The best Family History Finds this week:
Family Stories
The Casket in the Attic by Misty Hamilton Smith on Appalachian Genealogy & History
Sandals in the Snow: The Gift of Not Fitting In by Paige on Dirt & Yellow Flowers
Oh Sugar! Corrections and Connections by Zoe Pullman on The Family Archives Substack
Jane’s Illness: What Did Acute Mania Look Like in the 19th Century? by Nancy Gilbride Casey on Leaves on the Tree
Just Returned from Vietnam, the Airlines Refused His Personal Check by Joy on Joy Neal Kidney
Research Resources
A Connection Between the Past and the Future: The Local History & Genealogy Web Archive on The Signal
The Record That Names the Father When the Birth Entry Won’t by Chris on Scottish Genealogist
Interactive Map of Ontario Patent Plans Now Available Online by Gail Dever on Genealogy a la Carte
Tech News
10 Snipping Tool Hacks Every Windows 11 User Should Know by Pranay Parab on Lifehacker
Under Certain Conditions, Quick Edit Can Quietly Delete a Death Fact by Doris Kenney on A Tree With No Name
Checking Out Jason Duncan’s “Ancestor Map Builder 2.0” by Randy Seaver on Genea-Musings
The Family Historian’s AI Brief: August 2026 by Denyse Allen on Chronicle Makers
Five Weeks of AI-Assisted Genealogy: Discoveries and Disappointments by Lisa Rex on Ancestor Audit
Here’s Why Microsoft Is Encouraging Users to Stay Off Public Wifi Networks by Emily Long on Lifehacker
Genetic Genealogy
An Explosion of New Tree Tools by Jonny Perl on DNA Painter Blog
Methodology
How to Use Hints Without Making a Mess by DiAnn Iamarino Ohama on Fortify Your Family Tree
Finding Judith’s Family: Tracing a Trail from Tennessee Back to North Carolina by Cathy Meder-Dempsey on Opening Doors in Brick Walls
An Evidence Timeline for Sarah Larkin by Teresa on Writing My Past
Education Is for Everyone
Ask AI: “Describe 20 Hacks That Every Genealogist Should Know and Use” — Google Gemini’s Response by Randy on Randy Seaver, Geneaholic
Revisiting My Roots: My System by Cari Taplin on Genealogy Pants
How to Read a Book on Culture Explorer
Ask AI: “Describe 20 Genealogy Pitfalls While Researching and Building a Family Tree” – Gemini Response by Randy Seaver on Genea-Musings
Keeping Up with the Times
The Dangerous, Dark Side of AI, and How to Protect Yourself by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy
A Fundamental Flaw Leaves LLMs Strikingly Vulnerable to Attack by Will Douglas Heaven on MIT Technology Review
AI Note-Taking Apps Are Violating User Privacy by Ritoban Mukherjee on Lifehacker
Real Genealogy Threatened by Illiteracy by James Tanner on Genealogy’s Star
AI Bots Can Steal Your Login Credentials, but You Can Protect Yourself by Ritoban Mukherjee on Lifehacker
Thank you for the mention, Linda.
Thanks so much for the mention Linda. I appreciate it very much. Have a great weekend!
Thank you so much for including my post. I always look forward to your Friday Finds because there’s always something new for me to delve into. A big THANK YOU for putting this weekly list together!!