Last Call for My Heritage, Ancestry and 23 and Me bargains

 

My Heritage: Last day to order a DNA kit in order to receive it by Christmas. Special price of $59 (reg. $79). Free shipping on orders of 2 or more kits.

Ancestry.com: Order by tomorrow in order to receive your kit by Christmas. Special price of $59 (reg. $99).

23 & Me: Order by December 17, 2018 in order to receive your kit by Christmas. More than one kit on sale. 

 **Taxes and shipping may apply to above orders. 

 ** Grandparent alert: You may not test your grandchildren without the permission of their parents! 

It takes a village to find an ancestor!

If you are researching your ancestors where do you go to find them?
Birth certificate, marriage records, death certificate and funeral records.
Census records, city directories, same old, same old.
All of the above, but then there is something else.......... 

Where they lived. Yes it does take that village to recreate your ancestor's life.

Of course that village could have been New York City where they passed the Statue of Liberty on their voyage to America. It might have been a seashore where they first stepped on the land that would one day become the United States of America in the 1600s or 1700s.

And what about the village that they left behind when the decision was made to leave behind family, friends, and country to travel to a new land. 

Decisions, decisions!!

In other words you need to walk the land your ancestors walked. It will help you understand the different paths your ancestors took. What was the village like that they left? What were they looking for in the new village they were headed for?

First to get a handle on this, look at your own life. Take a few minutes to think about it. What are the uncontrollable events that have influenced your own life. I am not going to give you examples; you know what they are. (Pause)

Now compare those memories of your own life to your ancestor's lives in a different time and place. Consider your emotions. Think about what made you take the path you chose. 

In other words walk a mile in your ancestors' well worn shoes

More DNA Kit specials for the holidays. . . .

 

Looking for a new centerpiece for the table on Thanksgiving. How about a cornucopia full of DNA tests? 23 and me has a Thanksgiving Family Offer that will help you fill that centerpiece. They are offering DNA tests for $49 each if you buy 2 or more. ( The tests are normally $99 each.) This is a great bargain and will be available until November 22. If you just want one test the discounted price is $69.

For a bit of fun go to https://www.23andme.com/the-grinch/ 

My Heritage also has an Early Thanksgiving DNA special for the month of November.  Their tests are on sale for $49 and if you order 3 or more tests you will receive free shipping. This test is a cheek swab and the results are available in 3-4 weeks after the lab receives your test. This offer ends November 12.

Tis the season for holiday sales

The holiday season is upon us and you know what that means. Genealogy bargains.

For me it also means that I need to get moving on unpacking and arranging that last room in my new villa. . . . my office. I am so looking forward to that. After a much too long vacation from genealogy, I have a long list of things I want to tackle and get caught up on. DNA, Jewish heritage, Native American heritage, lineage societies, new lectures, and more blogging.

But right now let's get to the first bargain of the season -- Ancestry.com. 

Ancestry gift memberships are on sale for 20% off until November 11, 2018. 

The U.S. Discovery membership is priced at $79 (6 months) and $124 (12 months). This membership covers American roots.

The World Explorer membership which includes U.S. plus International research is priced at $119 (6 months) and $239 (12 months). 

Ancestry is also having a sale on Ancestry DNA test kits that lasts until November 11, 2018. The kit is on sale for $59 plus tax and shipping.

Happy Holiday Shopping! 

What I did on my summer conference vacation!

I always see the FGS Conference as the end of the season. Now I am looking forward to the beginning of the genealogical organization meeting season; followed by the holidays, and then onto a new year of research, networking, and conferences. 

This year's FGS Conference brought a lot of new experiences for me. Of course, the best was my daughter's first conference. Our biggest fear is that our research  will land in the dumpster after our funerals. In order to prevent this we do out best to instill a love of family research in our children. Fortunately my daughter caught the genealogy bug - but not because of my family. Instead her husband's family got her attention. And what an interesting family it  is. But then she became interested in my mother's crazy family. So I think she is here to stay in the world of genealogy.

