Author: Nichelle Barra Page 64 of 91

Genealogy News: March 7 – 13

On 13 March 2015

Anyone watch the new season of Who Do You think You Are? And did you enter the sweepstakes too? This is one of those times when I wish I had cable… If I only could ask for just this channel for just this show!

Videos/Webinars

Do you have too much on your Ancestry.com tree and want to separate it into more than one tree? Or maybe you have two trees you wish to combine? Christa Cowan, the Barefoot Genealogist has a YouTube video on how to do just that! (Video is about 23 minutes)
Christa Cowan also shared a video called “Document Your Research: What Does That Mean?” which is a great video for beginners or those who want a refresher. (Video is about 23 minutes)
Check out this video by Lisa Louise Cooke from Genealogy Gems called “3 Genetic Genealogy Misconceptions and Answers to Your DNA Questions.” Great 10 minute video for beginners!
Doing some cemetery research? Check out this short video by Ancestral Findings on cemetery research.
Can’t make it to the NGS conference this year (like me 🙁 )? You can still attend by purchasing live streaming! See the costs and options here. I plan on taking advantage of that this year!

Records/Resources

Dick Eastman’s newsletter (EOGN) recently posted about the Colorado Springs death register index, which is now available online. See more information in his article here.
Heritage Quest has gone through some changes recently. One of those changes is that they now have data from Ancestry.com. I’ve heard mixed opinions about this change but to read more about this, check out the EOGN article about it here.
More records added to FamilySearch! Check out the EOGN article that lists them here.
Looking for ancestors who may have been institutionalized? Those records are never easy to obtain but Upfront with NGS posted some ideas in how to get them.
Upfront with NGS also posted “FREE Resources for Online Digitized Genealogy and Family History Books.”

Books

The NGS publication Genealogy and the Law by Kay Haviland Freilich and William B. Freilich is now available for the Kindle! Speaking of that, Dear Myrtle also hosts a study group for this book if you’re interested.

Interesting Articles

Have you heard of the Global Family Reunion Festival by A.J. Jacobs? Well you can now buy a ticket by participating in their fundraiser on Indiegogo! Check it out for the videos at least!
Clue Wagon recently posted about why your DNA tests aren’t as accurate as you may think. Check out her blog post for more information! And just check out her blog in general. She’s hilarious!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Genealogy on Facebook

By Nichelle Barra

On 12 March 2015

In Resources

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a Facebook addict.

This is what I see at the top of Copper Leaf’s Facebook page

Back in college, when Facebook first opened it up to college students only, I climbed aboard and have never left. I didn’t really like MySpace but Facebook was different somehow and hooked me right away. Who knew it would sweep through the world like it has!

Using Facebook for genealogy may seem odd to some but there are many wonderful resources available on there that it is really worth your time to become a part of Facebook if you’re not already.

I know some people are worried about their privacy online, especially when using Facebook. However, you do have control over who you are friends with and what you upload and post to the site. Really, it is up to you to share what you’d like to online. Keep in mind that Facebook is a public area and if you wouldn’t announce something to a crowd of family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, etc., then you probably shouldn’t do so online.

So what is available on Facebook to make it worthwhile for the wary genealogist?

SO MUCH!

Each state pretty much has their own group. It can be a historical society, archives, genealogy group, etc. And this works for cities/counties in the state or even specific groups, like pioneers for that state/county/city.

There are also wonderful help groups! For example, there is the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (for the USA and outside of the USA). I am a member of that group and they are wonderful!

Another favorite of mine is Genealogy Translations. They helped me to decipher some microfilm records I was looking at, which was incredibly helpful!

There are many other groups too and I am a part of several! There are the GeneaBloggers, Genealogy-Cite Your Sources, Technology for Genealogy, Genealogy and Newspapers, Genealogy! Just Ask!, G A A (Genealogy Addicts Anonymous), The Organized Genealogist, and so much more!

On Tuesday I posted on my Facebook page a link to Katherine Willson’s Genealogy on Facebook List. I highly recommend looking through that list (you can search it using the ctrl-f function) to find new and more groups that you can be a part of to help you in your genealogy research. That list is updated frequently and is an amazing resource for any and all genealogists!

Anyone else love using Facebook as a resource? Comment below!

Happy hunting!

