Best How To Research Your Family Tree Podcasts (2025)

1
High Ancestry Episode 1: Astrology and Ancestors 38:57

17h ago38:57

38:57

Low Ancestry is getting a Patreon! Every month, we will be putting out one episode for subscribers of a new series we're calling High Ancestry where Kim takes the reins. In our very first episode of High Ancestry, Kim talks to us about the history and psychology of astrology, and then we do the critical work of comparing ancestors we've talked abou…

1
Joseph Gillette: Fourth-Great-Grandfather 57:36

16d ago57:36

57:36

In this very tough episode, we dive into Kim's very southern family by looking at the life of her fourth-great-grandfather and Confederate officer, Joseph Ezra Gillette, and we get real about what it means to have family that benefitted from enslaving others and why it's so important to talk about. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and…

1
Interview with the Host: Karyn Harding 1:11:27

30d ago1:11:27

1:11:27

The interview you all have been clambering for. We switch things up a little as Kim takes the lead and interviews host, Karyn, about her process, life, history, and how it all ties together to right now. We'll be back next episode with another look at Kim's ancestry! Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate…

1
John L. O'Donnell: Third-Great-Grandfather 47:20

1M ago47:20

47:20

This episode is about MJURDER! That is, murder. Turns out that Kim's 3rd-great-grandfather, John O'Donnell, was a man who contained multitudes--involved in crime, scandal, and maybe romance? Set in the hills of northwest Virginia, join us as we unravel the 1869 murder of Port Republic. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and d…

1
The Beahm Family (Definitely NOT Jim Beam) 44:42

2M ago44:42

44:42

You ever think you're really good at your newfound hobby and then get humbled real quick. Yeah me either. Just kidding, this episode is all about how I believed that Kim was related to Jim Beam and was a whiskey princess, but it turns out that I was wrong and now there is egg on my face. But Kim doesn't need mediocre whiskey to tell her that she's …

1
Season Two is coming (and a personal update) 32:41

2M ago32:41

32:41

It's been a minute, and we've got some exciting updates about Season Two--not the least of which is that it's releasing on March 17. *gasp* It's nice to have something to look forward to! Especially for your charming and genealogy-loving host, Karyn, who has had an especially wild (read: bad) year so far. We get into some personal updates--a passin…

1
Generational Wealth, Scarcity, and Family Legacy with Kate Northrup 38:09

2M ago38:09

38:09

Ep 44: In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Kate Northrup, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Relaxed Money, to explore her ancestral lineage and how it connects to her work in healing our relationship with time and money. We dive deep into the generational patterns of wealth, scarcity, and abundance that have shaped her family’s story…

1
Discovering Ancestral Healing with Dee Taggart 38:47

3M ago38:47

38:47

Ep 43: In this episode of Know Your Ancestors, I sit down with Dee Taggart, a breathwork facilitator and intuitive cranial sacral therapist, to explore the deep connections between ancestry, healing, and personal transformation. Dee shares how her spiritual journey led her to uncover the presence of her grandmother, Virginia Lee Gibbs, during a hea…

1
What's next? 10:18

5M ago10:18

10:18

Congratulations... you're not a beginner anymore. But what's next for the podcast?By Ed Adams

1
My Viking Ancestors? 44:40

5M ago44:40

44:40

Wishful linking is a genealogical crime, and this episode, I become one of the criminals. Join us as we talk about what links me to the Vikings, and then keep joining us as we promptly disprove it. Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. You can also find u…

1
Moxxy Forensic Investigations 25:00

5M ago25:00

25:00

Katie Thomas and Kaycee Connelly from Moxxy Forensic Investigations join me for a conversation about Investigative Genetic Genealogy and how people can help them in their quest to bring closure to families, and communities. https://www.moxxyforensics.com/donateBy Ed Adams

1
Other Podcasts 8:40

5M ago8:40

8:40

I can't thank you enough for listening to this podcast... I've really enjoyed working on it. But just like you've listened to this one, I listen to plenty of other genealogy podcasts, and I wanted to share the ones that I listen to most. In no particular order: Genealogy Gems Family Tree Magazine Podcast Hittin the Bricks with Kathleen The Research…

1
The Kesteloos (feat. Kathleen Larsen) 1:04:45

5M ago1:04:45

1:04:45

We’re doing something a little bit different this episode. We sit down with friend of the podcast, Kathleen Larsen and dive into a story from her family tree. Together, we learn about one man’s gutsy, one-way trip across the ocean, the new life he makes in America, and the legacy his family left behind. Through his story and the story of the people…

