April 2025: Your Guide to Family History Events & Opportunities

Can you believe it's already April? As the world springs to life around us, it's the perfect time to breathe new life into our family trees and connections too!

Since my big announcement at RootsTech last month (did you see it?), I've been busy working on a few Ancestry Networks. I'm really enjoying playing with this new set of features. And, I'm hopeful about the discoveries it's going to help me make about my grandfather's WWII service and my 3x great-grandmother's immigration story.

(If you didn't hear about Networks, click the image ⬇⬇⬇ to watch my announcement.)

I've also been busy working on a whole slew of opportunities for you to learn more about how to make more meaningful discoveries in your family tree and how to use those discoveries to connect more deeply with your family. I can't wait to share it all with you.

Whether you're just starting your family history journey or you've been climbing your family tree for years, April is packed with opportunities.

New Podcast Episodes: Stories That Live In Us

Every Thursday morning, a brand new episode of the podcast drops! This month, we're exploring some truly fascinating family histories:

•  April 3: "Ancestors are Complicated" with Anne Mitchell
  Anne joins me with stories about her colorful Southern U.S. ancestors and her personal fascination with Civil War history. We explore how understanding the complex choices our ancestors made helps us better understand ourselves.
  
• April 10: "I Can Live With The Truth" with Lisa Elzey and Nidel Day
  My producer, Lisa is back, this time with her mother, Nidel. They share their story about a surprise discovery in Nidel's DNA results that completely upended what they thought they knew about their family history. Their journey of acceptance and integration of new family connections is both touching and instructive.
  
• April 17: "I Can See All The Story" with Lisa Elzey
  Lisa comes back for a part 2 (I think this is a first on the podcast) to share what she's discovered about the newest parts of her family tree. We dive into research strategies that helped her quickly build connections with previously unknown branches of her family.
  
• April 24: "We Wear a Poppy" with Simon Pearce
  I'm joined by UK military expert (and Ancestry colleague) Simon Pearce as he shares one of his favorite stories about a WWI soldier in his family tree. We discuss how military records can reveal not just service details but deeply personal stories of courage and sacrifice.

How to Listen:

🎧 Find Stories That Live In Us on your favorite podcast app.
▶ Or watch episodes on my YouTube channel.
📖 Don't forget to check out the companion blog posts with Story Seeds and Story Sparks for each episode!

Free Learning Opportunities With Ancestry

Virtual Events (Wednesdays at 11am MDT)

Join me (almost) every Wednesday for free Ancestry webinars that will help you build research skills and make new discoveries:

• April 2: "Finding Your Hidden Female Ancestors" with Angie Bush
  Women can be notoriously difficult to trace in historical records. Join me and genetic genealogy expert Angie Bush as we explore strategies for uncovering the stories of the women in your tree.
• April 9: "Family Tree Building 101"
  New to Ancestry or need a refresher? This webinar covers everything you need to know to start building an accurate and compelling family tree.
• April 16: No Virtual Event (I’ll be on vacation this week. And, you can follow along with my family adventure on Instagram @CristaCowan.)
• April 23: "Spring Cleaning Your Family Tree"
  Learn how to audit your tree for errors, organize your research, and prepare for new discoveries with a cleaner, more accurate family tree.

These events are perfect for both beginners and those looking to refresh their skills! They are completely free but you do need to register if you want to attend live. (If not, catch the replay on the Ancestry YouTube channel.)

📅 Register Here: Ancestry.com/education

Facebook LIVE Sessions (Every Other Tuesday at 2pm MDT)

For more casual learning and direct Q&A, join me on the Ancestry Facebook page:

• April 8: "Defining Relationships and Connections"
  Let's demystify those confusing family relationships! First cousins once removed? Half-second cousins? We'll break it down together.
• April 22: "DNA Day - Special Extended Session"
  In honor of National DNA Day, I'll be answering all your DNA questions in this extended session. From understanding ethnicity estimates to working with DNA matches, we'll cover it all!

Bring your questions - I love helping you solve those genealogical mysteries! Watch at Facebook.com/ancestryUS

pajamas & pedigrees™ Community: April Events

For our p&p community members, we have three amazing sessions (and a bonus meetup) this month:

• April 5 (Saturday, 10am): "FAN Clubs for Problem Solving / Ancestry Networks"
  We'll explore how researching an ancestor's Friends, Associates, and Neighbors can break down brick walls, and I'll show you hands-on how to use the new Ancestry Networks features.
• April 8 (Tuesday, 7pm): "Choose Your Own Adventure"
  This session is entirely driven by you! Members will vote at the beginning on which research path we'll take together.
• April 22 (Tuesday, 7pm): "DNA Day - Ask Me Anything"
  Bring all your DNA questions for this special DNA Day session where nothing is off-limits!
• April 24 (Thursday, 7pm): "Story Circle Meetup in Atlanta, Georgia"
  For members in the Atlanta area, join us for our first in-person Story Circle! We'll gather to share discoveries and connect face-to-face.

Not a member of our amazing pajamas & pedigrees community yet? Learn more about our amazing "genealogy club with slumber party energy!"

Plan Your Month: Downloadable Calendar

To help you keep track of all these events, I've created a printable April calendar for you. This handy reference includes all the events mentioned above, with times and links all in one place.  Scroll to the bottom of the post to access it.

All times listed are in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).
(For reference that is: Pacific: -1 hr | Central: +1 hr | Eastern: +2 hrs)

Looking Forward to Connecting

I can't wait to see you this month - whether it's in a webinar, on the podcast, or in our p&p community. Remember, every record you find, every story you uncover, and every memory you share strengthens the bonds that hold your family together.

Here's to a month of meaningful discoveries!

Until next time,
Crista ♥💜♥