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Remember reading the short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”? On this day in 1859, author Washington Irving died in his home at the age of 76. Image: Washington Irving / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Irving was the youngest of eleven children born to William Irving, Sr. and Sarah Sanders. He was born just as the American Revolution came to its end and was named after the hero of the revolution, George Washington. At… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Washington Irving first appeared on About Geni.

Are you a fan of martial arts movies? On this day in 1940, actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California. Considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time, Lee is often credited with helping to change the way Asians are depicted in American films. Image: Bruce Lee / Wikimedia Commons His father was a leading Hong Kong Cantonese opera singer and film actor. At the time of… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Bruce Lee first appeared on About Geni.

As the holiday season swings into full gear, there’s no better time to find that perfect, meaningful gift for your loved ones. And what could be more special than the gift of discovery? This Cyber Monday, MyHeritage is thrilled to announce an unbeatable deal on our DNA kits — they’re available now at the lowest The post Exclusive Cyber Monday Offer: DNA Kits at Their Best Price! appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Ridley Scott’s film about the emperor Napoléon Bonaparte — and his empress Joséphine de Beauharnais — starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, is the cinematic event of the season. Want to learn more about Napoléon’s era? Geneanet is the right place, as we are France’s #1 genealogy site, with many Premier Empire resources you might not know about!

On this day in 1784, Zachary Taylor was born. Taylor served as the 12th President of the United States until his death in 1850. Image: Zachary Taylor / Library of Congress Taylor was born on November 24, 1784 in Orange County, Virginia to a prominent family of plantation owners. His father, Richard Taylor, served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Taylor was related to a number of prominent figures in history. He was… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Zachary Taylor first appeared on About Geni.

As we approach the holiday season, it’s fascinating to look back at how the tradition of gift-giving has evolved over the years. The MyHeritage Research team has delved into a century’s worth of holiday ads in our vast collection of nearly 20 billion historical records to reveal some startling differences in the kinds of presents The post Women Would Never Stand for These Gifts That Were All the Rage 100 Years Ago appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

In this free video, you’ll discover three important steps you can take right now to capture and preserve your family traditions for generations to come from my wonderful friend and colleague Gena Philibert-Ortega. Happy Thanksgiving! Watch Now: Resources: Download the ad-free Show Notes cheat sheet for this video here. (Premium Membership required.) Show Notes: Three steps Source

Happy birthday to Jamie Lee Curtis! Today the actress turns 65. Image: Jamie Lee Curtis / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Curtis followed in her parents footsteps and became an actress. In 1978, she made her film debut as the star of the horror film Halloween and subsequently went on to star in several more horror films, garnering her the title, “Scream Queen.” Her career… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Jamie Lee Curtis first appeared on About Geni.

Born 1997 in Antwerp, Belgium, to a 19-year-old mother, Yentl Coeck’s early life was marked by a great deal of uncertainty. She grew up in and out of foster care, living part of the time with her mother’s parents. “My mother was very young, and decided not to give me up for adoption, yet she The post She Bought a MyHeritage DNA Kit on Sale for Black Friday — and Finally Found Her Father appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Happy birthday to Goldie Hawn! Today the actress turns 78. Image: Goldie Hawn / photo by Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 She was born Goldie Jeanne Hawn on November 21, 1945 in Washington D.C. to Laura Steinhoff, a jewelry shop/dance school owner, and Edward Rutledge Hawn, a band musician. Goldie got her big break as a regular cast member on the sketch comedy show Laugh-In. Her Laugh-In persona let her easily segue into several popular film appearances, including Cactus… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Goldie Hawn first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember Robert F. Kennedy, who was born on this day in 1925. Image: Robert F. Kennedy / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Robert was the seventh child of Joseph Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald. After successfully managing his older brother’s presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy appointed him Attorney General. Robert would become one of President Kennedy’s closest advisors during his administration. A year after his brother’s assassination, Robert won a seat… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Robert F. Kennedy first appeared on About Geni.

On December 20, 2023, the entire Geneanet DNA section of our site will be permanently deleted. In order to backup the analysis of your DNA matches, we invite you to download before this date your list of DNA cousins (including your notes) and the data concerning the matching chromosome segments of your DNA cousins. Here’s how to do it.

Three and a half years since the launch of Geneanet DNA, it’s time to take stock. We have made the difficult decision to end this feature set which unfortunately hasn’t had the success we had hoped for.

When Penny Fox of Vancouver, Canada received a MyHeritage DNA kit for her 64th birthday, she couldn’t have imagined what a tremendous gift it would turn out to be. After a lifetime of searching for information about her birth family, the DNA test turned out to be the final piece of the puzzle that not The post The Gift of a Lifetime: A Whole New Family Thanks to a MyHeritage DNA Kit appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1558, Mary I of England died at the age of 42. With no children of her own, her half-sister succeeded to the throne and ruled as Elizabeth I. Image: Mary I of England / Wikimedia Commons The only child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary I ascended to the English throne after the death of her Protestant half-brother, Edward VI. She was the fourth crowned monarch… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Mary I of England first appeared on About Geni.

The Consistency Checker has played an important role to help improve the accuracy of the World Family Tree. Today we are excited to share that you will now receive a weekly email notification to alert you of inconsistencies found in the family tree on Geni. In the email notification, you will see a list of the most important issues discovered on profiles you manage. The Consistency Checker automatically checks 28 different types of inconsistencies and… Read the full story The post New Consistency Checker Email Notifications first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember legendary actor Clark Gable, who died on this day in 1960 at the age of 59. Known as the “King of Hollywood,” Gable starred in more than 60 films, but is perhaps best remembered as Rhett Butler in the Civil War epic Gone With the Wind. Image: Clark Gable / Wikimedia Commons Born William Clark Gable on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, Gable had early aspirations to become an actor. After… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Clark Gable first appeared on About Geni.

On November 15, 1887, American artist Georgia O’Keeffe was born. Image: Georgia O’Keeffe / Library of Congress O’Keeffe was born in a farmhouse in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to Francis Calyxtus O’Keeffe and Ida Totto, who were both dairy farmers. The second of seven children, O’Keeffe knew she wanted to become an artist from a young age. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and then the Art Students League of New… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Georgia O’Keeffe first appeared on About Geni.

Hadar Hen had stopped believing it could happen. She had been searching for him for decades, dreaming of the moment she would finally find him and he would explain why he had left and never come back. But after years of searching for her birth father, she found nothing but disappointment. When she turned to The post After 70 Years of Searching, She Finally Found Her Siblings Thanks to a Smart Match™ on MyHeritage appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On November 14, 1840, French impressionist painter Claude Monet was born. Image: Claude Monet / Wikimedia Commons The French painter is remembered as the founder of the French Impressionist movement. In fact, the movement’s name was derived from Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise. Monet’s artistic style sought to capture the movement of light and its changing qualities. His work often illustrated ordinary subject matters and nature, such as his famous series of paintings depicting haystacks and water… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Claude Monet first appeared on About Geni.

Do you remember reading Treasure Island or Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? On this day in 1850, author Robert Louis Stevenson was born. Image: Robert Louis Stevenson / Library of Congress Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Thomas Stevenson, a leading lighthouse engineer, and Margaret Balfour. As a child, Stevenson was prone to illnesses, often coughs and fevers, which persisted into adulthood. He was expected to follow in his family’s profession in lighthouse engineering, however, he… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Robert Louis Stevenson first appeared on About Geni.

Perhaps you know about Automatic matches, those small red check marks visible on your tree which signal new information is available about your ancestors. We have completely revamped this service to help you save even more time: make way for hints!

We dug deep into our huge collection of historical records at MyHeritage to find out what the most popular baby girl names have been in the UK over the last 100 years. The MyHeritage database contains a whopping 19.6 billion historical records, with new collections being added each day. By researching the England & Wales, The post Popular Baby Girl Names Over the Past 100 Years appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

The upcoming movie Napoleon brings to the forefront one of history’s most legendary figures, Napoleon Bonaparte. As the film reignites conversations about Napoleon’s impact on European history, there remains an aspect to his life that remains unexplored: the tale of his family’s American connections.  The MyHeritage Research team delved into MyHeritage’s massive treasure trove of The post The Lesser Known Story of Napoleon’s American Legacy appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1925, Welsh actor Richard Burton was born in Pontrhydyfen, Wales. Image: Richard Burton / Wikimedia Commons Born Richard Walter Jenkins, Jr., he was the twelfth child of parents Richard Walter Jenkins, Sr. and Edith Maude Thomas. His father was a coal miner and his mother worked as a bartender. At the age of two, he lost his mother shortly after she gave birth to the family’s thirteenth child. He was then taken… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Richard Burton first appeared on About Geni.

For Veterans Day — also called Remembrance Day or Armistice Day — we tell the story of Eugene J. Bullard, the first African-American combat pilot, who flew for France in World War I — but was refused a transfer into the US Army Air Corps due to prejudice. Learn about his adventurous life: jockey, stowaway, vaudeville performer, boxer, infantryman, pilot, jazz drummer, nightclub impresario, and spy — then soldier again, then Free French and civil rights activist!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about an ancestor? On this day in 1914, actress Hedy Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungry. Although Lamarr was best known as an actress during MGM’s “Golden Age,” you may be surprised to learn about her background as an inventor and the role she played in the creation of wireless communication. Image: Hedy Lamarr / Wikimedia Commons During the 1940s, Lamarr starred in several successful films. But as… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Hedy Lamarr first appeared on About Geni.

Reta Michael, 80 from Worcester, England, had always been aware that her biological father was a Canadian airman, but apart from his name and where he had served in the U.K., she knew nothing — until her husband and her son offered her a DNA kit for Christmas. That gift changed her life. This is The post I Got a MyHeritage DNA Kit as a Christmas Gift. It Gave Me a Whole New Extended Family appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1847, Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, was born in Dublin, Ireland. Image: Bram Stoker / Wikimedia Commons Abraham Stoker was the third of seven children born to Abraham Stoker and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley. As a child, Stoker suffered from an illness that left him bedridden until he started school at the age of seven. After studying mathematics at Trinity College, Stoker worked as a civil servant at Dublin Castle and as… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Bram Stoker first appeared on About Geni.

