I became a genealogist completely by accident. In my latest YouTube video, I share my story and reflect on why people get hooked on genealogy. I’d also love to hear your story: what first pulled you into family history research? You can watch the video here: youtu.be/m-AR6vlyE1s #GenHour

Hi #GenHour, how has your week been? I'm excited to release my next YouTube video tomorrow. It'll be about how I got started with #genealogy. The video is narrative-driven and should appeal to a wide audience. I hope it leads to a broader discussion about what draws people into genealogy.

What a sunrise this morning!

Hi #GenHour, my latest YouTube video has "broken out" with over 28,000 views! I feel so grateful that it has reached a wider audience. #YDNA

Hi #GenHour, how is everyone? I'm having some serious #RootsTech FOMO, but I am attending sessions online. Hopefully I'll be able to attend in person one day. There are lots of great #genealogy deals. Check them out at the RootsTech Expo Hall site here: www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech...

My video is now LIVE! Check it out here: youtu.be/muNhfxECZvk The Cohen oral tradition spans 3,000 years of paternal line descent dating back to Biblical times. But what does science have to say? Does this claim hold up when put to the test? 1/2

Hi #GenHour, I'm excited to release my next YouTube video tomorrow. It's my longest scripted video yet at over 45 minutes! The video is about applied Y-DNA research. I'll be talking about a new study that investigated a supposed 3,000 year oral tradition of paternal line descent. It's fascinating!

Hi #GenHour, I was on vacation last week enjoying some warmer weather. I've come back refreshed and ready to tackle more #genealogy projects. 1/2

Lots of ice on the Hudson River this morning!

Hi #GenHour, I have to share an incredible story that took place in recent weeks. My MIL was visiting my home and invited a DNA match in her 80s who lives close to my town to come over. We didn't know exactly how this match connected but she was a significant match, around the 2C or 3C level. 1/6

Hi #GenHour, it's been a little while since I last posted. How is your research going? A few days ago I got a message from a cousin asking if I can help research her husband's family for a fee. It's the first time I've been asked to research for pay, and I think I'd like to take the job! 1/3

A frigid morning in New York City following the Sunday snowstorm. Ice is starting to build up on the eastern side of the Hudson River.

A frigid sunrise. It's the coldest day of the winter so far with highs around 20°F.

Hi #GenHour, I haven't had much time for genealogy research this week as I prepare for a business trip next week. I'm happy that I finally had success with one of my Y-DNA YouTube videos. Views of the video have since moderated, but it did bring a lot of visibility to my channel.

Hi #GenHour, Happy New Year! In the past week I've published two new YouTube videos: 1. The Future of Y-DNA Testing: youtu.be/Vgea7IPT2F0 2. Top 5 Genetic Genealogy Stories of 2025: youtu.be/KcJdEezEzfI The first video has taken off and now has over 2,500 views!

Today is the 7th day this month where Fairbanks, AK, has dropped to -35F or lower. Only 1 December since 1982 had more days (12 in 2012). @alaskawx.bsky.social

My video is live! Check it out here: youtu.be/fJYsuwl1jHo #GenHour

Hi #GenHour, how has everyone's week been? I am nearing the conclusion of my Y-DNA video series. The penultimate episode will be out tomorrow and it's about a topic that is near and dear to me: Y-DNA Targeted Testing. 1/4

New York City sunrise this morning

These people are nuts. NCAR developed the GPS dropsonde, which revolutionized the understanding of TC structure, improved forecasts, and validated remote sensing platforms, as documented in over 400 peer-reviewed publications in the last 25 years. And that’s just one of NCAR’s countless advances.

My latest video in the "Decoding Your Y-DNA" series is now out! It's all about the FamilyTreeDNA Discover Tool. Check it out here: youtu.be/-zhScYk-Zyk #geneticgenealogy #YDNA

Fascinating work by Lipson, Skorecki et al, finally fully resolving the Y lineages of Jewish priests (Cohanim) using whole-Y sequencing. Main finding: 45% of Jewish Cohanim (from all Jewish diasporas) have the same Y lineage, with origin ~3000 years ago, around the time of formation of Judaism.

There have been some beautiful views of Manhattan the past couple days!

