Ancestors and Algorithms, Salt Lake City, UT (2026)

03/31/2026

New episode is LIVE.

Episode 31 of Ancestors and Algorithms is out today, and this one is a genuine deep dive into a corner of genealogy research that most family historians have never explored: the federal homestead records.

Here is what you need to know before you listen.

More than two million homestead claims were filed under the 1862 Homestead Act. About sixty percent of them were abandoned before the claimant ever received a patent. That means millions of American families went through the homestead system, left records behind, and then disappeared. And the records for those abandoned claims are NOT where most genealogists think to look.

In Episode 31, I walk through a complete research case study: a Volga German family who filed a claim in Rush County, Kansas in 1877, survived nine years on the prairie, and then relinquished the claim in April 1886, three months before the historic drought of 1887 emptied large sections of western Kansas. After that point, the family simply vanishes.

You will learn:

* How to search the Bureau of Land Management’s free General Land Office Records database, and what it means when your ancestor is NOT there

* Where the records for abandoned homestead claims actually live, and how to request them from the National Archives using one specific form

* What Kansas records exist between the 1880 and 1900 census years that most researchers overlook

* How to use Claude to analyze a dense, multi-document homestead case file and find the clues that matter

* How to use Perplexity to research the historical context that explains why a family gave up their claim

* Why the 1890 federal census gap is not the dead end it feels like, and what to do instead

This is a brick wall episode. The family is still missing at the end. And that is exactly the point. Honest genealogy research means telling the truth when the records run out, and showing you the exact techniques and next steps that remain when they do.

Everything I teach in this episode is achievable with free tools. No subscriptions required.

Listen now at ancestorsandai.com, where you will also find every episode of the show, links to all major podcast platforms, our private research community, the Companion Guide store, and more. It is all in one place, built for family historians who are serious about using AI the right way.

Ancestors and Algorithms: Where Family History Meets Artificial Intelligence.

03/28/2026

If you have not listened to Episode 30 yet, I want to ask you something.

Do you have an ancestor where two records disagree? A birthplace that changes between census years. An age that does not add up. A name spelled three different ways.

Most genealogists hit that situation and either pick the record they like best, or they just leave the conflict unresolved and move on. Both of those feel unsatisfying. And if you are building a family history that other people are going to rely on someday, neither of those is actually good enough.

Episode 30 is specifically about resolving that problem. Using four AI tools in a coordinated workflow, one for research strategy, one for finding your records, one for analyzing documents, and one for writing your conclusion, the episode walks through every element of the Genealogical Proof Standard with prompts you can use immediately.

It is a 30-minute episode. Most listeners are telling me they are going back and listening to it twice.
You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and every major platform.

Want to go further than the episode? There is a private community of over 1,800 genealogists at ancestorsandai.com who are working through these exact techniques right now. Come join the conversation.

Everything you need is at ancestorsandai.com.

03/24/2026

Something big dropped today.

Episode 30 of Ancestors and Algorithms is live, and I genuinely believe this is the most important episode I have ever recorded.

Here is why.

Every genealogist I have ever talked to, from the beginner who just got their first DNA kit to the researcher with thirty years of experience, has the same problem. They find documents. They find records. They find evidence. And then they struggle to know what to do with it. How do you know when you have enough? How do you decide which source to trust when two records disagree? How do you turn a pile of notes into a conclusion that actually holds up?

Genealogists have had a framework for answering those questions for decades. It is called the Genealogical Proof Standard, and it is what separates research that means something from research that is just a family story with documents attached.

Episode 30 is a complete, step-by-step walkthrough of how to use four AI tools, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and NotebookLM, to work through every single element of the GPS. Not in theory. With actual prompts you can copy and use today. On free tiers.

If you have been using AI tools in your genealogy research and wondering how to make sure what you are doing actually meets professional standards, this is the episode you have been waiting for.

If you are brand new to AI and genealogy and wondering where to start, this is the episode that gives you a framework you can use for every ancestor you ever research.

The episode is available now on every major podcast platform.

For everything else, including show notes, links to all four tools, the private community for listeners, and ways to go even deeper with this material, head to ancestorsandai.com.

This one is worth your time. I promise.

03/23/2026

🗞️ Something interesting happened after Episode 29 dropped last week.

The messages started coming in. And they said something I wasn’t expecting.

Not “great episode.” Not “thanks for sharing.”

