Reviews
About Dr. McMahon’s presentations:
About Using AI for Genealogy Presentation:
Feedback from the audience:
- “Fantastic ‘Gen AI 101’ and how to apply it to research!!!”
- “Thank you so much! Very clear. Makes me want to go out and try it.!”
- “Fantastic program!”
- “This was perfectly demonstrated. Thank you!”
- “Wow! So much information. Thank you so much.”
- “I learned so much. No longer afraid to try it. Thank you.”
- ” Hope I can find the time to watch this over and over and over!”
About Genealogy Crash Course: Researching Ancestors in the US Military Presentation:
“Thank you so much for joining us on Monday night! I have received a lot of positive feedback from attendees and it seems you have inspired many of us to go searching for our family military records. So thank you for that.
“… would you be willing to present for us again?” – Vice President of Carroll County Genealogical Society
About Crash Course on Using Fold3 Presentation:
“I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about your presentation. I hope we’re still on track to schedule you for another talk early next year.” – Anne Arundel County Genealogical Society
About Creating an Individualized Genealogical Education Plan Presentation:
“As always, our society meeting attendance is higher with any of Dr McMahon’s presentations. It is a reflection of how valuable the information she has to offer is in expanding ancestral research. Her latest guide, Creating an Individualized Genealogical Education Plan provides an introspective approach to research that is deeper than the traditional “to do” list. With many societies and genealogy groups stepping up their outreach with more online content and lectures via zoom, the Educational Plan presentation is practical and essential for targeting your research goals.” – BCGS
“I appreciated the insight into my learning style and really welcomed the many resources you offered.” – Attendee, 2022.
“The wonders, and the magic, and many of the hidden facets of Google were exposed to a capacity audience at the GSMC April meeting. Dr. Margaret M. McMahon, a versatile engineer/hockey player/mom/ and genealogist, opened eyes to uses for Google that most attendees did not know.” – Noel Duerden, Indy Lineages Digital Magazine, Genealogical Society of Marion County, May-June 2014.
“I only did 2 searches on Google related to your syllabus, and was so very successful. I can’t wait to try out all of the wonderful items that you covered!” -Pat B.
“I was delighted with your talk last night. A true teacher, you presented the information clearly, your visuals were user-friendly (uncluttered!) and your delivery was natural, with a dash of humor, and responsive to the audience. I loved it!!” -Shelley K. Pollero, Past President, Anne Arundel Genealogical Society
“Your topic … was both very informative and professionally presented.”
“A truly professional presentation.”
“You presented the material in such an engaging and encouraging manner that the attendees felt confident in going home and duplicating what they had learned.”
“All McMahon programs [are] excellent.”
“Your expertise, enthusiasm and joy of teaching keep your classes lively and popular- we always have a full house for the genealogy classes you so generously offer.”
“Extremely informative and enjoyable.”
“Learning about the various types of commands and tools used in Google searches on the internet with greatly enhance the ability of our members to research their ancestors on the web. The presentation and handout will be useful to all, regardless of their level of research. The tips and tricks are ingenious.”
“You are so easy to follow and fun to listen to. Thanks to you for being so involved with family history and sharing your computer savvy ways.”
“Those who attended your presentation were well-instructed and learned many new facets of integrating social networking with their research skills.
About Dr. McMahon’s previous books:
About Researching Your U.S. WWI Army Ancestors:
“Talk about great timing! Dr. Margaret McMahon’s “Researching Your US WWI Army Ancestors” is on the street right in the middle of all of the WWI Commemoration ceremonies and events. For many folks, this handy little book will be their first real introduction to the techniques and tools required to do research on a family Doughboy. Dr. McMahon has very carefully laid out the journey of discovery most people will undertake when they begin to search the many websites and archives that are available. While these sort of “”How To” books can be a little dry, this one isn’t because McMahon shares the details of her personal search for her family’s WWI soldiers and does a great job of bringing them to life as she leads the reader through this quest. If you are interested in digging into the past and finding information on the Doughboys in your family, you’ll want this book. What’s your next research guide, Dr. McMahon? World War 2….or the Civil War?”
– Alexander Barnes, Command Historian at Virginia National Guard,
Amazon Review
“…she’s produced a great new guide to getting started on locating and learning more about your WWI ancestors. Those who served in the U.S. Army. Now I’m not talking about the Navy or the Marines but specifically in the Army. And that includes using family records, archives, different archives that have materials, online websites, and collaborating with other people using social networking facilities… she also suggests researching online books, and histories, photographic collections, maps, newspapers, museums and lots more.”
“…all the resources that Dr. McMahon has cited in the book, they really can help you learn more about your World War I ancestor, expand your research and put that life into context.