In October 2023 we published 4.7 million historical records from 19 historical record collections from Lithuania, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. The records include marriage, death, burial, obituary, census, court records, wills, and household registers. Some of the collections also include images. Search them to discover a family treasure! Here are more details about The post MyHeritage Adds 4.7 Million Historical Records in October 2023 appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” – Marie Curie Image: Marie Curie / Nationaal Archief, Flickr Today we celebrate the life of renowned physicist Marie Curie, who was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. A pioneer in radiation research, Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person (and only woman) to win twice in different fields. She was born Maria Salomea… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Marie Curie first appeared on About Geni.

We’re happy to announce that PhotoDater™ is now available on the MyHeritage mobile app and on the Reimagine app! PhotoDater™ is a revolutionary FREE feature that uses AI technology to estimate when historical photos were taken, and it’s available only on MyHeritage. We first released PhotoDater™ on the MyHeritage website back in August 2023. Now, The post PhotoDater™ Now Available on the MyHeritage and Reimagine Mobile Apps appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1814, Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant, in what is today Belgium. Image: Adolphe Sax / Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Wikimedia Commons Sax was born Antoine-Joseph Sax to Marie-Joseph Masson and Charles-Joseph Sax, a maker of wind and brass instruments. As a young child, Sax faced many near-death experiences. He was struck in the head by a brick, swallowed a needle, fell onto a burning stove, survived a fall from… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Adolphe Sax first appeared on About Geni.

Do you have Italian ancestry? On this day in 1801, operatic composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania, Sicily. Image: Vincenzo Bellini / Rijksmuseum Bellini was born to a highly musical family and showed signs of his musical talent at an early age. Although not much is known about his early life, some stories say that he learned to sing at 18 months and play the piano at the age of 3. His grandfather and his… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Vincenzo Bellini first appeared on About Geni.

Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, was born on this day in 1755 in Vienna, Austria. Image: Marie Antoinette / Wikimedia Commons Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755 and was the youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. By the age of 15, her marriage to the future King of France, Louis XVI, had been arranged in order to cement an alliance between the French and Hapsburg… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Marie Antoinette first appeared on About Geni.

Have you read The Red Badge of Courage? On November 1, 1871, author Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey. Image: Stephen Crane / Wikimedia Commons Recognized as one of the most innovative writers of his generation, Crane began writing at the age of 4 and had published several articles by the age of 16. In 1895, Crane published what would become his most acclaimed novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Taking place during the American… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Stephen Crane first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1795, English Romantic poet John Keats was born in London, England. Image: John Keats / Wikimedia Commons The son of Thomas Keats and Frances Jennings, Keats was the eldest of the couple’s four surviving children. Keats lost both of his parents while he was still young. His father died when Keats was 8 after falling from a horse. When he was 14, his mother died of tuberculosis. During this time, Keats found… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: John Keats first appeared on About Geni.

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 6 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in October 2023: Australia Big Hill Uniting Church Cemetery, Big Hill, New South Wales, 41 graves

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in October 2023: Denver PYLE, American film and television actor and director Mike JOHNSON, American politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Richard

We are saddened to hear about the death of actor Matthew Perry on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54. Image: Matthew Perry / National Archives and Records Administration Perry was born Matthew Langford Perry on August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His mother, Suzanne Marie Langford, was a Canadian journalist and former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry, was an actor. His parents separated when he… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Matthew Perry first appeared on About Geni.

Our consistency checker has been recently updated for greater flexibility and efficiency.

On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was born in New York City, New York. Image: Theodore Roosevelt / Library of Congress He was the second of four children born to Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., a glass businessman and philanthropist, and Martha Stewart “Mittie” Bulloch, a socialite and southern belle thought to be one of the inspirations for the character Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. Nicknamed “Teedie,” Roosevelt… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Theodore Roosevelt first appeared on About Geni.

Are you a fan of The Princess Bride? On this day in 1962, star Cary Elwes was born in Westminster, London, England. Image: Cary Elwes / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Elwes was born Ivan Simon Cary Elwes on October 26, 1962 to Dominic Elwes, a portrait painter, and Tessa Kennedy, an interior designer. His paternal grandfather, Simon Elwes, was a prominent portrait painter who counted presidents and members of the British Royal… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Cary Elwes first appeared on About Geni.

October 26 is Austrian National Day! To celebrate, here are some resources for Austrian genealogy, many of which may help you as you research your ancestors. Check our curated list, you may find resources you haven’t used before!

On this day in 1400, poet Geoffrey Chaucer died in London, England. Known as the Father of English literature, Chaucer is often considered to be the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. Image: Geoffrey Chaucer / The National Library of Wales, Wikimedia Commons Chaucer was born around 1343 to a family of wine merchants. His father worked as a deputy to the King’s butler and his position helped Chaucer acquire his own positions early in… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Geoffrey Chaucer first appeared on About Geni.

Do you have any daredevils in your family? On this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was also celebrating her 63rd birthday. Image: Annie Edson Taylor / Library of Congress Taylor was born on October 24, 1838 in Auburn, New York. She studied to become a school teacher, and at the age of 17, married David Taylor. After her husband died in… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Annie Edson Taylor first appeared on About Geni.

Do you remember watching The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson? Today we celebrate what would have been host Johnny Carson’s 98th birthday. Image: Johnny Carson / State Library and Archives of Florida John William Carson was born on October 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa to Homer Homer Lloyd “Kit” Carson and Ruth Hook. As a child, Carson developed his entertainment skills by performing magic for his family and friends. He called himself “The Great Carsoni” and… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Johnny Carson first appeared on About Geni.

Do you like scary movies? On this day in 1882, horror film legend Bela Lugosi was born. Image: Bela Lugosi / Wikimedia Commons He was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó on October 20, 1882 to Paula de Vojnich and István Blaskó, a banker, in Lugos, Hungary. Around the age of 11, he left home and took on odd jobs to support himself in his travels. It was during this time that he began acting on stage and… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Bela Lugosi first appeared on About Geni.

Did your ancestors fight in the American Revolutionary War? On this day in 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively bringing an end to the American Revolution. Image: Wikimedia Commons During his early days in the war, Cornwallis had successfully driven George Washington’s troops out of New Jersey. In 1779, Cornwallis became a leading figure in the British “southern strategy” to gain control of the southern colonies. Although Cornwallis had generally been successful in his battles, including… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: General Charles Cornwallis first appeared on About Geni.

Have you read Moby-Dick? On this day in 1851, Herman Melville’s classic novel was published for the first time in London, England. Image: Herman Melville / Library of Congress Initially published under the title, The Whale, Melville’s signature novel followed the story of a sea captain’s obsessive quest to hunt down the white whale, Moby Dick. Melville drew upon his own experiences working at sea to write the book. While writing the novel, Melville developed a close friendship with… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Herman Melville first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1915, American playwright Arthur Miller was born in Harlem, New York. Image: Arthur Miller / Nationaal Archief Arthur Asher Miller was born to Augusta Barnett and Isidore Miller. His father owned a successful women’s clothing manufacturing business and the family lived a comfortable lifestyle until nearly losing everything during the Great Depression. In 1956, he married for the second time to actress Marilyn Monroe. Their high profile relationship thrusted him into the Hollywood spotlight. Shortly… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Arthur Miller first appeared on About Geni.

Many of you participated in our “Save or Graves” weekend, many thanks to all of you! Spotlight on this project and its participants around the world.

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is known for her influence on modern pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the “Queen of Camp” by Vogue and Rolling Stone.

On this day in 1854, Irish writer Oscar Wilde was born. Considered one of London’s most popular playwrights in his day, Wilde was known for his brilliant intellect, quick wit, and flamboyant personality. Image: Oscar Wilde / Library of Congress He was born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. Wilde was the second child born to Sir William Wilde, a prominent surgeon and author, and Jane Wilde, an Irish… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Oscar Wilde first appeared on About Geni.

Happy birthday to Paul Simon! Today the musician and songwriter turns 82. With a music career that has spanned over six decades, Simon is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in history. Image: Paul Simon / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Paul Frederick Simon was born on October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey. His mother, Belle Schulman, was a elementary school teacher and his father, Louis Simon, was a professional musician and performed on television shows… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Paul Simon first appeared on About Geni.

Do you have Polish ancestry? The many border changes of Poland in the past centuries — including several partitions when the country was divided up by its neighbors — make Polish genealogy a true challenge. These resources will help you find your elusive forbears.

On this day in 1798, Pedro I of Brazil was born in Lisbon, Portugal. Nicknamed  “the Liberator,” Pedro declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal in 1822 and became the country’s first Emperor. Image: Pedro I of Brazil / Wikimedia Commons Generally known as Dom Pedro, he was the fourth child of King John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina, who was the daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain. When Napoleon conquered Portugal in 1807, the royal family fled to Brazil, Portugal’s… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Pedro I of Brazil first appeared on About Geni.

Today we celebrate the birthday of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt! Image: Eleanor Roosevelt / Library of Congress Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 to Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Rebecca Hall. Orphaned by the age of 10, Eleanor was raised by her maternal grandmother, Mary Livingston Ludlow. Her family was a part of New York’s high society and she grew up in a world of immense privilege. She was also the niece… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Eleanor Roosevelt first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember Norwegian explorer, scientist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen, who was born on this day in 1861 in Oslo, Norway. Image: Fridtjof Nansen / National Library of Norway, Flickr A champion skier and ice skater in his youth, Nansen had a passion for adventure from a young age. He studied Zoology in school, which enabled him to combine his scientific interests, his athletic abilities, and his sense of adventure in his work. In 1888, Nansen successfully led… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Fridtjof Nansen first appeared on About Geni.

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” Today we remember singer John Lennon on what would have been his 83rd birthday. Image: John Lennon / Library of Congress Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England to Julia Stanley and Alfred Lennon. He was named John Winston after his paternal grandfather, John “Jack” Lennon, and then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill. By the age of 4,… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: John Lennon first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember actress Carole Lombard, who was born on this day in 1908. Image: Carole Lombard / Wikimedia Commons She was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was the third child and only daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth Peters. Discovered by a director while playing baseball with friends, Lombard made her first film appearance at the age of 13. She went on to star in more than 20 silent films and… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Carole Lombard first appeared on About Geni.

“It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” On this day in 1882, rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dubbed the “father of modern rocketry,” Goddard is credited with creating, building, and launching the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. It was his groundbreaking work that helped make spaceflight possible. Image: Robert H. Goddard / NASA Goddard was the… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Robert H. Goddard first appeared on About Geni.

