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On this day in 1840, Victorian poet and novelist Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset, England. Considered one of the most renowned writers in the history of English literature, Hardy’s works were often critical of Victorian society and the decline of rural life. Image: Thomas Hardy / National Science and Media Museum, Flickr Hardy was the eldest of four children born to Thomas Hardy, a stonemason and local builder, and his wife, Jemima Hand. His early… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Thomas Hardy first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe on what would have been her 97th birthday. Image: Marilyn Monroe / Wikimedia Commons She was born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Gladys Pearl Baker. Shortly after her birth, her name was changed to Baker. Her father’s identity remains unknown. Marilyn’s mother suffered from mental illness and spent much of her life in and out of hospitals. Growing up, Marilyn lived with… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Marilyn Monroe 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 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

Scott Lieberman, 42, from San Francisco, was born in Chile in August 1980 and adopted within a month by a US couple. The parents also adopted a girl a year later. Order a MyHeritage DNA kit Scott knew he was adopted as a child, and as he grew up, he wanted to learn more about The post Chilean Adoptee Stolen as a Baby Reunites with His Sister appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Reimagine, a groundbreaking new mobile app for family photos. Reimagine harnesses the power of MyHeritage’s world-class AI technologies for improving historical photos, and boasts a powerful photo scanner that enables high-speed scanning of entire album pages. Reimagine is available on both iOS and Android. Watch the cool video The post Introducing Reimagine: An Innovative Photo App by MyHeritage appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

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!

In 2016, while rummaging through his mother’s garage for old family pictures and records in an effort to continue working on his family tree, Marty Whitacre, 62, found a rusted footlocker. It was full of U.S Air Corps uniforms, some old documents and yearbooks, and also a faded grocery bag with dozens of envelopes. “These The post He Found 357 Letters His Uncle Wrote Before Falling in Battle During WWII appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

We’re excited to announce that MyHeritage DNA is now on sale for the lowest price of the year so far! For a limited time, MyHeritage DNA kits are available for a remarkable $39! Get your MyHeritage DNA kit today Our DNA kits allow you to dive deeper into your family history, connect with relatives you The post Discover Your Roots with this Hot DNA Sale at MyHeritage! appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

80 years ago, in May 1943, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) became the first professional baseball league of women. The story of how this league was formed has been immortalized in the film A League of Their Own. Our Research team recently dove into MyHeritage’s vast collection of historical newspapers to learn more The post A League of Their Own: The Real Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

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.

On this day in 1951, astronaut Sally Ride was born. In 1983, Ride made history when she became the first American woman to fly in space. Image: Sally Ride / NASA Ride as born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California to Dale Burdell Ride and Carol Joyce Anderson. Her father was a political science professor and her mother was a counselor at a women’s correctional facility. As a child, she was always fascinated by… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Sally Ride first appeared on About Geni.

Come see Geni at the National Genealogical Society 2023 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia. The conference will take place May 31 – June 3 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Geni is excited to once again be a Silver sponsor of the conference. If you are planning to attend, be sure to stop by the Geni booth (304, 306) in the exhibit hall and learn about what’s new on Geni. We’re excited to see… Read the full story The post Join us at NGS 2023 first appeared on About Geni.

As a genetic genealogist with DNAngels, a nonprofit organization that helps people find their biological family, Aimee Haynes is no stranger to family history research. Order a MyHeritage DNA kit Her great-grandfather Richard had been adopted, and his daughter Carol — Aimee’s grandmother — had always wondered about his origins. In 2014–2015, Aimee began studying The post 100 Years After He Was Placed for Adoption as the Product of an Affair, His Descendant Discovered He Wasn’t appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Show Notes: A compiled history is kind of like standing on the shoulders of the giants of genealogy that came before you. OK, so maybe they weren’t giants, but they did document what they found and they published it so that you can benefit from it. This means that rather than having to start from scratch, Source

As we approach Memorial Day, a time of year dedicated to remembering and honoring the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms, we at MyHeritage believe it’s important to make their stories accessible to all. That’s why we are thrilled to announce that, in honor of Memorial Day, we are The post Honoring Our Heroes: Free Access to Military Records on MyHeritage  appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

“What hath God wrought?” This was the message Samuel F.B. Morse sent from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capital to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore, Maryland, to inaugurate the first telegraph line on May 24, 1844. Image: Library of Congress Morse was born on April 27, 1791 in Charlestown, Massachusetts to Jedediah Morse, a pastor and geographer, and Elizabeth Ann Finley Breese. Morse had established a career as a painter when a… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Samuel F.B. Morse first appeared on About Geni.

