The best Family History Finds this week:

Family Stories

From a Gravestone to “the Grindstone”: Susanna Hiller Condy & a Full-Circle Moment at American Ancestors by Annaliese Arnsten on Vita Brevis

The Two Burials of Samuel Crawford by David Shaw on Serengenity

A Moment of Inattention by Sandra McHugh on Genealogy Ensemble

Blanche Fell Fell and Broke Her Arm by Joy on Joy Neal Kidney

Research Resources

Postcards in the Family by Maureen Taylor on Photo Detective News

Virginia Wade McAnlis: One Index to Rule Them All by John Grenham on Irish Roots

In Their Own Words: Discovering Galicia in the Ellis Island Oral History Collection by Michelle Chubenko on Have Questions? Get Answers for Research in Galicia

A Faded 1940 Dog License Revealed Grandpa’s Forgotten Beagle by Kirsten Max-Douglas on Our Growing Family Tree

We All Belong in an Asylum: Historic Reasons for Psychiatric Admission by Madeline Feierstein on Rooted in Place

Tech News

RootsMagic 12 Is Here! by Barbara on Genealogy Friends News

Complex Genealogy Use Cases for “ChatGPT Work” – Part 2 by Randy Seaver on Genea-Musings

Guest Post: “A Plain-English Start to Using AI in Your Family History Research” by Nelson Lopatin on Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings

Genetic Genealogy

FOCUS: Step 1 – Seven Solutions for DNA Matches with Absent or Shrunken Trees by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy

Methodology

The Most Important Genealogy Habit You Can Develop: Record Every Clue: Descendancy Research Series – Part 4 by Diane Henriks on Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family

Timeline Reveals a Conflict: Which Daughter Did John H Sullivan Live With? by Lisa S. Gorrell on My Trails into the Past

Stop and Admire Your Family Tree Milestones by DiAnn Iamarino on Fortify Your Family Tree

A Name Hidden in Plain Sight: Hieronymus Glantz’s Second Wife by Cathy Meder-Dempsey on Opening Doors in Brick Walls

Education Is for Everyone

5 Places to Improve Your Genealogy Skills Online by Dr. Mac on A Week of Genealogy

“Scat Thomas!” Appalachian Sayings and Family History by Doris Kenney on A Tree With No Name

New Orleans: The End of a World by Jim on Jim the Historian

ChatGPT’s Analysis of an Enslaved Ancestral Research Case by Melvin Collier on Roots Revealed

Elizabeth Snapp’s Will by Eilene Lyon on Myricopia

5 Ways to Refresh Your Genealogy Research This Autumn by Chloe Brewer on Family Wise

Keeping Up with the Times

O/T from YouTube: It’s A Bitter Bitter Lesson by John Reid on AngloCeltic Connections

Considering Edits on Find a Grave by Marian B. Wood on Climbing My Family Tree

The best Family History Finds this week:

Family Stories

From Arkansas to the Texas Frontier: The Life of Hickman Monroe Shults by Diana Elder on Family Locket

Maury I. Diggs: Changed the Mann Act by Gwen Kubberness on Criminal Genealogy

Not So Wordless Wednesday: A Family Math Book and a Note from 1917 by Doris Kenney on A Tree With No Name

Guillaume Blanchard (c1650 – 1715/1717), Founder of “Village des Blanchard” at Petitcodiac – 52 Ancestors #485 by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy

Grandma Ruby Neal Remembers Funerals in the “Old Days” by Joy on Joy Neal Kidney

John Bagg of Springfield, Massachusetts by Janice Hamilton on Genealogy Ensemble

Elementary, My Dear Houdini: How Doyle and Houdini Went from Friends to Foes by Aryn Youngless on Genealogy by Aryn

Research Resources

AI Transcribes Almost 24 Million Russian Archive Record Pages for Free Searching by Vera Miller on Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family

What the First Statistical Account Can Tell You About Your Scottish Ancestors by Chris Paton on Scottish Genealogist

NARA Quietly Expands Two Databases of Its Most Valuable Immigration Collections to 2.5 Million Files by Vera Miller on Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family

Web Archive Collections in Online Reference Resources by Melissa Wertheimer on The Signal

Tech News

Animating Charts, Advent of Agents, and Death of Chatbots by Steve Little on Vibe Genealogy

Complex Genealogy Use Cases for “ChatGPT Work” – Part 1 by Randy Seaver on Genea-Musings

Can You Change an Accepted Ancestry Hint? What I Found by Doris Kenney on A Tree With No Name

Testing ChatGPT Deep Research for Genealogy: Can It Create a Professional Locality Guide? by Diane Henriks on Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family

Genetic Genealogy

None!

