Best How To Research Your Family Tree Podcasts (2025)

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The Wix Family (Part 2) 1:19:50

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1d ago1:19:50

1:19:50

We're back talking about the always-exciting, never-dull Wix family of Missouri. This week we look at the family's political ambitions through a one Clark Wix, and we uncover a messy family feud over politics--a tale as old as time. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever yo…

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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

2d 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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THROWBACK: Chatting with Michael Ruby from Roots and Routes 50:47

15d ago50:47

50:47

In lieu of a new episode this week, we're throwing back to one of our favorite episodes from last year. We hope you enjoy, and we'll see you next time! In a very special Bonus Episode, Low Ancestry talks to Roots and Routes genealogist Michael Ruby. Join us for a discussion about the myth of the presidential common genealogy conspiracy, what low an…

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The Wix Family (Part 1) 1:08:16

29d ago1:08:16

1:08:16

This episode has it all. Squatting, Frontier Life, the Civil War, Reconstruction Politics, and most importantly...MURDER! Kim's family was sure doing a lot out there in Missouri, and we'll dive into what their story says about the national conversation at the time and now. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget t…

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

30d 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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Your Ancestors Are Closer Than You Think: A Preview of Know Your Ancestral Guides 5:55

1M 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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High Ancestry Episode 1: Astrology and Ancestors 38:57

2M ago38:57

38:57

Low Ancestry is getting a Patreon! Every month, we will be putting out one episode for subscribers of a new series we're calling High Ancestry where Kim takes the reins. In our very first episode of High Ancestry, Kim talks to us about the history and psychology of astrology, and then we do the critical work of comparing ancestors we've talked abou…

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Joseph Gillette: Fourth-Great-Grandfather 57:36

2M ago57:36

57:36

In this very tough episode, we dive into Kim's very southern family by looking at the life of her fourth-great-grandfather and Confederate officer, Joseph Ezra Gillette, and we get real about what it means to have family that benefitted from enslaving others and why it's so important to talk about. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and…

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Interview with the Host: Karyn Harding 1:11:27

3M ago1:11:27

1:11:27

The interview you all have been clambering for. We switch things up a little as Kim takes the lead and interviews host, Karyn, about her process, life, history, and how it all ties together to right now. We'll be back next episode with another look at Kim's ancestry! Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate…

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John L. O'Donnell: Third-Great-Grandfather 47:20

3M ago47:20

47:20

This episode is about MJURDER! That is, murder. Turns out that Kim's 3rd-great-grandfather, John O'Donnell, was a man who contained multitudes--involved in crime, scandal, and maybe romance? Set in the hills of northwest Virginia, join us as we unravel the 1869 murder of Port Republic. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and d…

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The Beahm Family (Definitely NOT Jim Beam) 44:42

4M ago44:42

44:42

You ever think you're really good at your newfound hobby and then get humbled real quick. Yeah me either. Just kidding, this episode is all about how I believed that Kim was related to Jim Beam and was a whiskey princess, but it turns out that I was wrong and now there is egg on my face. But Kim doesn't need mediocre whiskey to tell her that she's …

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

4M 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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Season Two is coming (and a personal update) 32:41

4M ago32:41

32:41

It's been a minute, and we've got some exciting updates about Season Two--not the least of which is that it's releasing on March 17. *gasp* It's nice to have something to look forward to! Especially for your charming and genealogy-loving host, Karyn, who has had an especially wild (read: bad) year so far. We get into some personal updates--a passin…

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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

4M 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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Discovering Ancestral Healing with Dee Taggart 38:47

5M 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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EP23: AI Predictions for 2025: Agents, Local Models, Social Media Chatbots, Writing with AI, Costs Keep Dropping 48:10

5M 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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EP22: The Google Empire Strikes Back: Deep Research Challenges Perplexity, NotebookLM's Big Updates, and Facebook Adds AI to Groups 1:00:51

6M ago1:00:51

1:00:51

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Google's powerful end-of-year releases that challenge other AI platforms. They examine Google's Deep Research tool and its ability to quickly create comprehensive research reports by combining information from multiple sources. Next, they discuss Facebook's controversial introduction of AI assistants …

