In this episode of The Photo Detective, host Maureen Taylor speaks with Brian Rhinehart, founder of CivilWarRecords.com, about uncovering lost Civil War history through archival research. Brian shares his journey from genealogy hobbyist to professional researcher specializing in Civil War records at the National Archives. He explains the misconceptions about military records, emphasizing that most are not available online. They discuss the rich details found in pension files, including personal letters, affidavits, and service histories, as well as the rare chance of finding soldier photographs. Brian also provides insights on tracking elusive ancestors through military, pension, and bounty records. If you’re struggling with your Civil War research, Brian’s expertise can help you find those missing pieces.

• Most Civil War records are not online – accessing them requires in-person research.

• Pension files can contain surprising details like letters, affidavits, and service records.

• Misconceptions about Civil War records—many expect photos or birth dates, but these are rare.

• Research tips—checking obituaries, veteran organizations, and associated soldiers for leads.

Related Episodes:

Episode 245: The Enduring Legacy of Tintypes: From Civil War Soldiers to Contemporary Artists 

Episode 60: Finding Pictures of Your Civil War Ancestors

Links:

• Civil War Records.com 
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help preserving your photos? Check out Maureen’s Preserving Family Photographs ebook 
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out The Family Photo Detective ebook
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

Brian Rhinehart is a professional genealogist and speaker and is the owner of CivilWarRecords.com.  He is a graduate of Boston University’s Certificate of Genealogy Research and is a regular researcher for the television show Finding Your Roots.  A direct descendant of eight Civil War soldiers, Brian specializes in research and record retrieval for Civil War and War of 1812 soldiers at the National Archives in Washington DC and has retrieved military files for hundreds of clients there.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective® helps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.   Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 259: Digging Into Civil War Pension Files with Brian Rhinehart appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

Today, I am thrilled to have Crista Cowan, Ancestry.com’s Corporate Genealogist, also known as “The Barefoot Genealogist” on YouTube, as our guest. Crista has been a pivotal figure at Ancestry, helping countless people uncover their family histories. In our conversation, we explore the latest developments at Ancestry.com, focusing on their new photo and storytelling features. We discuss how these tools are revolutionizing the way people organize, share, and discover their family stories. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just starting out, this episode is packed with valuable insights and tips.

• Ancestry’s New Features
  • Discussion on the importance of photos and storytelling at Ancestry.
  • Introduction of the “Memories” feature, previously known as “Storymaker Studio.”
• Photo Management Enhancements
  • Explanation of the need for better photo management tools.
  • Overview of the new Albums feature and its benefits for users.
• User Interaction and Success Stories
  • How users have responded to the new features.
  • Examples of creative uses of the Albums feature.
• Collaboration and Privacy
  • Details on how users can share and collaborate on photo albums.
  • Privacy settings and sharing options on Ancestry.
• Integration with Family Trees
  • How the new photo features integrate with family tree building.
  • Tagging photos to multiple people and organizing them effectively.
• Pro Tools and Additional Features
  • Introduction to Ancestry’s Pro Tools.
  • Overview of Pro Tools features: Error Checker, Fan Chart, Charts and Reports, Map Feature.
• Public and Private Trees
  • Explanation of privacy settings for trees and photos.
  • Future plans for more granular privacy controls.
• Staying Updated and Legal Considerations
  • How to keep up with new developments at Ancestry.
  • Discussion on copyright considerations for uploaded photos.
• Upcoming Projects
  • Crista’s upcoming podcast, “Stories That Live In Us.”
  • The podcast’s focus on family stories and its goal to attract a new audience to genealogy.

Related Episodes:

Episode 184: Byte4Byte: Permanent.org’s Grant Program for Non-Profits 

Episode 180: Photos, Memories, and English Genealogy with Emma Jolly 

Links:

• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:

Crista Cowan has been employed by Ancestry.com since 2004; her involvement in family history, however, reaches all the way back to childhood. From being parked under a microfilm reader at the Family History Library in her baby carrier to her current career as a professional genealogist, Crista has spent thousands of hours discovering, documenting, and telling family stories.

During her time at Ancestry, she has been a European Content Acquisition Manager, the Digital Preservation Indexing Manager, and the Community Alliance Manager for the Ancestry World Archives Project. For the past several years she has been the Corporate Genealogist, with responsibilities for speaking and teaching at genealogy conferences around the world and helping with family history research for public relations stories. Known online as “The Barefoot Genealogist” with a weekly internet show designed to help people discover their family history.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective^Òhelps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others.   Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

The post Episode 235:Exploring Ancestry.com’s New Photo and Storytelling Features with Crista Cowan appeared first on Maureen Taylor.