Meeting summary Meeting October 8, 2026 (created by AI) Quick recap

This genealogy group meeting focused on discussing recent updates to Ancestry DNA features and sharing research tips. EWGS led a demonstration of new DNA Origins updates, including expanded African regions and Indigenous Americas coverage, with 302 total regions now available compared to 146 previously. The group watched a video from Connie Knox showing how to navigate the new DNA features, including regions by grandparent and journeys functionality. Members shared their experiences with the updates, with some like Christine already seeing the grandparent breakdown feature while others like Julie were still waiting for it to roll out. The discussion then shifted to filing and organization systems, with participants sharing different approaches including timeline-based and family-name organization methods. The group also discussed using AI tools for genealogy research, with members sharing experiences using ChatGPT and other AI platforms to verify relationships and transcribe documents. The conversation ended with plans to meet again in November and discussion about sharing interesting genealogy content with the group via email.

Next steps EWGS

• Share the link to the Connie Knox YouTube video about Ancestry DNA updates with the group. (See above)

• Share the link to the Crista Cowan Ancestry video about determining if people are really ancestors with the group. (See above)

• Schedule the next meeting for November 12th and add it to the EWGS calendar.

Julie

• Send Susan a link to the public Legacy Family Tree webinar syllabus and notes. Summary.

Ancestry DNA Origins Feature Updates

Janice shared video by Connie Knox (link above) which presented updates to Ancestry's DNA Origins feature, highlighting expanded regional coverage with 302 total regions (up from 146), including 93 new African regions and 38 new Indigenous Americas regions. She demonstrated how to use the new filtering capabilities to view DNA matches by specific regions and parents, and explained the difference between DNA regions (representing ancestral origins 500-1,000 years ago) and DNA journeys (showing migration patterns within the last 300 years). The presentation included a demonstration of the journey timeline feature, which allows users to explore migration patterns of ancestors through interactive maps and timelines.

Grandparent DNA Feature Update

Crista Cowan demonstrated the new "regions by grandparent" feature rolling out to subscribers, which replaces the previous three-column tab system that required toggling between parents. The update now shows DNA regions inherited from grandparents, with over 4,500 journeys available for exploration, though some users like Julie reported seeing "coming soon" messages for their grandparent results. Susan explained that Ulster people from Ireland typically have more Scottish DNA than Irish due to historical migration patterns and geographic barriers, which EWGS connected to her own McGregor clan ancestry.

Ancestry DNA Feature Updates

The group discussed recent updates to Ancestry's DNA features, including new mapping tools and regional breakdowns. Christine shared her experience with Ancestry's grandparent DNA results, noting she could see her grandparents' information while others in the group had not yet received this feature. The team also explored Ancestry's new full-text search functionality, though Christine mentioned it was not available to her due to her subscription tier.

Genealogy Documentation Standards Discussion

The group discussed filing systems and documentation standards for genealogy research, with Susan sharing her experience as a former DAR registrar and the specific requirements for citing sources. They explored challenges around properly documenting cemetery visits and photographs, with Susan noting that DAR only accepts tombstone photos and Find A Grave memorial numbers. The conversation also touched on technical aspects of organizing genealogical data.

Genealogy Organization Methods Discussion

The group discussed genealogy organization methods, with Janice sharing her approach of creating file albums with family records grouped by family name and date. Susan and Julie shared their different organizational preferences, with Susan explaining how she keeps people in their family of origin and uses asterisks and parentheses to mark marriage information. The discussion concluded with Julie offering to share a link to a public syllabus from a genealogy webinar that contained similar organizational tips, though they noted the presenter's detailed approach wasn't everyone's favorite style.

Ancestry Research Verification Methods

The group discussed a recent Ancestry video by Crista Cowan titled "Are these really my ancestors?" (link above) which covered methods for verifying family tree connections. The discussion highlighted the importance of checking multiple sources when identifying ancestors, particularly for male ancestors in eras with common names.

TAG Email List Management Strategy

The group discussed managing their TAG (genealogy) email list, which currently has around 100 subscribers but typically only 20-25 active participants. They agreed to consolidate the core active members into a single list for better information sharing, with Janice offering to help anyone share interesting content like videos or images with the group. The discussion also covered how to handle list management, with Julie sharing her approach of including opt-out instructions in email signatures, and Janice shared an example of how AI tools like ChatGPT can assist with genealogy research by helping identify relationships and providing insights into documents and images.