Silent film star Buster Keaton was born on this day in 1895. Known for his stoic, deadpan expression, Keaton is remembered as one of the greatest comedic performers in the history of cinema. Image: Buster Keaton / Library of Congress Keaton was born Joseph Frank Keaton, VI on October 4, 1895 in Piqua, Kansas. His parents, Joseph “Joe” Keaton and Myra Cutler, were vaudeville performers and traveled together performing various medicine and vaudeville shows. His… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Buster Keaton first appeared on About Geni.

Happy birthday to Gwen Stefani! Today the singer and The Voice coach turns 54. Image: Gwen Stefani / Liton Ali, Wikimedia Commons, cropped (CC BY 2.0) Stefani was born on October 3, 1969 in Fullerton, California. As a teen, she joined her brother, Eric, in forming the band No Doubt. Her brother eventually left the band to pursue a career in animation working on The Simpsons. It wasn’t until the release of their third album in 1995 that the band would… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Gwen Stefani first appeared on About Geni.

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in September 2023: Australia Kangaroo Valley Cemetery, Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, 185 graves (just3thoughts) Canada

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in September 2023: Paul WILLIAMS, American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor Amber TAMBLYN, American actress and author Josh DUHAMEL, American actor Hugh GROSVENOR, British aristocrat and

Today we remember Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on this day in 1869. Regarded as “the father of the nation” in India, Gandhi led the country to independence from British rule through nonviolent civil disobedience. His actions would help inspire civil rights movements all across the globe. Image: Mahatma Gandhi / Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons CC0 He was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 to a Hindu merchant caste family. He studied law in London and spent 21 years in… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Mahatma Gandhi first appeared on About Geni.

Remember reading Don Quixote? Author Miguel de Cervantes is believed to have been born on this day in 1547. Image: Miguel de Cervantes / Wikimedia Commons Although not many details are known about the early years of his life, Cervantes was known to have lived an adventurous one. He enlisted in the Spanish Navy and fought in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was injured after taking three gun shots, two to the chest and one to his… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Miguel de Cervantes first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. The accidental find would become one of the most important discoveries in the history of science. Image: Alexander Fleming / Navy Medicine, Flickr Commons Before leaving for a vacation with his family, Fleming left out a stack of unwashed petri dishes containing cultures of bacteria in the sink. On September 28, 1928, Fleming returned to his lab and noticed something unusual. Mold had grown in a petri dish and the staph bacteria… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Alexander Fleming first appeared on About Geni.

On October 13-15, 2023, take pictures of graves in a nearby cemetery.

On this day in 1722, American Founding Father Samuel Adams was born in Boston in the British colony of Massachusetts. Image: Samuel Adams / Library of Congress Adams was one of twelve children born to Samuel Adams, Sr. and Mary Fifield and was one of three to live beyond the age of three. After leaving college at Harvard, Adams became a brewer and launched a newspaper before devoting his work to politics. An important political… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Samuel Adams first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember singer and actress Olivia Newton-John on what would have been her 75th birthday. Image: Olivia Newton-John / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England to Brinley “Bryn” Newton-John and Irene Helene Born. During World War II, her father was an MI-5 officer assigned to the Enigma codebreaking unit at Bletchley Park. Her maternal grandfather was Max Born, a German Nobel Prize-winning physicist. When she was five… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Olivia Newton-John first appeared on About Geni.

Remember reading The Sound of the Fury? Today we remember author William Faulkner, who was born on this day in 1897. Image: William Faulkner / Library of Congress The author was the first of four sons born to Murry Cuthbert Falkner and Maud Butler. Born in Albany, Mississippi, Faulkner’s experiences growing up in the South greatly influenced his writings. He was named after his great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, and grew up hearing stories about the “Old Colonel,” who was a successful… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: William Faulkner first appeared on About Geni.

English physicist Michael Faraday was born on September 22, 1791 in Newington, Surrey. Considered one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century, Faraday’s groundbreaking discoveries in electromagnetism was crucial to understanding how electricity can be used in technology. Faraday was the son of James Faraday, a blacksmith, and Margaret Hastwell, a former servant. His father was often ill and was incapable of maintaining steady work. As a result, the family lived in poverty and often had… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Michael Faraday first appeared on About Geni.

Happy birthday to Bill Murray! Today the legendary comedian turns 73. Image: Bill Murray / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Murray was born on September 21, 1950 in Evanston, Illinois to Lucille Collins, a mailroom clerk, and Edward Joseph Murray, II, a lumbar salesman. One of nine children, Murray was a bit of a troublemaker growing up. He got his start in comedy after joining his older brother at Chicago’s Second City, an… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Bill Murray first appeared on About Geni.

On this day 145 years ago, author Upton Sinclair was born. A prolific writer, Sinclair wrote over 100 books and other works across various genres throughout his life. His is perhaps best remembered for his famous novel, The Jungle, which exposed the horrific conditions of the meatpacking industry. Image: Upton Sinclair / Library of Congress Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland. Although he grew up in poverty, he often spent time with his maternal… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Upton Sinclair first appeared on About Geni.

On Geneanet, you can download, print and share your family tree in a number of charts and lists.

Matches and comparisons have a new name! Don’t worry, none of the features you use are disappearing, and work as before: these are just technical and look & feel improvements. Here’s a quick overview of the changes.

On September 15, King Carl XVI Gustaf will celebrate 50 years on the throne of Sweden. To mark this event, genealogists and community members at Geneanet searched archives throughout France for a special surprise present: unseen documents about the King’s French ancestor, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte! Visit our tree to see these fascinating documents.

On Geneanet, you can download (in PDF) and print ancestry and descendancy charts for free!

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in August 2023: Reed HASTINGS, American billionaire businessman, co-founder, and executive chairman of Netflix, Inc. Steven ADLER, American musician, drummer and co-songwriter of the hard rock

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in August 2023: Australia Bong Bong Cemetery, Bong Bong, New South Wales, 334 graves (just3thoughts) Mortis

Were your ancestors from Sweden? There is a long tradition of careful recordkeeping in Sweden, which Swedes continued after emigrating to North America. Here is a rich list of resources which can help you understand the specifics of Swedish genealogy and go further researching your family history!

On Geneanet, you can view the list of possible duplicates in your family tree and easily merge them if needed.

With Geneanet Upload, import your family pictures and archival records with your GEDCOM file, and easily update your family tree.

Alsace and Lorraine are two distinct regions in eastern France, each with a long and storied history, and coveted by empires and states. “Alsace-Lorraine” refers specifically to the lands where Germanic dialects are spoken: upper and lower Alsace and the Moselle valley in Lorraine. Explanations.

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in July 2023: John TRUMBULL, American poet William WOODBRIDGE, American politician, 2nd Governor of Michigan Laurel LEE, American lawyer and politician Carolyn GOODMAN, American politician Rick

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in July 2023: Australia St Laurence O’Toole Catholic Cemetery, Currawang, New South Wales, 62 graves (just3thoughts)

Show Notes: I’m excited to share with you my favorite new tool at Google Books. This is a game changer for utilizing the information you find on the digitized pages. Plus I’ll show you other new features recently added to Google Books.  Why use Google Books for genealogy? Well, Google Books features over 10 million Source

AUDIO PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Get the very latest on the major update Google has made to Bard, and the answer to the question “Should I use Bard, ChatGPT, or any of the other chatbots for genealogy research?” I’ve got some surprising answers for you! Listen to the Podcast Episode To Listen click the media player Source

Naturalization documents are rich in information for genealogists. Did your European immigrants settle in New York City? The boroughs (counties) of Queens and the Bronx have just opened a new online database with 400,000 fresh color scans never before online, with more boroughs to come!

At Geneanet, we believe genealogy is about sharing — cousins and fellow genealogists benefiting from your research and vice versa. A key aspect of that is documenting your tree: providing others with information proving the accuracy of your tree, in the interest of all. Copying bad data is bad!

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in June 2023: Kinsley S. BINGHAM, American politician and lawyer William BRADFORD, American lawyer and judge Thomas LAW, Reformer of British policy in India, where he

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in June 2023: Australia Saint Brelade’s Parish Church, Les Creux, Channel Islands, 15 graves (sclamaron15) St

In the past few months, a number of index and archival document collections have been published online at Geneanet.

Canada released its 1931 census on June 1. Looking for your people? Here’s a summary of where to find it and how to search it!

On June 15, 1904, the awful General Slocum steamboat disaster in New York City decimated the German-American community of Kleindeutschland: over a thousand women and children perished. At Geneanet, we honor the victims and survivors of the tragedy by documenting the lives of every known passenger. It’s a free and collaborative project, open to all.

Hello Christophe, after the departure of Jacques Le Marois, you have been appointed President of Geneanet. Can you introduce yourself?

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in May 2023: Australia Tirrannaville Anglican Church Cemetery, Tirrannaville, New South Wales, 62 graves (just3thoughts) St

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in May 2023: Bathsheba Spooner, First woman in American history to be executed following the Declaration of Independence John Mathews, Founding Father of the United States

Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards, she has been named Hollywood’s highest-paid actress multiple times.

On Geneanet, you can refer a friend or family member, and get a Geneanet Premium extra month free!

The General Slocum Families Trees collaborative project is documenting the 700+ families impacted by the 1904 excursion steamer disaster in New York, when over a thousand German-American women and children died. In this multipart series, we are telling the stories of some of these passengers.

In the past few months, a number of index and archival document collections have been published online at Geneanet.

Many of you participated in our “Save or Graves” weekend, many thanks to all of you! Spotlight on this project and its participants around the world.

The General Slocum Families Trees collaborative project is documenting the 700+ families impacted by the 1904 excursion steamer disaster in New York, when over a thousand German-American women and children died. In this multipart series, we are telling the stories of some of these passengers.

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in April 2023: Australia St Patrick Marulan Catholic Cemetery, Marulan South, New South Wales, 37 graves

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in April 2023: Marc Hamilton, Canadian singer Michael Emerson, American actor Carrie Preston, American actress Nicholas Gilman, American Founding Father Paul Martin, Canadian lawyer and politician,

On May 12-14, 2023, take pictures of graves in a nearby cemetery.

Do you have roots in the Netherlands? Or perhaps New Netherland (USA) or the Dutch Cape Colony (South Africa)? Learn about Dutch resources which can help you make discoveries and build your genealogy!