Great news! We’ve just updated the data for Theory of Family Relativity™, adding millions of new theories to help you uncover how you’re related to your DNA Matches. Theory of Family Relativity™ is a groundbreaking feature that can save you hours of work trying to understand your connection to your DNA Matches. It harnesses billions The post New Update to Theory of Family Relativity™ appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1707, Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus was born. Known as the “father of modern taxonomy,” Linnaeus is best remembered for formalizing the modern system of naming organisms. Image: Carl Linnaeus / Nationalmuseum, Sweden Linnaeus was born in the village of Råshult in Småland, Sweden to Nicolaus (Nils) Linnaeus, a pastor, and Anna Christina Brodersonia. His father was an avid gardener and introduced Linnaeus to the world of botany at an… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Carl Linnaeus first appeared on About Geni.

Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on this day in 1859. Image: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle / Library of Congress Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Charles Altamont Doyle and Mary Foley. Supported by wealthy uncles, Doyle studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. It was during this time that he began writing short stories. In 1887, he published his first Sherlock Holmes story. Doyle partially based the character of Holmes on… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first appeared on About Geni.

Graduation ceremonies are filled with time-honored traditions, from the cap and gown to the celebratory tossing of hats into the air. But have you ever wondered where these rites come from? Let’s dive into the fascinating historical reasons behind popular graduation traditions. The cap and gown: keeping warm in medieval Europe The tradition of wearing The post Unveiling the History Behind Graduation Traditions appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Today we remember Anne Boleyn, who was executed on this day in 1536 for treason and adultery. Image: Anne Boleyn / Wikimedia Commons The marriage between Anne and King Henry VIII was scandalous from the start. The union plunged the country into political and religious upheaval, resulting in breakage from the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England. Soon after becoming Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne gave birth to a daughter, the future… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Anne Boleyn first appeared on About Geni.

We’re excited to announce that our Super DNA Sale is now live! Purchase a MyHeritage DNA test today and embark on the incredible journey to discover your heritage. Buy a MyHeritage DNA Test Now For centuries, the threads of our personal histories were a riddle waiting to be solved, and it’s only now that we’re The post Unearth Your Past: Super DNA Sale On Now appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

On this day in 1953, pioneering aviator Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier. Image: Jacqueline Cochran / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr Cochran was born Bessie Lee Pittman on May 11, 1906 to Ira Pittman and Mary Grant. After divorcing her first husband, Robert Cochran, she began using the name Jacqueline or “Jackie.” Cochran moved to New York where she landed a position at the prestigious Saks Fifth… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Jacqueline Cochran first appeared on About Geni.

Show Notes: How to use Google site search to search a website that doesn’t have a good search engine, or doesn’t have one at all. Google’s Site Search will help you find exactly what you need! This tip comes from the hour-long Premium Membership “Elevenses with Lisa” video called 5 Genealogy Search Hacks. Premium Members Source

Do you remember watching Tarzan? On this day in 1911, Irish actress Maureen O’Sullivan was born. Often considered Ireland’s first film star, O’Sullivan is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Jane in six Tarzan films. Image: Maureen O’Sullivan / Wikimedia Commons O’Sullivan was born on May 17, 1911 in Boyle, Roscommon, Ireland to Mary Eva Frazer and Charles Joseph O’Sullivan, who was an officer in the Connaught Rangers and served in World War I. Growing up, she went to school in Dublin… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Maureen O’Sullivan first appeared on About Geni.

Did you know that the first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929? The ceremony’s first host was none other than the Academy’s first president, actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Image: Douglas Fairbanks / Library of Congress Long before it would become Hollywood’s biggest night, the first Academy Awards were handed out at a dinner party for around 270 guests at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony lasted just 15 minutes… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. first appeared on About Geni.

