Dana Leeds

Genealogy often involves solitary research, diving into the past with dedicated focus. What if you could enhance this journey with a tireless, brilliant assistant available to help you 24/7? Imagine a smart, intuitive companion by your side, eager to transcribe records, extract vital information, and even visualize your ancestral stories. Whether you're new to AI or already familiar with its capabilities, this talk is designed to highlight the incredible potential of AI in genealogy. From organizing vast amounts of data to offering creative research insights, AI is like a dedicated friend and employee, always ready to assist, teach, and inspire. Join us to discover how AI can transform your genealogical journey, making it more efficient, insightful, and collaborative.

Sometimes our ancestors seem to have appeared out of nowhere. That was the case with William Emmitt Hunter whose life before his 1910 Oklahoma marriage was basically unknown. One record—his application for a Social Security account number—provided self-reported information about his birth in North Carolina and his parents' names. But his alleged parents could not be found. Without DNA, this case would not have been solved. But DNA revealed that William was born as a Beddingfield, not a Hunter. Additional research identified his name at birth and traced him through multiple marriages, divorces, another alias, and indicated the possible reason why he changed his name and left behind his family and friends to start a new life in Oklahoma.

When you take an autosomal DNA test, you get a list of people who share DNA with you because you share common ancestors. The Leeds Method uses Shared Matching to create colorful groups of these matches. Each group is likely related to you through one part of your family, and many people get four groups based on their four grandparent lines. This method is based on DNA, not trees, so it is also often effective in cases of unknown parentage. This presentation will help you create a Leeds Method chart, understand your results, and use that chart to learn more about your family tree.