AI Tools in Genealogy Research

The group discussed using AI tools in genealogy research, with several members sharing their experiences. Julie mentioned upcoming AI training classes from the National Genealogy Society, while Susan described using AI to find potential Revolutionary War ancestors and matching family photos. Christine shared her experience taking an AI genealogy class and testing different AI companies, noting how AI can verify information and identify potential errors. The conversation ended with plans to meet again on November 12th, and Julie received positive feedback about a recent genealogy seminar she helped organize. ________________________________________

Attendees: Janice Moerschel (Organizer), Susan Harms, Doug Floyd, Christine Klukkert, Carol Hsu, Kelley Taylor, Ardis Storms, Sandi Gaffney, Julie Rosenoff, Patricia Robison, Marge Mero

June 11, 2026 TAG

Visited the EWGS website: briefly reviewed upcoming events and where to find TAG Zoom link.

We watched short videos on YouTube from "The Formidable Genealogist" - 

 Here are a couple of the links. https://youtube.com/shorts/dUC3NRc9_vQ?si=LGCsbyyBPl2T8VLA, https://youtube.com/shorts/hgCA-vyEgY8?si=L7biy19ZXqJXZzHS.

 If you like her short videos, find more on YouTube.

New Developments at the Ancestry website:

• Census comparisons • Ideas • New tags for "documentation"

• In "Tools," "Add DNA matches" (in Beta)

• Life Story view is where you can get AI narratives about time and place

Should mention:

Also can pull up "Member Connect" from tools. 

Here you can find people who are researching the same person. I spotted this on Ancestry - don't always see it. But Ancestry offers tours - virtual (online) and in person. 

See this link for details: https://www.progenealogists.com/heritage-tourism/?a1014&_gl=1*avhhsd*_gcl_au*MTgxMDg2NzE0NS4xNzgwNjcyMjA4

NOTE: If you're done with research at Ancestry, they offer a "Preserve my tree" subscription is $5/mo.

 You'll still be able to see your tree and attached records.

Reminder: check to make sure you attach census records to the right person in a family.

We didn't watch this today, but if you're interested in digitizing all photos, slides, videos, etc, you may want to watch the video from Connie Knox on YouTube: Digitizing videos and more - Ancestry Preserve (13 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNCSARmzi8k&list=UULFcvpi8XvOScBogIxmarmADw

We covered searching for Swedish records. There was a lot of good information at Ancestry. See this link: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Finding-Swedish-Records?language=en_US

 TAG member Chris Murphy shared some Swedish research insights and links - thank you, Chris!

I discovered our family farms by looking through my grandparents letters after they passed. As it was the early days of the internet, I joined a Compuserve mailing list (one with US and Swedish members) and asked how to connect with residents of the farms. One woman sent me the names and addresses of all of the Nordmans in the surrounding area. There was one that had an address of Myckelåsen. I wrote him and a month later, I received an envelope filled with photos of my family...as well as one of my grandfather as a child. Since then, we have visited twice and we continue to welcome Swedish cousins to Washington. And now our children are visiting them as well so our families are now intertwined... grandpa is smiling down on us.  

As I get to know more about the family and DNA I am spending more time connecting to living cousins learning how we are all related and through which ancestor. I've been able to find quite a few on Facebook and there are a ton of my DNA matches on MyHeritage. I'm really looking forward to being a member of your MyHeritage group and learning how to use it because right now it totally confuses me. Thanks for all you do and have a wonderful summer. Chris Murphy

gravar.se (burial spots throughout Sweden)) https://minnessidor.fonus.se/ (obituaries)

https://www.familjesidan.se/ (obituaries)

https://www.hitta.se/ (living individuals and their information : birthdates, addresses, housemates)

https://www.hemnet.se/ (homes/ farms/real estate) mykil.se (the community that my great grandfather left) jamtli.se (historic photos, etc)

https://riksarkivet.se/en (I've found information by putting the surname in the search box....pulls up church records)

https://forum.rotter.se/ (again use surname)

We watched Crista Cowan's video on "The Genealogical Proof Standard." https://www.ancestry.com/c/discover/education/gps-accurate-treeShe highlighted the 5 "essential pillars" for meeting genealogical proof standards.

  1) Conduct reasonably exhaustive search for census, vital, land, probate, church records, etc.

2) Save or create complete and accurate source citations. She explained the differences between original, derivative, and compiled records. 

3) Analysis and Correlation - connecting the dots - involves comparisons and analyzing records

4) Resolve conflicts in records - consider source documents, claimed event dates, reliability. Bible records outweigh census or headstone records. Obituaries, death records, and FindAGrave records are almost the same as they may have been provided by one information

5) Write up why and how you came to a conclusion, include dates. Put in notes at Ancestry or create a document. Others researching your relative may want to know where you got your information and how you came to your conclusions. And it's good for you to have for your own reference.