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

Show Notes: Google Books is known for having millions of free digitized books. But did you know that it’s also packed with hidden old newspapers? Since newspapers don’t typically appear in your initial search results in Google Books, I’ll show you two ways to filter down to only newspapers. Plus I’ll also show you some of Source

Did you read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz growing up? On this day in 1856, author L. Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York. Image: L.Frank Baum / Library of Congress The popular children’s book author was born Lyman Frank Baum to Cynthia Ann Stanton and Benjamin Ward Baum, a successful businessman, and grew up on his family’s estate, Rose Lawn. A sickly child, Baum began writing at a young age. After his father gifted him a cheap… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: L. Frank Baum first appeared on About Geni.

Many of you participated for 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.

Happy International Nurses Day! Today honors nurses all around the world on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Image: Florence Nightingale / Library of Congress Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy to a rich, upper-class British family. From a young age, she felt it was her calling from God to devote her life to the service of others. Despite her family’s strong objects, Nightingale worked hard to educate herself in nursing…. Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Florence Nightingale first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1904, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was born in Figueres, Spain. Image: Salvador Dali / Library of Congress Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech was born nine months after the death of his older brother, who was also named Salvador. At the age of five, his parents took him to his brothers grave where they told him that he was his brother’s reincarnation. He would come to believe it to be true… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Salvador Dali first appeared on About Geni.

Legendary actor Fred Astaire was born on May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska. Considered one of the greatest entertainers of Old Hollywood, Astaire dazzled audiences on the stage and screen with his charisma and energy. Image: Fred Astaire / Wikimedia Commons He was the son of Johanna Geilus and Frederic Austerlitz and had an older sister Adele, who proved to a natural dancer and singer. Together, the siblings developed a vaudeville act as children and became quite… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Fred Astaire first appeared on About Geni.

We’re excited to share some new enhancements to the family map on Geni. For many years, we’ve had the family map to show you where your relatives are located around the world. Now we’ve made a few improvements that will help you better visualize the locations of your relatives on Geni. To find the Map, simply click on “Family” at the top of the page and select “Map.” Show Death and Burial Locations Previously, you… Read the full story The post New Enhancements to the Family Map first appeared on About Geni.

Remember the story of Peter Pan? On this day in 1860, author J.M. Barrie was born in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland.  Image: National Science and Media Museum, Flickr Barrie was born James Matthew Barrie to David Barrie and Margaret Ogilvy. The ninth of ten children, Barrie was drawn to storytelling as a small child. He first found work as a writer and journalist, but discovered his work in theater increasing as time passed. During his third play, he met… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: J.M. Barrie first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1884, President Harry S. Truman was born. Truman served as the 33rd President of the United States. Image: Harry S. Truman / Library of Congress Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri to John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Young. His parents named him after his maternal uncle, Harrison “Harry” Young,  but had difficulty settling on a middle name. Ultimately, they simply chose to use the letter “S” in tribute… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Harry S. Truman first appeared on About Geni.

This weekend Charles III will officially be crowned King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms. The coronation will take place on May 6, 2023, which coincidentally falls on the fourth birthday of his grandson, Archie. In preparation of this historic event, here are some interesting facts to know before His Majesty’s coronation. Image: Charles III / Dan Marsh, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) 1. Charles was born on November 14, 1948 in Buckingham Palace and… Read the full story The post What to Know About the Coronation of Charles III first appeared on About Geni.

Today marks the birth of American journalist, inventor, and record-breaker Nellie Bly! Image: Nellie Bly / Library of Congress She was born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane on May 5, 1864 in Cochran’s Mills, Pennsylvania. Writing under the the pen name “Nellie Bly,” Bly was a pioneer of her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism. As a reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, Bly wrote one of her earliest and most provocative pieces, a startling exposé on… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Nellie Bly first appeared on About Geni.