1
Continuing Education 12:55

5M ago12:55

12:55

Keeping your edge sharp is important as a researcher. You can learn a lot just by doing, but what about when you feel yourself starting to plateau? Let's talk about continuing education in Genealogy. BYU Family History Program Boston University Genealogy Studies Program Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg Institute of Genealogy and Histori…

1
Read the descriptions! 8:11

5M ago8:11

8:11

Would you drive cross country without a map? Then don't go researching within collections if you haven't read the description. Think of it as your roadmap for how to use the collection and what you can and can't find within.By Ed Adams

1
Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Your Ancestors from England & Wales (after 1837) 20:45

6M ago20:45

20:45

Ep 42: If you have ancestors that lived in England or Wales after 1837, watch (or listen) to learn how to order their civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death). In this episode I share how I searched for civil registration records for the last episode with Zach Mander. These records are very reliable to locate and have useful informat…

1
William Bradford: Twelfth-Great-Grandfather (with Micah Pick) 1:07:47

6M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

It's a special Thanksgiving episode! We dive into the fraught history of our Mayflower ancestors with friend, Micah Pick, who also happens to share a famous Pilgrim ancestor with host, Karyn. Join us as we talk about the life of the Mayflower colonists, and we attempt to pick at the threads of the American mythology that surrounds them. You can fin…

1
Non-Paternity Events 13:24

6M ago13:24

13:24

Until I got into genetic genealogy, I had no idea how common misattributed parentage was. The reality is, most people's trees, if they aren't also using genetic matches to validate everything, likely have the wrong biological parents in one or more places in the tree. Today we talk about how to figure out your relationship to a match that has a non…

1
Naval Roots and Australian Origins with Zach Mander 48:47

6M ago48:47

48:47

Ep 41: Zach Mander is a radio host and comedic content creator, living in Brisbane, Australia. He knew very little about his ancestors and was curious about learning when they first came to Australia. In this episode, I shared about the life of his great grandfather Lance Harold Mander, his unexpected beginnings, and arrival in Australia. Follow Za…

1
Audit your tree 12:00

6M ago12:00

12:00

It's only natural that the more genealogy we do, the better we get at it. In genealogy being better means being finding more records and being more accurate. So what do you do about all that work you did earlier when your skills weren't as developed. It's time for an audit. @theWGTPod on Twitter Find me on Facebook…

1
Uncovering Canadian WWI Military Personnel Records 13:57

6M ago13:57

13:57

Ep 40 - Do you have ancestors who served in WW1 from Canada? If you do, you definitely want to watch to learn how to locate their personnel file. If not, watch to understand the importance of military records and how they can help you connect and better understand your military ancestors.Library and Archives CanadaWant help discovering your own anc…

1
Chatting with Michael Ruby from Roots and Routes 50:47

6M ago50:47

50:47

In a very special Bonus Episode, Low Ancestry talks to Roots and Routes genealogist Michael Ruby. Join us for a discussion about the myth of the presidential common genealogy conspiracy, what low ancestry means in our personal family trees, and why J. D. Vance’s comments about his genealogy on the campaign trail do not hold up. Find Michael on YouT…

1
Foreign Language Records 11:10

6M ago11:10

11:10

As an American doing genealogy, it's so exciting when you finally see those documents that show what country your family came from. Once you've learned everything there is to learn in America about them, it's time to cross the pond and start learning about them in the home country... But what if that country's records aren't in English? Have no fea…

1
Saskatchewan Roots with Kelsey Hansen 40:26

6M ago40:26

40:26

Ep 39 - Kelsey's great grandmother died when she was young, but she remembers visiting her and requested to learn more about her for this interview. I loved researching Kelsey's great grandmother Luella. She was born in North Dakota, emigrating to Saskatchewan at just 2 years old. Her life was a struggle, but she had a good sense of humor and was g…

1
Burned Counties 10:50

6M ago10:50

10:50

We've all come across that location that is challenging to research because the courthouse burned, or flooded, or was destroyed by a tornado. It's a common enough occurrence that just about every genealogist has bumped into this problem. For many this becomes a brick wall for them... don't be content to leave walls in your tree. While some informat…

1
Episode #27: DNA Doesn't Lie: How to Accurately Interpret DNA Test Results 8:11

7M ago8:11

8:11

When you get your DNA test results, there's a good chance your DNA matches aren't as straight-forward as you had hoped, and there's a lot of room for misinterpretation. In this week's episode we share helpful things to consider as you begin your journey into the world of genetic genealogy! Resources: How to Determine Genetically Equivalent Relation…

