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Branching Out Genealogy Podcast

Branching Out Genealogy Podcast

By: Branching Out Genealogy Podcast
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 Welcome to the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast, your go-to guide to family history news, tips, tech, and "tea." Hosted by Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal, CG® and Tami Osmer Mize.Branching Out Genealogy Podcast
Episodes
  • Challenge Accepted! Elizabeth Takes the WikiTree Challenge (Now with VIDEO)

    Challenge Accepted! Elizabeth Takes the WikiTree Challenge (Now with VIDEO)
    Aug 16 2025

    EPISODE SUMMARY

    In this episode, Tami and Elizabeth discuss Elizabeth’s participation in the August WikiTree Challenge with special guest Eowyn Langholf, WikiTree Community Manager. They delve into the unique aspects of WikiTree, emphasizing its community-driven approach.


    In the What's Happening segment, Elizabeth shares news about babies born recently using a 3-parent IVF technique. Tami discusses creating AI biographies and videos using tools from Storied and MyHeritage.


    During Teatime, Elizabeth spills the tea on the California Digital Newspaper Collection receiving needed funding and then letting all the employees go. Tami spills even more tea on strange genealogy job postings.


    TIMESTAMPS

    00:00:00 Intro

    00:03:08 What Elizabeth is working on: DAR Applications and the Inheritance Project

    00:05:52 What Tami is working on: Visualizing Genealogy Data

    00:07:33 Interview with Eowyn Langholf, WikiTree Community Manager

    00:20:09 About the WikiTree Challenge

    00:22:37 Preparing for the Challenge

    00:27:36 The WikiTree Challenge Process

    00:32:21 The Growth and Accuracy of WikiTree

    00:32:50 Future Aspirations for WikiTree

    00:38:44 What’s Happening: Three-Parent IVF

    00:40:52 What’s Happening: The Internet Archive and the GPO

    00:42:29 What’s Happening: Enhancing Biographies with AI using Storied and MyHeritage

    00:52:50 Teatime: California Digital Newspaper Collection

    00:55:22 Teatime: Genealogy Jobs

    01:00:26 Outro

    RESOURCES

    • The DAR Inheritance Project - ⁠https://blog.dar.org/2021/09/27/inherit-grandmas-patriots-through-new-program-launch⁠
    • WikiTree - ⁠https://www.wikitree.com⁠
    • Elizabeth’s WikiTree Challenge - ⁠https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1913531/2025-wikitree-challenge-research-for-elizabeth-oneal-ended⁠
    • 8 babies born with experimental 3-parent IVF technique - ⁠https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/3-parent-babies-uk-australia-1.7587286⁠
    • The Internet Archive – ⁠https://archive.org⁠
    • Federal Depository Library Directory – ⁠https://ask.gpo.gov/s/FDLD⁠
    • GPO makes available Supreme Court cases dating back to the 18th century – ⁠https://librarytechnology.org/pr/31522⁠
    • Storied U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 – ⁠https://storied.com/historical-record-search/world-war-I-draft-registration-cards⁠
    • MyHeritage’s AI Biographer™ – ⁠https://blog.myheritage.com/2023/12/introducing-ai-biographer-create-a-wikipedia-like-biography-for-any-ancestor-using-ai-enriched-with-historical-context⁠
    • MyHeritage’s Deep Story (desktop version) – ⁠https://www.myheritage.com/deepstory⁠
    • Losing Our History? Funding for the CaliforniaDigital Newspaper Collection Was Restored—but UC Riverside Laid Off All of theEmployees Responsible for the Project Anyway – ⁠https://cvindependent.com/2025/07/losing-our-history-funding-for-the-california-digital-newspaper-collection-was-restored-but-uc-riverside-laid-off-all-of-the-employees-responsible-for-the-project-anyway⁠
    • ConferenceKeeper’s Genealogy Jobs – ⁠https://conferencekeeper.org/genealogy-jobs⁠
    • Genealogy Jobs Facebook Group – ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497651017151639⁠


    KEYWORDS

    WikiTree, genealogy, family history, community, AI, research,challenges, collaboration, ancestry, DNA, jobs, genetic genealogy
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Tami Joins the DAR!

