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Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen is the genealogy podcast that features your questions and her answers, with a focus on clear reasoning, historical context, and practical research methods. In this episode, Kathleen and John Brandt are joined by guest Denise Cross to explore how a one-place study transforms scattered historical records into a working model of a town—and how that model can be used to solve difficult genealogy problems.

Denise shares practical methods for defining research scope, mapping census visitation routes to historical land parcels, and linking neighbors, deeds, taxes, wills, church, and newspaper records to uncover relationships that traditional research approaches often miss.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• How to define a one-place study and choose a manageable scope
• How to build a full-town research spreadsheet using census, deeds, probate, church, tax, and newspaper records
• How neighbors and associates can help identify missing women in the historical record
• How to map census visitation order to historical parcel maps
• How to research frontier communities using indirect evidence
• How place-based research supports surname studies and resolves endogamy challenges

Topics Covered

• One-place studies as a genealogy research method
• Linking community networks to uncover family relationships
• Mapping households to land ownership and movement
• Frontier research with limited records
• Endogamy and surname studies through place context
• Registering and sharing one-place studies on WikiTree and research directories
• Resources, webinars, and collaboration strategies

Episode Discussion & Key Moments

Denise explains how building a place-based research framework allows genealogists to move beyond individual ancestors and instead understand entire communities. By organizing census, tax, probate, land, and church records into a town-level model, researchers can identify patterns, relationships, and identity clues that would otherwise remain hidden.

The conversation also highlights how mapping census routes to historical land parcels helps clarify neighbor relationships, track movement over time, and provide indirect evidence—especially in frontier eras or communities with thin documentation.

Key questions examined include:

• How can a one-place study help solve identity problems?
• What role do neighbors and associates play in genealogical proof?
• How do researchers work effectively in communities with limited documentation?

Why This Episode Matters

When records are incomplete or identities unclear, understanding the place can be just as important as understanding the person. This episode demonstrates how community-level research strengthens genealogical conclusions and supports evidence-based reasoning.

About the Podcast

Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen is hosted by Kathleen and John Brandt and helps listeners turn scattered historical records into meaningful family narratives using modern research tools and practical methodology.

Subscribe & Connect

Visit https://hittinthebrickswithkathleen.buzzsprout.com
for more episodes and resources.

Do you have a

Be sure to bookmark linktr.ee/hittinthebricks for your one stop access to Kathleen Brandt, the host of Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen. And, visit us on YouTube: @HTBKRB with Kathleen John and Chewey video recorded specials.

Hittin' the Bricks is produced through the not-for-profit, 501c3 TracingAncestors.org.

Let us know what you think!

Episode Overview

Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen is the genealogy podcast that features your questions and her answers, focusing on clear reasoning, historical context, and practical research methods. In this episode, host Kathleen Brandt unpacks the growing buzz around the term “quantum genealogy,” explaining why it functions as a metaphor rather than a research method—and why real genealogical breakthroughs still depend on careful human analysis.

The episode examines how DNA evidence, overlapping matches, and complex family structures can feel uncertain or contradictory, while clarifying where computing tools help—and where they do not decide conclusions.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• What people usually mean when they say “quantum” in a genealogy context
• Why quantum computing does not change biological inheritance or kinship
• How new evidence requires reanalysis and revised conclusions
• Where DNA tools assist research and where human judgment remains essential
• Why buzzwords can obscure, rather than clarify, good genealogical practice

Topics Covered

• “Quantum genealogy” as a metaphor for uncertainty and overlap
• The limits of quantum computing in genealogical research
• Overlapping DNA matches and shared ancestry
• Complexities in African American genealogy, including endogamy
• Blood quantum basics and its role in tribal enrollment
• Interpretation, context, and evidence-based reasoning
• Community conversation at the Nelson-Atkins Museum (Kansas City)

Episode Discussion & Key Moments

Kathleen breaks down how the term “quantum genealogy” has entered popular conversation and why it can be misleading when treated as a method rather than a metaphor. She explains that while computing power can accelerate comparison and sorting of data, it does not alter the realities of inheritance, kinship, or historical context.

