Generations Cafe

DNA is a powerful tool, bringing about remarkable discoveries to adoptees and long lost families. But there's another type of discovery -- the unexpected relationships.

Hear the story of how an experienced genealogist took a DNA test and the results changed her life and the lives of everyone in her family.

Not only does she share the story of how this discovery came to light, but how she dealt -- and continues to deal -- with the aftermath. As she puts it, "You're not going to get over it. You're going to get through it."

It's a topic that all genealogists need to be aware of and be sensitive to.

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/32

What do you do when you go down to the basement and discover a box filled with family papers that has been down there for years? That's the situation Amy found herself in a few weeks ago.

Hear how Amy and her daughter, Rachel, sorted through this treasure and worked to sort and preserve it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What to watch out for (the icky stuff that can destroy papers and photos)
• Why working with white cotton gloves isn't always the best thing to do
• How to sort the material as you go

You can find the show notes, including a link to a video showing Amy and Rachel unboxing this treasure, at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/31.

Finding your ancestor's marriage record from the courthouse is a great feeling, but it isn't the only marriage record that you should look for.

In this episode, Amy shows how one clue in a civil marriage record can lead to another record that can have even more information, as well as alternative sources for marriage information.

Amy also talks about the reality of our ancestors getting divorced.

You can find the show notes with examples of all of the records she talked about at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/30

"No man left behind" is more than a motto to Megan Smolenyak and others who work on repatriating the remains of US servicemen and women whose remains are finally discovered.

Megan shares insight into what it takes to identify the person and his or her relatives, including what it's like to call a family member to tell them the news.

Megan also shares three of her favorite cases (out of the more than 1400 she's worked on!), including a Tuskegee Airman, a guitar hero, and a Red Cross worker.

The show notes have links to articles about the three people Megan highlighted and a collection of digitized letters written by one of them. You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/29.

One of the most overlooked sources in genealogy is actually part of one of the most used sources. Mortality schedules are part of some federal censuses and detail deaths in that area.

In this episode, you'll learn what mortality schedules can tell us, what they cover, and where to find them.

The show notes include screenshots and links to relevant collections on Ancestry and FamilySearch.

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/28

Pinterest isn't just for recipes -- it's for our genealogy, too! Genealogy blogger and Pinterest power user Lisa Lisson shares how we can use Pinterest to stay organized and how to avoid going down rabbit holes chasing bright shiny objects.

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• search effectively on Pinterest
• organize what you find (and keep it organized)
• get more genealogy into your Pinterest feed

You'll want to check the show notes, which have screenshots and links to everything mentioned.

Find the show notes at: amyjohnsoncrow.com/27

A little planning goes a long way toward having a successful research trip to the library. In this episode, Amy covers:

• Why you need to have a research plan
• Why having more than one research plan is a good idea
• Tips for using the catalog
• How to tap into local knowledge for the inside scoop on using a particular library
• What you need to take with you
• The question you should always ask the librarian
• Why you shouldn't re-shelve the books you use, even if you know where they should go back

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/26

If you've been ignoring the Genealogical Proof Standard because you think it's only for professional researchers, then take a listen. It's for everyone who wants to do good research.

In this episode, you'll learn what it is and how it can help you. You'll also learn the five parts to the GPS and what each one means - and doesn't mean - for your research.

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/25.

To find our female ancestors, we have to look at records with a close eye. Jane Wilcox shares how to use records as mundane as store ledgers to identify the females in the family tree... and why we have to research the men in her life.

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/24.

Disaster can strike at any time. If you want to keep your genealogy research safe, you need to take steps to protect and preserve it.

In this episode, you'll learn why just having a backup isn't enough and why the cloud can be your friend.

You'll also learn:

• why "paper is permanent" is a fallacy
• how LOCKSS can keep your research safe
• how organizing plays a role in preserving your research
• why publishing needs to be part of your preservation efforts

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/23