Do you have a favorite Audrey Hepburn movie? Today marks what would have been the legendary actress’s 94th birthday. Image: Audrey Hepburn / Wikimedia Commons Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, was a Dutch aristocrat and after divorcing Hepburn’s father, raised her alone as a single mother. She studied ballet and quickly became a “star pupil.” The Nazi’s occupation of the Netherlands during… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Audrey Hepburn first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1469, Italian Renaissance historian and philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli was born in the Republic of Florence. Today, he is remembered as one of the fathers of modern political theory. Image: Niccolò Machiavelli / Wikimedia Commons He was born during a tumultuous era when Italy was still divided into city-states. A strong proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli served for many years as a senior official for the Florentine Republic and dealt with diplomatic and… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Niccolò Machiavelli first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1729, Catherine the Great was born. Catherine the Great reigned over Russia from 1762 until her death in 1796 at the age of 67. Image: Catherine the Great / British Library, Flickr She was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg on May 2, 1729. Her father belonged to the ruling German family of Anhalt, but held the rank of a Prussian general. After converting to the Russian Orthodox Church, she received… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Catherine the Great 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 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 this day in 1852, American frontierswoman and folk hero Calamity Jane was born near Princeton, Missouri. Image: Calamity Jane / Library of Congress Calamity Jane’s early life is a mystery. Much about what is known comes from an autobiographical booklet from 1896. The booklet, dictated by Calamity Jane, was written for publicity purposes, and thus, some of the information was likely exaggerated or false. What is known is that she was born Martha Jane… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Calamity Jane first appeared on About Geni.

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

On this day in 1758, James Monroe was born in his family home in Westmoreland County, Virginia. A Founding Father, Monroe served as the 5th President of the United States. Image: James Monroe / Wikimedia Commons During the American Revolution, Monroe left college to join the Continental Army. He served as part of General George Washington’s army at the Battle of Trenton, where he was severely wounded. As president, Monroe oversaw major westward expansion of the U.S…. Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: James Monroe first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1927, American civil rights activist Coretta Scott King was born in Marion, Alabama. Image: Coretta Scott King / Library of Congress The widow of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., King also made significant contributions to the Civil Rights movement both before and after her husband’s death. She was the third child born to Obadiah Scott and Bernice McMurray. Her father was the first black person in their neighborhood to… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Coretta Scott King first appeared on About Geni.

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!

Happy birthday to Carol Burnett! Today the funny actress turns 90. Known for her legendary comedic chops, Burnett became a household name as the star of The Carol Burnett Show. The show ran for 11 seasons and marked the first time a TV variety show was hosted by a woman. Image: Carol Burnett / Wikimedia Commons Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 1933 to Joseph Burnett, a movie theater manager, and Ina… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Carol Burnett first appeared on About Geni.

Love listening to the sound of Jazz? On this day in 1917, Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia. Image: Ella Fitzgerald / Library of Congress From her earliest days as a small child, the Queen of Jazz was passionate about music and spent hours listening to Jazz records her mother brought home. After the death of her mother when she was 15, Ella was sent to live with her aunt in Harlem. She suffered… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Ella Fitzgerald first appeared on About Geni.

On April 24, 1942, legendary singer and actress Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York. Image: Barbra Streisand / National Institutes of Health Over her long career, Streisand has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She has amassed a great number of music and acting awards, including 2 Academy Awards and 10 Grammys. She is also one of the few entertainers who can… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Barbra Streisand first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1816, author Charlotte Brontë was born. Image: Charlotte Brontë / Wikimedia Commons Brontë was born on April 21, 1816 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. She was the third of six children born to Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë, a clergyman. After her mother and two older sisters died, her father educated Brontë and her siblings, Emily, Anne, and Branwell, at home. As children the siblings were left to explore their imagination. They… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Charlotte Brontë first appeared on About Geni.

Do you have French ancestry in your family tree? On this day in 1808, Napoleon III was born in Paris, France. Image: Napoleon III / Library of Congress The nephew and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon III grew up in exile. Determined to return to France and regain the French crown, Napoleon began asserting his views in political writings and even attempted a failed coup. Following the Revolution of 1848, Napoleon seized the opportunity to return to France… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Napoleon III first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember French physicist Pierre Curie, who died on April 19, 1906 at the age of 46. Considered one of the founding fathers of modern physics, Curie is best known for his groundbreaking work in radioactive studies alongside his wife, Marie Curie.  Image: Pierre Curie / Wikimedia Commons Curie was born on May 15, 1859 to Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly. His father was a doctor and trained Curie in math and science. From a young age,… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Pierre Curie first appeared on About Geni.

On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere began his infamous ride to warn American colonists that British forces were advancing toward Lexington and Concord. Image: Paul Revere’s ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Revere and fellow rider William Dawes successfully reached Lexington to warn Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock before setting out towards Concord. Along the way, they were joined by Samuel Prescott, a young patriot. Of the three men,… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Paul Revere first appeared on About Geni.