In the past few months, a number of index and archival document collections have been published online at Geneanet.

Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, she has received numerous accolades over her seven-decade career, including an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Volpi Cups and two Silver Bears. She has been honored with a Gala Tribute from the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 1995, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1998, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2012, and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2013. MacLaine is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Do you have ancestors in England or Wales? The former Roman province of Britannia much later became the former British Empire, with its colonizers around the globe. And while every region in England has kept specific cultural traditions, the Welsh have maintained their identity and indeed their language to this day. Learn about resources to help you find your forbears!

After many years at the service of genealogists, I am stepping down as President and CEO of Geneanet.

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in March 2023: Australia Collector Uniting Church Cemetery, Collector, New South Wales, 19 graves (just3thoughts) Collector

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in March 2023: Colgate Darden, American lawyer and politician Andrew J. West, American actor Amber Stevens West, American actress Henry M. Ridgely, American lawyer and politician

Our fabulous postcard collection is growing! A year ago, we reached half a million postcards; we now have over three-quarters of a million — all available free! Did you know that you can share your vintage postcards at Geneanet?

Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to drama and charity.

Geneanet’s rapprochement with Ancestry is bearing fruit: Ancestry has been supplying Geneanet with a number of European collections, available to Premium members. This week, let’s look at Ancestry’s French collections — you may be surprised!

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in February 2023: Australia Stone Quary Cemetery, Taralga, New South Wales, 196 graves (just3thoughts) Gunning Catholic

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in February 2023: John Rankin Rogers, American politician who served as the third governor of Washington from 1897 to 1901 Erin Brockovich, American legal clerk, whistleblower,

RootsTech 2023 marked the return of the world’s largest genealogy show after the break imposed by the pandemic. Here are some images from the event.

For the past two years, the annual RootsTech genealogy event in Salt Lake City has been virtual because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, we are excited to be present again in person!

Our new search results page will accelerate your research by showing information in a more concise, more visually rich presentation. Try an easier, more effective search today!

Diane Carol Baker is an American actress, producer and educator who has appeared in motion pictures and on television since 1959.

Do you have French ancestry? Geneanet’s rich collections includes many not found elsewhere, contributed by members of our community. And our forums are a great place to get help tracking down your French ancestors!

On Geneanet, you can refer a friend or family member, and get a Geneanet Premium extra month free!

Geneanet DNA celebrates its three year anniversary this month! There have been a number of updates to the tools since it was launched — have you tried the Chromosome Browser, noted your haplogroup, or used the new Annotation feature?

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in January 2023: Australia Moss Vale Cemetery, Moss Vale, New South Wales, 65 graves (just3thoughts) Goulburn

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in January 2023: Gretchen Mol, American actress and former model Wendell Holmes, American actor Claud A. Hatcher, American pharmacist, businessman, and inventor Thomas Anthony Thacher, American

With Geneastar, the site of celebrity genealogies by Geneanet, you can discover in a few clicks if you are related to someone famous. The site has just reached 17,000 trees online!

Scotland has had a rich and varied history and records are available going back centuries. Learn about resources to research your Scottish ancestors!

As we review Geneanet’s milestones and new features in 2022, we are excited to tell you that in mid-December, we reached 8 billion individuals indexed on the site!

Ireland has a special place in genealogy in the English-speaking countries and elsewhere due to the massive emigration in the 19th century and in the century before and after as well. Learn about resources to overcome the challenges of Irish genealogy!

We often hear questions and remarks about whether to participate in contributing to Geneanet or to choose a Premium subscription.

Have you ever heard of Geneastar? Geneastar is a Geneanet website that focuses on the genealogy of famous people. Some new famous family trees have been added to Geneastar in December 2022: William C. Campbell, One of the most distinguished amateur golfers in golf history Delta Burke, American actress, producer, and author Gerald McRaney, American

Because cemeteries are one of the most important resources for genealogists, Geneanet has launched the project “Save our Graves” to capture graves before they are lost. More than 5 million graves are already available! Here are the cemeteries added in December 2022: Australia Marist Brothers Catholic Cemetery, Mittagong, New South Wales, 72 graves (just3thoughts) Picton

On Geneanet, it’s possible to view the frequency and the geographic distribution of last names, and to easily search these names in the database. Here’s how to.

By Sophie Boudarel   Original text written in French Marginal annotations are, as we saw in my last post, a precious element of French deeds. Although they are useful in descending genealogy, they may contain traps that must be skipped. All our ancestors did not die at age 50, and we may find exceptionally marginal… The post How to Use Marginal Annotations in French Deeds appeared first on Trace.com.

By Kathrin Kweseleit Most requests that reach me are dealing with the search for ancestors in the pre-civil record era but some are dealing with finding relatives during the time period the German Empire was existing or for finding relatives today. In this case civil records are great. But even if your ancestors left during… The post III. Explaining Genealogic Germany – Some notes on civil records appeared first on Trace.com.

By Julia Joy Dumas This is the 2nd installment of Tips for Embarking on African-American Genealogy. Click here to read the 1st installment of Tips for Embarking on African-American Genealogy.   Patience + Perseverance = Pride   Genealogy research is not for the faint of heart. It is important to remember to be patient. It… The post 5 More Tips for Embarking on African-American Genealogy appeared first on Trace.com.

By Julia Joy Dumas Relax, you got this! The biggest misconception regarding African-American genealogy is the fear that Black people are invisible in America’s written historical records. Some people I speak with believe finding one’s African-American family history is impossible. I must admit, there are more challenges, but it is not impossible. Begin your research… The post 5 Tips for Embarking on African-American Genealogy appeared first on Trace.com.

By Sophie Boudarel Original text written in French Marginal annotations are a measure of publicity intended to establish a relationship between two acts of civil status or between an act and the transcription of another act or judgment.They are, for the genealogist, a valuable element of his research. Varied and numerous, they make it possible… The post Marginal Annotations in French Deeds appeared first on Trace.com.

By Nikki Paine As well as my genealogical work, I also work part time teaching mathematics to adults in the community for a local further education college. This week I was planning a session on revision for mean, mode, median, range, tally charts and graphs. Not the most inspiring of subjects for learners who find… The post Using Historical Documents to Capture Student Engagement appeared first on Trace.com.

By Anne Sherman Today Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday are seen as the same day, and are celebrated at the same time, however they started as very separate celebrations. Mother’s Day In America Mother’s Day officially dates from about 1914 and was the result of a campaign by Anna Jarvis, whose mother had died on… The post Mothering Sunday appeared first on Trace.com.

By Sharon Hall There certainly are obvious ways for genealogists to obtain World War I records, and you’ll find those at sites like Ancestry.com, Fold3 and more (see Part I).  For instance, you may begin by typing “World War I” in the keyword field (with quotes) in Ancestry’s Card Catalog and you’ll see a long… The post Finding Records From the War to End All Wars: Thinking “Outside-The-Box” appeared first on Trace.com.

By Erika Grizzard Did you know that there is a wealth of information hidden in Civil War pension records? I certainly didn’t until recently, when these records helped me to begin knocking down a long-standing brick wall in my own family’s genealogy. I thought that the information gained wouldn’t extend beyond an acknowledgement of service and a… The post Civil War Pension Records: A Wealth of Knowledge appeared first on Trace.com.

By Bonnie Samuel In 1870 America, there were only 500 public high schools with enrollment of about 50,000 students (U.S. population was almost 40 million in 1870 as per census data). At that time, enrollment had opened to accept females, mostly to be trained as teachers. Reading, writing and arithmetic curriculums were also expanding to… The post Going to College…back in the Day…even girls! appeared first on Trace.com.

