Join host Andrew Koch in an interview with Jonny Perl, founder of DNA Painter, who shares tips for using this popular genetic genealogy platform to more deeply analyze your DNA test results.

Feature: DNA Painter and Genetic Genealogy

The major testing companies each provide tools that analyze your results and provide insight into how you’re related to matches. But you can get even more out of your DNA by turning to specialized third-party platforms.

One of the most-popular is DNA Painter, which specializes in chromosome-mapping, identifying family clusters, and investigating family mysteries. In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, the site’s founder Jonny Perl provides expert guidance to the tools he’s created and what they can do for users.

Mentioned in this episode:

• An introduction to DNA Painter and how it can help genealogists
• How to get started on the site—including with a new page for beginner users
• Overviews of useful tools, including the Shared cM Project and “What are the Odds?” (WATO)
• The latest trends in DNA and genetic genealogy: clustering tools, deeper analysis, and possible AI enhancements
• A Facebook group for DNA Painter users
• New site features that are still in development

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

RootsTech is a large, multi-day genealogy conference that takes place annually in Salt Lake City, Utah. But not being able to make the trip doesn’t mean you have to miss out on excellent talks, groundbreaking news, and more. Andrew Koch explores the RootsTech website in this episode of Best Websites.

RootsTech 2026 was a hit! But even if you couldn’t attend in-person, you can enjoy a good number of talks simply by navigating the RootsTech website (https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/).

Covered in this episode:

• Viewing Presentations and Features
• Engaging with the Community
• Resources

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch speaks with Daniel Loftus (Irish genealogist and founder of Project Infant) about the upcoming release of the 1926 census of Ireland.

Taken just after Irish independence, the census provides a snapshot of a young country and the people living in it.
Mentioned in this episode:

• When Irish censuses were taken and what records survive today
• How Irish censuses can help your research
• Where to search the 1926 census (as well as the 1901 and 1911 censuses) for free
• What genealogy details you’ll find in the 1926 census [link to Daniel’s article]
• Behind-the-scenes looks at census digitization and indexing

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

In this episode, Andrew Koch interviews Geoffrey Stern, the Founder and CEO of VoiceGift.

Find your voice at www.voice.gift

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of Best Websites, Andrew Koch walks listeners through FreeBMD, a free online index that houses over 300 million UK birth, marriage and death records.

FreeBMD offers exactly what its name suggests: A vast array of birth, marriage and death records for the United Kingdom and Wales. Andrew Koch offers a detailed tour of the website, highlighting its features and benefits and how the website can be used for genealogy research. He also offers tips for navigating the website.

Resources mentions in this episode:

FreeBMD

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch speaks with David Fryxell about how genealogists can optimize their searches for the best results as they seek out information about their ancestors.

Feature: Online Search Strategies for Genealogists

Finding the information you need as a genealogist can be tricky, especially when it comes to searching online. Sometimes you just need a couple of tricks to get search engines to yield the results you seek. In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, David Fryxell provides some of those tricks.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Evolution of Searching as a Genealogists
• Boolean Search and Wildcards: What They are and How to Make Use of Them
• Transcriptions and Their Challenges
• The Impact of AI on Genealogy Searches
• Modern Versus Traditional Genealogy Skills
• Exploring Genealogy Resources and Tools

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

In this episode, Andrew Koch interviews Geoffrey Stern, the Founder and CEO of VoiceGift.

Find your voice at www.voice.gift

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of Best Websites, Andrew Koch interviews DNA expert Diahan Southard to learn more about the latest news from AncestryDNA.

Feature: The Latest Updates to AncestryDNA

AncestryDNA has recently made some major updates to its ethnicity updates! In this interview, Diahan Southard tells us genealogists what they can expect as they explore their DNA test results and uncover more about their heritage.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• AncestryDNA’s release of 60 new regions (resulting in most customers receiving updates to their results), plus the introduction of macro-regions
• The difference between “Regions” (AncestryDNA’s ethnicity estimates) and “Journeys” (an analysis of community migrations)
• Diahan’s new articles on AncestryDNA Journeys and why you should revisit DNA results
• Updates from other DNA testing companies
• Tips for navigating confusing ethnicity results

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

Find your voice at www.voice.gift

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, Andrew Koch talks to Rick Crume about the exciting features offered in Family Tree Maker 2024.

Feature: Family Tree Maker 2024

Family Tree Maker 2024 is here! Rick Crume (Family Tree Magazine contributing editor and founder of Inside Genealogy) and Andrew Koch talk about the many features this program offers compared to earlier versions of the program and how genealogists can benefit from them.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• The Many Unique Features of Family Tree Maker 2024
• Family Tree Maker’s Workspaces
• The Strengths and Limitations of Family Tree Maker 2024
• Other Genealogy Software Options
• New Direction for the Family Tree Magazine Podcast: New host, and a video version (Hear more in the December 2025 episode.)

Visit Our Sponsor:

VoiceGift

What if your family tree could speak? VoiceGift helps preserve the voices and stories that define your family — so they’re never lost to time.

Record memories from parents and grandparents… and link them to photos, albums, and heirlooms. Inspired by museum audio guides and designed to last, VoiceGift PLAY is an audio time capsule — for generations.

Find your voice at www.voice.gift

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Your Host

Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.

In this episode of Best Websites, genealogist Caitlin Hollander Waas talks with Lisa about Jewish genealogy and the tools at JewishGen that can help with the process.

Best Genealogy Websites: JewishGen.org

In this episode, Lisa Louise Cooke welcomes Caitlin Hollander Waas, the chief genealogist at JewishGen.org, to the podcast. They discuss the intricacies of researching Jewish ancestry and the invaluable tools and resources available at JewishGen.

Guest: Caitlin Hollander Waas, Chief Genealogist at JewishGenVisit the website:https://jewishgen.com/

Stay in the Know

Sign up now for our FREE daily newsletter and get:

• Expert tips and tricks to accelerate your research
• In-depth articles on a variety of genealogical topics
• Exclusive offers on new tools and resources

Plus, find Family Tree Magazine on your favorite social channels!

Listen to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems podcast available at her website and all major podcasting services, or download the Genealogy Gems Podcast app.