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Meet the Author
I'm Jennifer, and I'm an Occasional Genealogist... sort of. For over ten years I've been a professional genealogist. I started researching my own family nearly 30 years ago. Like many of you, I started as an Occasional Genealogist. I had to squeeze research in while in school and while working full-time. Then I got my first genealogy job and for awhile, it was genealogy all the time. Now I have two kids. I do other people's genealogy constantly but my own? Coming up with ways to do great genealogy, despite all the interruptions, is now mandatory.

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Showing posts from 2018

Posts contain affiliate links. See my disclosures page for details.

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Auto-clustering, Genetic Networks, and Kissing Cousins

Have you heard of auto-clustering for your autosomal DNA results? It's something you should try but is it going to help you or be another tool that drives you crazy? Turns out, it might depend who your ancestors were. If you've read many posts on this blog, you know my ancestors are all southern. They aren&…
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Evernote for Occasional Genealogists

Have you realized what the biggest challenge for Occasional Genealogists is? It's not a lack of research results. It's remembering what research you've done. The solution to this problem is great organization. That's not a very helpful answer, though. Great genealogical organization invol…
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Gifts for the Genealogist in the Making

Gifts for people who haven't fully succumbed to genealogy-itis, just push them over the edge this Christmas. You know you love having one more genealogy friend!
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My DNA Results Are Wrong. What Can I Do?

[If you're reading this because your results appear to indicate something surprising and unpleasant, there are s upport groups and services out there to help you . There are consultation services available to help people who have had a major surprise DNA result or that just need  more concrete answers than …
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Mini-Tips for U.S. Military Research

The veterans in your family tree are unique like every other ancestor and relative. So this year, instead of an attempt at a semi-comprehensive round-up of resources (covering the majority of the major U.S. conflicts) or a memorial post about the veterans in my family, I'm providing a post as unique to me as my an…
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Free Online Genealogy Tools

These tools weren't "born" yesterday. And that may mean you are missing out on their awesomeness simply because the buzz about them died a long time ago. Keep reading to (quickly) learn about some of my favorite, free online tools for genealogy.
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The 3 Ps of Genetic Genealogy

Want to use DNA for genealogy success? You'll need these three easy peasy, I mean three easy Ps. This week I was reminded of some basics of genetic genealogy (that's using DNA for family history). Not basics like what a centimorgan is (cM, that's a unit of measurement) or how much DNA you should expect to…
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How to Create an Email Template

Creating an email template is much easier than it sounds. You may think you have to figure out technical details specific to your email program, but you don't (although for some programs, you could). Let's look at how easy it is to create an email template as well as some common reasons a genealogist might wa…
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5-Minute Prep for Faster Online Research

Are you asking yourself, "how do I make my family history research faster?" Family history research (genealogy) takes time. Think how long it took to create! But, there are ways to be more efficient and efficient means faster. One caveat. With genealogy, you want efficient, not just fast. Fast today can …
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Studying Genealogy Periodicals

An often underutilized source of self-education is the genealogical journal. Genealogical journals are one of the only ways to learn how to do quality genealogy by studying quality genealogy. Studying Genealogy Periodicals: Journals, Newsletters, and Magazines
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Print to PDF for Genealogists

Are you fighting with your printer over another genealogy printing job? Maybe you need to go green and print to PDF. You'll learn how simple it is to print to PDF and why genealogists, in particular, should love this option.
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Summer Genealogy Inspiration

Does summer have you avoiding or missing out on genealogy? It might be the weather or maybe it's your summer schedule. No matter the reason, summer can either be a great time to accomplish some genealogy or a genealogical waste-land (that you often don't even understand). Here are some ideas to sha…
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Genealogy Research Skills Improvement

This isn't my normal type of post. This is essentially a round-up of my own posts related to a specific topic. But a topic you can't easily find with a search or a label. If your genealogy skills need a boost, you're in the right place. I hesitate to label these as intermediate skills or advanced skills b…
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Have You Found the Hidden Features at AncestryDNA?

UPDATE: Some suggestions in posts may no longer be available for AncestryDNA results. This is too massive and changing too fast for me to update everything at this time. There also seems to be a never-ending stream of minor visual changes so some images may once again be a previous version. I do review posts so this i…
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How to Pick the Best DNA Test for Genealogy

UPDATE: I no longer recommend testing at AncestryDNA. Currently there are severe limitations to the tools they offer and your options for third-party tools are now being limited. If you've already tested at AncestryDNA, this post will help you use those results but for faster results, consider a site with more too…
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Three Genealogy Shortcuts That Aren't Cheats

There really aren't any shortcuts in genealogy . Most of the "shortcuts" come in organizing, filing, and using technology--rather than record usage. It's really about being efficient. However, I've got three fantastic shortcuts that really can help you. Here are three suggestions to save ti…
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What Is a Genealogy FAN Club?

If you got here because you Googled “genealogy FAN club,” you probably are embarking on a really fun stage of your genealogy research. At least I hope you are. [Synonyms for genealogy FANs or genealogy FAN club are "cluster research," "collateral research," "cluster genealogy," a…
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Can a Genealogy Checklist Help You?

Do you like the idea of a genealogy checklist? A handy little list you just follow and mark items off so you know where you are? I like that idea, too. It sounds much less intimidating than a research plan or doing analysis. I still often yearn for a nice little checklist to walk me through my research. Bu…
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Genealogy in 15 Minutes a Day

Genealogy in 15 Minutes a Day Today I'm going to give you a recipe for Genealogy ala Elephant. If you don't get it, it's that old joke about "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer is "one bite at a time." It's the same way you plan genealogy research. This is a bite-sized …
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Organizing Your Genealogy: Identify Your Real Problem

Genealogists are notorious for their paper piles. Did you know your excessive amount of unfiled or unorganized material (paper or digital) might indicate a more serious genealogical problem? How to Organize Your Genealogy: Addressing Your Root Problem Falling prey to this problem is so easy, I do it periodically. R…