Dear friends, I’m afraid the time has come for the Ancestry Insider to say goodbye. Over ten years ago I put virtual pen to virtual paper. Now it is time to put it down. I wonder if a couple of times a year you might still see something from me, but this may be it. This newsletter has brought me lots of enjoyment. I’ve enjoyed trying to bring you news you didn’t get anywhere else. I’ve enjoyed teaching how to better utilize Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Through my reports about national conferences, I’ve enjoyed promoting education. Through my series on serendipity, I’ve enjoyed sharing my belief about the miraculous nature of life and family history. Through my Monday mailbox series, I’ve enjoyed answering your questions. Through my series, “Records Say the Darnedest Things,” I’ve enjoyed teaching about records and methodology. I have enjoyed the opportunities to acknowledge FamilySearch’s sponsor—and my current employer—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This newsletter began at a time when Ancestry’s communication policy was to say nothing. FamilySearch didn’t do much better when I started reporting on the rollout of New FamilySearch. Today, both organizations have healthy, vibrant communication programs. This newsletter has also consumed about six hours of my personal life each week and I think it is time for a change. But I put down this pen with a great measure of sadness. This newsletter has given me the opportunity to rub shoulders with many wonderful people. Thank you. For that I am most grateful. Of myself, I am pretty insignificant and I am forever humbled that you would consider this newsletter worth a little of your time. Before I say goodbye, I’d like to personally thank each and every single one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you… Wow! This is going to take some time… Please feel free to go about your lives while I finish up. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …;  (inside joke), …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, …, … Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Julie Granka, of AncestryDNA, spoke about “Understanding the Science Behind Your DNA Results” at the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference last week. I’m hardly qualified to report about this session, but I’ll give it a try. Julie started by defining several terms, utilizing lots of diagrams. I was hoping to link to some pages on Ancestry.com that contain explanations as clear and simple as Julie’s. No luck. If I am going to provide links to basic information about DNA and genealogy, I will have to send you to someplace other than Ancestry. That is too bad. They should publish Julie’s presentation on their website. Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, has provided a nice list of links to introductory information. See “DNA Basics for a Sound Foundation.” Suffice it to say, there are basic building blocks of DNA that are represented by the letters A, C, G, and T. Our chromosomes are composed of long strings of these—3 billion, in fact. Almost all the letters are the same in every single person on the planet. Julie said that only about 10 million are different among different individuals and populations. A DNA test looks at about 700,000 of them. A location in the string of letters where the letters differ between individuals is called a SNP (pronounced “snip”). A group of inherited letters is called a haplotype. Julie studies SNPs and haplotypes in the context of human populations. “Patterns of SNPs and haplotypes among human populations are driven by history,” she said. “As humans migrate, they bring their DNA with them.” She explained the founder effect: Not everyone in a population has the same SNPs and haplotypes. If a small number of people migrate somewhere, their most common SNPs and haplotypes are likely to be different than the parent population. They have founded a population with a different profile than the parent population. A related phenomena is isolation. If I understand correctly, newborns in an isolated population are statistically more likely to have the most common SNPs and haplotypes of their population. These effects make different populations look different genetically. AncestryDNA uses the SNPs and haplotypes to determine three things.  Tiny amounts of the haplotypes and SNPs associated with a population from the distant past (hundreds of thousands of years) survive in our DNA. AncestryDNA uses this information to provide your ethnicity estimates. To determine what SNPs and haplotypes are associated with distant populations, AncestryDNA uses reference panels. These are individuals whose haplotypes and SNPs are thought to be representative of the distant populations. AncestryDNA has 26 reference panels. Founder effect and isolation make ethnicity estimates easy. Migration makes ethnicity estimates difficult. Large amounts of shared haplotypes between two persons indicate recent common ancestors. The more closely related, the more DNA is shared. AncestryDNA uses this information to provide your DNA matches. There are several challenges in determining DNA matches. Just sharing DNA doesn’t mean you are closely related. DNA you share for other reasons is called identical by state (IBS). DNA shared because of recent common ancestry is called identical by descent (IBD). AncestryDNA has to determine the difference. Another challenge arises from the way DNA is processed in the laboratory. For any given SNP, the data coming from the lab does not differentiate between the value contributed by your father and the value coming from your mother. AncestryDNA uses tools to estimate which came from which. She didn’t say this, but I would guess that if they ever get it wrong, you could be shown relatives who aren’t really your relatives. In between the two extremes, AncestryDNA searches for groups of people who share large numbers of matches to others within a group. They use this information to provide your Genetic Communities. It is possible to share no DNA at all with cousins. The closer the cousin, the higher the probability of shared DNA. Julie showed these numbers: Cousin Probability of shared DNA 1st 100 2nd 100 3rd 98 4th 71 5th 32 6th 11 7th 3.2 She showed a chart that looked like the one below. I think it indicated the average amount of shared DNA between two close relatives. It went by so fast, I am not certain. However, Blaine T. Bettinger provides similar data, which I’ve charted below. Source: Blaine T. Bettinger, “The Shared CM Project – Version 2.0 (June 25, 2016),” The Genetic Genealogist (http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com : updated 31 July 2016). AncestryDNA uses these numbers to estimate your relationship to your DNA matches. She covered more, but that’s about all I have time and space for here. I’m sorry that I’m not as clear as she was, but hopefully you learned something.     Chromosome inheritance diagram credit: Catherine A. Ball, et. al., “DNA Circles White Paper,” Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com/cs/dna-help/circles/whitepaper : updated 18 November 2014), figure 2.1. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

The 2017 National Genealogical Society conference wrapped up last Saturday, and after a couple of articles, so will I. Diane Loosely of FamilySearch spoke at the FamilySearch luncheon. Her title was “FamilySearch: A Global Experience.” She described three definitions of global for which FamilySearch is global. One definitions of global refers to world-wide global reach. Diane showed us a FamilySearch booklet, My Family: Stories that Bring Us Together. It is available in 66 languages. FamilySearch has 5,000 family history centers located in 33 countries. They offer support to patrons in 13 languages. FamilySearch operates cameras in countries across the globe. They have 5.6 billion names published online from many countries. They publish an additional 2 million names a day. Diane showed a video, “Preserving and Accessing the Records of the World,” documenting record destruction in the Philippines resulting from super-Typhoon Yolanda. One town’s records, indeed all the town offices, were completely destroyed. All that was left was the cement floor of the building. Because FamilySearch had photographed their records, FamilySearch was able to restore all the records to them. Diane said that FamilySearch is gathering the genealogies of villages in Africa that, today, are preserved only by “Rememberers.” Aging village elders have memorized the genealogies of the village. Many are old and their knowledge is perishing with them. In the case of 95-year old Opanin Kwame Nketia, FamilySearch interviewed him and documented 12 generations and 1,000 people. A couple of days later when they returned to thank him, they discovered he had passed way. Diane said that 50 years ago FamilySearch canvassed Mexico, filming their records. It is thought that today 15 to 20% of those records have perished. Another sense of the word global is the idea of operating on a whole set of things. To find and search all of FamilySearch’s records, you have to know a few ways of accessing the records. Diane showed a Kentucky probate collection containing 12,000 names and nearly a million images. Obviously, FamilySearch had not completely indexed the collection. To access all the records, you have to be prepared to browse through the images like you would microfilm. She also pointed out that some records are accessed only through the catalog. Another sense of the word global is embracing the whole of something. “We feel a responsibility to help everyone discover their family history,” she said. She shared the quote from the Emory university study stating that the more children know about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives and the higher their self-esteem. FamilySearch recently remodeled the first floor of the Salt Lake Family History Library to appeal to a younger generation. Diane shared the well-known quote of Alex Haley: In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage—to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness. She then challenged us to choose a person we would like to introduce to family history. Prepare beforehand. Then go and give them a meaningful experience with family history.     Note: I was interested in where one might find Alex Haley’s original quote, as very few people cite the source. Barbara Renick in her book Genealogy 101: How to Trace Your Family’s History and Heritage (Thomas Nelson Inc., 2003) is the only source I could find who cited a source: “What Roots Means to Me,” Reader’s Digest (May 1977), 73-74. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Tracy Reinhart is a long-time researcher who remembers way back when accessing the census meant scrolling through microfilm. Long ago she discovered her Braford ancestors’ family in Cannon, Kent, Michigan was one of those split across pages in a census. Online publishers like Ancestry and FamilySearch have to identify these split families and join them back together. That’s a fairly straightforward process unless you run into the situation Tracy ran into recently. “Part of the 1870 census for Cannon, Kent Co. Mich.  was not filmed in page order,” she told me.  “As a result,  when a family list carries over from one page to the next,  you will find wrong family associations.” She found that for Cannon, Kent, Michigan: Image 28 on Ancestry.com is page 28 and ends with the Henry Wolaver family. Image 29 on Ancestry.com is page 30. Notice page 29 was skipped. It starts with Emma Braford. Since Emma has no family or dwelling numbers, we know that she belongs to the family on the previous page. Because the pages were filmed in the wrong order, Ancestry erroneously places her in the Henry Wolaver family. This page ends with the Harry (or Harvy) Haines family. Image 30 on Ancestry.com is page 31, which correctly continues with Mary Haines. Image 31 on Ancestry.com is page 29, the skipped page. It ends with the A. B. Brayford family. I was interested to see how FamilySearch handled this situation. Researchers with access to both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org universally advise using Ancestry.com for census research and the 1870 census on FamilySearch.org is a good illustration of why. If you search for Cannon, Kent, Michigan, you get everyone living in the entire state of Michigan! If you don’t know where your person lived, but you somehow find them, FamilySearch doesn’t indicate where the person was! The only advantage I see for searching FamilySearch’s 1870 census is that in a search you can specify another family member (in the “Other Person” field). That’s not possible on Ancestry. But I digress… As I compared FamilySearch.org with Ancestry.com, I noticed several interesting things. The image order on FamilySearch.org matches Ancestry.com. FamilySearch didn’t erroneously combine the Wolaver and Braford families. But they also didn’t correctly join the the two parts of the Brayford/Braford family. While Ancestry has 31 images for Cannon, Kent, Michigan, FamilySearch has 32. Ancestry has left out one of the pages from the microfilm! I’ve seen FamilySearch do the same thing. Neither company discloses the censure. The companies deem the image to have no genealogical value so they delete it. This is a very bad practice! There is no guarantee the decision maker understands advanced methodologies that may require a knowledge of the existence of that page, its contents, or the lack thereof. (A little looking showed this particular page is facing page 31 on folio 139. It has no names on it.) The digital folder number (004271429) and image number (00268) for Emma Bradford on FamilySearch.org match the image URL on Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4271429_00268. That’s kind of techie, but the takeaway is that Ancestry seems to be using FamilySearch images. FamilySearch misindexed the name Braford on page 30 as Bradford. Ancestry did not. Ancestry doesn’t seem to be using FamilySearch’s index. I see several lessons we should draw from this: If you don’t find your ancestor on one website, check others. Search several images forward and backward from your ancestor. Your ancestor’s name can be spelled differently by the same person in the same record. Look at and try to understand all the information on a page. When the day comes that we no longer have access to microfilm, there will be errors that we can no longer detect or overcome. Everybody makes mistakes. Ancestry. FamilySearch. Microfilm. Everybody. ”Just a heads up for something that I never expected to find on Ancestry,” Tracy said. “Grrrrrrr” Thank you, Tracy. Image credit: Ancestry.com. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Today marks the opening of the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference. At the conference NGS is announcing Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Thomas W. Jones. Tom is considered one of the top educators in the genealogical community. He is a PhD, Certified Genealogist, Certified Genealogical Lecturer, Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, Fellow of the National Genealogical Society, and Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. He is the author of Mastering Genealogical Proof, another in the NGS Special Topics Series. According to NGS, “Mastering Genealogical Documentation teaches genealogists how to describe and cite their sources—including sources for which no model citation exists. … In this new step-by-step guidebook, Dr. Thomas W. Jones provides a foundation in the principles, logic, and decisions that underpin genealogical documentation. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter (with answers at the back of the book) to reinforce concepts and provide opportunities for practice.” You can order the book in the store on the NGS website. It’s true that I’m prejudiced (I volunteer for the NGS), but I’m genuinely excited to get this book. I’ve attended Tom’s lectures on documentation at national institutes and they have been most helpful. Speaking of the NGS Conference, it’s not too late to attend. You can register onsite. For more information, visit the National Genealogical Society Conference website. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

