Pullman Porters records, history, and struggles

It’s already the end of February and Black History Month. It’s been an extra busy month for me with some big decisions, working on genealogy presentations, family things, client consultations, and a whole lotta other stuff. One of the presentations I did this month was for the Western New York Genealogical Society on railroad records. […]

My genealogy speaking calendar has been updated

Sunday is for updating my speaking calendar that can be viewed by clicking on the Speaking tab at the top of the blog. A few dates are waiting for the organization to fully execute our contract and to make their own announcement. If your organization needs a speaker in April, July, and months beyond, I […]

Beltrami County, Minnesota, History Center has added more library and archive space

“Emily Thabes, executive director of the Beltrami County Historical Society, said the addition is a great opportunity to repurpose museum space more effectively while expanding its collections.” The new wing in Bemidji honors longtime supporters and volunteers in its name, the Louis and Mary Lou Marchand Library. Read the full article from Minnesota Public Radio […]

Family history sleuth? Please don’t avoid online family trees.

Every time I see someone posting on social media or saying out loud something akin to “I avoid those online family trees.” That may be followed by a comment that they are useless and baseless. Oh, do I disagree. Do I trust all family history details that someone told me, wrote about today or 120 […]

Genealogy Learning, Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills.

Next Thursday, 5 February 2026, at 1:00 p.m. EST, Noon CST, 11:00 a.m. MST, and 10:00 a.m. PST, registration opens! Ready for a week of learning, networking, analysis, and insight to a variety of records to further your genealogy research. Would you like an opportunity to receive help on one of your own genealogy dilemmas? […]

Viewing my past genealogy webinars

Every so often someone asks where they can get a preview of one of my presentations. Most are from a genealogical or historical society or library representative who is interested in hiring me to do a presentation. It’s a good way to learn how I present and the comprehensiveness of the slides and handouts. Continuing […]

Suddenly, it was a 4:00 a.m. bedtime for a genealogist

On a recent evening,  I planned to spend a couple hours on some updating and expanding of syllabus material for upcoming presentations. Then I was going to reward myself with some more time on my own family history. I accomplished both and went to bed at 4:00 a.m. The Montreal Daily Star. Monday, 14 September […]

NEH humanities grant awards to preserve history

Today’s press release from the National Endowment for the Humanities shows a wide array of grants for preservation, education, research, and fellowships, with resulting growth in the humanities from the U.S. and beyond. “WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2026) —The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced $75.1 million for 84 humanities projects across the […]

6 February 2026. Mark that on the calendar for GRIP Genealogy Institute registration!

Omigosh!! 6 February 2026 is less than a month away. That’s when registration opens for the 2026  summer GRIP Genealogy Institute courses. The virtual week is 22-26 June and the in-person week is 12-17 July. I’m just a bit partial to the course Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills that runs during the June virtual […]