TAG members - some of us have work to do! 

RECOMMENDATION: Must see video (if you didn't already) at Ancestry's Education Center on advanced search techniques

https://www.ancestry.com/c/discover/education/advanced-search

Please send meeting topic ideas to me. 

Our next meeting won't be until Thursday, September 10, so have a great summer!

TAG Attendance (17):  Albert Calderon, Ardis Storms, Carol Hsu, Christine Klukkert (California), Chris Murphy, Janice Moerschel, Juanita McBride, Judy Benson, Lola McCreary, Marge Mero, Patricia Robison, Paula Davis, Ruth Halligan (Vallego, Calif.) Sandi Gaffney, Virginia Omoto.  NEW: Tricia........., David Perrault.

Janice Moerschel T

he Ancestry Group (TAG)

May 14 The Ancestry Group 2026-05-14 12:44  

These notes include Zoom Notes but were added to and edited by Janice Moerschel

Key Outcomes

The meeting focused on advanced Ancestry search strategies presented by Crista Cowan, emphasizing that users search for records about ancestors, not ancestors themselves accounting for misspellings, transcription errors, and incomplete information. Janice previewed the upcoming MyHeritage class (September 22, 3 PM) featuring new AI-powered infographic tools that create visual storyboards from tree data.

Key Topics Covered

Advanced Ancestry Search Methods

•  Less information yields better results: Throwing all available data at the search engine (90+ fields) creates too many constraints; start minimal and add fields iteratively. Crista reminded us that we are not looking for our family member but we are looking for information about a family member. Ancestry provides hints when they have a high degree of confidence, but it does not necessarily mean the record will be right. Review. When you run out of hints, you may still be missing records so search for them. When asked "how many records" do you need, the answer is “all of them.”
•  When you conduct an auto search, Ancestry takes all your information, including spouses, children, married names, etc.
•  "Auto Search" filters out records you've already attached.  Smart search - when active - will help control some of the results
•  Crista Cowan only goes through ONE PAGE of search results as better results appear higher in the list.
•  She recommends browsing by collection  Look for specific things that are missing, maybe a census or draft card record
•  The card catalog is the best way to search  When searching for records, "less is more." Don't fill in all the search fields. Crista also talked about "iterative searches." Start broadly and gradually add filters. Start with the piece of information that is likely to be most accurate. Gradually add additional pieces of info to narrow results.
•  
•  Wildcards for name variations: Use asterisk * to replace any number of characters (e.g., "STEN" catches Steven, Stephen, Stephan)  
•  No-name census searches: When name searches fail, search by location + birth year + parents' names to overcome misspellings (demonstrated reducing 2.9M results to 10)  
•  Browse by collection instead of ranked results to identify missing record types (state census, voter lists, probate records)  

•  Card Catalog searching: Type record types (e.g., "Civil War", "Quaker", "Lutheran") or use keyword field to discover relevant databases  

   

• New Ancestry Features
•  Full-text search (Available to "All Access subscribers only"): Uses handwriting recognition AI to make entire documents searchable by any name, not just indexed fields—particularly useful for wills, deeds, court records   Census comparison tool: Lines up multiple census records side-by-side to verify details across decades. "Ancestry Aimee" explains in this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRnrdwDBGI "Ancestry Aimee" on the Amazing new census comparison feature (YouTube, April 2026)

•  Smart filtering: Automatically hides duplicate census entries when records already attached to tree  

   

• MyHeritage Infographics Demo
•  AI-generated visual storyboards combining photos, biographical data, family members, and locations from tree into downloadable graphics  
•  Multiple format options with customizable backgrounds; AI occasionally enhances/alters facial features  
•  Available with any MyHeritage subscription (not limited to premium tiers)  

•  OldNews.com newspaper database (MyHeritage affiliate) yielding results not found on Newspapers.com  

   

• Upcoming Events
•  Find a Grave event: Monday, May 18, 10 AM
•  MyHeritage class launch: September 22, 3 PM, fourth Tuesday monthly (no EWGS conflicts)

•  Next TAG meeting: June 11 (second Thursday), 1:00 PM on Zoom  Summer break: No meetings July-August; resuming September 10  

  Action Item

•  Seeking co-leader or volunteer presenters for TAG sessions  

  Resources Shared

•  Crista Cowan video: "Advanced Search Tips and Tricks" available at ancestry.com/education This video is highly recommended to all for viewing. Some details included in these notes.

