Weekly Genealogy Toolkit

Let's dive into a common challenge for beginner genealogists—tracking down the women in your family tree. Often, maiden names feel like locked doorways, especially in records predating 1850. We can overcome these "brick walls." From scouring censuses for hidden clues to finding forgotten family connections in wills and death certificates, this episode offers practical advice for uncovering the women in your ancestry. Learn how creativity and persistence can reveal the stories that go unnoticed.

Tune in for tips, stories, and a reminder that offline research still holds treasure!

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

Are you understanding your sources fully? Or are you missing parts and pieces, or worse yet, are you misunderstanding what your source is or what it is saying? Spend some time researching the process that generated the document you are looking at, and research any terms that you don't fully understand. You might be surprised what you find. 

The Legal Genealogist

Sorry for the lengthy episode this week, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to talk about an episode of early American history little known outside of the state of North Carolina. It's an important event though, and it's a great example of the kind of small historical footnotes that may have featured prominently in the lives of your ancestors. 

If you want to learn more about the North Carolina Regulator Movement, check out the following books:

Dissenting Farmers by Carole Watterson Troxler

Breaking Loose Together by Marjoleine Kars

These days, it seems like even your breakfast cereal has AI in it. But can you use the most common AI tools for genealogy? Absolutely yes! but they should come with a surgeon general's warning. 

You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and probably just about any other social media platform out there for genealogy. This episode will go over a brief "walkthrough" of how to find some cousins, and even more good information using your favorite time-waster. 

@theWGTPod

Have you ever gotten into a new hobby and it seemed so affordable at first. You buy a thing here or there, none of which cost much money... but after you've been in it for a bit and you tally it up, you've spent a small fortune? Genealogy is like that, but the spending never really ends. 

It's okay though, because you can absolutely get a lot of family history research done for little or even no money. Let's jump in and figure out how to be kind to our piggy bank, and still uncover all those family mysteries. 

FamilySearch

USGenWeb

RootsWeb

Cyndi's List

Fall in! you've reached the last episode in the special series on military records. If this is your first to tune into, have a look back through the series. It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about World War 2.

Links in this episode:

Masters of the Air by Donald Miller

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer

Silent Victory by Clay Blair Jr.

A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II

UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II: READER'S GUIDE

Request Military Service Records

IDPF FOIA Address:

Department of the Army

Select Online IDPFs at the National Archives

American Battle Monuments Commission

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Submarine War Patrol Reports

Veterans Affairs Regional Offices

Unit Histories

US Army Center of Military History

US Naval History and Heritage Command

USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about World War 1. 

Links in this episode:

A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin

Over There: The United States Army in the Great War 1917-1918 by Byron Farwell

ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE UNITED STATES LAND FORCES IN THE WORLD WAR

UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE WORLD WAR 1917-1919

THE U.S. ARMY IN THE WORLD WAR I ERA

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION CLAIM FILES AND WORLD WAR I BURIAL FILES

Request Military Service Records

The American Legion Digital Archive

Order of the First World War Resource Page

US Army Center of Military History

US Naval History and Heritage Command

USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about The Civil War

Links in this episode:

This Great Struggle by Stephen Woodworth

The organization and administration of the Union army, 1861-1865 / by Fred Albert Shannon v.1

The organization and administration of the Union army, 1861-1865 / by Fred Albert Shannon v.2

The Armies in Gray by Dan Fullerton

Fold3.com Civil War Collection

National Archives Civil War Collection

US Army Register of Enlistments (FamilySearch, Ancestry, Fold3)

Civil War era medical terms

Union Pension Records

Confederate Pension Records

1883 Pension Roll (Ancestry)

US Army Center of Military History

US Naval History and Heritage Command

American Battlefield Trust

USMA Digital History Center - Atlases

Fall in! It's time to learn a bit about how to research your military ancestors. I'll be looking through a number of American Conflicts and talking about some of the specific resources available for that conflict and probably sprinkling in some more broadly applicable military research tips. This week we talk about the Mexican War

Links in this episode:

The Occupation of Mexico (PDF)

What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe (Amazon)

Abstract of Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers (FamilySearch)

Order Compiled Service Records from the National Archives

Limited Compiled Service Records (Ancestry)

US Army Register of Enlistments (FamilySearch, Ancestry, Fold3)

Pension Records Index (FamilySearch)

1883 Pension Roll (Ancestry)

US Army Center of Military History

US Naval History and Heritage Command

USMA Digital History Center - Atlases