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.

Today we remember Benjamin Franklin, who died on April 17, 1790 at the age of 84. Not only was Franklin one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he was also a leading author, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and more. Image: Benjamin Franklin / Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery CC0 Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts to Josiah Franklin, a candlemaker, and his second wife, Abiah Folger. He was one… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Benjamin Franklin first appeared on About Geni.

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

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!

On this day in 1866, American educator Anne Sullivan was born. Best remembered as the teacher and lifelong companion of Helen Keller, Sullivan taught Keller, who was blind and deaf, to communicate and read Braille. Image: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan / Library of Congress Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts to Thomas Sullivan and Alice Cloesy. Her parents had emigrated to the United States from Ireland during the Great… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Anne Sullivan first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1743, Thomas Jefferson was born at the Shadwell plantation in colonial Virginia. One of America’s Founding Fathers, Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and served as the third President of the United States. Image: Thomas Jefferson / Wikimedia Commons Jefferson was born to a prominent Virginia family. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a planter and surveyor. In 1751, he created the Fry-Jefferson Map in collaboration with Joshua Fry, which accurately depicted… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Thomas Jefferson first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember children’s book author Beverly Cleary on what would have been her 107th birthday. Image: Beverly Cleary / Washington State Archives, Wikimedia Commons Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn on April 12, 1916 in McMinniville, Oregon to Chester Lloyd Bunn, a farmer, and Mabel Atlee, a schoolteacher. A passionate reader, Cleary studied to become a children’s librarian. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a second bachelor’s… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Beverly Cleary first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1869, Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland was born. Considered one of the most important artists in Norwegian history, Vigeland is perhaps best known for his creation of Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway. The impressive art installation is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Image: Gustav Vigeland / National Library of Norway, Flickr Vigeland was born Adolf Gustav Thorsen on April 11, 1869 in Mandal. Born to a family of… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Gustav Vigeland first appeared on About Geni.

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

Today we celebrate what would have been actor Omar Sharif’s 91st birthday! A Hollywood legend, Sharif was best known for his roles in Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia. Image: Omar Sharif / Wikimedia Commons He was born Michel Demetri Chalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt. After studying mathematics and physics at the University of Cairo, Sharif worked at his father’s precious wood business before leaving to study acting in London, England. In 1955, he converted to Islam… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Omar Sharif first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember actor James Garner on what would have been his 95th birthday. Image: James Garner / Wikimedia Commons Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928 in Norman, Oklahoma to Weldon Warren Bumgarner and Mildred Scott Meek. The youngest of 3 sons, Garner had a difficult childhood. When he was 4, his mother died and by the time he was 7, his father had left him and his brothers to be… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: James Garner first appeared on About Geni.

On this day in 1909, explorer Robert Edwin Peary and his assistant, Matthew Henson, reached what they determined to be the North Pole. Image: Robert Edwin Peary / Library of Congress Peary was born on May 6, 1856 in Cresson, Pennsylvania to Charles Nutter Peary and Mary Dole Wiley. He joined the U.S. Navy Civil Engineers Corps before beginning his career as an explorer. Determined to become the first person to reach the North Pole,… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Robert Edwin Peary first appeared on About Geni.

Ever-growing access to online records means that many family history researchers aren’t taking advantage of physical repositories like they used to. But, as we discuss in this article about the important of offline records, a great deal of what we need to really understand our ancestors still cannot be found digitally.

On this day in 1856, Booker T. Washington was born. Regarded as one of the most influential African-American educators of the late 19th century, Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute, known today as Tuskegee University, in Alabama. Image: Booker T. Washington / Library of Congress Washington was born into slavery in Virginia and was the son of Jane, a slave, and an unknown white man. He was named Booker Taliaferro and later adopted the surname Washington. After emancipation,… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Booker T. Washington first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou on what would have been her 95th birthday. The award-winning author published numerous books of poetry, essays, and autobiographies which dealt with themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression. Image: Maya Angelou / Wikimedia Commons Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri to Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian, and Vivian Baxter, a nurse and card dealer. By the… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Maya Angelou 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 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

When you collaborate in a shared world tree, it is important to be able to see the history of changes in the family tree. Geni profiles show a robust revision history of a profile, so you know what was changed and by whom. This is especially important if you notice a change that was not correct. Geni’s revision histories make it easy to revert the change, so you can make sure the information in the… Read the full story The post Geni Tips: Understanding Profile Revisions first appeared on About Geni.