•  American Ancestors magazine: Scottish heritage issue featuring Janice's family story about father's 1926 immigration from Holytown, Scotland  

   

• Technical Notes
•  Emoji in tree names: Does not affect search functionality (unlike parenthetical notes which must be removed)  
•  Question mark wildcard: Replaces single character (not demonstrated in video)
•  Women's names in trees: Enter maiden names only; Ancestry auto-populates married names in search forms

•  Birth year calculations: Account for birth month when calculating immigration year from age (e.g., born December 1916, age 9 = 1926, not 1925)   Ancestry and Find-A-Grave

   Ancestry and Find a Grave privacy policy updates. 

    Check out this link: https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2026/05/12/ai-meetstos/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR0OV1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFEYmhrcEVNaWZBSjdsb 2tNc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpJrqHfPQITEhHaeOll 4VjbR8yhkhdV9inJtbyUKzfpNKwnWKwNKtrbwecCW_aem_8FnZHR79aY51cIQS1W4Ng

  In attendance today: Charlotte Sullivan, Chris Murphy,  Christine Klukkert (Calif.), Janice Moerschel, Judy Benson, Kelley Taylor, Lola McCreary, Marge Mero, Patrician Robinson, Paula Davis, Ruth Halligan (Calif.) .  

March 2026

Lead by Paula Davis

Notes created by AI (Lucy) Assistance

Meeting Summary

The meeting centered on Irish genealogical research, with members sharing resources, strategies, and personal progress. Discussion included the use of Irishgenealogy.ie, townland records, DNA testing, obituaries, and subscription databases such as Grenham and American Ancestors. Members also exchanged research challenges, including variant name spellings, limited parish records, and difficulty locating specific immigration or military documents. Upcoming events, including the April seminar and spring book sale, were noted.

Discussion Highlights

Irish Genealogy Resources

• Members reviewed Irish place name tools, handouts, and databases.

• Paula described using Brian Mitchell’s book, the Grenham database, and Green Room services.

• Dick shared promising but inconclusive findings for Freeman and Griffin ancestors in County Clare.

• Interest was expressed in visiting the American Ancestors library for its Catholic parish collections.

Research Progress Updates

• Paula located her great great grandfather’s baptism through Rhonda McClure’s work.

• Janice used Ancestry’s keyword search to find Boston Pilot newspaper references.

• Dick found immigration papers for his great grandfather but not the 1854 ship record.

• Dianne visited Croom, County Limerick, and confirmed her great grandmother’s birth record; earlier records were unavailable.

• Pat continued Irish and Scotch Irish research, focusing on townlands. Research Strategies

• Members emphasized Irishgenealogy.ie, baptism indexes, obituaries, and Irish funeral home listings on Facebook.

• Marge discussed DNA based Irish ancestry discoveries.

• Janice noted limited records for a German ancestor who died in Scotland.

• The group discussed Ancestry’s new features and subscription upgrades.

• Gail expressed interest in joining the Irish SIG after seeing an Inlander presentation.

• Sharon received guidance on wildcard searches and census strategies for Patrick Doney.

• Dianne identified a possible 1855 New York State Census match despite spelling variations.

Irish Revolutionary War Seminar Planning

• Planning continued for the April 13 seminar on the Revolutionary War and Irish involvement.

• Paula will review guides for the April 18 release of the 1926 Irish Census.

• Members discussed Irish military participation, including the high proportion of Irish soldiers in the 1850s British Army.

Birth Mother Reconnection Efforts

• Paula shared updates on reconnecting with her 96 year old birth mother and her plans to visit again this summer.

• She is considering contacting her brother in law and hopes to obtain a marriage certificate to help frame a positive family narrative.

Next Steps

1. Dianne – Bring prior Irish Genealogy Group handouts for review.

2. Paula – Compile and share resources on the 1926 Irish Census before the April meeting.

3. Paula – Locate guides or videos on Irish involvement in the American Revolution.

4. EWGS – Send Gail information and contact details for the DNA Detectives SIG.

5. EWGS – Update the website to reflect the correct meeting time (2:30–4:00).

6. Paula – Collect and coordinate book donations for the spring seminar sale.

7. Paula – Remind members to bring book donations by March.

9 April 2026 TAG Meeting Notes

NOTE: These meeting notes include some of Zoom's summary info and notes, edited by Janice Moerschel. They will be posted at the EWGS website.

IMPORTANT NOTE AND REMINDER: If, by chance, you do not receive the Zoom meeting link, visit the EWGS website where you'll find the link posted in "Events" area, for The Ancestry Group (TAG): https://ewgsi.org/events. 

