Category: Technology

AI Update: Tools from MyHeritage and Ancestry

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming an integral part of how genealogy companies develop their tools and technologies. Two examples are MyHeritage and Ancestry, who have been in the family history business for many years. You can learn about some of their latest efforts in this article. MyHeritage MyHeritage.com has released two interesting tools: a search engine for records based...

Always New Records on FamilySearch.org

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   If you look closely at the date these records were added to FamilySearch.org, you will see that they are the same day that this post is being written. The process of adding all these records and thousands more each day is complex. It starts with a pile...

The History of Artificial Intelligence and What Will Happen to Genealogical Research as a Consequence: Part One

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   Image Created by Microsoft’s Image Creator Somewhere between appearing in Isaac Asimov’s book, I, Robot, in 1950 and the latest StarWars movie or series, artificial intelligence became a threat to civilization as we know it for newscasters and pundits around the world. In a class at a...

Resources from the Allen County Public Library

One of the top genealogical libraries in the United States is the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Its Genealogy Center provides a number of helpful resources, such as PERSI, the online Periodical Search Index for locating genealogy articles Gateways for African American and Native American research Family histories and corresponding information files Free online and on-site databases...

So Many Blogs, So Little Time …

The internet is often a case of “I wish I had more time to explore and find great content.” That can certainly apply to genealogy blog articles. You can subscribe to feeds, follow hashtags, and surf your favorite sites, but there’s still something cool you’re missing—and you wouldn’t know you’re missing it. Enter the “Best of the Genea-Blogs” by noted...

New Handle for Our YouTube Channel

YouTube has recently introduced “handles” for YouTube channels. Simply stated, these are easier ways to access channels, rather than using the long and hard-to-remember URL characters. For example, the regular URL for The Family History Guide YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSdEueFFI669fDBwILOCDvw Not so easy, is it? Now for the new handle: you can also access our YouTube Channel with this: https://www.youtube.com/@thefamilyhistoryguide ...

MyHeritage Census Helper™ Gets a Major Upgrade

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. MyHeritage Census Helper™ Quoting from a press release: Just before the release of the 1950 U.S. Census in April 2022, we released the Census Helper™, a tool that scans your family tree and compiles a list of your relatives who are very likely to be found in census records....

FamilySearch’s Use of Artificial Intelligence and Handwriting Recognition

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/familysearch-get-involved-online-volunteer-experience I have been involved with learning about and reporting about handwriting recognition for genealogical research for a long time. I always thought about it being something distant in the future. Well, apparently, the future is now. In the past few years, organizations such as the Brigham...

New Video: Technology – Increasing Access to Archives

We’ve added a new QRB (Quick Research Basics) video to our YouTube Channel. This one is by Miles Meyer, Education Director for The Family History Guide Association and a frequent presenter at RootsTech. It’s titled “Technology – Increasing Access to Archives” and it discusses the following key topics, among others: Purpose and limitations of archives Microfilm and digitization projects Advances...

Using Chrome Remote Desktop to Help Others

Helping others with their family history can be a rewarding but also challenging experience. Sometimes a verbal explanation is enough, or referring them to a resource like The Family History Guide for following steps, reading articles, or watching videos. Other times you can give a demonstration of what to do, using your own computer or device. But there are some...