Today we remember actress Doris Day on what would have been her 101st birthday. Image: Doris Day / Library of Congress Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alma Sophia Weiz and William Joseph Kappelhoff. For most of her life, Day believed she was born in 1924. It was not until her 95th birthday that she learned she was actually born in 1922 after the Associated Press… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Doris Day first appeared on About Geni.

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

Happy birthday to Christopher Walken! Today the actor celebrates his 80th birthday. Image: Tabercil, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943 in Queens, New York to Rosalie Russell and Paul Walken. His father owned and operated a bakery, Walken’s Bakery, in Astoria. From a young age, Walken was a performer. He took dancing lessons as a young child and auditioned for many bit parts that were open for children… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Christopher Walken first appeared on About Geni.

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?

Today singer Celine Dion celebrates her 55th birthday! Image: Celine Dion / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Celine Marie Claudette Dion was born on March 30, 1968 in Charlegmagne, Quebec, Canada to a large family. The youngest of 14 children, Dion grew up in a close-knit family filled with music. From a young age, Dion dreamed of becoming a performer. At the age of 5, she made her first public appearance singing with… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Celine Dion first appeared on About Geni.

On March 29, 1867, legendary baseball player Cy Young was born. Image: Cy Young / Library of Congress Young was born Denton True Young to Nancy Miller and McKinzie Young. The oldest of five children, Young stopped his formal education after the sixth grade to help out on his family’s farm. Around this same time, Young discovered a love for baseball. He played in local baseball teams before he was signed to play for the… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Cy Young first appeared on About Geni.

Are you a country music fan? Today American country music singer Reba McEntire turns 68. Image: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) She was born on March 28, 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Jacqueline and Clark Vincent McEntire. Named after her maternal grandmother Reba Estelle Smith, the music legend learned to sing and play guitar at a young age. Her father and grandfather were both champion steer ropers, so as a child, she… Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Reba McEntire first appeared on About Geni.

Do you remember watching Sunset Boulevard? On this day in 1899, legendary actress Gloria Swanson was born. Image: Gloria Swanson / Library of Congress Swanson was born on March 27, 1899 to Joseph Theodore Swanson and Adelaide Klanowski in a small house in Chicago, Illinois. Since her father was a soldier in the army, she moved frequently. She spent part of her childhood in Puerto Rico, where she learned Spanish and saw her first films…. Read the full story The post Profile of the Day: Gloria Swanson first appeared on About Geni.

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.

Whether you’re hoping to find the obituary, death or funeral notice of someone dear to you, or to uncover more facts about an ancestor, the following guide will help you locate the records you’re looking for.

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!

Yes, free genealogy research is possible. Here’s how to avoid spending money on your ancestry research without limiting your family tree.

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,

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

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.

Researching your Australian roots? Our roundup of genealogy resources will help you go further!

If you’re a beginner to genealogy research and want to know how to find your ancestors you’re no doubt asking yourself, “where should I start?” This easy guide will show you just what you need to know in a few easy steps.

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 November 2022: Richard Adler, American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows Sam Bankman-Fried, American entrepreneur, investor and former billionaire Travis Barker, 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 November 2022: Australia Windellama Anglican Cemetery, Windellama, New South Wales, 53 graves (just3thoughts) Bungonia Cemetery,

Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Peabody Award, a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, a Billboard Music Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

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

A month ago, we announced a new collaborative indexing project at Geneanet: the New York City Geographic Birth Index, half a million index cards with every birth in NYC from 1880-1910 by street address. While awaiting the completion of the transcriptions, use our new finding aid to look up your ancestor’s birth!

Have you tested your DNA at Ancestry, 23andMe, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, or Living DNA, and uploaded your DNA file to Geneanet? If you have roots in Europe and want to find cousins, be sure to add your tree to Geneanet and link your DNA to it!

A century after the end of World War I, November 11 remains a holiday to remember war veterans. Learn about resources that can help you research your ancestors, or their brothers who never returned from the front. There are tens of thousands of war cemetery photos uploaded by the Geneanet community!

