Ready to set your genealogy goals? In this episode, co-hosts Elizabeth and Tami share strategies for setting and successfully reaching your goals, from education plans to specific research results. Elizabeth and Tami talk about their own goals for 2025 and how they plan to achieve them, including tips and tricks to ensure success.

During What’s Happening, they discuss the availability of the RootsTech Schedule and the RootsTech app for 2025, as well as the recently released BIRLS database from Reclaim the Records. Then, Elizabeth spills the tea on the extreme wait times when requesting NY State vital records. Tami brings the sweet tea, discussing FamilySearch’s goals for 2025.

Finally, during Listener Mail, Elizabeth shares where to find closed captioning for the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast.

TIMESTAMPS:

Genealogy Goals

04:34 Setting goals for the new year

05:03 Types of Genealogy Goals

08:35 Elizabeth’s goals for 2025

09:41 Tami’s goals for 2025

10:20 How Elizabeth sets and achieved a significant genealogy goal

15:43 How Tami sets and achieves her genealogy goals

What’s Happening

23:54 RootsTech Schedule & App

29:48 Reclaim the Records - BIRLS database

Tea Time

35:44 New York State Vital Records ordering wait times

40:43 FamilySearch’s Goals for 2025

Listener Mail

44:28 Where to find closed captioning for our podcast

RESOURCES:

GRIP Genealogy Research Institute (GRIP) - https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/

Jill Morelli's Certification Discussion Group (CDG) - https://thecdgseries.wordpress.com/the-series/

Click-Up App - https://clickup.com/

Notion - https://www.notion.com/

Google Tasks - https://tasks.google.com/

RootsTech 2025 Class Schedule - https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule?day=2025-03-06

RootsTech 2025 mobile app (Android) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.familysearch.rootstech&hl=en_US

RootsTech 2025 mobile app (Apple) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rootstech/id6474192974

Relatives at RootsTech - https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/relatives-at-rootstech-faqs

Reclaim the Records - https://www.reclaimtherecords.org/

BIRLS searchable database (Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem) - https://www.birls.org/

CBS6 Albany Video on NY Vital Records - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYGSG5PmquY&ab_channel=CBS6Albany

FamilySearch's goals for 2025 - https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/what-to-expect-from-familysearch-in-2025

African Oral History project - https://www.familysearch.org/africa/sve/select-country

FamilySearch Labs A.I. Full-Text Search - https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text

FamilySearch "Get Involved" app - https://www.familysearch.org/getinvolved/

FamilySearch "Together" app - https://www.familysearch.org/discovery/together/welcome

Branching Out Podcast on Apple (live transcripts) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/branching-out-genealogy-podcast/id1782416781

Branching Out Podcast on YouTube (live transcripts) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswrxVYz2y65xXJve-e35WA

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We would love to hear from you at ⁠hello@branchingout.show⁠ with your questions and comments!

This episode is sponsored by Vivid Pix.