Genea-Musings

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The San Diego Genealogical Society (SDGS) Family History Seminar on Saturday, 14 January 2012 features Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS.

The seminar is at The Handlery Hotel and Resort, 950 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108.  The seminar starts at 9 a.m. and will end at 3 p.m.  The seminar cost is $40 per person for SDGS members or $45 per person for non-members.  Registration includes a seated luncheon.  The Handlery Hotel and Resort charges $3 for all day parking with event validation.  The registration deadline is 7 January 2012.  You can download the registration form here.

Thomas W. Jones will make the following presentations:

*  Five Proven Technologies for Finding European Origins

*  Finding "Un-findable" Ancestors

*  The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames

*  Planning Reasonably Exhaustive Research

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, works full-time as a genealogical author, editor, educator, and researcher.  A past president and former trustee of the Board for Certification for Genealogists, he has co-edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002.  Tom teaches "Evidence and Documentation" in Boston University's online and classroom-based genealogy certificate programs, "Advanced Genealogical Methods" at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy," and "Writing and Publishing for Genealogists" at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research.

I will be attending this seminar, and I encourage all San Diego area genealogists to attend it - Tom Jones is one of the top researchers, teachers and speakers in the United States at this time. 

Labels: Conferences/Seminars, Elusive ancestors, Genealogy proof standard, San Diego area, SDGS

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I recently scanned some photographs from our 1999 trip to Scandinavia, including a visit to Oslo and Voss in Norway. I am posting some of these photos.

This is a photograph from our visit to Molster farm on the hill above the town of Voss in Norway.



When we visited Molster farm in 1999, it was a "living history" museum set in the 1850s, with docents in costume demonstrating family life in the kitchen, the living areas, and the work areas.  There was a small historical museum and gift shop also.  I found it very interesting.

One of Linda's Norwegian ancestral families, that came to Wisconsin in 1855, lived on Molster farm in the years just before they migrated.

Labels: Leland/McKnew Research, Scandinavian Research, Wordless Wednesday

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By attending RootsTech 2012 you’ll have the opportunity not only to network with other genealogists, vendors and developers and share the knowledge you currently have, but you’ll also get the chance to learn even more about the latest in technology for family history.

As an Official RootsTech 2012 Blogger, here’s a look at the technology I currently use and what keeps me rooted in my genealogy research. I also explain why I am using or not using certain technologies and gadgets  as well as what skills and knowledge I’m hoping to gain at RootsTech this year.

If you want to join in the fun and show off your own tech cred, here are the rules for the My Rooted Technology meme:

• Technology you already use: bold face type (in blue)
• Technology you would like to use or learn more about: italicize (in red)
• Technology you don’t use, have no interest in using or no longer use: plain type
• Explain or give opinions in brackets [ ] at the end of each bullet point

1. I have a tablet computer such as an iPad that I use for genealogy [I have been pondering buying a Tablet...but probably would use a small laptop to better use]
2. I have downloaded one or more apps to a Smart Phone or similar device. [I don't have a smart Phone either, and am pondering buying one]
3. I belong to a genealogy society that uses social media. [NGS, NEHGS, SCGS and SDGS have webinars and a Facebook presence, and they plus CVGS have blogs]
4. I use GEDCOM files and understand the various compatibility issues involved [too much understanding, I fear!]
5. I have added metadata to some of my files and digital photos. [another task TBD]
6. I have utilized an API from a genealogy-related application or website. [what's an API?]
7. I have taken a DNA test related to my genealogy research.  [Y-chromosome, mitochondrial, and FTDNA Family Finder]
8. I have used the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
9. I have a Facebook account and use it regularly for genealogy.
10. I use tech tools to help me cite my sources in genealogy research. [well, is EE a tech tool?  Are the source templates in RM5, LFT7 and FTM2012 tech tools?]
11. I have developed a genealogy-related app for a Smart Phone or similar device. [nope]
12. I use a genealogy database program (Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic etc.) [yes, those three!]
13. I use cloud computer resources to store my genealogy data. [I use Dropbox for the most critical files, and Google Docs for working files; plus online trees at Ancestry, Geni, MyHeritage, others]
14. I have made one or more contributions to the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
15. I have attended a genealogy webinar. [too many to count...]
16. I have organized and administered a DNA testing group related to my genealogy. [no plans...]
17. I use apps involving GPS and Geo-caching for my genealogy research. [not yet...]
18. I have a Google+ account and use it regularly for genealogy. [yes!  We need more genies on Google+]
19. I have created and published a family history e-book. [Long time ago now, not available online now]
20. I have created a wiki related to my genealogy research. [Not planning to.  I have contributed to WikiTree and WeRelate family tree wikis]
21. I have conducted a genealogy webinar as a presenter. [No real desire to do this]
22. I read genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research. [All day long it seems!]
23. I have one or more genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research. [Only four, with others in mind; great cousin bait]
24. I have a Twitter account and use it regularly for genealogy. [mainly to highlight blog posts or conference news]
25. I have one or more genealogy-related websites which I run and administer. [an old one...still there!]
26. I have created a screencast or video related to genealogy and posted it at a video sharing site (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.).  [Not yet, and don't have plans for it.  Was interviewed by Lisa Cooke once]
27. I use one or more digital tools to capture and record my family history. ([igital camera for family pictures, photos at cemeteries, document images at repositories; Digital audio recorder for interviews, seminars, etc.]

