GGT 006 Using Pinterest for Genealogy & Family History

Genealogy Girl Talks Podcast Episode 006 - How to Use Pinterest for your Family History Research and Genealogy

Welcome to this episode of Genealogy Girl Talks. My name is Melissa from genealogygirltalks.com and I am here to teach you how to get started in your own family history and genealogy.  I offer tips, tricks, and advice that I've learned on this 20+ year journey and I am delighted that you are joining me.

On this episode of Genealogy Girl Talks I would like to share with you some tips, tricks, and ideas on using Pinterest for your family history and genealogy.

Have you ever considered using Pinterest for your family genealogy and family history research? I started using Pinterest a little while ago and I absolutely love it! Its a great way for me to organize family photographs, documents, and other interesting bits of information that I've found around the internet. PLUS, as an added bonus, the link to the document, family photograph, biography, cemetery,  and all that information is provided once you pin it and you can easily share that with family and friends.

Want to learn more about Pinterest for you family genealogy and family history research? Are you interested in using Pinterest to build your family tree?

In this episode I will cover the benefits of using Pinterest for Genealogy, creative ways I have seen other people use Pinterest for their family research, and advice on using a template for those documents and images you do not personally own (copyright information).

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Creative ways to use Pinterest for Genealogy

Creative ways to use Pinterest for Genealogy & Family History  
I have been a member of Pinterest for a while. Just like you, I've pinned recipes, quotes, inspiration, information on medical conditions, exercise, health, and so much more. It never occurred to me that Pinterest is a great tool for Family History and building my Family Tree. 

I love to search Pinterest for genealogy related pins. I've found inspiring craft and DIY ideas for displaying family photographs, printable family trees, resources for researching my ancestors, and a lot of ideas on my next projects. I have also seen a lot of amazing and creative ways people are organizing their boards - some have even brought tears to my eyes.

I want to share these creative ideas with you and inspire you to create your own family history and genealogy boards on Pinterest. 

MEMORIAL BOARDS. These boards have brought tears to my eyes. I've seen these types of boards titled "Things my Father loved", "Places Mom visited", "Grandma's Garden". I've spent a lot of time looking through these boards, of complete strangers, but felt connected in some way. Memorial Boards are a beautiful way to create a Memorial for your family member or ancestor. 

PLACES BOARDS. These boards reflect places your ancestors lived in or came from. My family came from Germany, Scotland, England, and Ireland. It would be a great idea to build a board on Pinterest filled with pictures and links to the towns, cities, countries, and landmarks that your family came from. If you are like me, you may never travel to these countries, but now you can, through images and pictures. 

OBJECTS, DRESS, WAYS OF LIVING. What a wonderful way to portray your family heritage! Create a board based on the occupations of your ancestors. Were they farmers, coal miners, or bankers? What types of tools and machinery did they use? Another idea is to create a board with pins related to the dress and apparel of your ancestors. There are beautiful images of clothing from the 1800's available. 


Below you will find an example of a Family History Board I created for one branch of my family. I located numerous photographs online, uploaded family photographs, and more. This board is still in the beginning stage, but it may give you some ideas on using Pinterest for YOUR family genealogy research. Check it out:

Follow Genealogy Girl Talks's board Fraysier (Frazier) Family Genealogy on Pinterest.



How have you used Pinterest for your family's genealogy?



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GGT 005 BONUS VIDEO Genealogy Search: Draft Registration Cards

A lot of information about ancestors can be found when researching World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) US Draft Registration Cards. These cards, when you find one, can help you learn the occupation, height, build, eye color, hair color, and nearest living relative of your ancestor. Personally, I love finding these and seeing the physical characteristics of my family members. It amazes me how genetics work and the fact that 100 years later these physical characteristics are still prevalent in my family.

Do you wonder where your tall stature and slender build came from? Or where you inherited your grayish blue eyes from? Check out your family's US Draft Registration Cards. 

I created a short video of how to search your family's US Draft Registration cards from World War I and World War II for FREE using the familysearch.org website! 

