July 2026

Discovering Google Gemini: How I Started Creating Custom “Gems”

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 14, 2026July 4, 2026

Ever tried building a custom “Gem” in Google Gemini? 💎

I went from hesitant to hooked after realizing how much AI can streamline a research workflow. In my latest blog post, I share the exact prompts I developed to handle everything from clear board member updates to generating chronological family histories directly from RootsMagic narrative reports (complete with source citations!).

Check out the prompts and see how you can start building your own custom AI assistants:

Monday’s Diggings

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 13, 2026July 4, 2026

What looked like a routine 1899 Kansas deed turned out to preserve part of a decades-long friendship. A family biography explains why George W. Allen of Massachusetts sold 160 acres in Woodson County to Fred Mentzer—and connects the transaction to a covered-wagon journey, a Kansas homestead, and the Mentzer family’s early years on the prairie.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 12, 2026July 11, 2026

This week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge asked about names that run in the family. I thought the answer would be Noah, Nelson, or John—but my pedigree revealed a different story. Four generations of Hirams made the strongest case.

Sharing AI-Assisted Genealogical Biographies on Ancestry

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 11, 2026June 27, 2026
3 Comments

For years, my Ancestry tree has contained the records documenting my ancestors’ lives—census records, marriage records, deeds, military files, and obituaries. Those records are invaluable,… Read More »Sharing AI-Assisted Genealogical Biographies on Ancestry

FAN Club and yDNA

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 10, 2026June 27, 2026

Sorting Out the Crawfords of Early Kentucky Do you have a FAN Club for your brick wall ancestor? Have you mapped the Friends, Associates, and… Read More »FAN Club and yDNA

Mapping the Heirs of Lewis N. Hutchinson

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 9, 2026July 17, 2026

A Probate Notice Reveals a Family Network One of the most valuable genealogical records is often not a census, a will, or a deed. Sometimes… Read More »Mapping the Heirs of Lewis N. Hutchinson

Piecing Together the Rupert Family

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 8, 2026June 22, 2026

One of the most rewarding aspects of genealogy research is discovering how records from different places and time periods fit together to reveal a family’s… Read More »Piecing Together the Rupert Family

Two Ways AI Helped Tell the Story of Julia Harding Hutchinson

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 7, 2026June 27, 2026

One of the questions I often hear is, “How are you using AI in your genealogy research?” The answer is that I don’t use AI… Read More »Two Ways AI Helped Tell the Story of Julia Harding Hutchinson

Monday’s Diggings: A Graves Family Bible Record

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 6, 2026June 22, 2026

One of the most valuable genealogical sources is the family Bible. Long before the widespread registration of births, marriages, and deaths, families often recorded important… Read More »Monday’s Diggings: A Graves Family Bible Record

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

by Marcia Crawford Philbrick
July 5, 2026July 4, 2026

How did I spend America’s 250th birthday? Working on a genealogy and AI presentation, attending church online, reflecting on small-town Kansas traditions, and planning to end the day with the Boston Pops. 🇺🇸