FGS pulls off a flawless virtual conference! Congratulations!

What a great conference day!! I admit, I'm still unwinding. Spent the day with the window open and a slight breeze. All comfy in my rocker watching speaker after speaker talking just to me. Occasionally I would sit at the table and watch the comments rolling by on my laptop. For me it was a perfect learning experience.

The speakers were excellent. When Judy Russell sent in her papers for this conference there was no Covid 19 and yet her lecture was spot on. Looking into pandemics of the past shed so much light on what we are going thru today. It's nothing new! 

Now I know that I need to get up on Saturday morning and watch Roots Less Traveled on NBC. It's WDYTYA for real people; not celebrities. Seems someone was listening.

A question I have asked for years was answered. Is there a place where descendants of  slave-owners can share names of slaves. Yes. https://beyondkin.org

Did you know there is such a thing as "quick and dirty" family trees? Clue: has to do with DNA  

New words in my vocabulary: Knowledge card, snippet, organic. Watch out google, here I come.

The next two days are workshops and picking my On Demand lectures. From there the conference lasts from September 15, 2020-March 15,2021. During this time I will have access to all Conference material.

Would I do it again? Ya betcha.

Was it frugal? Absolutely!!

My New Whiteboard

I just bought a white board. Why? Because I need to keep track of what I want to do. I used to make a list of Things To Do but those lists got lost in the piles of paper in my office. Now I have a white board on the wall. The best part is I can erase and add. Love it.

I am getting up in years so I have a lot of things I need to do before I log out of my computer for the last time. Goals. I am sure many of my goals are similar to yours. Maybe you have more time than I do to accomplish these goals. On the other hand I might live to be 110.

So let's look at what I want to do and keep in mind that you might want to do the same.

Lineage Societies: Ok, I know I am eligible for many lineage societies. Number one goal for me this year. It's not that difficult and don't listen to anyone who tells you that it is. Most groups are more than willing to help you prove your ancestry. They have data bases you can access. Apply and don't be afraid to ask for help. I need to take my own advise here.

Conferences. Attend at least one conference a year if you can afford it. I know it can be expensive but it is so worth it. Even if you go for just one day, the education factor in today's genealogical world is worth it. Ask for birthday, Christmas, Mothers/Fathers Day presents.  Have a garage sale! We all need to declutter.

Education. (See above.) Workshops. Seminars. Local lectures. This is so important. There is so much out there online. And let's not forget DNA is a tool to be used in family research, but you need to know the limitations of this tool.

Join. Genealogists have always needed to connect with each other. This is how you find family members and share memories of local events and places. It also gives you a chance to give back to your local community by volunteering and serving as an officer of a genealogical or historical society.

Visit. Of course, you know I am going to include this because I always stress the value of "walking the land your ancestors walked". You need to take a road trip to the place your ancestors lived.

 

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! 

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!

New Genealogists + More DNA Testing = More Research Results

 

I just realized how much we need new family researchers. And, in addition to finding and encouraging new genealogists, we also need to urge these newbies to get their DNA tested. The reason? This combination of new research and DNA results increases the database and creates more opportunities for finding new matches. 

Recently I found my maternal great grandmother after decades of brick walls. The reason this happened was because of new matches available on Ancestry DNA. Now I must admit that Thomas MacEntee's Genealogy Do-Over provided some help. It cleared out the garbage and made that one piece of information jump out at me. And, don’t tell anyone that I treated it as a BSO. I just couldn’t help myself. Sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and go for those bright shiny objects!

DNA is beginning to grow roots in the genealogy orchard. Lectures and seminars are sprouting up all over the country as more experts come forward to share what they have learned. Be aware though that not all of these experts know more than you. Journals are publishing more articles about DNA testing as it relates to family research. The main reason for this is more people are having their DNA tested and therefore there is a demand for more education. At the same time, all these additional people are adding to the database of possible relatives and ancestors. 

You probably noticed that one word stands out in the previous paragraph. MORE. More is an important genealogy term! It applies to almost everything genealogical. More databases online; more genealogy societies; more conferences; more primary sources necessary for lineage papers to be approved. When the internet brought genealogy to our computers, we wanted more information. Now DNA testing is new and we need more results.

Now you have your assignment. If you haven’t tested your DNA, do it – now! Encourage your genealogy friends to do likewise. Buy your family members testing kits for Christmas, birthdays or “just because”. It will pay off for you and contribute to the world of genealogy.

A common ancestor?

I just had a thought. Like this is strange, right? It happens a lot, out of the blue, for who knows what reason.

I really don't know what made me put this thought together in my head, but then most of the time I refuse to be responsible for what happens between my ears and behind my eyes.

It has recently been called to my attention by a movie, The Internship, that if you want to work at Google you need something called googliness. I can believe this, but then I live in a village in Ohio.

