Best Legacy Tree Genealogists Podcasts (2025)

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Montana: Love, Loss, and Everything In-Between (with Mary Anne Mercer) | Episode 78 36:35

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3d ago36:35

36:35

💕 When Mary Anne Mercer discovered her great-grandmother's diary in a trunk that had sat untouched since 1915, she knew she had found something extraordinary. Mary Anne, an accomplished author and former international health expert who worked in Nepal and Africa, returned to her Montana ranching roots to uncover a remarkable love story. Through a c…

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Washington: Replanted Roots Now Evergreen (with Cyndi Ingle) | Episode 77 40:46

6d ago40:46

40:46

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing th…

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Idaho: Unboxing Gems of the Past (with Jen Iverson) | Episode 76 35:03

13d ago35:03

35:03

🎵 When Jen Iverson said "What I wouldn't give to hear Grandpa's music again," she had no idea what she was about to discover just two days later. Join me as Jen Iverson, a Gen X mom and passionate family historian, shares an incredible story of musical discovery that transformed her family's connection to their Idaho heritage. We explore her great-…

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EP33: ChatGPT 5 Aftermath, Nano Banana Image Revolution, Save Time with AI Citations, Anthropic Changes its Stance on Chat Privacy, The AI Browser Wars Heat Up 1:05:49

14d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little return from summer break to discuss the mixed reception of ChatGPT 5 and how OpenAI responded to user feedback. They explore Google's game-changing Nano Banana (Gemini Flash Image) model that revolutionizes selective image editing, reigniting debates about AI photo restoration in genealogy. This week's Tip of…

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Wyoming: Tumbleweed Ties That Bind (with Lindy Nielsen) | Episode 75 49:04

20d ago49:04

49:04

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing th…

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Utah: Walking Where They Walked (with Michelle Ercanbrack) | Episode 74 50:04

27d ago50:04

50:04

When Michelle Ercanbrack volunteered for a Mormon pioneer trek, she thought she'd be helping teenagers learn history. What she discovered instead was a missing piece of her own family story that had been hiding in plain sight for decades. Michelle, a BYU family history program graduate and former Ancestry researcher who worked on television shows l…

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Oklahoma: Two Genealogists and a DNA Match (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 73 34:21

1M ago34:21

34:21

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing th…

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New Mexico: Centuries of Stories (with Stephen Torres) | Episode 72 24:55

1M ago24:55

24:55

When Stephen Torres's grandfather told him "one of your forefathers was the first European to set foot on New World soil," young Stephen was skeptical—until his college history research revealed a truth that changed everything. Stephen shares what it means to have 400 years of unbroken family history in New Mexico's Taos Valley. From growing up wit…

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EP32: ChatGPT-5 Arrives, Study Mode for ChatGPT, Claude 4.1 Upgrade, OpenAI Goes Open Source, Earnings Season Good for Big AI, Google Loses Another Monopoly Appeal 1:02:07

1M ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the groundbreaking release of ChatGPT-5, which arrived after over a year of anticipation. They discuss how this new model transforms the AI landscape with better reasoning, larger context windows, and dramatically reduced hallucinations. The hosts examine OpenAI's new Study and Learn Mode, which acts …

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EP31: Special Episode - ChatGPT-5 Finally Drops with Big Improvements for Genealogists 24:03

2M ago24:03

24:03

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little deliver a special same-day episode covering the long-awaited release of ChatGPT-5, which launched today, August 7, 2025. They explore the most significant improvements in the upgrade for genealogists, including automated model selection that eliminates confusing settings for beginners, enhanced reasoning capa…

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Arizona: Hidden Gifts of Healing (with Lisa Louise Cooke | Episode 71 46:21

2M ago46:21

46:21

When Lisa Louise Cooke walked into her estranged grandmother's house in Arizona, she had no idea she was about to discover the key to healing a decades-old family rift. Lisa Louise, host of the long-running Genealogy Gems podcast, shares how following an unexpected inner voice led to finding a hidden quilt that would transform her relationship with…

