The Genealogy Guys Podcast #433

Hosts: George G. Morgan & Drew Smith
Date: February 24, 2025

Overview

In episode 433, Drew Smith and George G. Morgan cover the latest developments in the genealogy world, with special focus on major data and tool updates from MyHeritage, reader questions about research challenges, the evolving role of AI in genealogy, tips for working with immigration and naturalization records, and strategies for collaborating through RootsTech. Throughout, the hosts deliver insight, humor, and encouragement to the genealogy community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. MyHeritage Major Records Update

[01:31 – 07:37]

• Massive Record Additions:
  • MyHeritage added 1.2 billion historical records in January 2025.
  • New collections span France (index of newspapers and gazettes), Israel (marriage and divorce certificates from 1919), Spain, Sweden (1880 & 1890 census), and the UK (Essex Parish records 1535–1940, UK newspapers back to 1665).
  • US records include the 1885 New Jersey State Census, Michigan deaths (1867–1947), and expanded oldnews.com records with millions of newspaper entries.
• Notable Reaction:
  "They also added an index of United Kingdom newspapers, including advanced OCR images of articles going back to 1665. With the images there." — George, [04:57]

2. MyHeritage DNA Ethnicity Estimates v2.5

[07:37 – 15:57]

• Ethnicity Estimates Major Upgrade:
  • Increase from 42 to 79 ethnicities identified.
  • More granular breakdowns (e.g., Scandinavian splits into Swedish, Norwegian, Danish).
  • Addition of new groups like Armenian; 15 different Jewish ethnicities identified (most in the industry).
  • Announced February 2025.
  • Opt-in option: New users get v2.5 automatically; existing users can switch between versions for free.
• Personal Experience:
  • Drew shares his ethnicity results, showing close alignment with known family history and detailed Jewish regional analysis.
  • Emphasis that ethnicity estimates are tools—useful and improving, but not definitive proof.
• Quote:
  "They're all going to improve them. They're all going to change them... It's an estimate. It may not be correct, but it's probably more likely correct than not. And it's going to vary from person to person." — Drew, [15:29]

3. Listener Questions: AI in Genealogy

[16:00 – 22:14]

• AI Use in Research:
  • Listener Tom shares success using ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude AI for historical context and genealogy questions.
  • AI helps add “color commentary” and context to family histories; Perplexity is praised for citing sources.
  • Recommendation: Cite all AI-generated info and check accuracy locally.
• Resources for AI in Genealogy:
  • Limited books due to the novelty of the topic; most guides are webinars, blogs, or YouTube.
  • Suggests Legacy Family Tree Webinars as a place to find AI-focused genealogy presentations.
• Quote:
  "I would encourage [listeners] to use any of these artificial intelligence services... I footnote any entries that are AI generated because others will be reading my research." — Listener Tom, quoted by Drew, [16:36]

4. Technical Tips: Viewing MyHeritage Ethnicity Maps

[22:14 – 22:53]

• Some users report issues viewing the ethnicity maps in certain browsers (like Chrome); try other browsers (Safari) or check browser settings.

5. Immigration & Naturalization Record Research

[23:39 – 32:17]

• Advice for Finding Naturalization Records:
  • Look beyond Ancestry/FamilySearch; try Steve Morse’s “One-Step” website: stevemorse.org for more versatile searches.
  • Consult “They Became Americans” by Loretto D. Szucs for historical naturalization rules.
  • Use FamilySearch Research Wiki for targeted advice and links.
• Passenger Lists & Canadian Crossings:
  • Improvements/expansions to digitized records ongoing—recheck databases periodically.
  • Library and Archives Canada (lac.gc.ca) helpful for Canadian arrivals.
• Quote:
  "You may want to look at the sources at Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch for border crossings from Canada to the U.S... you might locate something there." — George, [30:52]

6. Ongoing Listener Research Stories

[32:17 – 41:22]

A. The Blaise Farney Case (Metz, France to New York, then Return to France)

• Listener Jean Daniel updates progress tracing his mysterious ancestor, Blaise Farney, who traveled from France to the US in 1882, returned to France decades later, and died in 1899.
• New leads from a fellow researcher:
  • French journal reference to a ship arrival (Bretagne, 1894 at Le Havre).
  • Listing in the 1890 New York City police census.
• Drew and George highlight the importance of the FAN (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) club: expand research to the associate network for breakthroughs.
• Quote:
  "This is not a hobby where you should just be by yourself.... The adding their brains to your brain is a plus here." — Drew, [38:34]

B. Cayuga County, New York Reed Family Brick Wall

• Listener Ann responds to a prior episode about Calvin and Rhoda Reed, suggesting:
  • Consult county historians about boundary changes and sources.
  • Use local and state histories, historical newspapers, militia records (especially War of 1812), and check with University of Michigan collections.
• Tip: Explore local libraries for genealogical vertical files and indexed records.

7. RootsTech 2025 – How to Participate & Connect

[45:16 – 52:30]

• RootsTech Is Approaching:
  • Major in-person and virtual genealogy event.
  • Free registration provides access to pre-recorded sessions, keynotes, and special livestreams.
  • In-person talks (some not recorded), book signings (Drew at Genealogy Bank booth), and networking opportunities.
• RootsTech Relatives at RootsTech:
  • Feature on FamilySearch connects users to thousands of distant cousins attending or viewing RootsTech.
  • Requires a FamilySearch account and a public tree linking back several generations.
  • Collaboration encouraged—message matches to share data and sources.
• Quote:
  "The neat thing about doing RootsTech relatives... is collaboration. You can reach out to these people... share information about [your mutual ancestors] and verify this." — Drew, [48:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On MyHeritage Record Expansions:
  "Just amazing stuff. They're adding. They also added an index... with images there. That's tremendous. I'll be digging in there, you can be sure." — George, [05:19]

• On AI in Genealogy:
  "I'm not going to find much in the way of published material because this is such a brand new topic..." — Drew, [20:18]

• On Genealogy as Collaboration:
  "Other people, adding their brains to your brain, is a plus here." — Drew, [38:34]

• On Tracking Disappearing Ancestors:
  "If you've lost your ancestor, the next right thing to do is to... search for those people [neighbors] in the subsequent census, and you may very well be able to find that exact same or similar configuration of people.” — George, [40:25]

Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:31–07:37 | MyHeritage historical record additions | | 07:37–15:57 | DNA Ethnicity Estimate v2.5 and Drew’s experience | | 16:00–22:14 | Listener Q&A: AI tools in genealogy | | 22:14–22:53 | Browser tips for viewing MyHeritage results | | 23:39–32:17 | Immigration & naturalization records, search strategies | | 32:17–41:22 | Listener updates: Blaise Farney & the Reed family brick wall | | 41:22–45:16 | County research, local histories, Cayuga County, NY | | 45:16–52:30 | RootsTech 2025: virtual participation, collaboration, relatives tool | | 52:30–end | Closing, listener appreciation, future episodes |

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a friendly, conversational, and sometimes humorous tone, as the hosts share both scholarly expertise and anecdotes from their own research and listener mailbags. The spirit of community, mutual support, and curiosity is ever-present.

Conclusion

Episode 433 offers updates on enormous new resources for family historians, explains advancements like DNA ethnicity refinement, highlights emerging AI tools, and reinforces the ethos of genealogical collaboration—both with living cousins found via RootsTech and with the wider research community. Listener stories, like the case of Blaise Farney or the Reed family, showcase the ongoing detective work genealogy requires, and the powerful role of persistence, networking, and creative resource use.

For questions or to share your own research story:
Email Drew and George at genealogyguysmail.com

Happy searching!