They said: “I’ve been doing this wrong the entire time.”

Judy M. wrote in and said:

“Thank you so much. I now have a much better plan for searching German newspapers for my ancestor’s family.”

Nancy R. said:

“I know there are newspaper articles out there for my ancestors but I now know I was going about it ALL WRONG. I feel progress coming.”

And Chris M. shared this:

“I am taking it slowly and creating my own prompts with your podcast assistance and direction.”

Three different researchers. Three different ancestors. Three different countries.

Same realization.

The way most of us search historical newspapers isn’t working — and it has nothing to do with the databases, the subscriptions, or how long we’ve been researching.

It has to do with the strategy.

Episode 29 of Ancestors and Algorithms teaches a completely different approach. One that uses two free AI tools in a specific sequence, before you ever open a single database.

I’m not going to tell you what it is here.

But I will tell you this: if you have an ancestor you’ve never been able to find in a newspaper, regardless of whether you’re a complete beginner or you’ve been doing this for thirty years — this episode was built for you.

🎧 Search “Ancestors and Algorithms” on any podcast platform, or go straight to the website [link in comments] to listen now.

And if you’ve already heard it — drop a comment below. What did YOU discover this week? 👇

03/03/2026

NEW EPISODE LIVE TODAY

Episode 28 of Ancestors and Algorithms is out now, and this one is going to hit differently for anyone with Italian ancestry.

“The Man Who Arrived Twice: Unraveling an Italian Name Change Mystery”

Here is the story. A listener came to me with a brick wall she had been chasing for THREE YEARS. Her great-grandfather arrived at Ellis Island in 1912 as Salvatore Maranzano. Then he disappeared from every record until the 1920 Census, where he reappeared as Samuel Martin.

Same man. Completely different name. Eight years of silence in between.

Using three AI tools and a workflow that any genealogist can follow, we traced a three-stage identity shift that nobody in the family knew had happened. A handwritten correction buried in a 1914 government document held the clue that cracked the entire case open. And a free Italian records portal connected the Brooklyn barber back to a birth certificate in a small town outside Naples.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

* How to use Perplexity to research WHY your immigrant ancestor’s name changed before you even begin searching, so you know what records to look for.

* How to use Gemini in Google AI Studio (free) to transcribe handwritten documents with expert-level accuracy, even the ones you gave up on.

* How to use Claude to analyze multiple documents about the same person, build a research timeline, identify the gaps, and check for inconsistencies.

* The truth about Italian name changes at Ellis Island that most family historians have wrong.

* How to connect an American immigrant record back to Italian civil registration records using a free portal called Antenati.

This episode works for anyone researching immigrant ancestors, not just Italian families. The prompts and workflows are designed to be adapted for any ancestry.

Five copy-paste ready prompts are included in the episode. Free. No paywall.

LISTEN NOW on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Link in comments.

Want to go deeper with this week’s research? Join 1,600+ genealogists learning to use AI tools for family history research in our private Facebook Group: Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy. Search for us and request to join. It’s free, it’s active, and there is something new to learn every single week.

Our brand new website is coming March 10, 2026.

Everything in one place: episodes, resources, community, and more. ancestorsandai.com

AI is your research assistant, not your researcher.

02/19/2026

Finally!!! Comet is coming to iOS

Perplexity just announced that Comet (their browser and AI Assistant) will be coming to iOS (Apple). This is amazing! I’ve been using Comet since it came out and I’m excited to see the features in this app.

https://Inkd.in/gX3T8wyE

02/04/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: “The AI That Reads Your Research”

For three years, I avoided a 47-page probate file from 1892. Too long. Too complicated. Too much legal jargon.

Then I uploaded it to Google NotebookLM.

Twenty minutes later, I finally understood why two of my ancestors never spoke to each other again. The verbal agreement about “the farm.” The witness who was the deceased’s own sister. The sheriff who had to deliver payment to the disinherited son.

The answer was there the whole time. I just couldn’t find it.

Episode 24 is everything you need to know about NotebookLM for genealogy:

✅ What it is and why it’s different from ChatGPT
✅ The (generous) free tier that’s enough for most researchers
✅ Features that transform how you work with documents
✅ Step-by-step setup guide
✅ Copy-paste prompts you can use TODAY

Our private Facebook group “Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy” is doing a week-long deep dive. Daily prompts, challenges, and members sharing their own NotebookLM discoveries in real-time.

