Daily Ancestor: Free Genealogy Lessons, Record Guides, and Tools

Recently, DiAnn Iamarino Ohama, author of Fortify Your Family Tree, posted about a new website, DailyAncestor.com (launched in October 2026) in her post "Free Website Makes You a Genealogy Genius." I'm not going to cover all of the same details as her post. It is well worth the read, and I encourage you to check it out for another impression of this new site. 

DailyAncestor.com is an educational website, offering up a daily record to decipher. These "bite-sized" lessons help you learn quickly without a big time commitment. But there is so much more to the site! To encourage your learning adventure and to track your accomplishments, you can click on "My File" from any page. While no account is required and there are no fees to use the site (yes, it really is free!), the sign-in page offers an email option for tracking your progress across multiple devices. If you wish to pursue this as a learning opportunity, there are goals and seals (virtual trophies) you can earn by completing activities. If you choose to use the site only as a guest, you can still participate in learning streaks, but when you clear your cookies and cache it will reset your streak to 0. (I tested this.) And of course, participating in the games is not required. You can absolutely use the site as a reference only. They have a search button at the top of every page to quickly locate information you may be looking for.

Daily Ancestor uses primarily real publicly available records. They are not using records from subscription sites. Each record is properly cited. They also mention some lessons may contain made-up examples in the style of the period. These are clearly noted as "Examples." They also disclose they use AI to help generate content. According to their ‘How we make it’ page, the content undergoes an automatic check and a separate fact check. If you find an error, you're encouraged to let the site creators know. They do not accept research requests and do not maintain research databases. This is a site for users to learn and find information to help them make the most of records encountered in personal research.

I spent some time poking around at Daily Ancestor, and I couldn't help but ask myself "Where does this site fit in my Genealogy Toolbox? It's clearly a site I'll want to refer back to!" Ultimately, I decided to include it under more than one section:

• Articles, Tips/Tricks, Guides, Webinars, Video
• Burials/Cemeteries
• Glossaries, Dictionaries and Abbreviations
• Handwriting

This isn't to say the site doesn't have a lot of other information. It absolutely does! Prominently, on the main page, the site curators have included this description:

Read the records your ancestors left behind...Old handwriting, census shorthand, gravestones, forgotten jobs and diseases. A real record to decode every day, a dictionary for every strange word, and quick games that make it stick.

The main page highlights the 7 main sections of the site. Each section is indicated by a tab (just like tabs in a notebook). My favorite tab sections are:

II Words (on the main page this is called Dictionary): Includes: Abbreviations, Old occupations, Old causes of death, Latin in records, Legal and land terms, Relationship words, Dates and calendars, Census words, Immigration and naturalization, Military records, Church records, Poor relief and institutions, Money and measures, Old nicknames, Gravestone symbols, Words from several other languages in old records (German, Swedish, Polish, Italian, Norwegian, and French)

III Records: Includes: guides to every U.S. federal census from 1790 to 1950, and pretty much any other kind of record you may encounter. There are simply too many categories to list. In addition to record types, there is also a state-by-state list of potential records for a given area (including time frames), and a few helpful tips like how to date old photos, identifying a woman's maiden name, and reading old gravestones.

V Writing (on the main page this is called Old Handwriting): 12 lessons to help you learn to read old handwriting more effectively.

VII Tools: This page can help you create a research plan for an ancestor using some basic details you input. Also included are a cousin calculator, birthdate from gravestone age, birth year from census age, generation calculator, what a dollar was worth in a previous time, naming patterns, Soundex code, old style to new style dates, day of the week calculator, Latin dates and numbers, and printable forms.

As you can tell, there's a lot of information on DailyAncestor.com. From learning to tools, it's a great new resource for family historians. This site definitely earns a spot in my Genealogy Toolbox. Check the site out, poke around, decipher the record for today—and let me know what you think of this new resource!

Image is a small snip from the homepage of DailyAncestor.com

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.

Apple Cider with a Bite: A Family Tradition Across Generations

One family tradition stands out from the rest for me—fresh apple cider. Almost every fall, only after the first frost, I still make a special trip to find the cider required for this tradition.