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EP30: ChatGPT Agent Can Research For You, Security In The Age of AI, What AI Is Good For, AI Office Suite Wars Heat Up 1:10:27

2M ago1:10:27

1:10:27

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's groundbreaking ChatGPT Agent, demonstrating how this autonomous tool can research, analyze, and perform complex tasks on your behalf. Next, they address important security concerns to consider in the new world of AI agents, introducing practical guidelines for protecting sensitive family data…

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Alaska: Treasured Pieces from the Last Frontier (with Jay Marquiss) 32:32

2M ago32:32

32:32

🏔️ When Jay Marquiss sat down for breakfast at a Southern Utah ranch house, he had no idea a casual conversation would unlock a 130-year-old family mystery. Jay Marquiss, a third-generation Alaskan, grew up expecting to spend his entire life in the Last Frontier. But when his wife experienced her first Alaskan winter, their plans changed forever. N…

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EP29: Perplexity's Comet Browser Revolutionizes Research, Grok 4 Released, Context is King, Google’s Video Generator Gets an Upgrade, ChatGPT Agent Launches 1:06:51

2M ago1:06:51

1:06:51

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Perplexity's groundbreaking Comet browser, which brings AI directly to web pages and can autonomously navigate sites to collect genealogical data. They examine Grok 4's impressive benchmark performance while discussing its limitations for genealogical research and safety concerns. This week's Tip of t…

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Hawaii: Woven Together in the Aloha State (with Mike Daniels) 27:49

2M ago27:49

27:49

What happens when cultures collide and choose connection instead of conflict? To launch our America 250 series and Season 2 of the podcast, I sit down with Mike Daniels — former mayor of Pleasant Grove, Utah and a dear colleague from our early days at Ancestry — to explore his family’s extraordinary journey to and through Hawaii. From war and immig…

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America 250: A Journey Through 50 States and 50 Stories That Live In Us (Season 2 Trailer) 1:52

2M ago1:52

1:52

What if the story of America isn't just in history books, but living right now in your family tree? As we approach America's 250th birthday in 2026, I'm taking you on an extraordinary journey across all 50 states through the intimate family stories that shaped our nation. Starting in July 2025, Season 2 of Stories That Live In Us will reveal how yo…

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EP28: AI-Based Transcriptions Transform Genealogy, FamilySearch Interview with David Ouimette, Grok 4's Anticipated Release, Apple Changes Its AI Strategy 1:02:04

2M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how AI-based transcriptions are revolutionizing genealogical research across the industry. They examine FamilySearch's Full-Text Search expansion to over 1.25 billion records and Ancestry's new document transcription tool. The episode features an exclusive interview with David Ouimette from FamilySear…

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Waiting to Be Found (with Hopwood DePree) | Episode 68 40:14

2M ago40:14

40:14

🛏😴 What if you found out that the bedtime stories you were told as a kid were really true? When Hopwood DePree finally traced his unusual first name to its origins, he discovered something extraordinary: a 600-year-old ancestral estate in England that had been waiting centuries for him to find it. When Hopwood, author of "Downton Shabby," began exp…

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EP27: AI Image Restoration Concerns, Perplexity's Future, Copyright Cases Are Shaping The Future of AI, Project Workspaces Help You Stay Organized 1:13:23

2M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine the controversial rise of AI image "restoration" and discuss how entirely new images are being generated, rather than the original photos being restored. This is raising concerns about the preservation of authentic family photos. They discuss Mark's reconsideration of canceling his Perplexity subscrip…

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A Life Changing Adventure (with Diana O'Connor) | Episode 67 40:23

3M ago40:23

40:23

🌍 After decades of dead ends and false leads, one $27 payment to a county archive changed everything for Diana O'Connor. She didn’t just get a record. She got a photograph that made her weep with recognition. Diana grew up knowing almost nothing about her family history. Her father was placed in foster care at two years old when his mother died. He…

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EP26: Gemini and Claude Updates, RootsTech Panel on Responsible AI, Interview with Jessica Taylor of Legacy Tree Genealogists, ChatGPT 5 Announcement 1:02:12