I learned more about DNA and how to evaluate the results. I wasn't surprised to find out that DNA won't tell you anything if you have not done your homework. I always say that you need to know how to do "old school genealogical research". It is the foundation of all family research. I feel fortunate that I began my genealogy life in the days before the internet. I had no other option and I learned patience. 

I appreciate the internet and DNA but I really think we need to stress the importance of visiting your local library, repositories, and historical societies. There is nothing that compares to seeing the actual record books that were created when your ancestors were born, married, or died.

The other thing that I learned is somewhere along the way I got older. I finally gave in and bought a walker. Oh, how I dreaded being the only person there with one of these things. To my surprise, I was not alone and it is actually rather convenient. You can sit down anywhere you want to. I might even rent a scooter next time! lol

FGS Conference 2018 - Friday!

My daughter's most favorite thing about her first conference -- The Exhibit Hall. (We've all been there.) Her least favorite thing -- finding a parking place in downtown Fort Wayne. Of course!!

We worked on getting our passports stamped in the exhibit hall. We are about half way there. Didn't realize there are that many booths in the exhibit hall.

We stopped for an event at ancestry.com titled "Stump the Genealogist." Excellent! It was a fun way to pick up some tips about using ancestry.

We have one day left and I am sure we will crowd many things into the time left. May not have time for research but we will definitely make a stop at the Allen County Library.

Of course I made a few "resolutions". I will finally join the DAR, join the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and look into the Mayflower Society. But the most important and the one I keep putting off -- prove to the remaining  Ohio lineage societies. This now has added motivation. My family might be going to the OGS conference in the Cincinnati area and this is where my ancestors who will be honored are from. 

The DNA track at this conference was very informative. I can now approach my results with new confidence. I pushed myself a bit with an advanced session about DNA but that is not a bad thing. I did learn some information that will start to make sense in the future.  

On The Road Again

For the first time in about 4 years I am in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the FGS conference. Along with thousands of other family researchers. The last time I was here DNA was a brand new genealogy tool and nobody understood it. We still aren't clear about how to incorporate it into our genealogy research but now we have experts who can explain this new concept.

I was very impressed with the speakers I listened to today. I definitely learned a lot. I verified what I always suspected -- that DNA doesn't work without a solid base of basic genealogy research. In other words it will not give you a list of your ancestors. Also, your success  will depend on how large your data base is. One thing that stood out at all the sessions was the importance of DNA for finding birth parents. Complicated, yet doable.

As for the exhibit hall, there is so much going on. For free!! Mini workshops. Raffles. Door prizes. Special pricing on DNA kits. There are a lot of unique and new booths along with the large well-known web sites. 

Of course the Allen County Library needs no introduction. I have always thought that conference hotel pricing should exist for a week after the conference so everyone has a chance to research at the library.

But the big thing for me this year is (drum roll, please) my daughter will be attending her first genealogy conference tomorrow. The torch is passed! It will be fun and I imagine eye-opening to witness someone visiting  their very first ever conference. I take the whole event for granted after years of conference. It will be interesting to just sit back and watch.

Conference Ho!!

For the first time in a number of years I am planning on attending a genealogy conference. A few days ago I registered for the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, On the Three Rivers - Past, Present & Future,  in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is the last week to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discounts and the hotels in the area still have rooms available at the special conference rate. 

Conferences are for everyone, whether you are just a newbie to genealogy with only a couple hours under your belt or an advanced family researcher with many years of experience. This is an event where you can reconnect with old friends, make new friends, or maybe even find a new cousin. 

One of the best features of this conference when it is in Fort Wayne is the Allen County Library and it is within easy walking distance from the conference hall. Right across the street! The library has one of the best and well-known genealogy departments in the country. It is a must for this conference to set aside some time in order to spend some research time at the library. And, definitely design a research plan before you go. 

This year I am going to concentrate on the DNA track. It covers all three days of the conference. However, if you haven't ventured into the world of genetic genealogy yet there are many other tracks available this year: African American, Eastern Europe, German, Methodology, Midwest, Records, Scandinavian, Technology, and the United Kingdom. In addition to the track sessions there are workshops, luncheons, and evening events.  

Early bird registration ends in just a couple day. See you in Fort Wayne!

