Uncovering Your Ancestors Stories
Happy New Year! It’s 2025 and we’re kicking off another exciting year of genealogical discoveries. We have some powerful research strategies that might just help you break through those stubborn brick walls. In our latest podcast, episode #105, we delve into one of the most overlooked goldmines in genealogical research: non-population census schedules.
Beyond the Population Schedule: Where Else to Look
While most genealogists are familiar with the standard population schedules, the census holds so much more than just names and ages. Your “missing” ancestors might be hiding in plain sight in these lesser-known non-population census schedules, each offering unique insights into their lives:
- Manufacturing Schedules: Discover detailed information about your ancestor’s profession, working conditions, and economic status
- Agricultural Schedules: Uncover the size of their farm, types of crops grown, and livestock owned
- Mortality Schedules: Learn about ancestors who died in the year preceding the census, including cause of death
- Veterans Schedules: Find valuable information about Civil War veterans and their service
- DDD Dependent, Defective, Delinquent Schedule: Find valuable information about an institutionalized ancestor
Embracing AI in Genealogy Research
Following up on our previous episode’s (#104) discussion of artificial intelligence, we explored two promising new tools that are revolutionizing family history research:
TellMeAI.ai is a valuable resource for preserving family stories. This innovative platform assists you and your family members in crafting detailed narratives about your ancestors. Mel will call you and begin an engaging conversation with you about your life then write it up for you in a matter of minutes. Ensure these precious memories are preserved for future generations with TellMel. The first 20 listeners using the code HAPPYFAMILY can try it for only $5
For the organizationally minded researcher, Google’s Notebook LM offers an AI-powered note-taking solution that could transform how we document and analyze our genealogical findings. You can throw all your PDF’s, Youtube videos, audio files, documents and more into a file and ask it to sumarize, edit, find, locate, (so many choices) using Gemini 2.0 from Google.
As with all our episodes, we’ve selected the perfect wine to accompany your research sessions. Visit our wine page to discover this month’s carefully chosen selection. Every family history breakthrough deserves a proper toast!
CHEERS! 🥂