Wordless Wednesday: An Early Version of the Doorway Jumper?

By Nichelle Barra

On 11 March 2015

In Pictures

Around 1929 – an early version of the doorway jumper? I’m not sure when those were invented and this could be a swing.

Genealogy Do-Over: DNA

By Nichelle Barra

On 9 March 2015

In Personal, Research

The Genealogy Do-Over was created by Thomas MacEntee and focuses on reexamining (maybe even re-researching) your genealogy to get a better and more fresh perspective on your work.

Although I’m not fully participating in the Genealogy Do-Over, there are certain topics that I feel I should review. This last week’s Genealogy Do-Over topic is about DNA, an area where I could definitely use a do-over!

DNA Testing Options

So, what is it exactly I’m looking to research here? Well, everything if I’m honest! But really, the Witherell’s and the Langeneck’s. Those two are the ones I like to focus on the most in my personal research. With that in mind, here are my testing options:

Y-DNA test – this is for the paternal lineage and only males can take this test. I will do this one for the Witherell line.
mtDNA – this is the mitochondrial DNA test and it’s used for the maternal lineage but for the more distant relatives. Females can take this test as well as males. I’ll eventually take this test too but that’s in the future.
Autosomal DNA – also known as FamilyFinder or ethnic DNA (be sure you understand where those percentages come from though and how reliable they are). Either male or female can test as this test doesn’t use the sex chromosomes and works best for finding more recent ancestors. I will use this one for the Langeneck line.

Plan

My DNA results from AncestryDNA

I have personally tested with AncestryDNA and then uploaded that to GEDmatch. I would like to test with 23andMe as I now know more about what 23andMe has to offer genealogists as far as tools go that Ancestry does not, like a chromosome browser. A chromosome browser allows the test-taker to see what chromosomes match someone else. This is helpful when identifying what relative you have in common. Ancestry.com DOES show if your genetic match has someone in their tree that you also have in yours. I recommend reading The Legal Genealogist’s blog post “Changes at AncestryDNA” for more information on how that works. Testing with 23andMe will wait a bit though as these tests can be expensive…

I know I will probably use FamilyTreeDNA for their FamilyFinder with my grandparents because that requires a cheek swab, and not a spit test tube (and I can transfer my AncestryDNA results for a cheaper price than taking another test) . I know the older you are, the harder it is to do a spit test and even I had a hard time creating enough spit for the Ancestry test!

Continuing Education

I plan on reading as much as I possibly can about DNA and taking coursework in it as well. I hope to be able to add DNA into my genealogy research as part of my business one day, and soon. This is my #1 educational goal at the moment!

I really want to attend GRIP this summer for their genetic genealogy program and wish I could get my bank account to agree with me!

Books/Blogs to Read

If you’re interested in DNA and how it can help your genealogy, reading is one of the best things you can do.

Blogs/Websites

The Genetic Genealogist by Blaine Bettinger
Your Genetic Genealogist by CeCe Moore (probably one of my favorites)
DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy by Roberta Estes
International Society of Genetic Genealogy has their own wiki – great for looking up some of the terms you may be unfamiliar with!
FamilyTreeDNA has their own collection of webinars on genetic genealogy that is worth checking out
The Legal Genealogist by Judy G Russell (check out her “2015: Most Bang for the DNA Buck” for figuring out what test to take first).

Books

Be aware that there are many ebooks that are popping up with this topic. Always check the price and the reviews to see if it’s something worthwhile to you. Some ebooks are outrageously expensive and can contain information you can learn online and many ebooks tend to be self-published and can have many grammatical errors.

The first two ebooks I link from Amazon are two I personally bought but haven’t read yet.

Genealogy: DNA and the Family Tree (Ancestry, Genealogy Research, Family History Detective) by James Mayflower – the link takes you to the Kindle version which is currently free.
Guide to DNA Testing: How to Identify Ancestors, Confirm Relationships and Measure Ethnic Ancestry through DNA Testing by Richard Hill – the link takes you to the Kindle version which is currently $.99!
Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak (One of my favorite genealogy authors and this is on my to-read list)
Jump Into Genetic Genealogy: Use Genealogical DNA Testing to Solve Family Mysteries by FamilyTree University – free ebook

Feel I left out a valuable book/website/blog? Please add it in the comments below!

Happy hunting!