Methodology

Fact or Fiction? More Answers on the Dewitt Blackman Mug Book Bio by Nancy Gilbride Casey on Leaves on the Tree

German Hometown Proved – with Plenty of Help from German Friends! by James Beidler on Roots and Branches

Education Is for Everyone

Invited Back into the Fold by Robin on Genealogy Just Ask

Second Edition Now Available: Finding and Using U.S. Army WWI and WWII Morning Reports by Dr. Mac on A Week of Genealogy

Sometimes Vital Records Are All You’ve Got by DiAnn Iamarino Ohama on Fortify Your Family Tree

The Rent of One Pepper Corn on Lady Day Next by Marie Cooke Beckman on MarieB’s Genealogy Blog

Keeping Up with the Times

Projectkin: Collaborate on Migration Stories by Debbie Mascot on California Genealogical Society Blog

Will Genealogy Survive AI? by James Tanner on Genealogy’s Star

The best Family History Finds this week:

Family Stories

Ocean Born Mary, a Londonderry Character by Heather on Heather Rojo

Floyda’s Needlework, Bequeathed with a Story by Marian B. Wood on Climbing My Family Tree

The Territorial Trials of Peter Bannigan: Part 1 by Lori Olson White on The Lost & Found Story Box

From the Archive Closet: A Prayer Card Finds a New Home by Nancy Gilbride Casey on Leaves on the Tree

Research Resources

Scottish GENES Articles: Scottish Maps by Chris Paton on Scottish Genes

The Five Scottish Genealogy Books on My Desk by Chris Paton on Scottish Genealogist

Finding Genealogy in Unexpected Places by Maureen Taylor on The Photo Detective News

Free Irish and Scottish Genealogy Resources: Records, Maps, Archives and Tools by Terry Donlan on Irish Scottish Roots

A Treasure Trove in the Loose Papers by Cathy Meder-Dempsey on Opening Doors in Brick Walls

Tech News

Using Artificial Intelligence To Create Images and Animation by Randy Seaver on Genea-Musings

Even a VPN Can’t Protect You From This Browser Security Flaw by Ritoban Mukherjee on Lifehacker

ChatGPT Work for Genealogy: A First Look at What It Can Really Do by Diane Henriks on Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family

Ancestry’s New ThruLines®: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t by Doris Kenney on A Tree With No Name

Genetic Genealogy

FOCUS – A New Series Focused on Breaking Down Brick Walls by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy

A Clear Map to Your Unsolved DNA Matches by DiAnn Iamarino Ohama on Fortify Your Family Tree

Five Things I’ve Learned from the New GEDmatch by Natalie Webb on Family Tree Technology

Methodology

How to Trace a Pee Dee Freedom Seeker Using Quaker Records and Standard Records by Robin on Genealogy Just Ask

Family Folklore or Facts? by Linda Jewell on Family Story Tree

From Index to Image: Finding an Original Source for Benjamin Horton Moore’s Full Name by Nicole Elder Dyer on Family Locket

Guest Post: The Name Was Wrong, but the Address Was Right: Solving a Scottish Genealogy Mystery, by Terry Donlan on Genea-Musings

Education Is for Everyone

Genealogy Lock-In – October 16, 2026 by Barbara on Genealogy Friends News

Go Back and Read It Again by M. Logan on Loganalogy – Your Family Historian

Where David Nelms (William Smith) Would Have Gone When He Arrived in Mercer County, Ohio (1840–1843) by Robin on Genealogy Just Ask

House and Property History by Kate Gilbert on Vita Brevis

Discovery of a Data Doctor by Xanthe Hall on X-Factored – Family Stories

Field Notes – Mapping Tool #5 by Jason on Jason Duncan – webjmd

Keeping Up with the Times

Migration Stories Launch with Lisa Maguire, Kevin Ferguson, Jennifer Jones & Anne Young by Barbara Tien on Project Kin