The episode also addresses challenging areas of research, including African American genealogy, where overlapping DNA matches, endogamy, and incomplete records demand especially careful interpretation. Kathleen clarifies the role—and limits—of blood quantum, emphasizing why legal or enrollment definitions should not be confused with genealogical proof.

Key questions examined include:

• Why does DNA evidence sometimes seem contradictory?
• How should researchers respond when new evidence changes earlier conclusions?
• What role should technology play versus human reasoning?

Events & Community Conversation

• Community discussion at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City
• Free event; light refreshments served

Why This Episode Matters

As genealogy tools grow more powerful, this episode reinforces a critical principle: technology assists research, but interpretation belongs to people. Clear thinking, context, and evidence—not buzzwords—remain the foundation of sound genealogical conclusions.

About the Podcast

Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen is the genealogy podcast that features your questions and her answers, helping listeners navigate complex evidence, historical nuance, and modern research tools with clarity and confidence.

Subscribe & Connect

Be sure to bookmark linktr.ee/hittinthebricks for your one stop access to Kathleen Brandt, the host of Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen. And, visit us on YouTube: @HTBKRB with Kathleen John and Chewey video recorded specials.

Hittin' the Bricks is produced through the not-for-profit, 501c3 TracingAncestors.org.

Let us know what you think!

Episode Overview

Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen is a podcast focused on genealogy, local history, and practical methods for turning scattered records into meaningful family narratives. In this episode, host Kathleen Brandt shifts the focus from collecting as many names as possible to building one strong ancestral branch by revisiting familiar records with sharper questions and better research tools.

Using the guiding principle “one ancestor, one record, three questions,” this episode demonstrates how focused analysis can transform disconnected documents into a coherent and readable life story.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why choosing a single ancestor can accelerate genealogical breakthroughs
• How focusing on one record group reveals deeper patterns and inconsistencies
• What three questions to ask of every document you find
• How timelines, checklists, and re-reading notes expose overlooked clues
• Ways to turn raw data into stories your family can actually read

Topics Covered

• Selecting one ancestor to study for an extended period
• Focusing on a single record group (pensions, land, or census)
• Asking new analytical questions of familiar documents
• Building timelines and using simple research checklists
• Re-reading old notes to surface missed details
• Applying the FAN method to track friends, associates, and neighbors
• Translating research data into narrative form
• Case study: James Nelson Strader and Civil War pension records
• Setting monthly research goals and sharing progress

Episode Discussion & Key Moments

Kathleen explains how genealogists often stall by spreading their efforts too thin across many names. By intentionally narrowing the scope to one ancestor at a time, researchers can ask better questions and recognize patterns that are invisible in broad family trees.

The episode walks through practical techniques such as building timelines, using checklists, and applying the FAN method to witnesses and neighbors. Kathleen also revisits the value of re-reading old research notes, demonstrating how previously overlooked clues can emerge when viewed through a new analytical lens.

A detailed case study of James Nelson Strader illustrates how Civil War pension records can be mined repeatedly to reconstruct a fuller, more accurate life story.

Key questions examined include:

• What changes when you focus on depth instead of breadth?
• How can a single record group support long-term research?
• What makes genealogical work understandable to non-researchers?

Resources & Research Tools Mentioned

• Civil War pension files
• Census, land, and pension record groups
• FAN (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) method
• Research timelines and checklists

Why This Episode Matters

This episode encourages a sustainable and disciplined approach to genealogy—one that prioritizes understanding over accumulation. By focusing deeply on one ancestor, researchers can create accurate, readable histories that preserve meaning for future generations, not just data.

About the Podcast

Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen helps listeners break through genealogy brick walls by c

Be sure to bookmark linktr.ee/hittinthebricks for your one stop access to Kathleen Brandt, the host of Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen. And, visit us on YouTube: @HTBKRB with Kathleen John and Chewey video recorded specials.

Hittin' the Bricks is produced through the not-for-profit, 501c3 TracingAncestors.org.