    Tami Joins the DAR!
    Jul 22 2025
    After a three-month hiatus involving a variety of life's ups and downs, Elizabeth and Tami are back in the studio! In this episode, they catch up on the past couple of months, including a few unexpected setbacks, some personal updates, and a few bright spots of good news.The conversation turns to lineage society applications, with a focus on joining the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Why might genealogists want to apply? How do you find a chapter, and what do you need to get started? Tami shares her personal application journey, including what documentation she already had, what still needs to be tracked down, and tips on what kinds of evidence are most useful.This episode's "What's Happening" segment covers several key updates:Changes to the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) Application Guide and processNews of 23andMe's change in ownershipHow to connect your FamilyTreeDNA account to WikiTree and MyHeritagePlus, Tami walks us through recent enhancements to MyHeritage’s Live Memory feature.During Tea Time, Tami spills the tea about a scary use of Artificial Intelligence for building family trees. Elizabeth sweetens things up by spotlighting GEDmatch's "Honor the Fallen" initiative, which pays tribute to those who served.Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more genealogy goodness.Got a question or an idea for a future episode? Email us or leave a comment—we'd love to hear from you!*****Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/branchingoutgenpodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/branching_out_genealogy_podYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BranchingOutGenealogyPodcast*****TIMESTAMPSOpening03:29 Elizabeth mentions receiving an Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society04:00 ConferenceKeeper makes the Family Tree (UK) magazine’s Best 50 Websites listTami Joins the DAR06:22 Tami's application to the DAR07:38 Tami's questions about joining DAR08:39 Elizabeth answers questions about DAR chapters and meetings 08:55 Elizabeth talks about the new chapter of DAR in Ireland10:00 Proof requirements for a DAR application13:23 Choosing a chapter to join14:18 How DAR membership benefits family history16:07 Finding a registrar and starting your DAR application18:00 Applying when a relative has already joined.18:30 Documents needed for Tami's DAR applicationWhat’s Happening 31:40 BCG 2025 Application Guide changes33:18 Final sale of 23andMe to non-profit TTAM36:29 Connecting FamilyTreeDNA account to WikiTree37:58 MyHeritage update to Live MemoryTea Time41:30 Tami shares a scary misuse of Artificial Intelligence for family trees.45:30 Elizabeth discusses the GedMatch initiative called “Honor the Fallen,” which attempts to use DNA to help identify remains of missing service members from WWII and the Korean War.*****RESOURCESNGS Award Recipients - https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/awards/Family Tree (UK) Magazine's 50 Best Free Genealogy Websites - https://www.family-tree.co.uk/how-to-guides/50-free-family-history-websites Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) - https://www.dar.org/DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) - https://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?Tab_ID=0BCG New Application Guide Info - https://bcgcertification.org/new-application-guide-2025FamilyTreeDNA Collab with WikiTree - https://blog.familytreedna.com/connect-wikitree-dna-matches/GEDmatch's "Honor the Fallen" - https://www.gedmatch.com/fallen-warriors-the-unknowns/Individual Deceased Personnel File Portal - https://idpfs.com/
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    50 mins
  • RootsTech 2025 Wrap-Up

    RootsTech 2025 Wrap-Up
    Mar 31 2025
    In this episode, co-hosts Elizabeth and Tami talk about their experiences at 2025 RootsTech Conference, from the Expo Hall to the Forums, what’s new at FamilySearch, and what other industry leaders are up to. The show begins with a follow-up to Tami’s Ancestry Pet DNA testing and Elizabeth’s FOIA BIRLS request. Next up are highlights from RootsTech, followed by a visit with Gena Philibert-Ortega, who shares her enthusiasm about GRIP and her passion for reading.What's Happening includes news about upcoming events, changes, and scholarship deadlines.During Tea Time, Elizabeth provides an update on NY Vital Records, and Tami discusses genealogy in the virtual world of Second Life.TIMESTAMPS2:23 Tami shares results of her pound pup’s DNA test, which included a close shared match.7:00 Elizabeth talks about receiving one of her FOIA BIRLS files.RootsTech Wrap Up14:06 RootsTech online14:47 Relatives at RootsTech17:58 FamilySearch's Global Tech Forum19:21 FamilySearch Family Group Trees20:23 FamilySearch Tree Integrity 23:26 FamilySearch New Change Log24:00 Full Text Search Updates25:01 FamilySearch AI Help ChatBot26:44 Industry Highlight Forum28:50 MyHeritage: New Cousin Finder, phone app update29:57 Storied: Memory books; creating a new census index31:50 SOAR32:18 Remento34:38 Ancestry’s phone scanner and AI tools35:38 MyHeritage Ancient Origins39:29 Gena Philibert-Ortega's RootsTech Experience40:54 Her role at NGS41:55 GRIP 46:05 Gena’s courses at SLIG47:47 How Gena fits it into her schedule & reading goals52:20 What Gena’s currently readingWHAT'S HAPPENING56:30 The National Genealogical Society 2025 Family History Conference “Tales & Trails” May 2025.59:20 BCG adoption of two-part portfolio for CG application process1:00:50 APG scholarships for the Professional Management Conference1:02:27 NYG&B seeking volunteers and interns for their digitization team1:03:21 Scholarship and awards deadlines on Conference KeeperTEA TIME1:04:00 New York vital records availability update.1:06:18 Second Life chapter APG reorganizationRESOURCESAncestry Pet DNA - https://petdna.ancestry.com BIRLS - https://www.birls.org/ RootsTech https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/ Elizabeth's Blog about Relatives at RootsTech - https://www.thefamilyheart.com/relatives-at-rootstech/ Imagetotext.io - https://www.imagetotext.io/ FamilySearch Labs - https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/ FamilySearch Group Trees - https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/family-group-trees-learning-center FamilySearch New Change Log - https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/using-the-improved-person-changelog-experiment FamilySearch AI Help ChatBot - https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/Content Authenticity Initiative - https://contentauthenticity.orgMyHeritage Cousin Finder - https://blog.myheritage.com/2025/03/introducing-cousin-finder-gain-dna-level-insights-without-a-dna-test/ Storied - https://storied.comSOAR - https://try.soar.com/teamRemento - https://www.remento.coAncestry Scanner - https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Scanning-Images-with-the-Ancestry-App?language=en_US Vivid Pix - https://www.vivid-pix.com GRIP - https://grip.ngsgenealogy.orgSLIG - https://slig.ugagenealogy.orgGoodReads - https://www.goodreads.comThe Quest for Annie Moore of Ellis Island - https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Annie-Moore-Ellis-Island/dp/0996599312 NGS 2025 Family History Conference - https://conference.ngsgenealogy.orgBCG Springboard - https://bcgcertification.org/springboard APG Scholarships - https://www.apgen.org/apg_awards_and_scholarships.phpNYG&B Internships - https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/content/internships NYG&B Volunteers - https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/volunteer ConferenceKeeper Awards/Grants/Scholarships - https://conferencekeeper.org/grants-scholarshipsSL-APG https://slapg.wordpress.com SLVGS https://slvirtualgenealogy.org
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    1 hr and 10 mins
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