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 October 2022: Australia Goulburn Jewish Cemetery, Goulburn, New South Wales, 13 graves (just3thoughts) Myra Vale

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 2022: Camren Bicondova, American actress and dancer Robin Lord Taylor, American film and television actor and director Cory Michael Smith, American actor John Dye,

Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988), known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she was the world’s highest-paid actress and named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Did your immigrant ancestors have children in New York City? City clerks maintained a geographic card index of birth certificate numbers for every residential address in the city starting in 1880. There are over half a million cards and Geneanet volunteers have already begun indexing them — please help if you can!

Many of you participated for our 13th edition of “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 recognized for her influence on 2010s pop music.

At Geneanet, volunteers index documents which are useful to everyone in the genealogy community. We are pleased to announce a new collection from the US National Archives: the US Navy Muster Rolls from 1866-1900!

We are proud to announce that we have added 9 new collections to Geneanet, and we take this opportunity to make a quick overview of all the collections added to the site since the beginning of this year, including the collections provided by Ancestry which, as you know, has become Geneanet’s main partner!

It’s German-American Day! To celebrate, here are some resources for German genealogy which will help you with your research. Many are free of charge!

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 2022: Australia Tallong General Cemetery, Tallong, New South Wales, 43 graves (just3thoughts) Garden of

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 2022: Hank Patterson, American actor and musician Margo, Mexican-American actress and dancer Mike Douglas, American “Big Band” era singer, entertainer, television talk show host

On October 14-16, 2022, take pictures of graves in a nearby cemetery.

October 3 is Unity Day in Germany and October 6 is German-American Day. To celebrate, we are celebrating “Ahnenfest” – Ancestor Festival – with free access to our Premium German records from Oct. 1-6 inclusive!

October 1 is the International Day of Older Persons! It’s the perfect time to look up the longest-lived ancestor in your tree. Here’s how.

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (born September 27, 1972) is an American actress, author, businesswoman, model and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Have you tested your DNA at Ancestry, 23andMe, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, or Living DNA, and uploaded your DNA file to Geneanet? If you have roots in Europe and want to find cousins, be sure to add your tree to Geneanet and link your DNA to it!

Searching for French ancestors? Geneanet is France’s #1 site for genealogy! Learn about the “tables décennales” or decennial tables, indexes to vital records registers prepared every ten years starting in 1793. They are a key finding aid for French records!

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 2022: Cade Foehner, American singer and musician Johnny Mercer, American lyricist, songwriter, and singer Amelia Heinle, American actress Michael Weatherly, American actor, producer, director,

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 2022: Canada Cimetière Beechwood / Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, 5,140 graves (francerivet) Cimetière Notre-Dame

Did your ancestor work on the docks for the port of Dublin a century ago? Learn about Dublin Port Company’s new digital archive including the “Name Book” of employees!

Geneanet has rich collections of genealogical data in France and Europe. We are excited to share that our “Save Our Graves” project has topped 5 million graves!

Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, songwriter and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his first successes writing songs for others, writing “These Days” as a 16-year-old.

Do you have Pottier or Potter in your family tree? If you are a Geneanet member planning a large family reunion, tell us about it!

If you have checked the list of your matches on Geneanet DNA these past few days, you may have already noticed: some new features have appeared! In this article, we will explain these in detail.

Why is it that we, as family historians, often do a poor job of preserving our own personal histories for the generations to come?

As it turns out, there is an incredibly straightforward and comprehensive resource that can tell you exactly what records are available for every county in every state in the United States — and plenty of other geographical areas, too.

Public or private? This is one of the first decisions Ancestry.com asks you to make when you create your family tree. Indicating your preferred sharing status is as simple as checking a box, but it’s not a trivial decision.

The 1950 United States Federal Census is set to be released by the National Archives and Records Administration on April 1, 2022. Use this guide to discover how to find and use these fascinating records in your family history research.

The U.S. Census Age Search for years 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 involves restrictions, guidelines, and even fees – but it all might well be worthwhile if it helps you to fill in more recent blanks in your family tree.

If you’re just starting to build your family tree, or if you’ve simply put it aside due to frustration or defeat, listen up. You’re not alone in your family history challenges, and perhaps having a better understanding up front of what to expect down the road will help you overcome them. 

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.