“…I have enjoyed reading this too, so thank you for sharing this with us…”
– The Genealogy Guys Podcast #327 11 May 2017
“Just in time for the 100th anniversary of America’s entry in World War I, Margaret McMahon has produced a great, timely resource to help genealogists research their World War I ancestor participants. As many genealogists know, many individual military personal records from World War I and later were lost in a fire in 1973. That does not mean you cannot research your soldiers from that period. It’s just more challenging. There is much more to learn than just when he went in and when he got out of the service.
“The book has 21 short, easy-to-read chapters covering all types of resources to learn more. It starts with a background on the war and the organizational structure of the U.S. Army, along with suggestions on identifying where an ancestor fit into the army structure (what unit he was in), which is critical for further research. There are chapters with tips for online research, as well as on-site research at a number of archives and museums with records and information on World War I. In addition to military records still available, chapters discuss places to find unit histories and other books, pictures, battle reports and maps, cemetery records, newspapers, videos, etc., to learn more about what your ancestor experienced.
“This reasonably-priced book should be a great resource to genealogists, whether they’ve previously researched their World War I ancestors or not. While I have done some research on my own grandfathers’ World War I service, the book suggests many additional resources I look forward to using.”
John M. Siemon
– Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, Vol 58, No 1, 2017, pp 145-156
“It’s a great guide for WWI army research. So many genealogists have little knowledge of the history of the period. It’s important that they learn so that they can put their ancestors – including those who served in the military – into context. They military records are essential for tracing their movements in a concentrated period of time (during the war), AND understanding what they went through. Thanks, Mac, for writing this great book for all of us!”
– The Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection Facebook Page
About A Weekend of Genealogy:
“This small book is packed with helpful advice… Even experienced researchers will learn something from this book. ”
– Robert W. Barnes, Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 56, no. 1, 2015.
“…something that you can use as a research tool, a research guide, for something you could do in a weekend. And it includes research activities centered on US federal census and on internet searches. And It includes how to find census records, what to do with them. It talks about how to build successful google searches to hunt for your family’s history but it also talks about some of the other internet search facilities as well. And there are things you can do both before the weekend and after the weekend. You will find detailed hints, you’ll find some tips, you’ll find websites, search terms that you can use in your own research that will help you make better searches.” – George G. Morgan, The Genealogy Guys Podcast #277
About A Week of Genealogy:
“While newcomers to the world of family history research will find this book extremely helpful, veteran researchers may also learn something new.” – Robert Barnes, Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 55, no. 1, 2014.
“…it includes hints, a bunch of websites, search terms, strategies, and other things that you can add and incorporate into daily research. And she provides glimpses at some easily accessible resources that you may have seen before or that you may not have seen or worked with before and suggests some strategies for expanding your research reach. … I think you will enjoy it. It’s a nice workbook and it’s a great way to organize your research for one week and learn some things that you can incorporate into your everyday research.” – George G. Morgan, The Genealogy Guys Podcast #248
“What I especially like are your guides on web addresses and searches, particularly since a good portion of my research was done before so much was put on the web. The information is detailed, broad based and easy to understand. Definitely a very useful guide.” – L.J.
About Dr. McMahon’s presentations:
“The wonders, and the magic, and many of the hidden facets of Google were exposed to a capacity audience at the GSMC April meeting. Dr. Margaret M. McMahon, a versatile engineer/hockey player/mom/ and genealogist, opened eyes to uses for Google that most attendees did not know.” – Noel Duerden, Indy Lineages Digital Magazine, Genealogical Society of Marion County, May-June 2014.
“I only did 2 searches on Google related to your syllabus, and was so very successful. I can’t wait to try out all of the wonderful items that you covered!” -Pat B.
“I was delighted with your talk last night. A true teacher, you presented the information clearly, your visuals were user-friendly (uncluttered!) and your delivery was natural, with a dash of humor, and responsive to the audience. I loved it!!” -Shelley K. Pollero, Past President, Anne Arundel Genealogical Society
“Your topic … was both very informative and professionally presented.”
“A truly professional presentation.”
“You presented the material in such an engaging and encouraging manner that the attendees felt confident in going home and duplicating what they had learned.”
“All McMahon programs [are] excellent.”
“Your expertise, enthusiasm and joy of teaching keep your classes lively and popular- we always have a full house for the genealogy classes you so generously offer.”
“Extremely informative and enjoyable.”
“Learning about the various types of commands and tools used in Google searches on the internet with greatly enhance the ability of our members to research their ancestors on the web. The presentation and handout will be useful to all, regardless of their level of research. The tips and tricks are ingenious.”
“You are so easy to follow and fun to listen to. Thanks to you for being so involved with family history and sharing your computer savvy ways.”
“Those who attended your presentation were well-instructed and learned many new facets of integrating social networking with their research skills.
About Dr. McMahon’s Tutorials:
“Thanks so much for this informative post! I have already found some land records of interest to me.” – G.S.
