The Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection

George identifies a handy Australian site (www.coraweb.com.au), reminds listeners of the annual ISFHWE writing contest (www.rootsweb.com/~cgc), announces an upcoming Scandinavian seminar (www.scandinavianseminar.org), and encourages listeners to consider becoming certified genealogists (www.bcgcertification.org). Drew continues his discussion of genealogical goals and projects by starting with reviewing past research done by others, beginning with the family histories found in the Family History Library Catalog (www.familysearch.org). Drew also chats with Wendy Elliott, president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (www.fgs.org), about a contract job opportunity, FGS publications, national genealogical awards, and a new way to encourage youth to engage in genealogical research.

George recommends an online tutorial that teaches beginning Latin for reading pre-1733 documents (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/beginners/). Then Drew and George begin a detailed discussion regarding genealogical goals and projects, including preparing for trips, referencing published sources, and saving time and money in doing research.

George announces the annual ISFHWE writing contest (www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/writing_contest_home.htm), and mentions that he'll be speaking at the Palm Beach County (FL) Genealogical Society (www.pbcgensoc.org) on February 11 and the Muskogee County (OK) Genealogical Society (www.rootsweb.com/~okmuscgs) on March 23. Drew interviews Jana Sloan Broglin, and they talk about being a certified genealogist (www.bcgcertification.org), doing Ohio genealogical research (www.ogs.org), and becoming a member society of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (www.fgs.org). And don't miss Jana explaining about a certain unusual costume...

George talks about educational opportunities for genealogists, and Drew shares some of the insights he gained in using microfilmed records at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

George and Drew discuss finding genealogy-related materials on eBay and sites for used books; and Drew interviews Paula Stuart-Warren on the subjects of Native American research, using professional genealogists, and doing research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

As Drew gets ready to head off to Salt Lake City for a board meeting of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, he talks about Lulu (www.lulu.com), a service for printing books on demand. George wraps up his discussion of ecclesiastical records.

Drew catches up on the wide variety of topics found in the Genealogy Guys Podcast listener e-mailbag, and George starts a discussion of ecclesiastical records.

George is a bit under the weather, so Drew turns this podcast into a rare all-Smith program when he is joined by his special guests: husband-and-wife genealogy writers/speakers Gary and Diana Crisman Smith. But first, loyal Genealogy Guys Podcast listeners are given the opportunity to locate themselves on a Frappr map!

George shares his delight in receiving a very special Christmas gift from a cousin, and Drew encourages genealogists to use blogs for the purpose of an online research log. [Note: Ralph Brandi's web site can be found at www.brandi.com/geneablogy/]

Drew enthuses over the results obtained from using GenSmarts (www.gensmarts.com) with his genealogy database to suggest future research, and George shares 5 good ideas about using libraries.

George and Drew discuss some of the generous responses of volunteer time to George's announcement concerning his brick wall, and later they compile a long list of great gift ideas for the genealogists in your family.

Drew points out two more ways to get past brick walls (talking to others and making a picture), while George gives a broad view of working with English genealogical research.

George and Drew recount their Thanksgiving holiday experiences, including some highlights of the cemetery in St. Mary's, Georgia, and the sharing of family information among George's cousins. Drew points out the treasures hidden among manuscript collections held in libraries around the world.

In response to listener questioners, Drew suggests some ways to get past brick walls, and both Drew and George discuss ways in which to use maps for genealogical research, from historical maps to the latest GPS technology.

George shares his success in locating a great-uncle in the World War I Draft Registration records, and both Drew and George talk about the World War II Enlistment records. Drew also explains the basic questions that need to be answered when citing sources.

George reminds listeners of a good Scottish resource, and where he'll be the next few weeks. Drew brings listeners up-to-date on the LDS digitization project, as well as the new Google Print database. George offers up a tip on organizing bookmarks, and then provides details on how to determine the date of an old photograph.

After the usual announcements, George talks about cemetery iconography, and Drew makes plain the nature of "RSS feeds". In the middle of this there's also a surprise visit from a creature usually associated with Halloween. [One clarification: Bloglines, mentioned during the podcast, is not software, but instead is a free web-based service.]

George reviews some recent issues of popular genealogy-related magazines, while Drew gives tips on getting the most out of electronic mailing lists. George points out the advantages of using online local and family history books.

George shares his knowledge of professional genealogical organizations. Drew points out the advantages of using straight-cut folders and labelmakers for organizing research files. George says that he is a big fan of the National Archives in England (and its publications). And Drew divulges some of his secrets for success in doing database searches.

George reminds listeners of next year's genealogy cruise (www.genealogycruise2006.com). Then Drew discusses genealogy software for PDAs that run the Palm OS, including GedWise (www.batteryparksoftware.com), GedStar (www.ghcssoftware.com), and My Roots (www.tapperware.com). Finally, George shares a lot of information about American Revolutionary War pension files.

George reviews two books that may help to provide historical, geographical, and social context to our ancestors: "1776" by David McCullough, and "The Widow of the South" by Robert Hicks. Drew interviews Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, co-author of "Trace Your Roots with DNA".

George and Drew discuss the range of technology options available to genealogists (desktop PCs, notebooks, and PDAs); updates to the NARA and Ancestry.com web sites; a new laminated citation guide for online historical resources; and what can be found in census records that can help with tracking immigrant ancestors.

George and Drew talk about their day at the Fall Genealogy Seminar of the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa); how to find and download podcasts; a few tips about keeping track of papers, e-mail, and unmatched relatives; and a whole lot about cemetery research.

In this podcast, George and Drew discuss their recent trip to Salt Lake City, where they attended the annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and got to do research in the world-famous Family History Library. Drew interviews Bruce Buzbee and finds out about the brand-new RootsMagic 3.0. [Note from Drew: I've uploaded a new version of this podcast with better sound quality during the interview portion.]

George and Drew discuss podcasts, preparing for genealogy conferences and what to do when you get there, plans to attend the annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies in Salt Lake City, and digital voice recorders.