3M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss recent updates from Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude that are reshaping AI capabilities for genealogists. Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro with its massive context window and Claude 4's hybrid reasoning models that excels at both writing and document analysis. They share insights from the RootsTech panel on …

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Gathering and Connections (with Betheny Tomseth) | Episode 66 29:14

3M ago29:14

29:14

🎂 What do cake and cemeteries have to do with one another? Maybe not much but both have quite a bit to do with family history. Betheny Tomseth, known on Instagram as @BethenyCakes, takes us on a journey through her family’s complex history. From the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great-grandfather Omer's hunting accident in 1921 to the Sc…

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Wonderful Grandmothers (with Aimee Cross) | Episode 65 24:31

3M ago24:31

24:31

When Aimee Cross discovered her French ancestor's will in a 1904 newspaper, she found something more precious than gold - a grandmother's heartfelt advice to her children. Professional genealogist Aimee Cross joins me to share how her second great-grandmother Estelle Dumont left behind more than an estate. She left a legacy of wisdom that continues…

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These Are My Kinfolk: A Juneteenth Reunion (with Linda Epps Parker) | Episode 64 30:18

3M ago30:18

30:18

Linda felt there was "something special" in her dad's family but couldn't get answers. She never imagined a single phone call would connect her to relatives she'd never met and a Civil War-era ancestor whose story would change how she celebrates Juneteenth forever. In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with Linda Epps Parker, whose connection t…

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An Honest Witness | Episode 63 26:18

4M ago26:18

26:18

What if one of history's most famous authors unknowingly documented your ancestor's immigration journey? In 1863, my three-times-great-grandmother Rachel Smuin sailed from England to America aboard the Amazon—and Charles Dickens was there to witness it all. Expecting to find chaos and disorder among 800 Mormon emigrants, Dickens instead discovered …

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EP25: ChatGPT 4o Transforms Image Generation, Jarrett Ross on AI Facial Recognition, Enhanced Image Analysis with O3 1:08:53

4M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's revolutionary update to ChatGPT 4o's image generation capabilities, which now creates photorealistic images with accurate text and consistent characters across multiple images. They interview Jarrett Ross from The GeneaVlogger YouTube channel, who shares how he uses AI in his business and in …

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Through the Eyes of a Child ( with Tamara Buzyna Adams) | Episode 62 43:53

4M ago43:53

43:53

🚢 When 11-year-old Lydia escaped Russia on the last evacuation ship in 1920, she began documenting her extraordinary journey in beautiful handwritten diaries. Tamara Buzyna Adams discovered her grandmother’s childhood diaries during COVID lockdown. What started as a mother-daughter translation project unveiled an incredible story: a young girl who …

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Even in the Face of Injustice | Episode 61 28:10

4M ago28:10

28:10

What if your ancestors' darkest moment could teach you the most about resilience? While chasing down a DNA match with my dad, I uncovered a shocking story about two sets of my 8x great-grandparents that kept me awake all night. Roger and Anne Park and Andrew and Olive Smith were Quakers who fled England seeking religious freedom in colonial New Jer…

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Your Ancestors Are Closer Than You Think: A Preview of Know Your Ancestral Guides 5:55

4M ago5:55

5:55

Last summer, I walked the land where generations of my ancestors lived in northern Wales. In today’s episode, I share what that experience stirred in me—and how it inspired the free class I’m teaching this week: Know Your Ancestral Guides.If you’ve ever felt the pull of your lineage or wondered where to begin connecting with your ancestors, this cl…

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The Ache Is Still There (with Tara Hall) | Episode 60 33:44

4M ago33:44

33:44

When Tara Hall discovered her great-uncle Norman had been shot down in WWII, his story became an enigma that haunted her family for generations. In this poignant episode, my Ancestry colleague Tara shares how Norman joined the Army Air Corps as a navigator, following in his older brother's footsteps. Shot down over Germany on just his third mission…

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I Can See All The Story (with Lisa Elzey) | Episode 59 39:00

