Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 9 to 16 September 2026

 Welcome to Genealogy Education Bytes, posted on Wednesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight some of the most important genealogy and family history education items that came across my desktop since the last issue.




1) Upcoming Conferences and Institutes:

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for and/or view seminars, conferences and institutes.

*  2026 New York State Family History Conference ($$, In-person/Virtual, New York City) -- 18 to 19 September 2026.

*  2026 Heritage Books Genealogical Conference & Cruise with Angie Bush, Blaine Bettinger, and Craig Scott ($$, In-person, Cruise from Miami, Florida) -- 6 to 17 November 2026.

2 ) Upcoming Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for and/or view seminars, webinars and classes.

* FamilySearch MonthlyWebinars (Free)

* RootsTech 2019-2026 On-Demand Sessions (Free) 

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 16 September, 11:30 a.m.: Fresh Tools for Smarter Genealogy on MyHeritage by Daniel Horowitz.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Friday, 18 September, 11 a.m.: Husband, Father, and Revolutionary: The Case of Ramón Treviño by Lisa Medina.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Tuesday, 22 September, 11 a.m.: MyHeritage Family Trees: A Guide to All Features by James Tanner.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 23 September, 7 a.m.: Using 'What Are the Odds? Plus' (WATO) to Solve DNA Mysteries by Jonny Perl

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 23 September, 8:30 a.m.: Connecting with DNA Matches: Using Tools & Technology for Collaboration by Jennifer Zinck.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 23 September, 10 a.m.: Leafless but Not Hopeless: Identifying DNA Matches Without Trees by Paula Williams.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 23 September, 11:30 a.m.: Visual Phasing and Genetic Recombination: A 7-Generation Study by Jerome Spears.

3) Recent Podcasts:

* Ancestors and Algorithms: Ep. 55: The Blast Radius Method - Audit Your Family Tree With AI




*  Journey Through the Generations:  NEW BOOK! When DNA Tells a Different Story.


4) Recent YouTube Videos:








*  DearMYRTLE's Archive:  Mondays with Myrt - 14 Sept 2026







*  Genealogy Quick Start:  Property & Manumissions w/ Shamele



*  Int'l Institute of Genealogical Studies:  Learn Your Heritage Languages-Eastern European Genealogy
*  Int'l Institute of Genealogical Studies: Internet Tools—FamilySearch Tips
*  Int'l Institute of Genealogical Studies: Methodology — How to use charts and genealogical numbering systems

*  Kentucky Tennessee Research Associates:  You've Got To Ask The Questions




*  Trace Your New England Roots:  This DNA Match Could Be My Viewer's Half Sibling!
*  Trace Your New England Roots:  Unexpected DNA Match? What to Do Next!


5) Did you miss the last post in this series -- Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 3 to 9  September 2026?

Read past Genealogy Education Bytes here.

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NOTE: If I missed an upcoming conference or webinar, or a useful podcast or video, in this time period, please let me know in a comment or an email.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/09/genealogy-education-bytes-week-of-19-to.html

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share your comment on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.

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Life Memoir of Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) in San Diego in 1901

I wrote an AI-assisted ABC biography for  my 2nd great-grandmother Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) in ABC Biography of #25 Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) of Pennsylvania, Iowa, Colorado and California,  based on my genealogical research over 38 years. 

I wondered what Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer might have told her only grandchild, my grandfather Lyle Carringer, in a life memoir in 1901. I requested Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.6 to "Please write a life memoir for Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer based on the attached biography, as she might tell her grandson in late 1901." 

(AI Gemini Notebook Infographic for Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer's life memoir)

The AI Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.6 memoir (edited for accuracy and completeness) is:  


A Lifetime of Journeys: Rebecca's Memoir to Her Grandson Lyle

As told in November 1901

My dearest Lyle,

You asked me today to tell you the story of my life, and I realized that at sixty-nine years old, sitting here with my grandchild on my lap, I have lived through more changes than most people could imagine. Your father mentioned that I've been in a reflective mood since your grandfather and I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary just last month. Perhaps it's time, then, that I set down for you the path that has brought me to this moment—to this house in San Diego, to your father and Uncle Harvey, and to you, my precious grandson.

The Beginning

I was born on April 2, 1832, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel Spangler and Elizabeth King. My childhood home was a modest one, but it was filled with love and the simple rhythms of country life. I had one brother and eight sisters, Lyle—can you imagine? The noise, the laughter, the inevitable quarrels over supper! My mother's hands were never idle, and my father's strength seemed endless as he worked the land. It was a good upbringing, though we were never wealthy. We had what we needed and the sense that we were part of something larger than ourselves.

