After a three-month hiatus involving a variety of life's ups and downs, Elizabeth and Tami are back in the studio! In this episode, they catch up on the past couple of months, including a few unexpected setbacks, some personal updates, and a few bright spots of good news.

The conversation turns to lineage society applications, with a focus on joining the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Why might genealogists want to apply? How do you find a chapter, and what do you need to get started? Tami shares her personal application journey, including what documentation she already had, what still needs to be tracked down, and tips on what kinds of evidence are most useful.

This episode's "What's Happening" segment covers several key updates:

• Changes to the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) Application Guide and process
• News of 23andMe's change in ownership
• How to connect your FamilyTreeDNA account to WikiTree and MyHeritage
• Plus, Tami walks us through recent enhancements to MyHeritage’s Live Memory feature.

During Tea Time, Tami spills the tea about a scary use of Artificial Intelligence for building family trees. Elizabeth sweetens things up by spotlighting GEDmatch's "Honor the Fallen" initiative, which pays tribute to those who served.

Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more genealogy goodness.

Got a question or an idea for a future episode? Email us or leave a comment—we'd love to hear from you!

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TIMESTAMPS

Opening

• 03:29 Elizabeth mentions receiving an Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society
• 04:00 ConferenceKeeper makes the Family Tree (UK) magazine’s Best 50 Websites list

Tami Joins the DAR

• 06:22  Tami's application to the DAR
• 07:38  Tami's questions about joining DAR
• 08:39 Elizabeth answers questions about DAR chapters and meetings 
• 08:55 Elizabeth talks about the new chapter of DAR in Ireland
• 10:00 Proof requirements for a DAR application
• 13:23 Choosing a chapter to join
• 14:18 How DAR membership benefits family history
• 16:07 Finding a registrar and starting your DAR application
• 18:00 Applying when a relative has already joined.
• 18:30 Documents needed for Tami's DAR application

What’s Happening

•  31:40 BCG 2025 Application Guide changes
• 33:18  Final sale of 23andMe to non-profit TTAM
• 36:29 Connecting FamilyTreeDNA account to WikiTree
• 37:58 MyHeritage update to Live Memory

Tea Time

• 41:30 Tami shares a scary misuse of Artificial Intelligence for family trees.
• 45:30 Elizabeth discusses the GedMatch initiative called “Honor the Fallen,” which attempts to use DNA to help identify remains of missing service members from WWII and the Korean War.

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RESOURCES

• NGS Award Recipients - https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/awards/
• Family Tree (UK) Magazine's 50 Best Free Genealogy Websites - https://www.family-tree.co.uk/how-to-guides/50-free-family-history-websites
• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) - https://www.dar.org/
• DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) - https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?Tab_ID=0
• BCG New Application Guide Info - https://bcgcertification.org/new-application-guide-2025
• FamilyTreeDNA Collab with WikiTree - https://blog.familytreedna.com/connect-wikitree-dna-matches/
• GEDmatch's "Honor the Fallen" - https://www.gedmatch.com/fallen-warriors-the-unknowns/
• Individual Deceased Personnel File Portal - https://idpfs.com/