Mother's Day - Six Years Later

It will be 6 years this Sunday since my husband passed away. He went to the National Genealogical Society Conference in Cincinnati with me on the Monday before he died. He wanted me to start a blog and we would travel to various places that I would write about. I told him "only if it has to do with genealogy". He agreed. And we took off to our first conference. 

He spent, maybe, a half hour at the conference with me and then he took off to the hills of Kentucky and southern Ohio. I was in my world at the conference and he was in his world playing "Dukes of Hazard" on the road on either side of the Ohio River. We came home with many plans to do this again. 

He died a few days later. On May 13. It was Mother's Day. Now six years later it is May 13 and it is Mother's Day again. Full circle.

My life has changed so much in the last six years. I am my own person now. I am no one's wife. I am no one's daughter. I am me.

I have made the decision to sell my house and downsize one more time. I have to wonder why it took that six year cycle to make it happen. Everything just fell into place. There was a possible buyer and my home magically became ready to be sold.

I am looking forward to renting a villa with no maintenance. A smaller space to live in seems perfect to me now. More time for the things I want to do. Of course that means more time to devote to genealogy. 

Since I became a widow on May 13, 2012, my life has changed so much and I have grown in so many ways I never imagined. The guilt is gone. Some of the fear is still there and will probably never completely go away. The love will always be there, but the tears have turned to memories.  

I am so ready for this new season of my life.

 

  

The Mother Lode of Conferences! Whoo Hoo.

If you live in Northwest Ohio, you are in going to be in genealogical wonderland this year. 

OGS Conference 11-14 April 2018, Columbus, Ohio

National Genealogical Society Conference 2-5 May 2018, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

FGS Conference 22-25 August 2018, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

It doesn't get any better than this. 

Stay tuned!

Genealogical glass houses!

Something I heard on television a few weeks ago really got me thinking. 

"People who live in genealogical glass houses shouldn't throw stones." 
(Jennifer Mendelsohn, genealogist. AM Joy MSNBC, January 20, 2018)

First of all, please let me make one thing clear. This is not a political opinion. It  is something that I have gradually learned during my many years of family research. Genealogists see things differently and because of this maybe genealogy should be a required subject in school. See Jane. See Dick. See Jane's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, . . . .well you get the picture. Makes sense to me.

But here is the thing -- we all live in genealogical glass houses. No one can escape that fact. If you're an American, you live in a genealogical glass house. You can ignore it. You can refuse to believe it, but family history is your family story. It is His Story, Her Story, Our Story, Their Story, Your Story. Get it? It exists whether you want it to or not.

                   [Please take a 10 minute pause to meditate on this and please learn from this.]

Yes. We all live in genealogical glass houses. We need to understand why and where our ancestors lived. Did they stay or did they move. Were they immigrants? Did they own slaves? Were they slaves? Were they harassed because of nationality? 

Can you change your family history? No!
Can you learn from it?  Yes!
Can you treat others as you wish your ancestors could have been or were treated? Yes!

Read.
Learn.
Understand. 

And the best way to learn about and understand the future is to research your family's past. 

It's not to late to research your family.






 

Want to make a donation? Won't cost you a penny - just your vote!

Kroger in Waterville, Ohio, is opening a new marketplace store. (Actually they have added on to our current store.) In honor of the grand opening they are going to donate $10,000 to 3 local organizations. The money will be divided according to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. $5000, $3,000 and $2,000. 

This is your chance to help the Waterville Historical Society with a donation and it won't cost you a dime. Just log onto the the Kroger website below and vote for Waterville Historical Society. You can cast your vote everyday til the contest ends at midnight on January 29. You can help us by sharing this info with all your friends, even your friends on Facebook! And don't forget your relatives. And maybe your ancestors can help with a little bit of serendipity.

WHS provides events and educational programs and tours for local residents and visitors. We have two homes and a building that we maintain in order to preserve a view of the past. One of the homes is in need of costly repairs. This donation from Kroger would provide much needed funds toward this goal. 

Please consider a donation:

https://www.krogeropening.com/support-a-cause/

Thank you so much. Your votes are greatly appreciated.