EasyGenie

04/05/2026

Some of my oldest known ancestors are buried at Irish Settlement Road cemetery near Plattsburg, NY. Why did they come here? Narrated by Ian. https://youtu.be/Ld3Cc6b5FcM

04/04/2026

A few years ago, the EasyGenie blog featured an analysis of AI-generated "historical footage" providing insights into our ancestors' lives. While the tool used for the old '49 scenery is now retired by OpenAI, the issues surrounding flawed data and flawed assumptions remain.

https://easygenie.org/blogs/news/openai-soras-historical-footage-of-the-1849-gold-rush-promise-and-problems-for-genealogists?_pos=1&_sid=3237d49e5&_ss=r

04/04/2026

Friend & fellow New England history enthusiast is not only a fantastic podcaster but also has possibly the coolest mailing list ever. Insta is great too. Subscribe to all 3!

04/02/2026

Why we love local history museums. You may know of museums like this in your own hometown. Run by dedicated volunteers on shoestring budgets, they bring together the history and people of the local city, town, or countryside. (EasyGenie)

EasyGenie is on the road this week! We are taking our only vacation of the year in northern New York on the Canadian border, where Ian has family. For the past few years our vacations have been working vacations ... we even bring along a printer, postage supplies, and a limited inventory so we can c...

04/01/2026

I now have a hometown for one branch of my family: Whitehaven, Cumberland, England. For family historians, breaking through a brick wall is a rare occurrence but also a joyful occurrence. Today I broke through a brick wall, thanks to 2 genealogists from previous generations taking the time to write details down. Thanks also to my parents for letting me know about these documents when they were cleaning out the attic.

03/31/2026

We stumbled upon this article as we were researching Thanksgiving stories a few years back. In 1585, the Englishman John White, governor of one of the very first North American colonies, made a series of exquisite watercolor sketches of native people. (Public Domain Review) https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/painting-the-new-world/

03/28/2026

Yesterday's newsletter about priceless family letters and photos almost going out with the trash really struck a chord with readers. It's now on the EasyGenie blog. Please share, there are takeaways for genealogists and family historians of every level.

https://easygenie.org/blogs/news/an-attic-cleanout-and-a-genealogy-disaster-averted

Relatives may not appreciate that genealogists are also after the stories. Those can sometimes be teased out of a vital record or newspaper clipping. But where they are more likely to be found is in handwritten letters or the memories triggered by an old photo.

03/28/2026

An explanation of mid-1800s CDV photo albums, as photography shifted from tintypes to photographic negatives. This is from Ian's interview with Kevin Desforges of Visual Ancestor last October at NERGC in New Hampshire. https://youtu.be/g2B3p-U6sHI

03/27/2026

👀 FLASH SALE to clear out winter genealogy inventory! 30% off select EasyGenie charts, kits, and genealogy accessories when using code FLASH30 during checkout. Code expires Sunday March 29. FREE SHIPPING for orders over $50!

Click announcement banner at the top of our home page to see eligible items. ➡️ Link in bio ⬅️

03/26/2026

Anthony Wayne served during the Revolutionary War, where his aggressive leadership earned him the "Mad Anthony" nickname. His most important military contribution to his new nation was his campaign against various Native American nations in the 1790s. (Mount Vernon) https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/anthony-wayne

03/24/2026

Roads, built to allow the empire to flow outward, and for the rewards of empire to come flooding back to the capital, were the key to the Romans’ governance of Europe. Along these roads ran messengers, as a type of precursor to the American Pony Express. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-beautiful-network-of-ancient-roman-roads via Atlas Obscura

In today's terms, it's hard to fathom how much of the world the Romans once controlled. At its peak, the Roman Empire spanned from Hadrian's Wall in Scotland...

03/21/2026

New fillable PDF alert! Our 1870 census tracker is now expanded to two pages, including some very cool features that can help genealogy fans track families who were represented in this census, including the ability to add a photo.

50% off through March 31 (regular price $7.99, sale price $3.99), make as many copies as you need for personal use.

Track up to 20 ancestors on the 1870 U.S. federal census with this fillable family tracker PDF, which can even attach a photo of the census forms. No more scrawled handwriting or tilting the form to read column headers - just start typing!