Anyone notice that Ancestry has a year-end "wrapped" now too? Turns out I've looked at a couple records through the year (though I feel like this was a slow year for my Ancestry use) #Genealogy

Hi #GenHour, I am excited about this pre-print of a remarkable Y-DNA paper about Cohanim lineages that came out this week. I am proud to know several of the authors. This paper is a huge advancement from the earlier papers on the subject. You can read it here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Hi #GenHour, I'm sorry I haven't been able to post the past few weeks. I've been busy. I have been working hard on completing my set of Y-DNA videos and will be posting my next one tomorrow. I have three more videos that I plan to publish this month, and they will be longer (15-30 mins each). 1/3

Our 'Giving Tuesday' Gift to YOU: The New York State Death Index, 1880-2017 After YEARS of fighting with the state of New York, we just put it all online -- and there might even be some more data to come! Read all about it in our latest newsletter issue: mailchi.mp/reclaimthere...

I highly recommend people watch @helenpdrabble.bsky.social's video about her new book "Yet", a story about her father's resilience following a diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis as a child.

I just posted my first YouTube Shorts video, summarizing some of the best Black Friday #genealogy deals that are live. This took me some time to put together, but hopefully it'll be quicker in the future! You can view the video here: youtube.com/shorts/NpHnv...

Lovely view this afternoon

Hi #GenHour, it looks like a lot of the genealogy websites have gone live with their Black Friday deals. Ancestry and MyHeritage kits are currently only $29. And there are some great deals on genealogy subscriptions on Ancestry and FindMyPast. Will you be taking advantage of any deals?

If you are an Ancestry user, keep an eye on the Search menu options. Some users have Full Text Search, in time hopefully that will roll out to all. Could be very useful not just for #FamilyHistory but also for #OnePlaceStudies! #Genealogy #AncestryHour #GenHour

Hello #GenHour, I am just landing back in New York following a work trip on the west coast. I had a great time. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time for #genealogy research this week.

Hi #GenHour, I spoke with my distant cousin in France on Sunday. It went really well! She is around my age and is really interested in her family history. I shared with her information about our family history, which stretches back 500 years. Our video call lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours! 1/2

Beautiful views of New York City this morning following the passage of a cold front overnight

#GenHour #Genealogy #GermanAmericans New find from full-text search on FamilySearch: The naturalization documents of my 3rd great-grandfather John Arnold, who settled in Buffalo, NY. U.S. citizenship was pretty easy to get in the 1850s, not like today.

And I posted this an hour too early because I forgot that the UK already changed their clocks back! Oops, 😂 #GenHour

Hi #GenHour, I hope everyone has been having a good week! It's a stormy afternoon here in New York City. Perfect weather for settling in and doing some #genealogy research! 1/5

Alrighty, ready to see something really cool? (and maybe a little nauseating) The evolution of Hurricane Melissa's mesovortices at peak strength.

#Melissa's landfall intensity of 185 mph/892 mb ties it with the Florida Key's Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 as the record minimum pressure of any TC making landfall *anywhere* the NATL basin. I feel for the residents of #Jamaica 😞 Zoomed in G19 visible meso loop courtesy of @cyclonicwx.bsky.social

Not since 1935 has anyone experienced a storm like Melissa. Melissa's record wouldn't have happened without climate change, which made the hurricane's winds about 10 mph stronger, according to a rapid attribution analysis by Climate Central. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/cata...

Hurricane Melissa this morning up until landfall. Just incredible imagery of an historic storm.

Sunrise over New York City with Venus viewable too!

The monster eye at the center of a still strengthening Hurricane Melissa.

I am nearing the end of my "Decoding Your Y-DNA" series. The series is designed to help genealogists, DNA enthusiasts, and anyone curious about their family history understand the power of Y-DNA testing. You can view all 15 of the published videos here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Holy mackerel, what a dropsonde…. This explicitly supports Melissa being a 145-150 knot hurricane 😳

A jaw-dropping view of the sun setting on Hurricane Melissa tonight. Melissa continues its approach to Jamaica as a powerful, major hurricane.

It's getting tough to put into words how bad this looks for Jamaica. Here's my futile attempt this evening.

What's a #FOIA Appeal? What's some good language to use when you want to argue with the government about why they should be giving you the file you asked for, instead of some "genealogy letter"? We got you covered, fam. Check out our advice in our latest newsletter: mailchi.mp/reclaimthere...

🚨NEW blog post 🚨. I wrote some thoughts on the WGS Sequencing announcement from MyHeritage it's imaginatively titled "Some Thoughts on the Whole Genome Sequencing announcement from MyHeritage". I'd welcome any feedback. learnalittleeveryday.wordpress.com/2025/10/19/s... #GeneticGenealogy