4M ago39:00

39:00

When Lisa Elzey discovered her grandfather flew on a B-17 bomber during D-Day, she knew there was more to uncover… In this continuation of last week's DNA revelation, Lisa shares how researching her grandfather's war buddies unveiled an extraordinary military legacy. From discovering rare crew photos to uncovering first-hand accounts of a harrowing…

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I Can Live With the Truth (with Nidel Day) | Episode 58 47:17

5M ago47:17

47:17

When DNA results revealed a puzzling Quebec connection in Lisa Elzey's family tree — everything she thought she knew was called into question... Join me for an intimate conversation with my podcast producer Lisa and her mother Nidel as they unravel a family mystery that remained hidden for over seven decades. Witness how modern genealogy technology…

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One Year Anniversary - I'm So Glad You're Here | Episode 57 50:30

5M ago50:30

50:30

For one year straight, I've shared stories that remind us we're all connected through the messy, beautiful threads of family history — and today, I'm celebrating YOU. Recorded live at RootsTech 2025, this anniversary episode is a reflection of the incredible stories we've uncovered together, from my great-great-grandmother Carrie to DNA discoveries…

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We Wear a Poppy (with Simon Pearce) | Episode 56 39:39

5M ago39:39

39:39

When Simon Pearce discovered his great-great-uncle Howard's name on a casualty list from WWI, his heart skipped a beat — launching a 20-year quest to piece together the life of a man he never met but now feels deeply connected to... In this moving conversation, Simon, an Ancestry military history expert, shares how Howard's service from China to Ga…

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Marry a Genealogist (with Irene Hantman) | Episode 55 33:12

5M ago33:12

33:12

💕 When a stranger asked Irene Hantman about Arthur Kurzweil's lecture at a Jewish genealogy conference, she never imagined it would change her life forever... In this heartwarming episode, I talk with Irene, an accomplished genealogist and longtime editor of Avotaynu journal, about her 40-year journey through Jewish family history. She shares how r…

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All I Need is a Warm Glass of Milk (with Brian Donnelly) | Episode 54 28:12

6M ago28:12

28:12

🍀 When Brian Donnelly's grandfather calmly announced he was having a heart attack, nine-year-old Brian's only instruction was to fetch a warm glass of milk… In this heartwarming episode, I chat with the Ancestry Chief Commercial Officer about family remedies that become inside jokes and DNA discoveries that challenge family lore. Brian shares how h…

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Ancestors Are Complicated (with Anne Mitchell) | Episode 53 46:22

6M ago46:22

46:22

When Anne Mitchell discovered a tattered family Bible with a handwritten account of an ancestor eagerly joining the Confederate Army in 1861 it changed how she understood her family history. Now, it has also changed how millions might discover their own histories. Anne shares the story of her ancestor John Calvin Gillespie—from excited Confederate …

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Project Managing the Saga (with Nicka Sewell-Smith) | Episode 52 43:49

6M ago43:49

43:49

When Nicka Sewell-Smith set out to find her great-grandmother Easter's maiden name, she never imagined it would lead to uncovering 10,000 descendants from a single enslaved community... In this moving conversation, genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith returns to share how her search for one ancestor evolved into the groundbreaking "Trask 250" project. By…

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The Irish Experience (with Kyle Betit) | Episode 51 35:18

6M ago35:18

35:18

🍀 When I gathered around a traditional peat fire in Galway with a group of descendants of the Irish Diaspora, I experienced my ancestors' world in a way records alone could never reveal… In this episode, I chat with Kyle Betit, professional genealogist and heritage travel expert, about the power of connecting with ancestral places. Kyle shares how …

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It's Like Genealogy 3.0 (with Jenn Utley) | Episode 50 35:06

7M ago35:06

35:06

〰️ 🌳 🧬 〰️ 🎧 Ready to discover more stories that could transform your family connections? Subscribe to 'Stories That Live In Us' wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to help other families find their path to deeper connection through family history. Together, we're building a community of families committed to preserving and sharing th…