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EP21: 12 Days of OpenAI Deep Dive, ChatGPT Canvas Easier to Use, Voice & Vision Unite in ChatGPTs mobile apps, Tips for Free AI Tools 53:20

6M ago53:20

53:20

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" campaign, particularly focusing on their new reasoning models and the expanded availability of Canvas across all ChatGPT models. They examine how ChatGPT's new camera view in Advanced Voice Mode transforms mobile research capabilities, demonstrating real-world applications…

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EP20: Top AI Tools Worth Paying For in 2025, AI Tools Not Worth Paying For, 12 Days of OpenAI Begins, Use AI Hallucinations to Your Advantage 1:06:47

6M ago1:06:47

1:06:47

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little reveal their top recommendations for AI tools worth paying for in 2025. They also discuss which AI tools aren't worth paying for in 2025. One of them might surprise you! Next, Mark and Steve begin their review of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" announcements, beginning with the release of their enhanced O1 reaso…

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What's next? 10:18

6M ago10:18

10:18

Congratulations... you're not a beginner anymore. But what's next for the podcast?By Ed Adams

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My Viking Ancestors? 44:40

7M ago44:40

44:40

Wishful linking is a genealogical crime, and this episode, I become one of the criminals. Join us as we talk about what links me to the Vikings, and then keep joining us as we promptly disprove it. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. You can also find u…

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Moxxy Forensic Investigations 25:00

7M ago25:00

25:00

Katie Thomas and Kaycee Connelly from Moxxy Forensic Investigations join me for a conversation about Investigative Genetic Genealogy and how people can help them in their quest to bring closure to families, and communities. https://www.moxxyforensics.com/donateBy Ed Adams

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Other Podcasts 8:40

7M ago8:40

8:40

I can't thank you enough for listening to this podcast... I've really enjoyed working on it. But just like you've listened to this one, I listen to plenty of other genealogy podcasts, and I wanted to share the ones that I listen to most. In no particular order: Genealogy Gems Family Tree Magazine Podcast Hittin the Bricks with Kathleen The Research…

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The Kesteloos (feat. Kathleen Larsen) 1:04:45

7M ago1:04:45

1:04:45

We’re doing something a little bit different this episode. We sit down with friend of the podcast, Kathleen Larsen and dive into a story from her family tree. Together, we learn about one man’s gutsy, one-way trip across the ocean, the new life he makes in America, and the legacy his family left behind. Through his story and the story of the people…

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Continuing Education 12:55

7M ago12:55

12:55

Keeping your edge sharp is important as a researcher. You can learn a lot just by doing, but what about when you feel yourself starting to plateau? Let's talk about continuing education in Genealogy. BYU Family History Program Boston University Genealogy Studies Program Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg Institute of Genealogy and Histori…

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EP19: 2024's Top 5 AI Genealogy Breakthroughs, MyHeritage LiveMemory Goes Viral, The Bluesky Migration 52:16

7M ago52:16

52:16

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore the AI developments that had the biggest impact on genealogy in 2024. This week’s episode spotlights MyHeritage's newest viral tool, LiveMemory, which brings old photos to life through animation. Next, Mark and Steve count down the year's top AI breakthroughs for genealogists. The groundbreaking Famil…

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Read the descriptions! 8:11

7M ago8:11

8:11

Would you drive cross country without a map? Then don't go researching within collections if you haven't read the description. Think of it as your roadmap for how to use the collection and what you can and can't find within.By Ed Adams

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Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Your Ancestors from England & Wales (after 1837) 20:45

8M ago20:45

20:45

Ep 42: If you have ancestors that lived in England or Wales after 1837, watch (or listen) to learn how to order their civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death). In this episode I share how I searched for civil registration records for the last episode with Zach Mander. These records are very reliable to locate and have useful informat…

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William Bradford: Twelfth-Great-Grandfather (with Micah Pick) 1:07:47