Special thanks to Susan Harms for her contributions to our Revolutionary War conversation and info she shared on the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Summary At this meeting we focused on sharing insights from the RootsTech genealogy conference, particularly Crista Cowan's presentation on new Ancestry features and updates. Key announcements included improved date range searching, the addition of 10 million records daily, full-text search capabilities on Fold3, and the new Ancestry Preserve service for digitizing family memories. Several members, including Susan Harms and Julie Rosenoff, shared their Revolutionary War ancestors, with Susan explaining how to research patriots through the DAR website and Julie describing her ancestor Major General David Cobb who served as George Washington's aide-de-camp. The group discussed various genealogy tools and resources, including the card catalog for finding new records and the importance of proper documentation in family trees.

RootsTech 2026: Key Announcements: https://www.ancestry.com/c/discover/education/rootstech-recap or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-S9Nw7LiJo&t=184s Ancestry is now adding an average of 10 million new records daily, supported by a $450 million investment in content over the past 15 years. 10M+Records added daily. $450M Content investment.

• $20 Ancestry's "Preserve" service allows users to send physical items for digitization. Initial cost of $20. Ancestry sends a box for you to fill with video, slides, documents, etc. Then will tell you the full cost to have them processed and uploaded to the Ancestry website.

• Improved search functionality with the ability to add custom date ranges for more precise results

• Full-text search on Fold3 including Revolutionary War pension files, made searchable through handwriting recognition technology

• Enhanced Organize tab for identifying people and improved gallery filtering options

• AI-powered features providing descriptions of documents and images (transcription requires manual input)

• Newspapers.com integration providing insights into ancestors' lives through articles, visits, and other details

• Crista Cowan also highlighted the importance of using the card catalog feature to track new and updated record collections and recommended watching Lisa's presentation on new records and Ann Mitchell's demo on mastering Ancestry Pro Tools.

On the same topic, this is another video done by Crista Cowan (we didn't watch this one in our meeting) that may be of interest. She mentioned that source citations will be easier to add.

What's new at RootsTech2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6ogQeuxU88&t=6s

And for folks interested in Ancestry's Digital Preserve service, here are some videos:

Ancestry Education Center, Crista Cowan: The Importance of Professionally Digitizing your Memories - https://www.ancestry.com/c/discover/education/ancestrypreserve-boxing

Ancestry Preserve - Melissa Gilbert at RootsTech2026 - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/preserve-your-legacy-digitizing-and-sharing-memories-with-ancestry

Save Your Stories/ Master Ancestry Tools for Preserving and Sharing Family Discoveries, Nicka Sewell-Smith at RootsTech2026 - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/save-your-stories-master-ancestry-tools-for-preserving-and-sharing-family-discoveries Revolutionary War genealogy research discussion

Susan Harms recommended using the free DAR genealogy research tools for anyone interested in exploring Revolutionary War ancestors. Revolutionary War families often married within similar political circles due to the danger of associating with loyalists.

John Dexter: Served as a Minuteman and fought at Bunker Hill before becoming a sergeant in the Continental Army. Researched by Susan. 

Minuteman Bunker Hill Major General David Cobb: Served as George Washington's aide-de-camp. Ancestor of Julie. Washington's Aide Zachariah Fortune: DAR patriot discovered by Paula through family research. 

DAR Patriot Captain Thomas Eubank Fortune: Brother of Zachariah Fortune, also verified through DAR records. Captain Captain William Whedon: Ancestor of Janice, served during the Revolutionary War. 

Captain George Doolittle: Another ancestor of Janice who participated in the Revolutionary War. Patriot

Julie Rosenoff will send out information about free local resources for digitizing photos and documents (libraries and family history centers) to the group. The group discussed alternative free options for digitization available at local libraries and family history centers as an alternative to the paid Ancestry Preserve service. 

April TAG attendance (21):  Albert Calderon, Barbara Gumm, Carol Hsu, Charlotte Sullivan, Chris Murphy,  Dianne Bongarts, Don Walter,  Doug Floyd, Janice Moerschel, Juanita McBride, Judy Benson, Julie Rosenhoff,  Karen Lehfeldt (Clarkston), Lola McCreary, Marge Mero,  Patricia Robinson, Paula Davis, Ruth Halligan (Calif.), Susan Harms,  Terri Carstens, Virginia Omoto.

The next meeting of TAG will be on Thursday, May 14.

Janice Moerschel The Ancestry Group (TAG)