The 2017 National Genealogical Society conference started today (10 May 2017) in Raleigh, North Carolina. The exhibit hall is free, so even if you don’t register for classes, come see mini-classes, product demos, product announcements, sell prices, and give-away prizes. If you are in the area, you should come down and check it out at the Raleigh Convention Center. The exhibit hall opens at 9:00am each morning with the exception of 9:30 on Wednesday. It closes at 5:30pm each day, with the exception of 3:00pm Saturday.The Ancestry booth presentation schedule for Wednesday, 10 May is: Ancestry, Thursday, 11 May: Ancestry, Friday, 12 May: Ancestry, Saturday, 13 May: Other vendors do product demos, either on a schedule or by request. Lisa Louise Cooke included the Genealogy Gems schedule in the conference bag: Stop by the National Genealogical Society’s booth to enter daily drawings, buy their latest books, and get books signed by the authors. Judging from the advertising inserts in the conference bag, I imagine at the MyHeritage booth they would give you a coupon code for 30% off MyHeritage subscriptions. Likewise for a 15% coupon code from jigsaw genealogy. Genealogical Studies might give you a promo code for a free course and let you enter a drawing for additional free courses. Excelsior College has a drawing for an AncestryDNA kit. It’s not too late to register for one or more days of the conference. Come on down and check it out. Oh, and FamilySearch is offering free accounts in their booth. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Somehow I missed the release of the Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com by Nancy Hendrickson. When I reviewed Unofficial Guide to FamilySearch.org, I became a big fan of Family Tree Book’s unofficial series, so I was very happy when I received a review copy of the new Ancestry book, Unofficial Ancestry.com Workbook: A How-to Manual for Tracing Your Family Tree on the #1 Genealogy Website. Chapters are organized around record types. The chapters of the book are: Search and the Card Catalog Census Records Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Military Records Immigration Records Historical Maps, Images, Newspapers, and Publications Social History [directories, tax records, land records, histories, etc.] AncestryDNA Each chapter contains overviews of the databases of the chapter’s record type and helpful instructions on using that type. For example, from the vital records chapter: Death records can open up new lines of research, primarily because they can contain the name of the person’s parents (including the mother’s maiden name) as well as where the parents and the decedent were born. Each chapter has a number of exercises. Don’t think workbook quizzes; think step-by-step walkthroughs.  Each chapter also contains some helpful “search strategies” for the chapter’s record type. Here is an example search strategy from the census chapter: Don’t assume your ancestor was skipped during an enumeration. Look for alternate surname spellings, first name shown as initials, or location in a neighboring county. Each chapter contains workbook forms and worksheets for things like searching the census and abstracting birth records. Appendices have additional checklists, worksheets, and census abstract forms. While a book obviously isn’t going to contain enough copies of each form or worksheet, additional copies can be downloaded from the Family Tree Magazine website.   Unofficial Ancestry.com Workbook: A How-to Manual for Tracing Your Family Tree on the #1 Genealogy WebsiteNancy Hendrickson8.2 x 0.6 x 10.9 inches, 192 pp., paperback. 2017.ISBN 1440349061Family Tree Books1-855-278-0408, shopfamilytree.com$10.99 Kindle$13.19 Google eBook$14.57 Amazon$21.99 Paperback/eBook list price, plus shipping. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

We depend upon records to reveal the “truth” about the past. Yet sometimes records have anomalies. Some are amusing or humorous. Some are interesting or weird. Some are peculiar or suspicious. Some are infuriating, or downright laughable. Records say the darnedest things! Reader Steve Squier shared this: Hello, I thought you might like to use the attached image for one of your “Records Say the Darnedest Things” posts. The first entry in this register of births is for an unnamed daughter of a Miss Knox, of whose father the clerk wrote: “hain’t got none just growed.” Source: Taylor County, Iowa, Register of Births, vol. 1 (1880–1897): 160, entry no. 110 for [unnamed female]; County Courthouse, Bedford; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/search/catalog/679412 : accessed 16 April 2017); imaged from FHL film no. 1,035,143, item no. 1. Unfortunately, I can’t show you the image. To see it, visit your local family history center and click here: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DYWS-4V5. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

For those headed off to the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference, in Raleigh, North Carolina, from 10‒13 May 2017, I have two items: syllabus and conference app. I attended a genealogy conference recently and heard that some attendees—first time conference attendees—were confused when presenters kept referring to handouts and syllabi. They were surprised that other attendees seemed to have copies of these handouts when they, themselves did not. Don’t be caught in the same situation at NGS. If you paid for a printed syllabus or syllabus on a flash drive, then you will receive said syllabus when you check-in at the conference. If not (or even if you did), you should download the syllabus PDF file beforehand and print any pages that you wish to hold in your physical paws during the conference. All conference attendees should have received by now an email with instructions on how to download the syllabus. (I received my email on Friday, 28 April 2017.) The file is 70 megabytes, so it will take forever to download if you wait and try to do it using the conference center wi-fi. Wi-fi connections at conference centers are seldom robust. I also wanted to point out that the conference app is available now for download. To download it, visit http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/mobile-app. The app offers another way to access class syllabi. To access the syllabus through the app requires a password. You received that password in the same email that gave instructions on downloading the PDF. Reading the syllabus on a phone is difficult, but it isn’t bad on a tablet. If you have attended an NGS conference before and never deleted the conference app, then when you install this time, there is an additional step you must take to see this year’s conference. The new conference app uses a blue color scheme (below, left). If you see the green color scheme from last year (below, right), you need to tap the icon on the bottom row that is titled “Exit to Conference List.” Then select the 2017 conference. The third of the two things I wanted to mention was the class schedule. Look through it beforehand to decide which classes you wish to attend, and which classes to attend if your first choices are full. If you are inclined to purchase recordings of some sessions, consider attending other sessions at corresponding times. Sessions marked “(R)” will be audio recorded and those marked “(LS)” will be lived streamed and video recorded. Hope to see you next week, at the 2017 National Genealogical Society Family History Conference! Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

If you can’t make it to the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference, all is not lost. NGS is offering select sessions via live streaming or for three-month’s later viewing. You can purchase five sessions for Thursday, 11 May 2017 and five sessions for Friday, 12 May 2017. Thursday: Viewers will be able to stream five lectures on DNA from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. These lectures will demonstrate how DNA has revolutionized genealogy problem solving, clarified contradictions in records, and found female ancestors without a known maiden name. They will also offer advice on the best practices for analyzing autosomal DNA. $95 member, $115 non-member.      Friday: View five “BCG Skillbuilding” lectures by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. This set of lectures will teach how to probe documents beyond the obvious, find rich evidence in deeds, use an ancestors’ neighbors, prepare a Genealogical Proof Summary, and build a solid conclusion from disparate evidence. $95 member, $115 non-member. x     All ten sessions can be purchased for $150 member, $185 non-member, if purchased before midnight, 10 May 2017. After 14 May 2017, the price jumps to $175 member, $215 non-member. Sessions can be viewed for three months following the conference. All packages include a full, electronic conference syllabus. For more information, or to purchase sessions, visit http://www.playbackngs.com/7770. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Four million. It’s staggering, really. AncestryDNA has exceeded four million samples in its DNA database! It took AncestryDNA three years to get the first million samples. (See “AncestryDNA Exceeds Million Mark” on my blog on 22 July 2015.) It took them 11 months to reach two million. (See “AncestryDNA Database Reaches Two Million” on 28 June 2016.) It took just seven months to get to the three million mark. (See “AncestryDNA Zips Past 3 Million Samples” on 19 January 2017.) Less than 4 months later, AncestryDNA has reached four million persons in the DNA database. (See “AncestryDNA Reaches 4 Million Customers in DNA Database” on the Ancestry blog, 27 April 2017.) AncestryDNA must be selling over 8,000 kits a day to grow that fast. Ancestry says as many people took their DNA test during that period as got married in the United States. They said “that’s about as fast as babies are born in the United States.” That’s astonishing. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Dear Ancestry Insider, Hello, I enjoy reading your emails, and wonder if I missed something important, such as:         Did Familysearch.org change how personal family trees are managed?    Last week I looked up my Wilmot tree there, and found someone had changed a last name of an ancestor to Wilmont, when the father and grandson were right there as Wilmot. Duh??? A friend said the family trees are now wide open and anyone can add or change information.         Normally, all information is good, but in this case I am dealing with an idiot.   Then someone else gave my Hessian ancestor, John Stegman, a wife who was his mother-in-law, Does this mean that my tree can be changed by anyone going online to FamilySearch.org? If that is the case, I will not use the program anymore.  It would be a waste of time – I am not a church member – have served/helped many years in a local Family History library.Too many people are well meaning but uneducated on proof of sources.     Ellen Thorne Morris, Monmouth Co., New Jersey Dear Ellen, May Day! May Day! (Yes, today is the first of May. But I digress…) There has been no change. FamilySearch has Genealogies (personal trees) and it has Family Tree (a shared tree). What you are using is Family Tree, and yes, anyone can change anything. FamilySearch’s Genealogies feature is a GEDCOM preservation service. It is not an online tree management program like Family Tree or Ancestry Member Trees. It is merely a repository to preserve and share your life’s work. Export a GEDCOM file from your genealogy program. Go to FamilySearch.org. Select Free Account in the upper-right corner and create an account. Or if you already have an account, sign in. Select Search > Genealogies. Scroll to the bottom. Underneath “Contribute Your Research to the FamilySearch Community,” select Submit Tree. Follow the instructions to add your tree. You will be given the opportunity to synch your tree with Family Tree. That step is unnecessary, especially since it sounds like you already have. I don’t know how long it takes to appear, but when others go to Search > Genealogies and search for a person, they will see results from your tree along with the other contributed GEDCOMs. Ellen, let me close with a heartfelt thank you for your service in a family history center. Several times last month I had patrons express frustration at the limited hours of their local center. It is only through volunteers like yourself that FamilySearch family history centers are open at all. Thank you, thank you! Signed,—The Ancestry Insider Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