8M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

It's a special Thanksgiving episode! We dive into the fraught history of our Mayflower ancestors with friend, Micah Pick, who also happens to share a famous Pilgrim ancestor with host, Karyn. Join us as we talk about the life of the Mayflower colonists, and we attempt to pick at the threads of the American mythology that surrounds them. You can fin…

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Non-Paternity Events 13:24

8M ago13:24

13:24

Until I got into genetic genealogy, I had no idea how common misattributed parentage was. The reality is, most people's trees, if they aren't also using genetic matches to validate everything, likely have the wrong biological parents in one or more places in the tree. Today we talk about how to figure out your relationship to a match that has a non…

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EP18: Claude Improves AI Writing, ChatGPT Desktop Apps Arrive, OpenAI Joins AI-Enhanced Search Race, Apple Begins AI Rollout, Meta Brings Reuter’s News to Facebook 44:23

8M ago44:23

44:23

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little discuss how Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet upgrade has made Claude an even better AI writer. This make's it even easier to write a great research report. They move on to explore OpenAI's new desktop apps and Advanced Voice Mode, discussing how voice interaction could transform genealogical research, particular…

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Naval Roots and Australian Origins with Zach Mander 48:47

8M ago48:47

48:47

Ep 41: Zach Mander is a radio host and comedic content creator, living in Brisbane, Australia. He knew very little about his ancestors and was curious about learning when they first came to Australia. In this episode, I shared about the life of his great grandfather Lance Harold Mander, his unexpected beginnings, and arrival in Australia. Follow Za…

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Audit your tree 12:00

8M ago12:00

12:00

It's only natural that the more genealogy we do, the better we get at it. In genealogy being better means being finding more records and being more accurate. So what do you do about all that work you did earlier when your skills weren't as developed. It's time for an audit. @theWGTPod on Twitter Find me on Facebook…

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Uncovering Canadian WWI Military Personnel Records 13:57

8M ago13:57

13:57

Ep 40 - Do you have ancestors who served in WW1 from Canada? If you do, you definitely want to watch to learn how to locate their personnel file. If not, watch to understand the importance of military records and how they can help you connect and better understand your military ancestors.Library and Archives CanadaWant help discovering your own anc…

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Chatting with Michael Ruby from Roots and Routes 50:47

8M ago50:47

50:47

In a very special Bonus Episode, Low Ancestry talks to Roots and Routes genealogist Michael Ruby. Join us for a discussion about the myth of the presidential common genealogy conspiracy, what low ancestry means in our personal family trees, and why J. D. Vance’s comments about his genealogy on the campaign trail do not hold up. Find Michael on YouT…

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EP17: AI Writing Gets Easier with OpenAI’s New Canvas Feature, Chatbots Try to Replace Traditional Software, Privacy Protection and AI, Big NotebookLM Updates 53:35

8M ago53:35

53:35

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little examine OpenAI's new Canvas feature, demonstrating how this split-screen interface revolutionizes document creation and editing for genealogists. Locality guides and research reports are used as practical examples. They explore how AI platforms like Canvas and Perplexity Spaces are challenging traditional sof…

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Foreign Language Records 11:10

8M ago11:10

11:10

As an American doing genealogy, it's so exciting when you finally see those documents that show what country your family came from. Once you've learned everything there is to learn in America about them, it's time to cross the pond and start learning about them in the home country... But what if that country's records aren't in English? Have no fea…

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Saskatchewan Roots with Kelsey Hansen 40:26

8M ago40:26

40:26

Ep 39 - Kelsey's great grandmother died when she was young, but she remembers visiting her and requested to learn more about her for this interview. I loved researching Kelsey's great grandmother Luella. She was born in North Dakota, emigrating to Saskatchewan at just 2 years old. Her life was a struggle, but she had a good sense of humor and was g…

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Burned Counties 10:50

8M ago10:50

10:50

We've all come across that location that is challenging to research because the courthouse burned, or flooded, or was destroyed by a tornado. It's a common enough occurrence that just about every genealogist has bumped into this problem. For many this becomes a brick wall for them... don't be content to leave walls in your tree. While some informat…

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Episode #27: DNA Doesn't Lie: How to Accurately Interpret DNA Test Results 8:11

