Are You My Cousin? Wearing My Genealogy on My Sleeve

 

Photo by Lori Samuelson

At this year’s International German Genealogy Partnership Conference in Columbus, I walked away with more than just research tips, historical insights, and meeting some of my long lost family (pic below). I also saw a whimsical t-shirt worn by one of the attendees, Katharina Birch.

I complimented Katharina and asked where she found it. Surprise! It was one of many genealogy-themed t-shirts that her company produces. Carlisle Creations Genealogy Tees etc. say exactly what we’re all thinking during those late nights spent clicking through cousins on Ancestry. The one I couldn’t resist? The bright blue tee with the question “Are You My Cousin?” printed above a bemused cartoon dog and bird duo. It's quirky, clever, and perfect for sparking conversations at family reunions, society meetings, or even just standing in line at the library’s microfilm reader.

What I love most is how this shirt manages to be both funny and familiar. It captures that universal genealogist’s hope—that the next person we meet, online or in real life, might just be part of our ever-growing family tree.

If you’re looking for a gift for a genealogy friend (or yourself), check out her shop. Supporting creative people in our field is one way to ensure the spirit of our work stays vibrant—and, dare I say, stylish. Not only do they have t-shirts, they also have crewneck sweatshirts, hoodies, and full-zip jackets. Rumor from a reliable source (umm, Katharina) says that some new t-shirts will be available soon so I plan on checking back for one of the many we discussed.

And the best part of this chance meeting with Katharina, two of my very own 6th cousins were also attending the conference and I met two more cousins of one of my cousins. No doubt, if we dug some more, I'd be related to them, too. You can see the Palatinate brood below, photo courtesy of my husband:

Husband of Cousin, Desiree who is a Cousin of Cousin, Cousin Gerhard Hoh with Rita, Me, Cousin Renee, one of the presenters, Margie who is a Cousin of Cousin with her husband behind. We were celebrating our last night together at where else - a German restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. 

Need Records from NARA? Try This Game-Changer

 

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I’ve got a tip for you—one that might just change the way you think about accessing records from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

At the recent National Genealogical Society conference in Louisville, I was chatting with a colleague who casually mentioned that she’d received records from NARA in under two weeks.

Naturally, I scoffed.

If you’ve ever dealt with government agencies for records, you know the drill: months of waiting, sometimes even a year, and often a black hole of silence. So yeah, I was skeptical.

But she had my attention. I asked who handled her lookup.

Her answer? Gopher.

Intrigued, I made a beeline for their exhibit table. After a quick conversation, I decided to give their service a try.

The moment I got home (okay, right after tossing my laundry in the wash), I created an account on Gopher. I filled out their request form—it was easy, no fuss—and asked for several records I’d wanted for years.

About eight years ago, I visited NARA in person and retrieved Civil War service and Postmaster records for two ancestors. I had a whole list of others I wanted to search, but I only had one day—and it happened to be a busy one. I never got back. Life happened.

But with record access tightening and uncertainty growing, I decided it was time to stop waiting for "someday."

I submitted my order through Gopher. Eight days later, the digitized records landed in my inbox.

Yes, seriously—eight days.

And they weren’t just quick. They were immaculate. Much better than the old blue photocopies I brought home from NARA years ago. These were clean, clear, and looked authentic. They had digitized 754 pages for my five ancestors!!!!

What really impressed me, though, was their honesty.

Gopher emailed to let me know that some of the records I requested were already available on Fold3. But—get this—they’d noticed the images were glitchy and took it upon themselves to contact Fold3 to report the issue. Who does that?

Oh, and they didn’t charge me for those records either. Double wow.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—this must’ve been expensive. But let me tell you: it was far more affordable than traveling to D.C. myself. No airfare, no hotel, no meals. Just quality records, delivered quickly, without the hassle.

So if you’ve been putting off a NARA request, don’t wait. Get those records while you still can—and consider letting Gopher do the legwork.

Preserving the Past—and Maybe Your Future, Too

 

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One of the underappreciated benefits of genealogy? We get a front-row seat to our family's medical history. I've had a doctor roll his eyes when I rattled off the long list of conditions that affected my ancestors. It didn’t faze me. At least I know what to watch out for.

For me, Alzheimer’s runs on both sides of the family tree. So, like many of you, I try to stay up-to-date on the latest research. I had to push hard to get my current doctor to agree to baseline cognitive testing. (He finally gave in.) Though it's now recommended starting at age 40, I’m well past that—but hey, better late than never.

Years ago, before my mom passed from Alzheimer’s, she participated in a research study at the University of South Florida. I was proud of her then, and now I’ve followed in her footsteps by joining a fascinating new study—and perhaps you can, too.

Here’s the best part:

• It’s free.
• It takes less than an hour.
• You can do it all from the comfort of home.
• You’ll receive a free one-year subscription to Artifcts.com.

What’s Artifcts? It’s an incredibly useful tool for genealogists and memory-keepers. You can upload photos of your heirlooms, write stories about them, and share those with your family and friends. It’s perfect if you’re downsizing—or if you have treasures your kids aren’t interested in, but you still want to preserve the meaning behind them.