We depend upon records to reveal the “truth” about the past. Yet sometimes records have anomalies. Some are amusing or humorous. Some are interesting or weird. Some are peculiar or suspicious. Some are infuriating, or downright laughable. Records say the darnedest things! What parent names their child after some kind of cancer?! Brain Cancer Lung Cancer Prostate Cancer Skin Cancer Cancer de la Laringe (larynx) Cancer de la Matriz (uterus) Cancer Primitivo del Higado (Primitive Cancer of the Liver) Cancer del Riñon (kidney) Yes, records say the darnedest things! Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Still need convincing? Pre-registration for the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference ends today (27 April 2017), so you need to get on the stick. NGS has put together a heck of a program. NGS has loosely organized sessions into 10 tracks each day: Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday BCG Skillbuilding BCG Skillbuilding BCG Skillbuilding BCG Skillbuilding DNA DNA DNA DNA Research Planning Solving Problems Records & Repositories Research in the States North Carolina Historical Context Methodology North Carolina Historical Context Religion Military Records & Repositories Working with Records North Carolina African American Family Stories Tips & Techniques Records & Repositories Historical Context Methodology Military Technology Technology Records & Repositories Records & Repositories Organizing Research Native American Religion Methodology Beyond the Borders Methodology Solving Problems Pretty much every speaker is a nationally known expert or an expert in subjects in and around North Carolina. You may know these names (in no particular order): D. Joshua Taylor Thomas W. Jones Elizabeth Shown Mills J. Mark Lowe Judy G. Russell Mary M. Tedesco John Philip Colletta From Ancestry: Anne Gillespie Mitchell Anna Swayne Peter Drinkwater (Find A Grave, Newspapers.com) Juliana Szucs From FamilySearch: James Ison Diane C. Loosle David E. Rencher David S. Ouimette Robert Raymond To see the program online, go to http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/program. To see the PDF registration brochure, click here. The National Genealogical Society 2017 Family History Conference is being held 10-13 May 2017 at the Raleigh, North Carolina convention center. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Pre-registration for the 2017 National Genealogical Society Conference ends tomorrow, 27 April 2017. The conference will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, 10-13 May 2017 at the Raleigh Convention Center. While you can register onsite starting noon on 9 May 2017, you must register by tomorrow for meals, events, and workshops. As I write this, some luncheon choices and workshops are already sold out. According to NGS, The conference program, Family History Lives Here, features more than 175 lectures from basic to advanced genealogical research, including eighteen presentations on DNA science and methodology. Finding records and effectively using them is the focus of fifty-seven lectures. Among the types of records discussed are a wide range of religious records, military and associated records, North Carolina and regional U.S. records, and African American and Native American records. Organizations sponsor luncheons during the conference and provide entertaining speakers ($32). The North Carolina Genealogical Society is hosting an evening event, “Pig Pickin” ($45). Pig Pickin’ features North Carolina BBQ, a five-member blue grass band, and local artisans. NGS is hosting its annual banquet with speaker Stuart Watson, an award-winning investigative reporter ($45).  The conference costs $240 for society members and $275 for non-members. One day registrations are available for $110 (member) and $120 (non-member). For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org. I’m happy to serve again this year as an official social media reporter for the conference. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Happy DNA Day! Today (25 April) is the anniversary of the publication of articles theorizing the helical structure of DNA. Ancestry is celebrating with a 20% sale on its DNA kit. (Thomas MacEntee has put together a list.) Normally priced $99, Ancestry is offering the kit for $79 (plus taxes and shipping) through 26 April 2017 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. While I sometimes see a $89 sale price, I don’t recall seeing the $79 price since DNA Day last year. After Thanksgiving the past couple years they have offered the kit for $69. It seems likely they will do the same this year. At RootsTech this year they were trying to overshadow the announcement of kits from other vendors by selling AncestryDNA for $49 (with no shipping since you purchased in-person). I don’t know that you will ever see that happen again. Bottom line, if you aren’t willing to wait until after Thanksgiving, today’s the day to order AncestryDNA for $79. To see what scientists, teachers, and students are doing to commemorate DNA Day, visit the National Genome Research Institute website. Click here to order AncestryDNA for $79. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Over 40 years ago Glen and Joyce Alt lived in Platteville, Wisconsin where they became friends with Glenda Clyde and her husband. After several years, the two couples moved their separate ways, the Alts to Massachusetts, the Clydes to Washington state, and the couples had no further contact. Years passed by. One day Glen’s parents were participating in a household auction in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. When they bought a box of stuff for a few dollars, the auctioneer threw in another for free. The Alts found the second box contained a bunch of old photographs and a piece of paper with names, dates, and places. For some reason, Glen’s mother threw them into a drawer instead of throwing them away. Eventually, she passed them on to Glen. Glen felt there must be someone out there who would place great value on the photographs, so he began investing great efforts in finding them. He had a clue. The paper identified the family as the Urens of Blanchardville, Wisconsin. Glen started looking, but without success. When he went to Wisconsin on vacation three years later, he availed himself of the opportunity to ask around. He asked some old friends in Platteville if they knew any Urens. One remembered that they had a mutual friend whose maiden name was U’Ren: Glenda Clyde. Twenty-eight years after they had last communicated, Glen found Glenda on social media. She thought the photographs and information might be of her family, so Glen sent the photographs and the paper to her. Glenda discovered that the pictures and paper were of her great-grandfather’s brother’s family. The information gave her seven new families and 31 new names. “These precious pictures/paper were bought in the Midwest, given to Glen on the East Coast and then sent to me, a family member, on the West Coast,” Glenda wrote. “Considering the incredible preservation and journey of this valuable information, to us, it truly is a miracle.”   Retold with the permission of Glenda Clyde. You can also read her story in R. Scott Lloyd, “Family History Moments: Package Deal,” Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865675767/Package-deal.html : 16 March 2017). Photograph contributed by Glenda Clyde. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Ancestry ProGenealogists, in conjunction with Go Ahead Tours, is offering an 11 day tour to the Emerald Isle. “Discover the country’s highlights and enduring heritage with special insight from the expert AncestryProGenealogists team.” This guided tour visits Dublin, County Cork, County Kerry , Galway, and back to Dublin. For an extra cost, “continue your experience by adding an ancestral home visit to the places where your family members once lived, worked, worshipped, and went to school.” The tour runs 22 October through 1 November 2017. For more information, visit https://ancestry.grouptoursite.com/. Photograph by Gary Deane, used under license. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Reader Clytee Gold wrote me about an apparently erroneous AncestryDNA Genetic Community assignment. One of her two communities is “Mormon Pioneers in the West.” (First, I am jealous that she has two community assignments.) She is rather positive that none of her ancestors were ever Mormons. She has done extensive research and has never found any connection to the Church. As there are still pockets of prejudice against members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this assignment could be highly offensive to some people. Coincidentally—or not—it is not offensive to Clytee. Forty years ago she joined the Church and moved to Utah. She is, literally, the “Mormon Pioneer in the West” of her family. I’m not qualified to explain how this misassignment occurred, but fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Perhaps experts among my readers can correct me. Clytee gave one possible explanation: The only thing I can figure out is that is based on OTHERS testing (guess that makes a community – who else took the test to compare to), and that somewhere, 5-6 generations back a sibling of a great-great something of mine joined the church in Denmark in the late 1800’s and came to Utah as a “Mormon Pioneer in the west” and populated the west and there are lots of descendants who took the DNA test. Ancestry has explained that they use an algorithm called community detection to detect groups of individuals with a large number of interconnections. I think of it like large DNA Circles that don’t require common ancestors. The Mormon Pioneers community contains 89,000 testers. Just like a DNA Circle, Ancestry states a confidence level for your membership in the genetic community. My connection to the Mormon Pioneers community is “Very Likely.” Ancestry says they then examine the Ancestry Member Trees of the genetic community “to learn about the historical forces that may have brought their ancestors together.” Of course, some testers don’t have trees, some don’t include all their ancestors, some have ancestors without complete location information, and some have complete garbage in their trees. I assume Ancestry looks for common locations in 25-year increments. If they find a large number of ancestors who lived in the same place at the same time, they look into the history of that time period and why there was a large number of individuals there. Then they give that community a name. For example, the sweet spot for one genetic community is centered on Massachusetts in 1725-1750 (shown on the map, below left). Ancestry chose to name that community, “Settlers of Colonial New England.” Another centered on Utah at a much later time period, 1875-1900 (below, right). Ancestry called this one “Mormon Pioneers in the Mountain West.”   I assume Ancestry can follow the group forward and backward in time, up and down the member trees. This provides additional touchpoints to compare against historical sources and decide if they have correctly identified and named the genetic communities. Moving forward in time gives an interesting view on migration that may not be available from other demographic sources. This may truly be groundbreaking demographic tools. For example, look at the 1900-1925 map (below) of the descendants of early residents of Chihuahua and Durango. If I am interpreting the map right, by that time they were as likely to be living in El Paso as Chihuahua. (The large circle over central Texas represents ancestors whose member trees didn’t specify where in Texas they lived.) Moving backwards in time gives an interesting view on where the Mormons who settled in Utah came from. In the period 1825-1850, most were living in England, with a fair number in Denmark. (See map, below.) The surnames associated with the Mormon pioneer genetic community further point to Denmark: Jensen, Christensen, Larsen, Hansen, Allred, Nielsen, Olsen, Sorensen, Nielson, Rasmussen, Christiansen, Madsen, Peterson, Anderson, Barney, Leavitt, Child, Andersen, Petersen, and Jorgensen Once they are sure they have identified the genetic community, Ancestry can take information from history books about that group and display it next to the migration map. However, the information may not apply to your ancestors who didn’t participate in the chain migration. That is how Clytee may have been put in a migratory group that her ancestors didn’t participate in. She told me her ancestry: My father was half Swiss (4 generations from the immigrant to Missouri) and half German (5 generations from the immigrant to Missouri).  Mother half Norwegian (2nd generation from the immigrant to Iowa) and half Danish (2nd generation from the immigrant to Iowa). I think the conjunction on Denmark is more than coincidence. Clytee’s Danish ancestors didn’t have to join the Mormon church for her ancestors to share DNA with those that did. I don’t think it had to have been a sibling in genealogic-time, either. I think Ancestry is looking at shared DNA in a closed community with hundreds of years of intermarriages. There is a possibility that the genetic community Ancestry has identified is actually more specific than “all Mormon pioneers.” Ancestry may have identified DNA of Mormon pioneers of Danish origin. Look back at the dominant surnames for this genetic community. Does it look more English or Danish? There are other possibilities. Remember the mention of confidence level? Clytee may not belong to the genetic community at all. Her DNA may just be a statistical anomaly. Remember the mention of garbage trees? Ancestry may be running calculations overwhelmed by erroneous information. GIGO. Garbage in—garbage out. Thank you, Clytee, for your message. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Dear Ancestry Insider, The database “Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993,” offers the subscriber a “Browse this collection” window which works perfectly for all Pennsylvania counties except for Philadelphia County. The list of available images for Philadelphia County never shows up anymore—it did when the database was first launched. Perhaps because it is such a huge amount of data, it cannot load properly. Because the list of digitized probate files for Philadelphia County can only be accessed by clicking on a link from this “Browse” function (administrations, etc), it is now not possible to access those files since there is no dropdown menu. If you know someone at Ancestry who could correct this, I know many researchers would be grateful. With thanks, Sandi Hewlett Dear Sandi, I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, there is a workaround. There are two ways to access the browse capability of an Ancestry collection. One is the browse you have identified on the collection page. The other is accessed via the breadcrumb path at the top of the page, underneath the title when viewing an image. If you can find a way to see any image, then you can browse to any other image. You can get to an image via browsing one of the other counties that works, or by searching for a common name. Or do this: 1. Start at https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8802/005871739_00002. 2. Underneath the collection title at the top of the page, click on “Administration Files, 1764.” 3. Select from the available options. Signed, —The Ancestry Insider Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