You can view that video here:





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GGT 004 - Getting Started in Genealogy & Family History (Genealogy Girl Talks)

Getting Started in Genealogy & Family History Podcast Episode 004
On this episode of Genealogy Girl Talks I share with you 3 Simple Steps to Getting Started in Genealogy and Family History.

1. Choose a place to organize your information. This can be a website, online database, app, or your own family binder.

2. Start adding your family history and information about your ancestors. Remember to start with yourself and work backwards.

3. The first records to search are vital records. These include Marriage, Birth, and Death records.  In the show I recommend a website to search for your West Virginia and Virginia ancestors. You can find that link here. Also, I have a previous article on ways to navigate and search the website. That can be found here.

You can listen here:



Thank you for listening to this episode of Genealogy Girl Talks. If you enjoyed this episode of Genealogy Girl Talks, head over to genealogygirltalks.com and buy me a cup of coffee, sign up for our Newsletter, and say hello!



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How to use Pinterest for Genealogy

How to use Pinterest for Genealogy and Family History

Have you ever considered using Pinterest for your Genealogy and family history research? I started using Pinterest for my family's genealogy and I love it! It's a great way to organize the family photographs and documents found around the internet. Plus, as an added bonus, the link to the document and family photo is provided and you can easily share with family! There's no need to save old family photos to your computer (and forgetting the source). And there is no more taking other people's photographs and posting them as your own. Now, with the assistance of Pinterest, you can simply share them through a "pin."

Come join the Genealogy Photo A Day on Instagram!

Want to learn more about using Pinterest for your family genealogy and how it can help you with your family tree?

I like to think of Pinterest as an online image search engine. It's a lot like Google, Bing, and Yahoo but with a twist. Once you type in your search words your results are displayed as images and pictures. This can be very helpful for those who do family genealogy. Imagine the surprise when your ancestor's picture shows up and it's a photo you've never seen before! Plus, there is a link attached and you can click to see both the photo and the website where that picture is stored.

Pinterest provides many benefits for family genealogy. 

1. Pinterest gives you a place to organize your information. 
This information is placed onto what Pinterest calls boards. Boards can be as broad (or as specific) as you prefer. You create them and decide how to organize them.

2. Pinterest allows you to connect with family members you may have never  known.
Other people can find your boards and pins (images) through the Pinterest search button.

3. Pinterest also allows you to organize and save the pictures and documents you find online.
You simply pin them to your boards and the link is saved along with them image. 




Now available on Amazon!
10 Tips for Using Pinterest for Genealogy
by Genealogy Girl Talks





Check out our related posts about using Pinterest for Genealogy here!


Check out our new 30 Day Genealogy Pinterest Challenge! It starts in November 2014! Be sure to join us for all the fun!


I'm joining the 30 Day Genealogy Pinterest Challenge by Genealogy Girl Talks! Click the pin to learn more! Pin it to join!





Shop Red Heart, America's Favorite Yarn

Shop Red Heart, America's Favorite Yarn

Getting Started in Family History Genealogy Research

3 Steps to Getting Started in Genealogy
Many people ask me where to start with their family genealogy. I become almost giddy at the thought of what they will find and the stories they will learn from their family. I'm sure my excitement pours into them!

There are a few keys areas to consider on this journey of family genealogy. There are a few tips to implement in the beginning as well. These will ensure you create a firm foundation for your family history. You will thank yourself later that you built your journey on a firm foundation.  

GGT 003 - 5 Things I've Learned doing Genealogy and Family History

My parents and I work on our family genealogy and research. It is amazing to me how many twists and turns that we have encountered along the way. It seems as though each time we unravel one branch we encounter a new twists. This is the very thing that makes this journey so intriguing and FUN to me!

Along the way I have learned a few things about researching genealogy:

Don’t assume what you have heard or been told is the truth.
Expect the unexpected.
Only document what you can prove.
Have a buddy who helps and is equally interested.
Dig deeper - you will find more information.


This episode of Genealogy Girl Talks is sponsored by The Chocolate Meter app located in the App Store. Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn doing normal household activities like making beds or carrying groceries? What if those calories were converted to CHOCOLATE? Check out the Chocolate Meter app today!


5 Things I've Learned doing genealogy and family research