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AncestrySeeking Newsletter December 2025
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Welcome to the December edition of AncestrySeeking!
December always feels like a natural time to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the stories that shape our families. In this month’s newsletter, we’re focusing on simple, meaningful ways to preserve those memories—whether through legacy gifts, holiday traditions, or gathering new stories while family is together. You’ll also find practical tools to help you organize your digital files before the new year, tips for navigating the holiday DNA testing surge, and a roundup of upcoming virtual genealogy events. Plus, I’m excited to introduce the TIME Capsule Podcast, a new way to explore preservation, storytelling, and modern genealogy together. I hope this issue brings warmth, inspiration, and a few new ideas for safeguarding your family history this season.
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Introducing… The TIME Capsule Podcast!
I’m thrilled to share something new I’ve been working on — my very own podcast:
The TIME Capsule Podcast: Stories, Secrets & Modern Genealogy.
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This show is designed to help you protect, preserve, and celebrate your family history in simple, meaningful ways. Each episode is short 6-10 minutes, warm, and practical — something you can listen to over coffee or while organizing your family photos.
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Beginning this month, you’ll get new episodes that explore:
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the stories that shape us
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questions to ask before it’s too late
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how to record your own legacy
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digital preservation basics
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organizing your genealogy without overwhelm
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Whether you’re just getting started or have been researching for years, this podcast is here to help you take small steps that make a big difference.
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👉 Listen to the trailer + Episode 1 now
<iframe src="https://player.rss.com/welcome-to-the-time-capsule-podcast/2343064?theme=color&v=2" width="100%" height="202px" title="Welcome to TIME Capsule: Modern Genealogy, Legacy " frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"><a href="https://rss.com/podcasts/welcome-to-the-time-capsule-podcast/2343064/">Welcome to TIME Capsule: Modern Genealogy, Legacy | RSS.com</a></iframe>
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I hope this becomes a comforting, inspiring part of your week — a little reminder that your story, and your family’s story, truly matters.
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Genealogy Tip of the Month!
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The Gift of Legacy: 7 Meaningful Family History Gifts You Can Create in Under an Hour
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The holiday season often brings a rush of shopping, wrapping, and worrying about what to give loved ones. But some of the most meaningful gifts aren’t bought — they’re created. And as family historians, we have something priceless to share: stories, memories, and captured moments that would otherwise fade away.
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Here are 7 simple, heartfelt family-history gifts you can create in less than an hour — perfect for December and deeply appreciated by any relative. 👉 Read the full article
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How Pearl Harbor Can Guide
Your Genealogy Research
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December 7th
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If you have a relative who served during World War II, whether at Pearl Harbor or elsewhere, this month is an ideal time to explore their story more deeply.
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Here are a few places to start:
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1. Military Personnel Files (NPRC)
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The National Archives in St. Louis holds Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) for those who served in WWII.
👉 Read the full article
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Upcoming Virtual Genealogy Events
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FamilySearch Library Classes & Webinars – Monthly free webinars listed via their Research Wiki and news posts. Schedules for each month (including December) are typically published close to the start of the month. FamilySearch+2FamilySearch+2
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Ancestry Virtual Events – Ancestry’s education page shows recurring Wednesday online sessions; the current listing includes events on December 3 and 10, 2025 at 11:00 am MST (topics vary, but they’re general-education genealogy sessions). Virtual Events & Webinars | Ancestry®
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Genealogy Term of the Month: Patronymic
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A naming system where a child’s surname is based on the father’s first name.
(Example: “Johnson” = son of John.)
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🧬 DNA Tip:
How to Do a 10-Minute DNA Refresh
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Here’s a simple end-of-year routine:
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1. Sort your matches by “New” or “Recently Active.”
Ancestry and MyHeritage both show recently added matches.
Check the top 10 — those are the most likely to bring breakthroughs.
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2. Revisit matches you couldn’t place before.
A mystery match from earlier in the year might now:
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connect to a new tree upload, or
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link through a new cousin who just tested this season.
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3. Add notes.
Even small details (locations, surnames, cluster color) help later.
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4. Screenshot your top 20 matches NOW.
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It’s the best way to compare changes year to year.
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Research Tool of the Month: Kindex
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Kindex is an all-in-one digital archiving tool designed for families who want to preserve documents, photos, letters, journals, and heirlooms in one secure, searchable place. It uses built-in AI to help you transcribe handwriting, tag names and dates, organize collections, and make your family archive fully searchable—a perfect companion for anyone building a long-term legacy or following the TIME Capsule Method™. Whether you’re digitizing boxes of photos, recording oral histories, or organizing military or immigration records, Kindex makes it easy to create a permanent, shareable online archive that your family can explore for generations.
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End-of-Year Digital Cleanup: 12 Things Every Genealogist Should Organize Before January 1st
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The end of the year is the perfect time to hit “reset” on your digital genealogy life. A small amount of cleanup now prevents big headaches later — and keeps your family’s history safe.
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Holiday Conversations That Matter: 10 Questions to Ask Your Family Before the Year Ends
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The holidays are one of the rare times when multiple generations gather under one roof. Between the laughter, meals, and traditions, there is also an incredible opportunity — the chance to capture stories while the storytellers can still share them.
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How to Preserve Holiday Traditions
for Future Generations
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Holiday traditions are some of the most powerful memory-anchors in family history. We may forget dates and names, but we remember the smell of a recipe, the sound of a favorite song, or the feeling of decorating a tree with someone we loved.
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Join Me!
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“Did You Know?”
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Your DNA matches will probably increase next few months because of Holiday sales on DNA kits lead to thousands of new testers activating their kits, which means new cousins, shared matches, and new clues appearing in your results. Even long-existing matches can shift or reorganize as new testers bring fresh connections.
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This Month's Challenge
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This month, choose one family member and record one holiday memory.
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Ask a simple question like, “What was your favorite holiday tradition growing up?”
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Then jot it down or record it on your phone and save it to your genealogy files. One small story now becomes a treasured piece of your family history later.
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In my next newsletter, learn about
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“ What to Do with All the New Genealogy Leads You Find Over the Holidays”
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Want More Resources
Visit Ancestryseeking.com
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Thank you for being part of this journey!
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Always remember our family stories remind us that we’re part of something much bigger than ourselves.
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Warmly, Barbara Beauregard
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4info@ancestryseeking.com
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