest in their family history, not bore them to tears with an endless list of names and dates. We will discuss the need to omit certain details, fictionalize dialogue, and keep the story at the appropriate age level.

We will encourage attendees to develop their stories orally as well as via the written word, reminding them that sometimes it's easier to transcribe a spoken story than it is to write it from scratch.

Specific examples discussed will be a story created from an 1820 pig theft in Kentucky, a Nebraska homesteader, and a migration from Indiana to Illinois during the Civil War. We'll see the actual story and the age-appropriate story that was created from it.

The session will conclude with ways to preserve and share the story—and the current experience that precipitated the creation of the story as well.

Order a recorded copy of this presentation -$12--recording and handout--download immediate.

10 Questions

Before they Pass

This presentation is not a list of interview questions

10 Questions Before they Pass

Intro price of $15-download immediate

presentation and handout included

As fewer and fewer of my own family's "old generation" remains and as I transition into that older generation myself, I've become more aware of the questions and family history details that really matter.

This session will cover questions you should ask that relative before they pass. These are things that over the forty years I have been involved in genealogy research that I wish I had started asking and doing much sooner than I did. We will focus on getting people to remember what they can, ways to capture that information, and what you should do to maximize the chance that you obtain as much family history information from that relative as you can–while doing it in a relaxed and comfortable environment. 

We will also see why you yourself should be one of those relatives who gets asked these ten questions and much more. 

Purchase now for immediate download.

Reduce the chance you have unidentified pictures like the one above!