So my question is this - Is googliness inherited? Is it in a person's DNA? Do the employees at Google all descend from a common ancestor? 

Ya gotta wonder.



 

Who Do You Think You Are off to a good start in the new season!

The new season of Who Do You Think You Are is off to a good start. I did play the Bingo game and filled many of the squares, but not 5 in a row. There are squares that you can absolutely count on -  "researcher uses ancestry.com", "celebrities says they are traveling to ....", and my personal favorite "there is an open parking space in front of the archive". If you have never played this, you need to get your WDYTYA bingo card. http://www.geneabloggers.com/bingo-card-tonights-premiere/

Before I watched the new season premiere, I watched a couple of former episodes, Bryan Cranston and JK Rowlings. They were similar in the sense that they illustrated how families seem to follow patterns. In Bryan's case the men deserted their families. In JK's family the women were single mothers. As Bryan Cranston put it, the men in his family "were born with suitcases in their hands." In Rowlings case, her 2X great grandmother successfully overcame many obstacles in her life, as did Rowlings herself. Think Harry Potter!

Is there something in the family DNA or do they just pass habits from branch to branch on the family tree. Probably a little bit of both. When you really start looking into the "dash" of a person's life you can get a feeling for the family values that are passed from generation to generation. Or not!

I found that I related to JK Rowlings more because her family, as well as a branch of mine, was from the Alsace Lorraine area. I also picked up an important bit of information that applied to my own research and might help me understand why my grandmother's family left Prussia. This is a perk of this show - getting a hint, or as Ancestry likes to call it - a leaf.

In the first episode of the new season, Aisha Tyler, discovered the dash of her 2X great grandfather. When she first found him in the census records he was a 5 year old living in a boarding house. He came to Oberlin, Ohio, with his mother and brother, who eventually died, leaving him alone. He was more than likely born a slave. Records indicate that his father, John Hancock, a Congressman and white supremacist watched over him and his family to a certain extent. 

This was finally a life story of someone who overcame his beginnings and his father's lack of values. Hugh Berry Hancock eventually became a Republican delegate to the convention that nominated McKinley for President. And his home is now a historical landmark in Texas. Aisha must be very proud.

These three episodes of WDYTYA illustrate how good and bad is passed along the family tree. The mysteries, the folk lore, the traditions, the habits. Have you ever looked at a picture of an ancestor and seen yourself? And then, wondered - am I like that person or do I just look like her?                               

 

Hey, What's All This DNA Stuff About Anyway?!

The Lucas County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will present a program about DNA and Genealogy on Saturday, September 19, 2015. The group meets at 2pm in the Huntington Room on the first floor of the Toledo/Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St., Toledo, Ohio. Meetings are open to the public.

Don Hengen will answer the question, "What's This DNA Stuff All About?"

This is a program for those who have already had their testing done, as well as those who know nothing at all about the subject. This will be an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with this new aspect of family research. For years genealogy was a slow tedious process of writing letters, traveling miles to courthouses that hopefully had not had a fire, and searching miles of microfilm in search of an ancestor record. And let's not forget all those cemeteries. Then the computer was born and everything changed.

Well, not everything. You still need to visit courthouses, libraries, cemeteries . . . . but you can also search for your ancestors online in the middle of the night. (If those 4x great grandparents only knew what you are doing right now. No candlelight? No quill pen? You are staring at this screen where words magically appear! and you're waiting for something called "a pizza" to be delivered.) Yes, things have most definitely changed.

And now they have changed even more. DNA has arrived. If you want to find out how this has changed the way we do family research, be sure to attend this meeting on the third Saturday of September. 

All levels of experience are welcome at the chapter's meetings - Beginners, Intermediate, Experienced.

Friday at the NGS Conference

I hope everyone is having a great time, learning a lot, and making new friends as we head into the last two days of the conference. 

There are 5 sessions on the BCG track today. The morning covers new records, records with errors, and the GIS System. Two afternoon sessions cover Congressional records and how to know when you have enough evidence.

Today's recommendations: 

F303 - Religion on the frontier after the Great Awakening. J. Mark Lowe.

F316 - How georaphy influenced the settlement of middle America. J. H. "Jay" Fonkert. 

F322 - Analyzing your evidence and planning your next step. Sharon Tate Moody.

F346 - Migrations west of the Mississippi - trails, rails, gold rushes and more. David Dilts.

F352 - Planning simple, effective, and thorough research. Thomas W. Jones.

Also on today's schedule:

~ DNA track with sessions for all levels.

~ Native American track - what records and resources are avaiable, strategies, and case studies.

~GenTech - aps, Excel, Google, online catalogs, and publishing.  

The NGS Banquet will be held this evening at 6:00pm. Speakers Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Mark Hall-Patton. Topics: Genealogy grants and Pawn Stars!! Sounds interesting.