Fisher’s Top Tips #178r
There are various types of DNA tests, but the Y-DNA test serves one particular purpose. Here’s why you might want to “Y.”

There are various types of DNA tests, but the Y-DNA test serves one particular purpose. Here’s why you might want to “Y.”
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . David begins by talking about his recent experience of visiting Lexington Green and Concord Bridge on the 245th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War, while wearing a mask for another historic event. David also made a fascinating family photo find on Facebook featuring David as a child! He’ll explain. Then the guys talk about tw...
It’s a great thing to find an old book with loads of information. But just how trustworthy are these “sources?”
Public on line trees can reveal great information. They can also lure you into a trap.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and American Ancestors.org . Fisher and David talk about little projects they are doing during the lockdown. David then shares news about the latest cold case crime solved using DNA. He then shares a story about a document that was said to be found in the 1930s in an old family Bible, allegedly tied to the Salem Witch Trials. Then… was Ponce de Leon truly the European “di...
It happens all the time. One record says one thing, and another says something else. Here’s how to sort things out.
We all love to show off family photos and documents, but it puts them at risk. Here’s a better way.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . The guys begin with the story of the oldest living COVID-19 survivor. Coronavirus isn’t the only thing he’s gotten through! Then, a great grandfather who’s nearly 90 is going to be a father again in July! Hear who this man is and more of the remarkable family dynamics. Then , Smithsonian has a great article on ExtremeGenes.com about ordinary it...
Tracking down keepsakes of ancestors isn’t always easy. But sometimes there are mementoes just below your feet!
Yes, we’re all future dead people. Doesn’t it make sense to make plans for what will happen to your family heirlooms?
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open Family Histoire News with word of the passing of a woman in England, Hulda Churchill, who was nearly 109, from coronavirus. She had survived the Spanish flu as a young girl, but her sister died in that pandemic a century ago! But another centenarian has survived. Hear his story. Next, it has been determined who the last surviving v...
It’s true… DNA testing can be confusing. Here’s what you should consider in choosing a good match in a DNA testing company.
Sometimes it’s tough to know what to do with photographs where you don’t know who the subject is. Fisher shares some thoughts that might help.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . This is the first episode fully recorded and edited from Fisher’s home studio in isolation. Fish talks about his recent illness that took away his voice for a time. (NOT believed to be coronavirus.) David then makes a fascinating observation about the time we’re now living in. Fisher and David then compare the genealogically worthless 2020 cen...
Fisher shares a key clue in many photographs that many people overlook. But it might be all you need to help you identify the subject of the photo.
Who knows the old folks in your pictures, as well as their stories, better than old folks?! Fisher talks about how to maximize your visits to senior relatives.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . Both of the guys have had great family history experiences in recent days. Fisher’s involved finding a rare photo, and David’s had to do with a special house. Hear what happened. In Family Histoire News, the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society have made a joint announcement. You’ll want to hear this one. T...
There are definitely techniques for preserving paper documents and records that you can trust will extend the life of your important documents.
If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t get everything you think you should from a search of a digitized newspaper site, Fisher has some ideas that may open up a whole lot more.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . The guys open the show with “Family Histoire News.” First up: great news that the University of North Carolina has begun a project to digitize thousands of slave deeds and bills of sale. It will be a boon to slave researchers. Then, an Irishman who fought for the United States in World War I and was killed in France will finally get a tombstone...
Marking pictures is essential for future generations, but using the right pens and markers will assure the identifications last without damaging your images.
Fisher talks about the risk of taking on line trees at face value and why copying isn’t researching.
Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open “Family Histoire News” with the story of a a woman who discovered a missing cemetery! (These things happen.) Hear the story. Next David reveals recent talk about Jeanne Calment, the French woman who has long been lauded as the oldest person ever to live at 122. But wait. Not so fast! Then a woman born in 1920 has just celebrated her 25th birt...
Lots of great records are not on line, and won’t be anytime soon. Fisher talks about a Catholic record type you might want to look for.
Fisher talks about school districts who created some unique records to help plan for buildings, teachers, and enrollment. Hear what’s on these censuses and where to find them.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org . The guys begin with Fisher prodding David on his recent appearance in the pages of Woman’s Day! David explains. David then shares that Extreme Genes has received something of a clerical blessing. Next the guys share the sorrowful news of the passing of genealogist Johni Cerny. Johni was the chief genealogist for Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PBS progr...
Websites aside, it’s still a great idea to visit ancestral cemeteries. Fisher explains why and why Spring is the best time to do it.
If you’re just beginning to share your family tree on public sites, here are a few standards for how you should record your ancestor’s data.
Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys open with bad news from Plymouth, Massachusetts, where, in this year of Mayflower commemoration, someone or some group has sprayed some historic sites with spray paint. Hear the details. David then talks about a pair of great finds he recently made on an ancestor in a digitized newspaper site. The guys next talk about a recent follow up...
What’s in an occupation? The answer is often similar to that of the question “What’s in a name?”