Thursday, April 30, 2020

May Webinars: Legacy

Here are the educational opportunities available during the month of May. To learn more or to register to watch in real time, visit www.familytreewebinars.com.  Remember, the webinars are free to view for a week following the original presentation.


Friday, May 1 - "The Future is Still in the Past: An Introduction to Online Parish Clerks in the United Kingdom" by Wayne Shepheard.  Intermediate


Tuesday, May 5 - "Smarter Search Strategies for Genealogy" by Thomas MacEntee.  Beginner, Intermediate


Wednesday, May 6 - "Crème de la crème: Targeted Autosomal DNA Testing to Isolate Pertinent Genetic Cousins" by Paul Woodbury.  Intermediate, Advanced


Tuesday, May 12 - "Leveraging MyHeritage's German Resources Effectively" by James M. Beidler.  Beginner   (Remember, MyHeritage is a subscription site)


Wednesday, May 13 - "The Ultimate Family History Interview" by Nicka Smith.  Beginner


Tuesday, May 19 - "Discover the Holdings of German Archives" by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin.  Intermediate


Wednesday, May 20 - "Timesaving Apps for Busy Genealogists" by Lisa Alzo.  Intermediate


Wednesday, May 27 - "Mistrust Transcriptions: And Here's Why" by Dr. Bruce Durie. Beginner, Intermediate

Saturday, April 25, 2020

April Homework

Our final meeting of the year usually involves some suggestions for spare time activities. Since we missed that event, I will be posting some ideas for continued research.

Census! Have you explored all facets of this category of genealogical information?

1. Find every census in which your ancestors would have appeared. Use a census checklist or the "notes" section of your genealogy software to keep track. If you are working in FamilySearch Family Tree, you can re-order the source list chronologically for an easy glimpse of what is missing.

2. Don't forget about the state census databases that help to locate your ancestors between the federal collections.

3. Use the information columns beyond the name, age and birthplace to suggest new areas of research.

4. Take a close look at the "other" members of the household, as they may be relatives even if they are listed as a boarder or domestic or housekeeper.

5. Don't forget to look at a few pages before and after the one where your ancestors appear just in case other relatives are living nearby.



Thursday, April 23, 2020

Keeping Busy

We hope that everyone is well and staying safe. I'd be happy to post any exciting genealogical finds that have turned up this month. Send them to xwordsmith13@gmail.com.

Did anyone have a chance to take advantage of April's free daily webinars posted by Legacy? Remember that each of the regular webinars are available for a week following the original presentation.

The Family History Library is closed until further notice, as well as our local Family History Center. Most libraries have allowed patrons with library cards to access the Ancestry Library Edition from home while that's where most of us are spending our time.

I have continued to add sources and names to the FamilySearch Family Tree. If you have downloaded the app, you can find out how many sources you have contributed.


Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Genealogist

Eastmans Online Genealogy Newsletter provided the following information this week. We all need more indoor activities at present, right?   Take a look:







Begin a lifetime of discovery with our free “First Steps” access.
We are offering two of our most useful record sets for beginners for free for 3 months.

No card details, No subscription, No Catches.


https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/first-steps/

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Ken Burns Presents the Gene

PBS: April 7 and 14 (Check your local listings.)

The following information arrived in Eastman's Online Newsletter today


What happens when a world-famous filmmaker reads a book written by leading physician, biologist, oncologist, and author and then decides to use the book as the basis for a 4-hour PBS special broadcast about genetics? The result is a documentary called The Gene: An Intimate History.

And, yes, quite a bit of this documentary will discuss the things that people inherit from their ancestors.

Ken Burns Presents the Gene: An Intimate History will be broadcast on April 7 and 14 on PBS. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns have collaborated on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee’s best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History.

Friday, April 3, 2020

Free Webinars on Legacy

Legacy Family Tree Webinars wants to do its part to help genealogists across the world who are self-isolating at home right now. While we can’t do your grocery shopping or other practical activities, perhaps a genealogy class each day during the month of April will help as a diversion.
Each day we’ll be unlocking one Legacy Family Tree webinar from the membership library to be available to watch for free. We’ve chosen the classes around a 7-day rotating theme:
  • Sundays – Methodology
  • Mondays – DNA
  • Tuesdays – Ethnic Genealogy
  • Wednesdays – Technology
  • Thursdays – Around the Globe
  • Fridays – Beginners
  • Saturdays – TechZone
April 2020 Daily Schedule

April 1 – Privacy: How to Protect Your Information Online by Judy Russell
April 2 – Untangle the Web of German Websites by Teresa Steinkamp McMillan
April 3 – Getting Started in Family History – 1- Home Sources by Cheri Hudson Passey
April 4 – Google Alerts: Get Notified of New Content on Google by Thomas MacEntee
April 5 – FAN + GPS + DNA: The Problem-Solver’s Great Trifecta by Elizabeth Shown Mills
April 6 – Case Studies in Gray: Identifying Shared Ancestries Through DNA and Genealogy by Nicka Smith
April 7 – Jewish Genealogy’s Other Side: Sephardic Research by Schelly Talalay Dardashti
April 8 – Crowdsourcing with Social Media to Overcome Brick Walls in Genealogy Research by Amie Bowser Tennant
April 9 – Introduction to French-Canadian Research by Michael Leclerc
April 10 – Genealogy 101, a 3-Session Course in Beginning Genealogy – Part 1 by Peggy Lauritzen
April 11 – What Is DNA Segment Data? by Michelle Leonard
April 12 – Transcribing Documents: There is More Than Meets the Eye! by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson
April 13 – Reconstructing Your Genetic Family Tree by Blaine Bettinger
April 14 – Confirming Enslaved Ancestors Utilizing DNA by Melvin Collier
April 15 – Organize Your Online Life by Lisa Louise Cooke
April 16 – Foundations of Irish Genealogy 1 of 6: The Raw Materials of Irish Genealogy by John Grenham
April 17 – Genealogy for Novices: Where Do We Begin? by Linda Woodward Geiger
April 18 – 5 ways to make things on your screen larger by Geoff Rasmussen
April 19 – Marriages Here, There, and Nowhere: Finding Gretna Greens and Borders by J. Mark Lowe
April 20 – Combining DNA and Traditional Research – In-Depth Case Studies by Michelle Leonard
April 21 – Documenting Native American Families in 19th and 20th Century Records by Angela Walton-Raji
April 22 – Spreadsheets 101 – Excel-lence in Genealogy by Mary Kircher Roddy
April 23 – Polled! Finding your Ancestors in New South Wales Colonial Muster and Census Returns by Carol Baxter
April 24 – Ten Brick Wall Tips for Beginners by Marian Pierre-Louis
April 25 – Using Snag-It to Annotate a Screenshot by Cari Taplin
April 26 – The Five-story Fall: Correlating Indirect and Direct Evidence to Extend the Pedigree by Debra Mieszala
April 27 – Organizing Your DNA Results (updated!) by Diahan Southard
April 28 – An Introduction to Spanish Surnames by Daniel Smith-Ramos
April 29 – Photography for Genealogy by Nicka Smith
April 30 – Finding Your 17th Century Ancestors in England by Paul Milner