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For a Wise Purpose (with Steve Rockwood) | Episode 49 36:27

7M ago36:27

36:27

When Steve Rockwood discovered his ancestor's journal as a child, he never imagined how family stories would shape his future as President of FamilySearch International. In our conversation, Steve reveals how a 7th-generation Bostonian's writings sparked his sense of belonging, while his Danish great-grandmother's solo journey across the Atlantic b…

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Generational Wealth, Scarcity, and Family Legacy with Kate Northrup 38:09

7M ago38:09

38:09

Ep 44: In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Kate Northrup, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Relaxed Money, to explore her ancestral lineage and how it connects to her work in healing our relationship with time and money. We dive deep into the generational patterns of wealth, scarcity, and abundance that have shaped her family’s story…

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Live Undaunted (with Lisa Valentine Clark) | Episode 48 41:42

7M ago41:42

41:42

Have you ever wondered what story you'd tell if you knew your time was limited? Lisa Valentine Clark's husband faced this exact question when diagnosed with ALS. In this powerful conversation, Lisa reveals how Christopher's decision to document his life story created an unexpected treasure their five children now cherish like scripture. We explore …

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EP24: DeepSeek AI Shakes The World, FamilySearch Full-Text Turns One, Microsoft and Google Drop AI Prices, Instructional vs. Reasoning Models 54:55

7M ago54:55

54:55

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore how DeepSeek has dramatically changed the AI landscape by releasing a powerful, inexpensive, open-source model that challenges American dominance in AI. They celebrate the first anniversary of FamilySearch's Full-Text Search, which has expanded from three collections to three thousand in just one-year…

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Daddy Was an Outlaw (with Jackie Dorothy) | Episode 47 37:04

7M ago37:04

37:04

A childhood memory of two sisters arguing at a kitchen table leads historian Jackie Dorothy to uncover an astounding truth — her great-grandfather wasn't just any Wyoming cowboy, he was part of Butch Cassidy's infamous Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. As an award-winning historian and member of the Northern Arapaho tribe, Jackie shares how she pieced togethe…

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Their Love Stories | Episode 46 28:41

7M ago28:41

28:41

Do you know how your parents met? Research shows this simple story could be the key to building family resilience — and in this intimate solo episode, I open up about three generations of love stories that shaped my own family's legacy. From my grandparents’ powerful wartime romances to my parents' whirlwind 19-day courtship, each story reveals how…

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Discovering Ancestral Healing with Dee Taggart 38:47

8M ago38:47

38:47

Ep 43: In this episode of Know Your Ancestors, I sit down with Dee Taggart, a breathwork facilitator and intuitive cranial sacral therapist, to explore the deep connections between ancestry, healing, and personal transformation. Dee shares how her spiritual journey led her to uncover the presence of her grandmother, Virginia Lee Gibbs, during a hea…

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The Magic Part Is The Listening (with Natalie Zett) | Episode 45 42:49

8M ago42:49

42:49

When journalist Natalie Zett received a mysterious family manuscript, she had no idea it would lead her to her long-lost Aunt Martha – a 19-year-old victim of the tragic 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago. What began as a deeply personal quest to understand her aunt's story transformed into a mission to preserve the forgotten stories of over 800 sou…

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EP23: AI Predictions for 2025: Agents, Local Models, Social Media Chatbots, Writing with AI, Costs Keep Dropping 48:10

8M ago48:10

48:10

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little share their predictions for artificial intelligence developments in 2025, with a special focus on how these changes will affect genealogists and family historians. They explore the emergence of AI agents, the shift to running language models locally on personal devices, and the introduction of chatbots to soc…

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Not A Secret Anymore (with Linda Goldman and Milly and Marty Mandel) | Episode 44 32:49

8M ago32:49

32:49

"There must be a mistake - I know all my first cousins." When Linda Goldman responded to an unexpected DNA match, she had no idea how wrong she was. Join me for a remarkable conversation with 100-year-old Millie Mandel, her son Marty, and cousin Linda as they share how DNA testing unveiled a century-old family secret that would transform two famili…