You might wonder why I'd go through such effort when cider is readily available at the grocery store? Allow me to take you back to my childhood...

Every fall, after the first frost, my dad would take me out to a farm not too far from where we lived. Two brothers ran the small family farm, and had an old wooden stand where folks could stop and buy farm-fresh produce and, only in the fall, fresh-pressed apple cider. When I was a child, the brothers seemed so...old. If I had to guess, they were probably in their late 60s or early 70s at the time. I imagined they'd lived on the farm forever, and it must have been just like the one my daddy grew up on. As a child, I understood the cider was pressed from fallen apples. This could mean there were worms or spots starting to go bad. It never bothered me, though—I just assumed it added to the flavor. 

Every year, we'd buy 2 gallons of cider. As soon as we arrived home, I was allowed to have one small glass (a little 4-ounce juice glass) of sweet cider. I didn't know it then, but the first little glass I had created headspace for the fermentation process. And then, the remaining cider was off limits, allowed to sit quietly on the counter until it had "turned" and had just the right bite. Every evening, I'd go in with my father and we'd loosen the cap on each gallon. We'd listen patiently, day after day, until we'd start to hear a magic little fizz. Over the next couple of days, the hiss would increase in volume and length, and bubbles would form on the top of the cloudy brown liquid. We'd pour out just a small sip each night to test it out. As a child, I didn't know how or why the cider did this. I only knew it was the most important step.

After several days, the cider would make a nice long hiss and it would have a perfect bite to it. In all actuality, the cider was fermenting. But of course, I was far too young to understand. But I did understand it was something we didn't rush. The cider had to be just perfect before we drank it. To be clear, my father didn't drink alcohol. We weren't setting out to make an alcoholic beverage—we were after that particular bite. Fermentation does produce alcohol, though, and I don't know how much our cider contained.

Once it reached the right bite, we'd put it in the refrigerator to slow any further fermentation. We'd enjoy a small 4-ounce glass each evening for many days...until we ran out. The last glasses were always bittersweet. Not in flavor, but emotion. There was something special about this tradition with my father. Something connecting me to his past on the farm. And I imagine it reminded him of his childhood and family traditions. The love of cider with a bite didn't materialize out of nowhere—it was passed down for at least a few generations, maybe more. Interestingly, I don't recall my mother ever drinking any with us. I guess she never learned to appreciate the somewhat unique taste.

If the cider sat in the refrigerator too long, I was told it turned into "Old Grandad". Truth be told, Old Grandad is a type of bourbon whiskey, and it has nothing to do with apples. But to my young mind, it was something we didn't want to happen. I did sneak a taste one time when some had been in the fridge a little too long. It wasn't the dry wine flavor you'd expect from extended fermentation. It was more like apple cider vinegar. I understood then the goal was a nice sharp bite while still retaining the fruity flavor. And interestingly, I've never been a fan of commercial hard cider. It in no way resembles the cider I grew up on.

This tradition is one my father and I both passed along to my son. Sweet cider and hot cider both seem "wrong" to us. There's something special about getting the bite just right. For many years, I'd venture to the Amish market every fall. At the time, their cider was raw cider and the most likely to turn with little extra effort, but it also carried a greater risk of containing illness-causing bacteria. But there's an orchard not too terribly far away. For safety, they do pasteurize, but they don't add any preservatives and it is possible to coax it into turning. And I can buy it at a few small stores near my home. 

Last year, my cider didn't turn as well as I'd have liked from just sitting on the counter. This year I'm going to experiment to see if I can recreate the magic of the farm and bring back the warm memories of my most favorite family tradition. Do you have a favorite family tradition? I'd love to know what brings back your fondest memories.

Image by Veronica Bosley from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.

Testing MyHeritage GAIA: Can AI Help With My Genealogy Brick Wall?

On October 21st, I received an email from MyHeritage introducing GAIA. GAIA is an AI-powered research agent. The email included the following:

"GAIA plans and executes family history research tasks with the accuracy and thoroughness of a professional genealogist. By asking targeted questions, searching records across MyHeritage and external databases, and cross-referencing every detail, GAIA breaks through your toughest brick walls and delivers high-confidence leads."

