Episode 150 - Genealogy & The Harry Potter Back Stories/ CEO Bruce Buzbee on the Roots of Roots Magic!

Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, talking about the benefits of Pokemon Go in introducing younger people to historic sites, and David’s horror over a Pokemon “Gym” at a site near him! Listen to David to find out what it is. David then shares an exciting announcement from FindMyPast, based in England. Exciting, that is, if you have English ancestors on the “other side” of the law. David also welcomes Extreme Genes listeners to visit him at the upcoming FGS Conference. He also shares another Tip of the Week and NEHGS free user database. In the second segment, Fisher visits with Bruce Buzbee, founder and CEO of Roots Magic, an ancestral database program that has unique funneling abilities with numerous partners you know well. How does it “funnel” and from (and to) whom? Bruce will explain, as well as give you a glimpse into the not so distant future of Roots Magic. Next, Fisher visits with Lindsay Fulton, Director of Research Services, at NEHGS. Lindsay, a self-proclaimed “nerd,” explains how J.K. Rowling uses genealogical research and real (deceased) people, to create the back stories for her characters in Harry Potter as well as the upcoming film, “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.” Lindsay will explain how you can use these same techniques to write your own family story, either as completely factual or as “historic fiction.” Finally, Tom Perry, the Preservation Authority, visits with Fisher about an aspect of preservation you may never have considered before… shipping! What are the best days of the week to ship film or video for digitizing? And why should you double box, AND address, your package? Tom will make sense of all of this for you. And what he has to say could save you from massive heart ache! That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!