1
2 Essential Sites for Late 1800s Irish Genealogy - BTS of Ep 37 17:54

7M ago17:54

17:54

Free Mini-class: ⁠3 Steps to Start Knowing Your Ancestors⁠ Ep 38 - In this "behind the scenes," look at last week's episode with Christopher Ward from ⁠@modelstrangers⁠, I share 2 essential sites to use to research your ancestors who lived in Ireland after 1864. See links below to access the sites I talk about. Let's go!Use this site to look for bi…

1
Edward Hargrave and Andersonville Prison (feat. Haunting History Podcast) 50:27

7M ago50:27

50:27

In this very special Halloween bonus episode, Low Ancestry is thrilled to collaborate with Cat Curtis from Haunting History Podcast! Together, we unravel the gripping story of my third-great-granduncle, Edward Hargrave from his birth in London’s rough Shoreditch neighborhood to his teenage years as a Union soldier in the American Civil War. While a…

1
Offline Research 13:55

7M ago13:55

13:55

I've said it many times before, but not everything that you are going to be looking for can be found online. So grab your keys, we're going to hit the road and go check out the libraries, court houses, and dusty back rooms to find some neat stuff.By Ed Adams

1
Episode #26: From Spit the Screen: The Journey of a DNA Sample 14:40

7M ago14:40

14:40

Have you gotten your DNA tested? Have you ever wondered what happens after your saliva or cheek swab sample is shipped off to a testing company until the day you get your results? Wonder no longer. In this week's episode we cover the five steps of DNA genetic genealogy testing so you have complete visibility into the process. Prepare for the inside…

1
Storytelling Roots with Christopher Ward 43:11

7M ago43:11

43:11

Ep 37 - Christopher Ward is a videographer and man behind the viral Instagram account @modelstrangers . Born in South Africa to Irish parents, Christopher now lives in Northern Ireland. He knew some about his family tree, including that he is related to the famous Bronte sisters. In this episode, I was able to share more with him about his Bronte r…

1
An Update from Low Ancestry 0:48

7M ago0:48

0:48

Season 1 is over, but we've got some exciting stuff on the horizon! Support the show! Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us at our website www.lowancestry.com. And you can now join our Patreon! LOW ANCESTRY CREDITS Created, Written and Produced by Kary…

1
Finding Women 11:04

7M ago11:04

11:04

Let's dive into a common challenge for beginner genealogists—tracking down the women in your family tree. Often, maiden names feel like locked doorways, especially in records predating 1850. We can overcome these "brick walls." From scouring censuses for hidden clues to finding forgotten family connections in wills and death certificates, this epis…

1
Carrie and Cora Dewey: Second and Third-Great-Grandmothers 47:16

7M ago47:16

47:16

Carrie White led a life marked by profound tragedy, losing her brother and both parents within a year, followed closely by the death of her infant daughter. When Carrie shows signs of deteriorating mental health and involuntary movements, she disappears from her family and is later found in a Binghamton hotel where she had taken her own life. Her f…

1
Creating a Census Timeline - BTS of Episode 35 with Georgette Todd 11:35

7M ago11:35

11:35

Ep 36 - Census records are a great resource for building a timeline of your ancestors' lives. You can discover where they lived, what their occupation was, and who was living with them. Every 10 years you can capture this information, map it, and have an overview of their life. This is what I did when I researched Georgette Todd's ancestors in epis…

1
Legal Research 6:15

7M ago6:15

6:15

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride. Are you understanding your sources fully? Or are you missing parts and pieces, or worse yet, are you misunderstanding what your source is or what it is saying? Spend some time researching the process that generated the document you are l…

1
Fostering Connection with Georgette Todd 52:36

7M ago52:36

52:36

Ep 35: Georgette Todd works for Connect Our Kids, a nonprofit that helps foster kids connect to their biological relatives. As a former foster kid herself, Georgette grew up knowing very little about her family, let alone her ancestors. In this episode, I was able to share with Georgette about her 2x great grandparents who immigrated to Hawaii from…

1
From Sufferer to Survivor- Mold, Lyme, and Motherhood w/ Lindsay Tuttle 42:43

7M ago42:43

42:43

Lindsay Tuttle is a nurse practitioner who went from marathon runner to not being able to get out of bed due to lyme disease and mold toxicity. She fell in love with holistic health and essential oils on her healing journey, and brings us nugget after nugget of oily wisdom- especially when it comes to using oils with your kids! Connect with Lindsay…