Lately I’ve been blogging about ways to preserve your research. Writing it up is one path. Artifcts offers another. And if you want, you can even turn those heirloom stories into a book.

So, what’s the connection to Alzheimer’s?

Artifcts has partnered with the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine for a brain health study. They're exploring how the stories and memories you record in your Artfcts, and the biomarkers thus captured from your voice, may relate to cognitive health. If you’re 65 or older, a U.S. resident, and speak fluent English, you can take part.

Here’s how it works:

• Fill out a quick demographic survey (under 5 minutes).
• Join a short Zoom call with the research team.
• Sign a consent form to participate.
• Get free access to Artifcts.com, where you’ll upload photos and tell the stories behind five heirlooms.
• Want to do more? You can—but only the first five will be used in the study.

Want to learn more? Read the official flyer here:
Artifcts Brain Health Study PDF

The study is wrapping up soon, so I encourage you to reach out to Ellen or Heather at BrainHealth@Artifcts.com while there’s still time.

Let’s honor the past, support important research, and preserve our stories—all in one afternoon.

Are you ever done with your family history?

 

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If you've been following my blog you're aware that I've written about many topics related to saving your family's history -like Where do I begin? How do I get organized? Which software programs should I use? How can I keep the costs down on this hobby? I'm stuck, now what? I got my DNA results and I don't understand them?. Go ahead and use the Search button for specifics.

But you've also become aware of the need to stay updated on technology, everything from how to get around software program glitches, hints on how to use Microsoft Word and Excel, and getting the most out of Artificial Intelligence.

The past month I've been blogging extensively on how you can get that family genealogy book you have on your to-do list completed and available inexpensively.

You might think you're done with genealogy when you are holding that book in your hands.

Think again.

Genealogy is NEVER done. There will always be new additions to a family through marriages and birth, and losses, too, through divorce and death.

Genealogy is like the people it records - ever changing.

So, what should you do when you are done writing those books?

Here's some things I still have to tackle:

1. While researching for my books, although I've digitized everything, I realized that some of my paper documentation (vital records) was not in the order that I'd like it to be (alpha), so I plan on going back and fixing those items.
2. Some items weren't in their very own acid free sheet protector. I had combined letters facing forwards and backwards but now I know better and will separate them out.
3. Records are unfortunately disappearing at a quicker rate than ever before. Remember rootsweb and genweb? Gone but not forgotten. I'm finding many federal government records disappearing, too. (and don't get me started on the current idiots in charge who have removed the Constitution from the white house website. Disgusting!). The IRS used to have old tax records from the late 1700s online but they have been removed. Makes you wonder why. NARA once had some naturalization records available and those are also gone. Luckily, I had saved what those records looked like so for me, it wasn't a loss, however, the source citation had to be altered since they aren't available online any longer. This has all made me a bit paranoid, especially since Indiana recently hid on page 10 of an unrelated bill to not allow access to birth certificates for 99 years after a person dies. Here's my biggest recommendation and of all the things on your to-do list, I highly suggest you order anything you want while it's still available AND if it's online, save it to your own files so you'll have it when it's gone. By own files I mean a thumb drive, standalone hard drive and/or Cloud. More info on how to do this coming soon!
4. My digitized files that I keep in the Cloud need to be cleaned as I discovered I have lots of duplicates and in some cases, the file name needs to be updated. That's a nice winter project.
5. You will always have brick walls but now that you've written out your family history you've identified exactly what you still need to confirm identity or proof relationship. This will be my project for the rest of my life. Use FamilySearch.org's AI lab, research the siblings more thoroughly, go boots-on-the-ground. When you find what you're seeking you can always update your book and make it "Revised." I've begun with my husband's second great half uncle - John Calvin DeWolf who was found dead in the woods in LaGrange, Cook, Illinois on 28 April 1912. How do I know this with no obituary, death certificate, or newspaper story? From the family Bible. Since the death certificate isn't available online I finally got around to writing for it. No newspapers from the area are left and I'm hoping I can find a coroner's report to uncover this mystery.
6. Deal with the photos, sigh. I love photos and I have a zillion, all digitized, but there are many unidentified people. With AI, I'm going to try to figure out who they are.
7. Go through my books and put stickees on the inside cover of where I want them to go when I'm done using them. Hint: It won't be to Goodwill. I have some unique ones, like the Barbados census, that should go to an archive that focuses on the Caribbean but doesn't have the book.
8. Make sure you've recorded who gets what of your research, as well. If you have thoroughly documented it in your books your family is not likely to want it so think again what to do with it. I've pitched everything but vital records, letters, and original documents, like awards and baptismal certificates so my kids won't have much to keep. They'll have access to my Cloud so they'll have everything that I did pitch in case they ever get interested.
9. Keep your records updated. Make sure you record those new births, marriage dates, graduations, etc.
10. Pat yourself on the back as you've accomplished more than anyone else in your family to record your ancestors. When I get to this point, I'm taking a nap.

So, do you now have the answer to my title question?