iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Loved using Claude to plat metes and bounds property #genealogy Gave this webinar genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/ai...

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Took some doing, but got AI to plat these properties from an 1831 deed. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Today's #genealogy tip of the day was a reminder about jumping to relationship conclusions.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The truck is not hauling this sign away. It's just the angle of the photo that makes it appear that way. Does your perspective impact how you view #genealogy information?

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Today's #genealogy tip of the day---think about what the records say versus what you want them to say. Actually that's a pretty political statement to be honest.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

#Genealogy problems arise with regularity, just like Old Faithful---which I saw in real time yesterday for the first time.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

It's our last full-day at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City--so caffeine is needed. All drinks must have a screw top lid and, right after this picture was taken, I put it back in a little pouch in my backpack which keeps it from tipping over...just in case. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

One has to track the people you've disproved as parents or whatever the case may be. This was to remind while working at the #familysearch Library today that Stephen was not James' father--reasoning is on reverse. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Long day at the #familysearch library yesterday. Ready for another day today! #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I like Notebook from Google. But it still gets things wrong. You HAVE to read and know the material you are having it use. It got some details wrong in this infographic regarding a Civil War soldier's confused places of death in his pension. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Ever just want to dump your #genealogy research and start over?

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

What's in your locker? Our dragon was spotted at the FamilySearch library in Salt Lake City. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Why is this even showing up in my Thrulines? On the left it suggests Mettje's father is an Ubbe G. Bruns. In the text on the right it says someone else. Do I get to pick which one? Shouldn't they at least match? #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Do you have a photograph of yourself that you almost just got rid of without digitizing? This suit.... #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Those pre-1880 US census records don't give relationship to head of household. There could be many different realistic scenarios...not just the ones shown here. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Went through all my parents' wedding cards from 1967. The number of people who did not sign their last name is significant. Fortunately I know who most of them are. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Love it when they "inscribe" the name in the item. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

1969 funeral hearse and ambulance service car seen in the wild of rural Indiana. Not certain what this has to do with #genealogy, but we do focus on funerals and cemeteries or so it seems.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Never thought about people being named "Centennial" being born in the US in 1876. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Unidentified photos are common in #genealogy. But ones of children, particularly those under one with no one else pictured, are particularly difficult to identify. Fortunately this one does not fall into that category.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Our most recent compilation of social media #genealogy posts. open.substack.com/pub/genealog...

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Saw this on a funeral home website last night. It's probably an attempt to reduce the chance of non-legit "obituary" sites copying the entire obituary and reposting it with different memorial, flower, and other links. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Those wrong spellings can be pronunciation clues. My g-gma--the mother on this birth certificate for my aunt--had the first name of Tjode. Had I not known how it was pronounced, this spelling of "Joda" would have been helpful because that's exactly what it sounds like. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

What item from a relative have you repurposed? I'm using this mug of my Mom's (with her cat's picture on it) to hold tea bags. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Wish more photographs had this stamp on the back...but people still had to fill it out.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

It's been suggested that the inscription on this stone has been "cleaned" by a harsh process. It is interesting to note that the "Our Mother" portion at the top appears to have aged much better than the rest of the stone. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

At least this old photo album with the "nasty sticky" only used it to fix the plastic sleeves to the album. The pictures came out of the sleeves, but they were falling out of the album itself. Threw away the photos of scenes only before digitizing. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Discovered a "new to me" stone in West Point, Illinois, for my uncle--buried in foliage. It's now on FindAGrave. Need to go back when I have my cemetery tools as this was discovered while putting flowers on relatives' graves and not a #genealogy visit.

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

After not being in the ground for two years (and being properly stored), I finally put out my great-aunt's irises in April. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

We'd always like an answer, but there's not always one. in 1923, 204 was the International Cause of Death Code code for "sudden death." We're not going to find out more than that--probably. Sometimes answers just cannot be found. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

I have bought this brand for years. The new version is awful. Does not cook up as well and is slimy. Time to change. It is NOT the same great taste. #barillapasta #Barilla

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I do think this is the mother of my ancestor because the picture looks like her? Why do people add photos like this? #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I think this ancestor's name was Jesus but the resurrections were a little delayed. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Stick with the actual name. Leave out the ??, the maybe, and the great-grandpa. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

What kind of mail is this? Always read the original, don't rely on the transcription. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Tombstones deteriorate and when that happens cleaning, good lighting, better angles, and the like won't matter--when it is gone, it is gone. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

No judgement against census takers...but sometimes. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Is the cause of death on this death certificate heat or heart Axhaustion? #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Always make certain your wildcard searches catch everything you need. #genealogy genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/20...

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

The transcriptions at Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc. are suggestions. They are not official in any sense of the word. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Anyone ever see a cover wrapper like this in a Union Civil War pension file? #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Today's #genealogy tip was a rewrite of one from a while back. You can sign up to get the tip daily at genealogytipoftheday.com/mailman/list...

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Gotta keep tabs on those county bondary changes. Although they are not the solution to every problem. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

My ancestor bought a dodo in Kentucky in the early 1800s. Not really. #genealogy

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Michael Neill @mjnrootdig.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Can old newspapers help you transcribe a document? #genealogy genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/20...

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