The email indicated I could engage in a limited number of conversations free to check it out. They've also introduced a new OmniAI subscription plan, with expanded use of GAIA, but I've been unable to find a cost for this plan. Based on James Tanner's post Introducing GAIA -- A Real AI Research Agent from MyHeritage on Genealogy's Star, it appears some existing plans do include limited access to GAIA. After my one sample test described below, the usage indicator showed 61% of my GAIA allowance used. I have the existing Omni plan.

All my internet searches return the standard existing Omni plan pricing. Personally, I'm not prepared to upgrade anyway. MyHeritage is a resource I use occasionally, not frequently. I already struggle to justify the cost of the Omni plan, given my sporadic use of the site.

Although dubious, I headed over to try it out. I've tried other AI-based genealogy searches with ChatGPT, and while the results might be useful for a new family historian, and they may have provided solid research guidance, they weren't terribly enlightening for my personal brick walls. As you likely know, I've been searching for Abijah LeRoy for more than a decade. It was a great way to try GAIA, so I prompted with:

"I have been looking for Abijah LeRoy (possibly LeCroy) who lived in Georgia. He was married to Nancy (Williams) LeRoy, and had several children born between 1839 and 1847. I have found census records for his wife and children, but nothing for him at all. Abijah is the name noted on his son John Robert LeRoy's death certificate in 1927, but it may be a nickname of some sort. I have seen records for a Thomas LeCroy but nothing sufficient to be sure it's the same person. He may have lived in Habersham or Whitfield Georgia. I also found a lawsuit where Nancy claimed a Thomas LeCroy owed her money, but it would be odd for it to be her husband. Looking for anything to help properly identify the name of her husband and find more about him."

While GAIA was happy to confirm details I already knew, and to agree with my reasoning on names I didn't find viable, it didn't produce any significant new information. It provided most of the same detail I already knew, and resources I've already checked. I did give it a quick go checking for probate records in Habersham County, Georgia, since it suggested it might be a next step—but it found nothing. I made one last attempt by following the suggestion to look at the 1840 and 1850 censuses (although I already know 1850 does not show him with his family). GAIA found other census records for Nancy (information I already have) but didn't find anything on Abijah. It did provide seemingly useful next steps—if I hadn't already done those available to me online. Certainly there may be more offline research I could engage in, but AI or no AI, I'm likely not going to do it anytime soon. 

I do want to point out, if records aren't available online, an AI agent searching online won't be able to retrieve them on its own. The absence of new information does not necessarily indicate GAIA (or any AI model) didn't do a thorough search and review. None of us can magically make missing or inaccessible records appear. We can follow the best-laid research plan and still come up with nothing. There are so many reasons a person may not appear in records. As frustrating as this may be, not every person will be found, and not every detail will be known.

For my personal, very brief test of GAIA, I think it could be useful for those who prefer more personalized direction, but for me, it's not returning compelling enough results. So, this is where I stopped my test. I think it did a fine job of suggesting research avenues, even though it didn't produce a new lead. The issue is—not all research dilemmas can be overcome by searching online. On the positive side, the interaction felt "friendly" (or as friendly as a computer to human conversation can be). It did provide solid options for research suggestions, and it did try to do the research if I asked it to. For some users, I suspect it would be a nice complement to traditional research. It simply isn't for me.

One benefit may be the ability to search within MyHeritage records. General-purpose AI tools may not have direct access to subscription genealogy records. Many genealogy records are behind paywalls, limiting the AI responses. GAIA may break through part of this barrier for MyHeritage users. MyHeritage has long been at the forefront with AI photo editing tools. And they don't seem to be slowing down with the introduction of GAIA for AI research. Other sites will most likely follow suit, but when and how will depend on their own agendas. I truly believe AI has many uses within genealogy, and as it evolves it may very well become a staple product for family historians. But until far more record sets are made readily available, those "A ha!!" moments will likely still come primarily from personal research. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.