8M ago8:11

8:11

When you get your DNA test results, there's a good chance your DNA matches aren't as straight-forward as you had hoped, and there's a lot of room for misinterpretation. In this week's episode we share helpful things to consider as you begin your journey into the world of genetic genealogy! Resources: How to Determine Genetically Equivalent Relation…

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Edward Hargrave and Andersonville Prison (feat. Haunting History Podcast) 50:27

8M ago50:27

50:27

In this very special Halloween bonus episode, Low Ancestry is thrilled to collaborate with Cat Curtis from Haunting History Podcast! Together, we unravel the gripping story of my third-great-granduncle, Edward Hargrave from his birth in London’s rough Shoreditch neighborhood to his teenage years as a Union soldier in the American Civil War. While a…

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2 Essential Sites for Late 1800s Irish Genealogy - BTS of Ep 37 17:54

8M ago17:54

17:54

Free Mini-class: ⁠3 Steps to Start Knowing Your Ancestors⁠ Ep 38 - In this "behind the scenes," look at last week's episode with Christopher Ward from ⁠@modelstrangers⁠, I share 2 essential sites to use to research your ancestors who lived in Ireland after 1864. See links below to access the sites I talk about. Let's go!Use this site to look for bi…

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Offline Research 13:55

8M ago13:55

13:55

I've said it many times before, but not everything that you are going to be looking for can be found online. So grab your keys, we're going to hit the road and go check out the libraries, court houses, and dusty back rooms to find some neat stuff.By Ed Adams

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Episode #26: From Spit the Screen: The Journey of a DNA Sample 14:40

9M ago14:40

14:40

Have you gotten your DNA tested? Have you ever wondered what happens after your saliva or cheek swab sample is shipped off to a testing company until the day you get your results? Wonder no longer. In this week's episode we cover the five steps of DNA genetic genealogy testing so you have complete visibility into the process. Prepare for the inside…

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Storytelling Roots with Christopher Ward 43:11

9M ago43:11

43:11

Ep 37 - Christopher Ward is a videographer and man behind the viral Instagram account @modelstrangers . Born in South Africa to Irish parents, Christopher now lives in Northern Ireland. He knew some about his family tree, including that he is related to the famous Bronte sisters. In this episode, I was able to share more with him about his Bronte r…

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An Update from Low Ancestry 0:48

9M ago0:48

0:48

Season 1 is over, but we've got some exciting stuff on the horizon! Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us at our website www.lowancestry.com. And you can now join our Patreon! LOW ANCESTRY CREDITS Created, Written and Produced by Kary…

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Finding Women 11:04

9M ago11:04

11:04

Let's dive into a common challenge for beginner genealogists—tracking down the women in your family tree. Often, maiden names feel like locked doorways, especially in records predating 1850. We can overcome these "brick walls." From scouring censuses for hidden clues to finding forgotten family connections in wills and death certificates, this epis…

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Creating a Census Timeline - BTS of Episode 35 with Georgette Todd 11:35

9M ago11:35

11:35

Ep 36 - Census records are a great resource for building a timeline of your ancestors' lives. You can discover where they lived, what their occupation was, and who was living with them. Every 10 years you can capture this information, map it, and have an overview of their life. This is what I did when I researched Georgette Todd's ancestors in epis…

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Carrie and Cora Dewey: Second and Third-Great-Grandmothers 47:16

9M ago47:16

47:16

Carrie White led a life marked by profound tragedy, losing her brother and both parents within a year, followed closely by the death of her infant daughter. When Carrie shows signs of deteriorating mental health and involuntary movements, she disappears from her family and is later found in a Binghamton hotel where she had taken her own life. Her f…

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EP16: Genetic Genealogy Conference Roundup, Open AI Launches Canvas, AI Disclosure, Google Photos Goes AI, Nobel Prizes Focus on AI 59:15

9M ago59:15

59:15

Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little recap their experiences at the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference last week, highlighting Dana Leeds' innovative use of AI for efficiently created charts using the Leeds Method. They then explore OpenAI's new Canvas feature, comparing it to Claude's Artifacts, and discuss its potential for genealogical r…