I was fortunate to attend school, which not all girls did in those days. I learned to read and cipher, and I developed a love of knowledge that has sustained me through all the years and upheavals to come. My father believed that learning was a treasure no one could steal from us, and he was right.

The Meeting

It was around 1850 that I first saw your grandfather, David Jackson Carringer. He was a skilled carpenter, young and industrious, with steady hands and steadier eyes. There was something in the way he moved through the world—a quiet competence, a determination to build something meaningful. I was nineteen years old when he asked for my hand, and I said yes without hesitation. We were married on October 16, 1851, in Mercer County, and I became Rebecca Carringer.

Your grandfather was the son of Henry and Sarah Feather Carringer. I came to love his family as my own, but nothing compared to the love I discovered with your grandfather. He was not a man of grand gestures, Lyle. Rather, he showed his love through work, through his commitment to providing for us, through his willingness to dream big enough to move our family across a continent.

The Birth of Our Family

We began our married life in Pennsylvania, but our hearts yearned for more. Our first son, Harvey Edgar, was born in 1852—a healthy, strong boy who looked like his father. Henry Austin came in 1853, and our only daughter, Effie Eva, arrived in 1858. By then, your grandfather had already begun to dream of the frontier. He spoke of Iowa, of fertile soil, of new opportunities. I confess I was nervous about leaving everything I knew, but I had married a pioneer, and I would be a pioneer's wife.

The Iowa Years

In 1858, we packed our belongings and moved to Columbus City, Louisa County, Iowa. The journey itself was grueling, Lyle. The roads were rough, the weather unpredictable, and I was terrified that something would happen to our children. But your grandfather was confident, and his confidence gave me courage. We arrived in a place that was being built even as we watched—new houses, new farms, new possibilities emerging from the prairie.

Your grandfather worked as a carpenter, helping to build the homes and structures that would house this growing community. I kept our home, raised our children, and tried to create stability in a place that was itself unstable and changing. We were not wealthy, but we were respectable and hardworking. In 1862, your grandfather purchased forty acres of land for $300. Can you imagine? Land of our own! We sold it two years later for $320, which might not sound like much profit to you, Lyle, but it represented hope—the hope that we could make gains through our own industry.

The Move to Washington County

In 1865, we moved again, this time to Jackson Township in Washington County, Iowa. We purchased more land—forty acres that we would actually keep and work. By 1870, your grandfather was a farmer, and I was managing a household on property worth $1,200. We had achieved something, Lyle. We had built something. Your grandfather worked from sunrise to sunset, and I managed the domestic side of our small empire with equal dedication.

Those Iowa years were good ones, though hard. The land was generous if you worked it properly, and your grandfather's carpentry skills combined with farming made us a more prosperous family. But prosperity in those days meant security, not luxury—the security of knowing we could feed ourselves and our children, that we had a roof over our heads that we owned ourselves.

The Tornado

I must tell you about the tornado, Lyle, because it was an experience that changed something in me, though I scarcely understood what at the time. It was in 1873, in Washington County, and I was visiting a dear friend when the sky turned a color I had never seen before—a sickly greenish-black that made the very air feel wrong. The wind came suddenly, with a sound like nothing I can adequately describe to you. We rushed to the cellar, my friend, her two children, and I, thinking we would be safe in that small earthen shelter.

But the tornado had other plans. When the house above us was torn away as if by some angry giant's hand, we were lifted—lifted, Lyle!—right out of that cellar and carried through the air. I remember the sensation of weightlessness, of helplessness, of being completely at the mercy of forces beyond comprehension. And then we were thrown to the ground with tremendous force.

I lost consciousness, and when I woke, I was on the ground among the rubble of my friend's home. My body ached terribly, but miraculously, I had no serious injuries. My friend and her children were similarly spared. That tornado taught me something profound, Lyle: that life hangs by the thinnest of threads, that survival is sometimes a matter of pure chance, and that we must never take a single day for granted.

Colorado and Sorrow

After that frightening experience, your grandfather decided we needed a fresh start. In 1873, we moved to Caribou in Boulder County, Colorado. The mountains were magnificent, Lyle—so tall and grand that they made a person feel both insignificant and part of something vast and eternal. Your grandfather worked as a carpenter and joiner, and later as a fruit grower. We hoped the mountain air and new surroundings would bring us peace and prosperity.

