Generations Cafe

The 1950 census release will be unlike any other US census that has come before. Learn what you need to do to get ready to find your ancestors when the census goes public on April 1. 

The show notes also have a link to a video with a step-by-step tutorial on identifying enumerations districts, as well as how you can help with the volunteer indexing project. 

Show notes: AmyJohnsonCrow.com/71

In January 2022, FindAGrave made two major updates. The first impacts memorials created for the recently deceased -- a change that the genealogy community has been requesting for years.

The second is a change to the relationships that require a transfer when a family member asks to manage a memorial. This change can help more family members manage the memorials of their loved ones. 

The show notes include links to FindAGrave's updated support pages. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/70

Beginners and experienced genealogists alike make these genealogy mistakes. In this episode, Amy Johnson Crow explains what they are, how they hurt your research, and how to avoid them. 

She also shares her top tip for genealogy success with less frustration. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/69

DNA is great for genealogy, and it goes way beyond the ethnicity estimate -- and what is that estimate even telling you anyhow?! (Spoiler alert: don't get a tattoo based on what that estimate says. It will change!)

Think you have Native American ancestry and it didn't show up in your ethnicity estimate? There's a reason for that.

You might be surprised to learn that you and your sibling likely won't have identical ethnicity estimates or even have the exact same DNA matches.

You can find the show notes at https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/68

Millions of Americans descend from a Civil War veteran. But how can you identify which one of your ancestors served (if any)? In this episode, Amy will show you easy steps for finding clues about service. You'll also see how you can identify your ancestor's regiment, which is key to getting into more military records. 

You can find the show notes, along with links to everything mentioned in this episode at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/67

The issue might not be in how you're searching. It might be a matter of Ancestry doesn't have the record. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell what Ancestry doesn't have. 

In this episode, Amy shows two ways to spot gaps in Ancestry's collections, including a creative way of using the "Browse this Collection" feature. 

There's also an accompanying video, which you can see on the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/66.

Save yourself a lot of frustration (and wrong conclusions!) by spotting these gaps in Ancestry's collections!

You might have heard in the news recently about commemorating the centennial of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 (the destruction of "Black Wall Street.") You might — or might not — be surprised that Tulsa isn't the only event of its kind. 

In 1898, the elected government of Wilmington, North Carolina, was overthrown by whites who were outraged at the success of Blacks in Wilmington. This uprising resulted in deaths, banishments, and the destruction of numerous businesses in town. It decimated the Black middle class in Wilmington for generations. 

In this episode, Tim Pinnick, a noted genealogist and historian, explains the efforts underway to study the people who were there at the time. What happened to the families of those who were killed? What of the banished and their families? 

Not only does Tim explain what happened in 1898, but how you can help with the research efforts. 

You can find the show notes, including links to numerous resources, at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/65.

Honoring those who died in service to their country or after their service is one of the most sacred duties of a country. Finding the burial place of a veteran ancestor can be a deeply moving experience. 

In this episode of Generations Cafe, we explore the history of military cemeteries in the United States, as well as some resources you can use to find where your military ancestors are buried. 

You can find the show notes with links to all of the resources at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/64.

Putting your family tree online has some great benefits, including connecting with cousins, sorting DNA matches, and even preserving your research. But did you know that there are different kinds of online family trees?

In this episode, Amy Johnson Crow explores the 3 main kinds of online family trees: individual trees on other sites, individual trees on your own website, and collaborative trees. Each one has its plusses and minuses. Take a listen on how to choose the one that best meets your needs.

You can find the show notes for this episode, including links to all of the websites mentioned, at amyjohnsoncrow.com/63.

If you're pulling out the one fact that you were looking for in a genealogy source, jotting it down, and then moving on... you're probably leaving a lot behind. 

Taking a closer look at that source might help you discover the answer you were looking for. Even if it doesn't spell out the answer, that deeper dive will likely give you ideas on other places you can look. 

In this episode, Amy Johnson Crow explains how knowing more about the type of record you're using can help in your search. She'll also share tips about pulling out more information from specific records, including an overlooked type of word. 

Finding our female ancestors can be difficult, what with name changes and a lack of records written by or about them. But it doesn't have to be impossible. 

In this episode, Amy Johnson Crow shares 3 practical strategies for discovering more about the women in our genealogy. Chances are good that you've started using them, but you haven't gone deeply enough -- and that's where the real discoveries happen!

The show notes, including links to related episodes, can be found at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/61.

What is modern genealogy? In this conversation with Kenyatta D. Berry, host of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, we cover technology, motivations for starting (and continuing) family history, accessibility, the challenges of enslaved ancestor research, and diversity in the field of genealogy. 

It's an episode full of insight, as well as practical takeaways for everyday genealogists, professional researchers, and societies. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/60.

What is modern genealogy? In this conversation with Kenyatta D. Berry, host of PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, we cover technology, motivations for starting (and continuing) family history, accessibility, the challenges of enslaved ancestor research, and diversity in the field of genealogy. 

It's an episode full of insight, as well as practical takeaways for everyday genealogists, professional researchers, and societies. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/60.

Episode 59: Church records can be a boon to our genealogical research. In this episode, Amy explains how to determine your ancestor's denomination, identify the church that he or she attended, and how to go about tracking down the records. 

Church records can help fill in the gap when civil vital records are missing. Even when you do have those civil records, the church records can yield more information. They really should be a part of everyone's genealogy toolkit!

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/59.

Marriage records make up an important part of our genealogy research. However, there are more records to find than just the civil marriage record at the county courthouse. 

In this episode, Amy shares other records related to your ancestors' marriages... records that often hold more information that we can put to use in our family history. 

The show notes contain all of the examples that Amy shared, along with links to the resources she mentioned. You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/58

Ancestry has billions of records, but its features aren't always intuitive. In this episode, Amy Johnson Crow shares 5 features that are often overlooked on Ancestry that can boost your genealogy discoveries.

Did you know that the title of an Ancestry database might lead you to an erroneous conclusion? See how you can avoid that problem! 

You'll also hear how to find specific collections, find hidden gems, and even connect with cousins without taking a DNA test. 

The show notes, with links and screenshots, can be found at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/56.

Genealogy and family history is a comfort for many of us. But what do you do when you can't focus on your research or you don't have time to devote to it?

In this second episode of the "Research Renewal" series, Amy revisits the episode "7 Family History Activities for When You Can't Focus." It turns out that many of these activities are also great for times when you don't have a lot of time. 

Bonus: Several of these can be done with family members, even virtually -- get everyone involved!

You can find the full Research Renewal playlist at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/55.

We all want our genealogy research to be good. However, insisting on perfection isn't only unrealistic, it can also be detrimental to your genealogy. It can also literally destroy your research. 

In this first part of the "Research Renewal" series, Amy revisits her episode which asked, "Is perfectionism harming your genealogy?" She shows how it can be harmful and some ways to overcome it. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/54.

When you're into genealogy, it's natural to want to give family history themed gifts, but sometimes they miss the mark. Here are 5 gifts that are easy and fun to put together that will bring a smile to those who receive them.

There's also a tip about a common genealogy gift that you might want to reconsider giving. 

The key is to keep it simple and fun. This episode shows you how. 

You can find the show notes at AmyJohnsonCrow.com/53