Let us know what you think!

In this genealogy podcast episode, we discuss the significance of presidential libraries for genealogical research as part of our 2025 Presidential Library series. These libraries are an underutilized resource for genealogical projects, and Kathleen has uncovered dozens of ancestral documents for clients using them.

Kathleen also shares tips and tools for tackling genealogy brick walls and researching common surnames. For one client, she navigated the challenges of researching the surnames North, Hams, and Heard.

As always, we’re excited to share a helpful genealogical tool. Have you tried the libcat.familysearch.org catalog? This powerful tool can fast-track your brick wall research and even help you bypass calls to the courthouse. Just sign in with your familysearch.org username/password.

If you’re unfamiliar with FamilySearch, signing up for free access is simple—no credit card required, just a username and password.

Let’s take a moment to thank FamilySearch for digitizing and freely sharing their invaluable resources!

Be sure to bookmark linktr.ee/hittinthebricks for your one stop access to Kathleen Brandt, the host of Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen. And, visit us on YouTube: Off the Wall with Kathleen John and Chewey video recorded specials.

Hittin' the Bricks is produced through the not-for-profit, 501c3 TracingAncestors.org.