But Colorado also brought us deep sorrow. Our dear Effie Eva, our only daughter, died on June 8, 1874, at just sixteen years old. I cannot adequately put into words the pain of losing a child, Lyle. It is a wound that never fully heals. We buried her in Columbia Cemetery in Boulder, and a part of my heart remains there with her, beneath those Colorado skies. For years afterward, I would think of her at odd moments—when I saw a young girl laughing, or when the spring flowers bloomed. The loss becomes part of you, woven into the very fabric of who you are.

Your grandfather was my anchor during those dark days. We grieved together, and that shared grief deepened the bond between us. We learned that marriage is not just about the happy times—it is about standing together when the storms come, literal and figurative.

The Colorado Years

We lived in Boulder for several years after Effie's death. By 1880, your grandfather was still working as a carpenter and joiner, and me, as always, keeping house. We had built a life there—a home, a community, a place where we belonged. The mountains became familiar, even comforting. We had survived tragedy, and we were determined to build something meaningful from our remaining years.

By 1885, your grandfather had become a fruit grower, which seemed a fitting transition from the raw frontier work of carpentry to the more settled work of cultivation and husbandry. I was proud of his willingness to adapt, to learn new skills, to always be looking forward rather than backward.

The Final Journey

But your grandfather's heart was set on one final journey. Our sons Harvey Edgar and Henry Austin had moved to California, seeking their own fortunes in that golden land. By 1898, your grandfather decided it was time for us to follow them. Once again, we packed our belongings and traveled west, this time to San Diego, California.

I must confess, Lyle, that by this time I was weary of moving. I was sixty-six years old, and I longed for permanence. But I also knew that being near our sons was the greatest gift we could give ourselves in our final years. Your grandfather built us a beautiful house at the corner of 30th and Ivy Streets, just a block from your father's home. He was a rancher—still working, still building, still engaged with life even in his advancing years.

Fifty Years

Last month, in October 1901, your grandfather and I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Fifty years, Lyle. Can you fathom it? Half a century of partnership, of building together, of facing hardships and celebrating joys. We were surrounded by family—your father Henry Austin, your Uncle Harvey Edgar, and you, my precious grandson – and friends and neighbors.

When I think back on those fifty years, I think of a man who never abandoned his commitment to his family and his dreams. Your grandfather took me from the comfort of my Pennsylvania home and asked me to be a pioneer's wife. And I was. I followed him to Iowa, to Colorado, to California. I bore his children, I managed his households, I stood beside him through prosperity and tragedy. And he, in turn, provided for us, believed in us, and loved us steadily and surely.

What I Have Learned

As I reflect on my life, my dear grandson, I want you to understand several truths that I have learned through my sixty-nine years:

First, that life is a journey, not a destination. We moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Colorado to California, and in each place I thought we had found our final home. But the journey itself was the point. The building, the adapting, the learning, the growing—these are what constitute a life.

Second, that resilience is not about never falling; it is about getting back up. I survived a tornado, I lost a beloved daughter, I endured years of hard physical labor, and I experienced the uncertainties of frontier life. But in each of these trials, I found that I had reserves of strength I did not know I possessed.

Third, that love—true, abiding love—is the foundation of everything. Your grandfather's steady love for me, and mine for him, sustained us through all the changes. We built a marriage, not just a household, and that marriage was strong enough to weather any storm.

Fourth, that work is not a curse but a gift. Whether it was managing a household, raising children, or supporting your grandfather's various enterprises, the work gave my life structure and meaning. We were not idle people, and I believe that our industry was part of what allowed us to survive and even thrive.

Finally, Lyle, understand that the choices we make ripple forward into the future. Your grandfather and I chose to move west, to build, to persevere. Because of those choices, you exist. Because of those choices, you have a family that is rooted in this land, in California, with resources and connections that might not have been available had we remained in Pennsylvania.

A Final Word

I am aware, my dear grandson, though perhaps you are not, that my time in this world is drawing to a close. I am not afraid. I have lived a full life. I have loved deeply and been loved in return. I have known hardship and joy, loss and gain. I have walked across continents and through seasons. I have buried a child and celebrated a golden anniversary. I have become a mother and a grandmother.

If there is one thing I want you to remember about my life, it is this: that an ordinary woman—a girl from Pennsylvania with nine siblings and a modest education—can accomplish extraordinary things if she is willing to work, to endure, and to love. You have your grandfather's steady determination and your father's kindness. Never underestimate what you are capable of achieving.

The world is changing rapidly, Lyle. When I was your age, we had no railroads like you do now, no telegraph, no automobiles. By the time you are my age, I cannot imagine what wonders will exist. But I hope that whatever changes come, you will remember your grandparents' story. Remember that we built something. Remember that we persevered. Remember that we loved each other and loved you.