1
History Focus - The North Carolina Regulators 38:20

7M ago38:20

38:20

Sorry for the lengthy episode this week, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to talk about an episode of early American history little known outside of the state of North Carolina. It's an important event though, and it's a great example of the kind of small historical footnotes that may have featured prominently in the lives of your ancestors. I…

1
Episode #25: 9 Tips for Interviewing Family Members 6:48

7M ago6:48

6:48

Story telling is a way to pass on memories and preserve these for generations to come. When your relatives and ancestors tell stories, they are sharing a piece of themselves and their history. Are you ready to capture these stories? In this week's episode we share 9 tips for interviewing family members to ensure you don't miss out on that priceless…

1
Finding Your Rural Ancestors’ Land - BTS of Episode 33 12:51

8M ago12:51

12:51

Ep 34: Most of the United States and Canada use the Rectangular Survey System to organize plots of land. If you have ancestors who were farmers or lived rurally, understanding how this system works, can help you locate where your ancestors' land was. In this episode, I share how I located Angie's ancestors' land in Southern Alberta for episode 33 o…

1
Helen and Frank Dewey: Fourth-Great-Grandparents 1:00:50

8M ago1:00:50

1:00:50

In this episode, we dive into the complex lives of an everyday American family during and after the Civil War. Helen and Frank Dewey were a happily married couple who survive the war, have ten beautiful children, and stay together through all of life’s hardships. But when Frank passes away, Helen has to grapple with her late husband’s secretive pas…

1
Store-Bought Oils Don’t Cut It For Carol Yeh-Garner 42:57

8M ago42:57

42:57

I hear stories from people nearly every day that claim “essential oils didn’t work for me!” My first response; “where did you buy them?” That’s because, just like all things in life, quality matters if you want results with your oils. Our guest today Carol Yeh-Garner explains why. Connect with Carol Yeh-Garner here See full show notes for this epis…

1
Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy 13:15

8M ago13:15

13:15

These days, it seems like even your breakfast cereal has AI in it. But can you use the most common AI tools for genealogy? Absolutely yes! but they should come with a surgeon general's warning.By Ed Adams

1
Episode #24: How to Use Newspapers in Your Genealogy Research 6:10

8M ago6:10

6:10

Newspapers hold a treasure trove of information on your family history! Not only can you find obituaries, but you can often find birth, marriage, and divorce notices; passenger lists; arrests and information on crimes; war heroes and casualties; tragedies and triumphs; historical context, and more. In this week's episode we discover the hidden trea…

1
Discovering Parallel Lives with Angie Reeder 33:19

8M ago33:19

33:19

#33: Angie Reeder is a boutique clothing store owner, style coach, and personal shopper. About six years ago, her life took an unexpected turn and she was left to figure out her future with her 4 kids. As I shared what I had put together about her great grandmother for this episode, we soon realized that her life had a lot of similarities to Angie'…

1
Dr. Z's Advanced Strategies for Chronic Disease and Conditions 48:31

8M ago48:31

48:31

We’ve all been through the ringer with the Covid-19 Pandemic, but that’s not the only thing we’re fighting. One of my all-time favorite guests, Dr. Eric Zielinski, has joined us again to talk about what he considers to be another pandemic: Chronic Disease. When it comes to illness, Dr. Z wants you to know one thing: you are not a victim of your cir…

1
Social Media for Genealogy 12:01

8M ago12:01

12:01

You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and probably just about any other social media platform out there for genealogy. This episode will go over a brief "walkthrough" of how to find some cousins, and even more good information using your favorite time-waster. @theWGTPodBy Ed Adams

1
Episode #23: 5 Keys to Finding Scottish Ancestors 6:39

8M ago6:39

6:39

Do you have Scottish ancestors? We sat down to learn more about finding Scottish ancestors with one of our professional genealogists, Jamie Kay. In this episode, we share 5 keys to finding Scottish ancestors. Resources and Websites for Scottish Research: Scotland's People FamilySearch FindMyPast Ancestry If you have Scottish ancestors you need help…

1
[BITE SIZE] Pierre Chastain: Tenth-Great-Grandfather 30:56

8M ago30:56

30:56

Through the incredible journey of my tenth-great-grandfather, Pierre Chastain, we uncover the harrowing plight of the Huguenots as they fled relentless persecution in 17th-century France. Forced to navigate a hostile Europe in search of safety, their story takes us through waves of hardship until they finally find refuge in Virginia. As we dive dee…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

How To Research Your Family Tree Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide