Family history conferences are more than a collection of presentations, catching up with friends and colleagues, and grabbing some new books. They can introduce us to sources and repositories we were not aware of, help us refocus our research, inspire new ways of working and motivate us to take action. I was reminded of all … Read more
Lightning struck my house a few years ago. It fried the motherboard, but the hard drive survived intact. I was lucky. I got my files back from that hard drive. It could easily have gone the other way. Years of family history research, sources and photographs would have vanished in an instant, with no warning … Read more
Planning family history research helps you prioritise your efforts, avoid duplication, and identify the tasks still ahead, so you’re set up for research success. With good planning, you are more likely to find the information you need and identify the correct people to include in your family history. Good family history is not something you … Read more
Family history research is about much more than typing a name into an online database and getting instant, accurate results. Despite what some family history websites promise in their advertisements, good research takes patience, skill and a sound method. I have been a researcher and analyst for most of my life, and I know I … Read more
If you have written a general statement in your family history, AI may be able to help you identify an authoritative source to support it and prepare a source citation. This is unlikely to help with information about a particular person or event, where you need evidence relating to that individual. However, it can work … Read more