We depend upon records to reveal the “truth” about the past. Yet sometimes records have anomalies. Some are amusing or humorous. Some are interesting or weird. Some are peculiar or suspicious. Some are infuriating, or downright laughable. Records say the darnedest things! Kenneth H. Rich was the undertaker. He was also the decedent. Weird. After 30 years as an undertaker, Kenneth retired just 7 weeks before his doctor started treating him for interstitial nephritis. Less than 6 weeks later, Kenneth was gone. His son, Robert, took over the family business. Six years after his father’s passing, Robert had his first born son. He named him Kenneth. Reader Naomi Martineau shared this record with me. Thanks, Naomi! Image credit: Ancestry.com. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

A coworker alerted me to this video from the CBC show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes. It is titled, “”Have you ever questioned your family’s ancestry?” Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Dear Ancestry Insider, I was playing with this new feature but I did not see the list of Associated Last Names. Would you tell me where to find it please? It is fun to play with but I don’t see that it gave me any new information; anything that I have not already researched. Signed,Colleen G. Brown Pasquale Dear Colleen, Do you see on the third line down in the screen shot, below, where it says “STORY | CONNECTION”? Click on CONNECTION. Scroll to the bottom of the page; it’s on the right hand side. Signed,—tai Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Ancestry launched Genetic Communities last week. “Think of the AncestryDNA ethnicity estimates on steroids, and you’ll have a sense of what this is,” Tim Sullivan told RootsTech attendees last February. While ethnicity estimates show your genetic origins from hundreds to thousands of years ago, the Genetic Communities feature shows groups of people you are related to in the last few hundred years. Ancestry defines a Genetic Community as “a group of people who are connected to each other through DNA, most likely because they share a common history or lived in the same places.” Kendall Hulet said, “Applying rigorous statistics and scientific development, we’ve created a unique experience that can connect you through your DNA to places your ancestors called home and the migration paths they followed to get there.” This doesn’t necessarily pin your particular ancestors to a particular place, since your ancestor may have been an outlier. Chances are good, however, that Ancestry will nail part of your ancestry to a particular region and timeframe. AncestryDNA has identified over 300 communities with plans to release more in the future. Brad Argent of AncestryUK says that most people are members of at least one Genetic Community, some people are members of two, and, rarely, some are members of three. In my case, I am a member of one. My ethnicity map now shows my ethnicity estimates on a dark azure map. (Can I just say, I don’t like this new color scheme?) Notice that Ancestry has narrowed (not!) my Native American ancestry to the entire Western hemisphere. Not very helpful in determining my tribal origin (Massachuset). But notice the small Orange spot on Utah? That’s my genetic community, “Mormon Pioneers in the Mountain West.” While my genetic community is of no surprise to me (I’m 5th generation Mormon on every single line—my ancestors all being good genealogists—I was born into a completely full, 7-generation pedigree), a Genetic Community could be very interesting to someone vaguely aware of—say—Germanic roots. Your Genetic Communities are listed beneath your ethnicity pie chart on the left side of the page. The way statistics work, AncestryDNA can’t say with 100% confidence that you are a member of a community. When you click on your community, you are given an overview of the community. Scrolling past the overview reveals migration time periods with commentary. Selecting a time period shows a migration map, different for each time period. Orange dots show birthplaces from community members’ Ancestry Trees during that time period. Pins show birthplaces from your own tree. Animated lines show the direction of migration. Did you notice, I’m aboot one-fourth Canadian, eh? Beneath the community name, two buttons select between the default Story view, which I’ve shown above, and Connection view. Connection view states that they are 95% confident that I am a member of the Mormon Pioneers Genetic Community, and that it has 89,000 members. Connection view provides a link to see all 737 of the ones that I am related to. It also lists common surnames in the community: Hmmm. Anything jump out at you? To see Genetic Communities, you don’t need to have a tree or a paid Ancestry subscription. It is available for free to everyone who has had an AncestryDNA test. Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.

Dear Readers, Many of you had strong feelings about Ancestry’s new design of Find A Grave. You can see it at www.gravestage.com. Here are some representative samples: This new format sucks!!! … So disappointed! … I absolutely HATE IT. … Another website ruined by people who don’t use it. … Do.. Not.. Like.. It … New and improved??? It’s absolutely horrible, isn’t it??? … From Irene Sheridan: The new site would not take my email and password. Is it a separate registration to try the test site? I don’t want to mess with my “real” login info. 🙂 Dear Irene, If I understand correctly, the account systems are currently separate. Your email address and real password won’t work on the staging site and vice versa. You have to register again to try some of the functionality of the staging site. Angela and others found that the information is messed up: I just looked at my great grandfather’s memorial on the new site. It doesn’t have his wife, children and parents attached to him like it does on the old site. It says there are no family members currently associated with this memorial. So that is not right and did not flow over to the new site like it should have. I also now manage his memorial as the lady who originally made his memorial transferred him over to me. It does not list me as being the person managing his memorial. The new site also says that there is no bio information on him but I added his obituary to the old site so it is not on the new site. I also left a flower on his memorial for the old site but he does not have any flowers on the new site. I don’t like the new site at all. I forgot to warn you that the data isn’t always real. Don’t worry about that. It is just test data. A corollary is that any changes you make on this staging site is thrown away! Don’t do any real work on it. Diane Gould Hall commented that the layout is a step backward: Everything should still be nicely located on one page, as it is now. Now made so you have to click, click, click to find things. The photos are put into that little box, just like on the new and horrible Ancestry site. I understand updating code. I don’t understand a complete new format that makes this beloved website more difficult to navigate and ugly to look at. Toot echoed that theme: Just from what I see here, the grey with white text is difficult to read, hard on the eyes. The pleasant colors on the “old” site with black text was very easy on the eyes, and pleasant to look at (why the ugly colors of death needed?). Understand the need for new code, but don’t understand the need to change to ugly colors, hard to read text, and reformat of the page. Hopefully, the attached spouse, children, Bio, etc., will flow over in the “new.” And hopefully, the name and date will continue to be on the photo’s contributed, as well as Flowers contributed. Photo size needs to be large enough to see the text on the Headstones (as it is now,) not some little Thumbnail you can barely see. Name of person (with link) who manages the Memorial is important, unless FaG is going to “manage” all Memorials, which I don’t forsee. The current page format is easy to use, easy on the eyes, and does NOT need to be changed. As someone else stated in their comment, it is obvious that the persons coding, and changing the platform/format, are NOT users of FaG! As did Anna: The new site is not a pleasant one to use, at least in this beta version. Too much wasted space, too much scrolling, the photos look funny, and too much clicking around to see what used to be one tidy page with everything instantly visible. It has caused me great wonder that design experts mess up websites when they get involved. Designers think that poorly utilizing screen space and decreasing contract is somehow a good thing. (Do a Google search for [graphic design white space] and [design “never use black”] . After the designers have been paid and move on, websites FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com relent to user demand and switch back to black text on white. Unfortunately, they never seem to fix the “whitespace is good” problem that results in so many extra clicks scrolling or switching tabs. Michael Dorsey Iams stole my thunder and preached my usual sermon: I work in the software industry although not for any of the genealogy companies. I thought it would be useful to talk about how users can most effectively provide actionable feedback to software developers. First of all, I applaud the Find A Grave team for publishing a public beta site. Developers are reluctant to show work they know is not complete, but it is in everyone’s best interest to get direct user feedback early and often during the development process. Second, we all need to acknowledge that user interfaces need to change over time although the benefits of those changes are not often immediately apparent. And finally, recognize their job is to make money. On a free site, that means they need to increase traffic. Concepts such as internationalization and mobile support are significant to them. 1) Generally, don’t focus on colors and fonts. Everyone has difficulty accepting the unfamiliar, and everyone adjusts with time. Although Google is an extreme example (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/05/why-google-engineers-designers), major companies employ experts and detailed processes for deciding these things. 2) One exception to this I believe is handicapped people. Although there are tools and guidelines for accessibility, real-world feedback is still encouraged in this area. 3) Mobile support is about providing a good user experience a variety of resolutions. Try this experiment. Pick up a corner of your browser displaying the Gravestage site. Adjust it bigger and smaller. The elements change to accommodate. A good design finds ways to continue to show the most important information as the screen size drops. This is called responsive design and it takes a lot of effort to do it well. Pick a resolution that matches your mobile screen resolution and provide feedback in this context. 4) Developers aren’t genealogists so it is all too easy for them to make false assumptions. Help them understand with specific, actionable insights into what you want to accomplish and how you go about it. If there are enough people like you, they will surely try to accommodate. 5) It is generally accepted that reducing number of clicks is important, and I think this is a very fair criticism. 6) Provide your feedback with context describing what type of user you are and how you use the site. Even a specialized site such as Find A Grave has dozens of different types of users that use the site in different ways. They need to be able to all these constituencies. 7) It is safe to assume they are familiar with similar sites in the industry, but the internet is a very big place and I find it helpful when someone says “I like to do X with the site, and I find that Y site does this particular function very well”. As they finish the site, they will fix all the bugs like photo cropping and stuff. But, they need help with understanding the many diverse use cases that ultimately affect the broad structure and design of the site. Mander asked: Is there a link we can use to send our feedback and suggestions to Find a Grave? Lisa replied: Yes, when you are on the page, there is a feedback link in the bottom right corner of the page. So, good readers, go use it! Notice: The opinions expressed herein are those of the Ancestry Insider, not necessarily those of Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. All content is copyrighted by the Ancestry Insider unless designated otherwise. See http://ancestryinsider.org for other important legal notices.