Live well, my dear grandson. Live boldly. Dream big dreams. And never forget where you come from.

Your loving grandmother, Rebecca Carringer

San Diego, California, November 1901

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The Video Overview of Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer's life memoir, created by the Google Gemini Notebook AI tool, is on my YouTube channel, and below:   

This is historical fiction, based on my own genealogical research and family records. It is what Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer might have told her grandson in 1901.  

I edited the Claude memoir text to correct minor inconsistencies and errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and inspiring, creating engaging text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail when requested.

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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/09/life-memoir-of-rebecca-spangler.html

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Please note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Stan, Scott and Randy Seaver on Graduation Day in June 1958 -- (Not So) Wordless Wednesday #933

This is a priceless (to me) image in my computer file folders from the Seaver family collection:


This photograph was take in June 1958 on the occasion of my graduation from Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in San Diego, California.  It was taken on the patio between 2114 Fern Street and the wall to the south, which was our main playground in the 1950s and early 1960s.  

The three males in the photograph, from the left, are:

*  Stanley Richmond Seaver, my brother, age 11 at the time. He graduated from Brooklyn Elementary School the same year.

*  Scott Frederick Seaver, age 2 at the time, my youngest brother.

*  Randall Jeffrey Seaver, age 14 at the time.  

This scene is part of my family history!!

NOTE:  I used the MyHeritage photo tools to sharpen and colorize this image.

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Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.    I moderate all comments and they may not appear immediately - please write only one comment.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Genealogy News Bytes -- Week of 9 to 15 September 2026

  Welcome to Genealogy News Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news  items that came across our desktop since the last issue.    


1)  Genealogy Research and Family History News Articles:








2)  DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy

3)  Genealogy Book/Magazine Notices and Reviews:





*  The Linden and the Oak by Mark Wansa: Book Review [Empty Branches on the Family Tree]

4)  Genealogy Software/Mobile Apps



5)  New or Updated Genealogy Digital Record Collections:









6)  Did you miss the last post in this series?  See Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 2 to 8 September 2026.


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Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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CraftedMemories - "After the Search: Turning Family History Into Something You Can Hold" - A Guest Post

 I recently received this information from Amar at  CraftedMemories, and he wrote this guest post..

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After the Search: Turning Family History Into Something You Can Hold
by Amar Charkraborty

Anyone who has spent real time on genealogy knows the feeling. You track down a great-grandmother's wedding portrait in a cousin's attic. You finally match a face to a name that's existed only as an entry on a census record for years. You scan a stack of photos before they fade any further, or before the last person who could identify the faces in them is gone.

And then — what happens to all of it?

For most of us, the honest answer is: not much. The photos end up back in a folder on a hard drive, or scattered across a phone, alongside a thousand other pictures of everyday life. The research that took months or years to piece together rarely gets a home that matches the effort that went into finding it.

I make photo albums for a living, and the question I think about most isn't really about photography — it's about permanence. A digital archive is safer than a shoebox in some ways, and far more vulnerable in others. Files get orphaned on old devices. Cloud accounts get forgotten. A physical album, made well, doesn't need a password or a working device to be understood. A grandchild can pull it off a shelf in fifty years and hold the same pages their grandparent held.

That's really what separates a "photo book" from an heirloom, and it comes down to a few unglamorous but important choices: paper that won't yellow or degrade, binding that lies fully flat so a two-page spread isn't swallowed by a spine, and printing that's actually archival rather than optimized for cheap and fast. None of that shows up in a thumbnail online. All of it shows up when someone opens the cover thirty years from now.

I don't think every research project needs to end in a printed album — plenty of genealogists are perfectly happy keeping everything digital, and that's a completely reasonable choice. But for the photos and documents that matter most — the ones somebody spent real years chasing down — I'd gently make the case that they deserve a form that outlasts whatever device currently holds them.

If you've recently finished a research project, or found a photo that changed what you knew about your family, I'd genuinely love to hear about it. And if you're ever curious about what goes into making an album that's actually built to last, you're welcome to take a look at what I do at CraftedMemories (craftedmemories.us).

                             =========================================

I was contacted by Amar Chakraborty, who is the creator of CraftedMemories.us, recently and I  offered to publish a guest post about it.  

 I welcome Guest Posts on Genealogy and Family History topics.  

Disclosure: I received no remuneration to publish this blog post or to use and describe this product.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/09/craftedmemories-after-search-turning.html

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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