Family Tree Magazine Podcast

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In this interview, writer and genealogist Aryn S. Youngless offers tips for turning genealogy records into stories worth telling.

Feature: Turning Records into Stories

Genealogy records are more than just points in history that show when your ancestors were born, where they lived, and when they died; they are also excellent opportunities for mining stories that you can share with others. In this interview, Aryn S. Youngless offers tips for doing just that.

Mentioned in this episode:

• What records might miss
• Looking at gaps in the records for clues
• The important of understanding the era
• Using city directories and newspapers
• Incorporating oral histories and personal narratives

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• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
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Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch interviews Kate Smith, Associate Director for Communications and Organizations at the National Genealogical Society, or NGS. She offers tips for getting involved during Family History Month in October.

Feature: Observing Family History Month

October is Family History Month, making the next several weeks an excellent opportunity to celebrate your family history, reengage in research projects you’ve set aside, and get involved with the genealogy community. In this episode of the podcast, Andrew Koch speaks with Kate Smith of the National Genealogical Society who offers tips for making the most of your own local genealogical societies this month.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Why family history and family stories are important
• Genealogical resources and tips
• Connecting with local and regional genealogical organizations
• Why it’s worth supporting genealogical organizations and societies
• Challenges faced by local genealogical societies and how to help overcome them
• Why to take part in Family History Month

Resources:

NGS — Family History Month

How to Celebrate Family History Month in October

Family History Month has been celebrated every October since 2001. Discover all the ways you can join in on the fun and honor your own family history.

Family Tree Magazine

The Family History Month Handbook

October is Family History Month, the perfect time to organize your research materials. In this free eBook, our experts offer tools to keep you on track.

Family Tree Magazine

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The Mayflower Society

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This episode is brought to you by the Mayflower Society.

A rich family story awaits you. And with the right guidance into the past, you can uncover the details that will bring it all together.

The Mayflower Society is here to help with a team of adept researchers who can craft a report about your family’s unique history. Whether you’ve already confirmed descent from a Mayflower passenger or you’re just beginning your genealogical journey, the Mayflower Society’s experts can scour one-of-a-kind lineage resources to find answers.

Start today by booking a free 30-minute consultation at TheMayflowerSociety.org.

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Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

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Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Denise May Levenick shares some valuable tips for preserving the keepsakes that matter most to you, including diplomas, artwork, and photos.

Feature: Preserving Diplomas, Photos and Other Keepsakes

Time can take a toll on the documents, photos and other heirlooms you hold dear–items that tell a story about you or your family history. In this interview, Denise May Levenick shares some tips and tricks for keeping those valuable artifacts in good shape.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Displaying diplomas and certificates
• Combating environmental wear and tear
• Storing family heirlooms in your home
• Dealing with water damage
• Determining what to keep and what to toss
• Balancing preservation and use of family items

What Not to Preserve in Your Family History Collection

When it comes to family history, our instinct is to preserve everything. But, knowing what not to keep is just as important as knowing what to save.

Family Tree Magazine

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Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, editor Andrew Koch offers strategies for breaking through brick walls as you conduct genealogy research.

Feature: Breaking Through Brick Walls

Brick walls can disrupt any genealogist’s research plans. The good news? There may be a way through them. Family Tree Magazine Editor Andrew Koch addresses some common brick walls that genealogists encounters and offers some tips for overcoming them.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Identifying brick walls and the problems they present
• Understanding research challenges
• Search tips and how to expand search parameters
• Collateral research strategies
• Social history and why it is important
• Making the most of timelines and maps

6 Steps for Breaking Down Genealogy Brick Walls

Find your footing and scale your highest research brick walls: missing ancestors, burned records, same-named people, and more.

Family Tree Magazine

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Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of Best Websites, Kathy Meade walks us through ArkivDigital, an extensive site that offers many valuable materials for genealogists to explore.

Feature: Making Use of ArkivDigital for Genealogy Research

ArkivDigital is a Swedish gnealogy website that boasts a robust collection of aerial photos, digitized church books, and more. In this interview, Swedish Genealogy Expert and North American Representative Kathy Meade offers a behind-the-scenes look at the website and shares what genealogists can gain from taking advantage of its resources.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Coverage of Records from 1600s to 1990s
• Resources for Swedish-American Genealogy
• How ArkivDigital Makes Use of AI
• Major Collections of Swedish Records
• How to Access for Free
• Subscription Information

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Michael Strauss talks about the American Revolution and what genealogists should know as they research their ancestors.

Feature: Understanding the American Revolution

America’s 250th birthday is on the horizon. With that in mind, some genealogists may be curious about their ancestors who lived through or fought during the American Revolution. Michael Strauss offers an overview of the American Revolution and provides resources that may prove valuable.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Common misconceptions about the American Revolution and researching those who fought in it
• The value of pension files
• Tips for those seeking records from the National Archives
• Everyday life for those living through the American Revolution—plus historic events and contemporary destinations for celebrating American independence
• How to learn more about Loyalist ancestors

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of Family Tree Magazine’s Best Website, Katharine Korte Andrew explains what the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is and the resources it offers genealogists who are researching American Revolutionary-era ancestors.

Feature: Using the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Databases
Though it’s created from application documents, DAR’s “Genealogical Research System” (GRS) isn’t just for active members. The collections there can provide valuable details about family members from a few generations ago back to the American Revolution—whether or not you or a qualifying ancestor actually joined the DAR. This interview with DAR member (and Family Tree digital editor) Katharine Andrew gives an overview of the free-to-search GRS portal and the records you can find there.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• An overview of the Genealogical Research System’s various databases, which cover Patriot ancestors, their descendants, past DAR members and more
• Examples of the records in these databases, used over the decades by women applying to the DAR
• A detailed tutorial for searching the GRS, plus tips for finding ancestors there and requesting original copies of records
• Other resources for researching Revolutionary-era ancestors—both those who fought and those who were simply witnesses

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine, Andrew Koch interviews Lindsay Fulton about the 10 Million Names Project, its mission, and its current progress.

Feature: 10 Million Names Project

American Ancestors, also known as the New England Historic Genealogical Society is proud to announce the 10 Million Names Project, a central database that includes all 10 million people who were enslaved in what is now the United States. American Ancestors Chief Research Officer and head of the 10 Million Names research project offers some insight into the project and its current development.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Why Names Matter in Genealogy
• Collaborative Efforts and Partnerships
• Tips for Effective Searching

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

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Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this interview, MyHeritage’s senior product manager Alon Ehrenfeld gives a behind-the scenes look at how ScribeAI was developed and what it can do for your research.

Best Websites Episode 38: ScribeAI

One of the most exciting announcements from RootsTech 2026 was ScribeAI, MyHeritage’s new tool for transcribing and analyzing user-uploaded photos and documents.

Mentioned in this episode:

• An overview of ScribeAI and the details it provides as part of its analysis: a transcription of any text, context about the time and place a document was made or a photo was taken, and the reasoning behind each data point
• Real-life examples of how ScribeAI suggests areas of further research
• A step-by-step tutorial by Digital Editor Katharine Andrew
• How AI tools like ScribeAI and MyHeritage’s PhotoDater are generally trained, and what makes ScribeAI stand out
• A unique summary of how MyHeritage comes up with new ideas for tools
• MyHeritage features that are still in development, including some hinted in CEO Gilad Japhet’s latest presentation at RootsTech (watch a recording here)
• The MyHeritage Blog, where users can about more new and updated website features

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of Best Websites, Andrew Koch speaks to Mitchell Lewis and Matt Wheeler about using newspapers for genealogy research using the tool Newspaper Finder.

Newspaper Finder

Newspapers are excellent resources for genealogists searching for clues about their ancestors. Newspaper Finder makes discovering historical newspapers easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Challenges in Newspapers Research
• The Role of Advantage Archives
• User Feedback and Launch Experience

Newspaper Finder: A New Tool for Searching Old Newspapers (Review and Tutorial)

Locate online newspapers relevant to your genealogy with this tool for searching Newspapers.com, GenealogyBank and more.

Family Tree Magazine

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Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine Podcast, Brook Schreier-Ganz and Alec Ferretti explain how Reclaim the Records fights for record releases and what that means for genealogists.

Feature: Reclaim the Records and Record Releases

Most records of interest to genealogists in the United States are created by government agencies; however, not all government agencies are cooperative about releasing these records. Non-profit organization Reclaim the Records that advocates for these records to be released, sometimes with legal action.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The mission and focus of Reclaim the Records
• Challenges that arise when accessing public records
• Record access laws and trends affecting them
• The issue of privacy when accessing public records
• Current and upcoming projects at Reclaim the Records
• How to advocate for open records
• Websites created by Reclaim the Records, like newyorkdeathindex.com

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

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Tap into Scribe AI, MyHeritage's powerful new tool for transcribing and analyzing about records. Our interview with the tool's developer gives a behind-the-scenes look.

Join host Andrew Koch in an interview with Jonny Perl, founder of DNA Painter, who shares tips for using this popular genetic genealogy platform to more deeply analyze your DNA test results.

Not able to attend RootsTech? No problem—you can watch recorded presentations in the conference's massive video library. Here's how.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch speaks with Daniel Loftus (Irish genealogist and founder of Project Infant) about the upcoming release of the 1926 census of Ireland.

In this episode of Best Websites, Andrew Koch walks listeners through FreeBMD, a free online index that houses over 300 million UK birth, marriage and death records.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch speaks with David Fryxell about how genealogists can optimize their searches for the best results as they seek out information about their ancestors.

In this episode of Best Websites, Andrew Koch interviews DNA expert Diahan Southard to learn more about the latest news from AncestryDNA.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch talks to Rick Crume about the exciting features offered in Family Tree Maker 2024.

In this episode of Best Websites, genealogist Caitlin Hollander Waas talks with Lisa about Jewish genealogy and the tools at JewishGen that can help with the process.