1,000+ genealogists are already inside.
Join us FREE: [LINK IN COMMENTS]

01/29/2026

Question for family historians:

What’s the biggest challenge you face when trying to share your research with family members?
Is it:

A) Finding time to write it up

B.) Making it interesting instead of just dates and facts

C) Getting family members to actually care

D) Knowing where to start

E) Something else (tell us in comments)

I’m asking because this is EXACTLY what Episode 23 addresses - how to transform your research into stories people actually want to read.

And based on the response in our Facebook group, this is the #1 struggle for genealogists: having amazing research that nobody reads.

Drop your answer in the comments. Seriously curious what the biggest pain point is for everyone.

And if you want the complete system for solving this, join the free group “Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy” where we’re sharing exactly how to do this with free AI tools.

01/27/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE IS LIVE 🎙️

Episode 23: “Writing Your Ancestor’s Story: AI Biography Workshop”

Here’s the episode I wish existed when I started doing genealogy.

Because nobody tells you that facts don’t tell stories. And if you can’t tell the story, your research dies with you.

This 30-minute episode walks through my complete three-part system for transforming genealogy data into narratives that people actually want to read.

What you’ll learn:

✅ Why most family histories are unreadable (and how to fix yours)

✅ The three-tool system: Organize → Context → Write

✅ Word-for-word prompts you can copy and use TODAY

✅ Complete example showing transformation from facts to story

✅ Common pitfalls to avoid

The best part? Everything uses 100% FREE AI tools. No paid subscriptions required.

Where to find ALL the exact prompts: Join the free Facebook group “Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy” - that’s where the full prompt templates and community support live.

Listen wherever you get podcasts: Search “Ancestors and Algorithms”

This episode will change how you share your research. I’m not exaggerating.

01/25/2026

We Just Hit 1,000 Members.

I started the Ancestors and Algorithms Facebook group because I wanted a place where genealogists could learn AI tools together without the intimidation factor.

Turns out, 1,000 of you wanted the same thing.

Here’s what actually happens in the group:

Every Tuesday when a new podcast episode drops, I post the prompts and step-by-step instructions so you can try the techniques immediately. No guessing, no rewinding the episode six times to catch what I said. Just clear, copy-paste-ready instructions.

People ask questions. Real questions about their stuck research, confusing AI responses, or which tool to use for what. And they get answers from genealogists who are using these same tools every day.

Members share their wins. Successfully transcribed a document. Finally understood how to use Claude for document analysis. Broke through a brick wall using a technique from Episode 15.

It’s become this space where we’re all learning together. Some members have been using AI for years. Others joined last week and are just starting. Everyone helps everyone.

The podcast teaches the concepts. The group is where you actually practice them, ask your questions, and get support from people who understand both genealogy and AI.

If you’ve been listening to the podcast and thinking about trying these tools but haven’t taken the leap yet, the group might be exactly what you need. We’re all figuring this out together.

1,000 genealogists can’t be wrong.

Search Facebook: “Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy” or click the link in the comments.

01/23/2026

Tell me you do genealogy without telling me you do genealogy 😂

Seriously though - English parish records are INCREDIBLE resources. Detailed, well-preserved, going back to the 1500s. Amazing, right?

Until you realize that naming creativity in the 1700s was... not a thing.

John, son of John, married Mary, daughter of John. Witnessed by John. Baptized by Reverend John.

I'm only slightly exaggerating.

This is exactly the problem I tackle in this week's episode. Three John Smiths, same parish, how on earth do you tell them apart when the records give you almost nothing?

Turns out, AI can help with this. Not by doing magic or making stuff up - by helping you organize information in ways that make patterns visible. Patterns you literally cannot see when you're drowning in dozens of documents.

I used AI to:
• Compare records side by side
• Spot witness patterns across multiple events
• Map out social networks
• Analyze class distinctions
• Create visual timelines

Things that would've taken me WEEKS to do manually took MINUTES with the right prompts.

Every single prompt is posted in our Facebook Group for you to use.

Because if you're stuck on a brick wall, you shouldn't have to figure out the AI stuff yourself. Just copy what works.

Join the group: "Ancestors and Algorithms: AI for Genealogy" (link in comments)

What's the most common name in YOUR family tree? Bet I'm not alone in the John Smith struggle 👇

Ancestors and Algorithms

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