Armchair Genealogy - Family Tree & History

In this episode of Armchair Genealogy, the Genealogy Guy dives into the power of family history shows and why sharpening your research skills is a game-changer. Special guest Dr. Karen Cummings from Pharos Tutors shares her journey from pharmaceutics to genealogy education—proving it’s never too late to follow your passion!

Discover how Pharos Tutors’ expert-led courses, interactive learning, and AGRA-recognized certificates can transform your research. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced genealogist, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

🎧 Listen now & subscribe: #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #PharosTutors #Podcast

Donna Rutherford chats with the Genealogy Guy on Armchair Genealogy Podcast about the basics of genealogy and DNA, emphasizing the importance of understanding DNA matches and ethnicity estimates. She explains that DNA tests provide ethnicity estimates based on reference panels and that different companies use varying algorithms. Rutherford advises uploading DNA results to multiple databases to expand match pools. She clarifies that DNA matches are relatives who share DNA and explains the concept of Centimorgans, which indicate genetic closeness. Rutherford also touches on the challenges of working with private trees and the use of "quick and dirty" research trees to avoid errors. She encourages using social media and sleuthing techniques to uncover connections.

The Genealogy Guy discusses the impact of AI on genealogy with Steve Little and Mark Thompson from the Family History AI Show. Mark, a retired technologist, and Steve, a language and technology enthusiast, highlight AI's rapid evolution, particularly with ChatGPT. They emphasize the importance of scepticism and experimentation, noting that AI's accuracy depends on available information. They predict AI will integrate into everyday tools, enhancing efficiency. Upcoming developments include "agents" for comprehensive genetic research. The hosts encourage genealogists to explore AI responsibly and actively engage with new technologies. They also mention attending Roots tech at the start of March (https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/) and AI workshops at the Conference for the Institute for Genetic Genealogy at the end of March in San Diego (https://i4gg.org/2025-i4gg/)

Dr. Nicholas Dixon emphasises the collaborative nature of the genealogy community and the willingness of professionals to help each other. He highlights the unique angle of bringing academic history to genealogy, which is not common in the academic world.
He also highlights the role of local family history societies in sharing knowledge and resources.

Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist.co.uk discusses updates to their Map Explorer section, highlighting the expansion of the Lloyd George Domesday records to include Bedfordshire, Dorset, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Surrey, and Wiltshire, with more counties planned for 2026. He explained the historical context of these records, created by David Lloyd George in 1910 for taxation purposes. He also mentions the addition of military records, including the War Office 164 records, and the development of a new advanced search interface with phonetic filtering and advanced keywords. Also offers an exclusive special offer for Armchair Genealogy podcast listeners, which includes a 40% lifetime discount on a Diamond subscription and a year's free subscription to "Discover Your Ancestors "online magazine.