Ready to set your genealogy goals? In this episode, co-hosts Elizabeth and Tami share strategies for setting and successfully reaching your goals, from education plans to specific research results. Elizabeth and Tami talk about their own goals for 2025 and how they plan to achieve them, including tips and tricks to ensure success.

During What’s Happening, they discuss the availability of the RootsTech Schedule and the RootsTech app for 2025, as well as the recently released BIRLS database from Reclaim the Records. Then, Elizabeth spills the tea on the extreme wait times when requesting NY State vital records. Tami brings the sweet tea, discussing FamilySearch’s goals for 2025.

Finally, during Listener Mail, Elizabeth shares where to find closed captioning for the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast.

TIMESTAMPS:

Genealogy Goals

04:34 Setting goals for the new year

05:03 Types of Genealogy Goals

08:35 Elizabeth’s goals for 2025

09:41 Tami’s goals for 2025

10:20 How Elizabeth sets and achieved a significant genealogy goal

15:43 How Tami sets and achieves her genealogy goals

What’s Happening

23:54 RootsTech Schedule & App

29:48 Reclaim the Records - BIRLS database

Tea Time

35:44 New York State Vital Records ordering wait times

40:43 FamilySearch’s Goals for 2025

Listener Mail

44:28 Where to find closed captioning for our podcast

RESOURCES:

GRIP Genealogy Research Institute (GRIP) - https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/

Jill Morelli's Certification Discussion Group (CDG) - https://thecdgseries.wordpress.com/the-series/

Click-Up App - https://clickup.com/

Notion - https://www.notion.com/

Google Tasks - https://tasks.google.com/

RootsTech 2025 Class Schedule - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule?day=2025-03-06

RootsTech 2025 mobile app (Android) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.familysearch.rootstech&hl=en_US

RootsTech 2025 mobile app (Apple) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rootstech/id6474192974

Relatives at RootsTech - https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/relatives-at-rootstech-faqs

Reclaim the Records - https://www.reclaimtherecords.org/

BIRLS searchable database (Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem) - https://www.birls.org/

CBS6 Albany Video on NY Vital Records - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYGSG5PmquY&ab_channel=CBS6Albany

FamilySearch's goals for 2025 - https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/what-to-expect-from-familysearch-in-2025

African Oral History project - https://www.familysearch.org/africa/sve/select-country

FamilySearch Labs A.I. Full-Text Search - https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text

FamilySearch "Get Involved" app - https://www.familysearch.org/getinvolved/

FamilySearch "Together" app - https://www.familysearch.org/discovery/together/welcome

Branching Out Podcast on Apple (live transcripts) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/branching-out-genealogy-podcast/id1782416781

Branching Out Podcast on YouTube (live transcripts) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswrxVYz2y65xXJve-e35WA

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We would love to hear from you at ⁠[email protected]⁠ with your questions and comments!

This episode is sponsored by Vivid Pix.

In this episode, co-hosts Elizabeth and Tami share the stories that got them hooked on genealogy.

Next, they discuss several tools for collecting, transcribing, and sharing your family’s stories (some are low-tech and free). They also offer story-collecting gift ideas for family members who missed the holiday get-togethers, as well as those who may be shy or less tech-savvy.

During What’s Happening, Elizabeth shares a call to action to support the Bring Our Heroes Home Act, and Tami shares a reminder to submit your nominees for NGS awards.

Finally, Elizabeth spills the tea on recent genetic genealogy lawsuits, but Tami “cleans up” with good news about recently announced RootsTech keynote speakers and kudos to an amazing 92-year-old FamilySearch volunteer.

TIMESTAMPS:

02:04 Tami’s “lost” family story

03:56 Elizabeth’s “lost” family story

Collecting Family Stories

08:01 The importance of listening and collecting stories

09:18 MyHeritage Live Memory

13:33 The Oral History Association

14:03 Vivid Pix Memory Station Software

17:19 StoryCorps

19:02 FamilySearch Memories

19:45 MyHeritage Mobile App

19:53 Pixstori

20:36 StoryMaps

21:43 Nominate someone for America 250

Recording & Transcribing Tools

24:12 Voice memo apps for iPhone

25:24 Otter.ai

25:53 Zoom transcription

26:53 Google Docs voice typing

Story Collecting Gift Ideas

28:32 StoryWorth

31:47 Storii

33:32 Remento

35:03 The DIY Way (low tech & low cost)

What’s Happening

37:00 APG supports Bring Our Heroes Home Act

38:35 NGS Awards

Tea Time

40:07 Genetic Genealogy lawsuits

42:33 RootsTech Keynote Speaker announcement

43:18 Kudos to FamilySearch Indexing volunteer Marilyn Clement

RESOURCES:

MyHeritage Live Memory - https://cm.myheritage.com/livememory/

Oral History Association - https://oralhistory.org/

Vivid Pix Memory Station Software - https://www.vivid-pix.com/memorystationsoftware/

StoryCorps - https://storycorps.org/

FamilySearch Memories - https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/tag/memories

PixStori - https://www.pixstori.com/

StoryMaps - https://storymaps.com/

America 250 (nominate someone) - https://america250.org/nominate/

Voice Recorder & Audio Editor (Apple app) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/voice-recorder-audio-editor/id685310398

Otter.ai - https://otter.ai/

Zoom Transcriptions - https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0064927

Storyworth - https://www.storyworth.com/

Storii (Save 20% with code FESTIVE24) -

Remento (Save $15 with code SAVE15) - https://www.remento.co/

APG’s 1-Page Summary of BOHHA - https://members.apgen.org/ct.php?lid=346409795&mm=111054848883

Find your Senator - https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Find your Representative - https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

NGS Awards - https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/awards/

The DNA Geek: It Just Got Real (GEDmatch lawsuits) - https://thednageek.com/it-just-got-real/

The DNA Geek: FTDNA Joins the “So Sue Me” Party - https://thednageek.com/ftdna-joins-the-so-sue-me-party/

The Legal Genealogist: Of money and chances - https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2024/11/22/of-money-and-chances/

RootsTech Keynote Speakers - https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/rootstech-2025-first-four-keynotes-announced

This episode is sponsored by Vivid Pix. All product opinions are our own.

In this episode, co-hosts Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal and Tami Osmer Mize introduce themselves and discuss their (long!) genealogy journeys.

Then, they share their thoughts on the upcoming RootsTech Conference and give an overview of upcoming Black Friday sales on genealogy products.

During Tea Time, they spill some tea on the latest genealogy social media scuffles and share kudos for an esteemed genealogist who recently earned high honors.

Finally, the duo shares which websites they've been hooked on for the past few weeks.

TIMESTAMPS

About the co-hosts:

RootsTech Conference 2025:

FamilySearch

Black Friday/Holiday Sales on Genealogy Products:

Tea Time:

Fave Tech Tools of the Week:

Resources:

Please let us hear from you at [email protected] with your questions and comments!