Labels: Digital Technology, musings

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This post is number 7 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the 18th day of Christmas,
my relatives acted hearty
at a family Christmas party.

1) Did your family throw a holiday party each year?

When I was a kid, we didn't have a separate holiday party that I recall - just celebrations with my grandparents and my cousin Dorothy's family.

After we were married, my parents, my brothers and us would have a Christmas party either on the weekend before Christmas, on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day with the traditional dinner. As the children grew, these became great fun watching the little ones open gifts, show off for grandma and grandpa, and play out in the yard.

Our family would fly (on Christmas Day) or drive (several days before Christmas) to San Francisco to celebrate the holiday with Linda's parents and brother. They would invite their living aunts and uncles to dinner and Paul (Linda's brother) and I would often go pick them up and take them home. Sometimes, we would go down the peninsula to visit the aunts, uncles and cousins. There was always lots of laughs, sharing of memories, interesting gifts and lots of good food at these events.

2) Do you remember attending any holiday parties?

Besides the family parties, there were Christmas parties at church and with colleagues at work. The church couples group adopted a New Year's Eve "progressive dinner" party, with white elephant gift giving, rather than a pre-Christmas party. This was done because everybody had a busy schedule with their kids and family, needed a sober New Year's event to attend, and we could get rid of useless but valuable gifts at the New Year's party. We also attended a pre-Christmas party with our Marriage Encounter board couples with a white elephant gift exchange. If we didn't like the gift we got here, we took it to the New Year's party. Fruitcake, especially!

For many years, my work group got together for an evening pot luck party with much drinking and telling stories about people who didn't attend. These were always at someone's house, and it was a good way to meet the spouses of your colleagues, stand under the mistletoe and be spurned, and to see how they lived. I don't have many specific memories of these, of course, except that Linda had to pour me into bed more than once.

Linda's teaching colleagues also had a pre-Christmas party at someone's house, which was similar to my work colleague party, except it was more interesting because the families were in different income brackets. The group was much more diverse and the people more interesting. There was a designated gift giving at these parties - each teacher drew a name at school to give a gift to.

Labels: Holidays, musings

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Family Tree Maker has provided a Patch to upgrade Version 2012 (for Windows) to a new standard (Build 452). 

The user with Family Tree Maker should open FTM 2012, go to the Help menu and click on "Check for Update" and download the Patch.  It downloaded very quickly for me!  You do have to decide if you want to always accept a Download from FTM. 

There is a list of the improvements to FTM 2012 on Russ Worthington's Family Tree Maker User blog, in the post Patch for Family Tree Maker 2012, and in a post on the Family Tree Maker Message Board which says:

This update contains important improvements to the Family Tree Maker 2012 product.The improvements address issues with overall stability and performance as well as the new TreeSync feature.  These improvements include:
Fixed

1. TreeSync Improvements
* Multiple sync errors fixed
*  Sync upload/download, and incremental sync performance improvements
*  Implied relationships are created on AMT now
*  3 hour media download time out fixed
*  Sync indicators, icons, states, and sync refresh messaging issues
*  Improved handling of deleted relationships
2.General Performance Improvements
*  Faster import (from all formats)
*  Faster sync change log generation and display
*  Improved media refresh, thumbnail creation,
*  Improved handling of source citation pasting and changes
3.GEDCOM Import/Export, fixed a number of issues (missing/unsupported tags, duplication of media, missing media links)
4.Pasting source citation, fixed failure to paste citations to name facts
5.Place name parsing, fixed issues related to country and place modifiers
6.Login, fixed Web Search login issue
7.Maps, fixed accuracy of maps
8.Media download, fixed issue where duplicate media items were downloaded in some cases
9.Media copy/link, fixed problem where media was copied in cases where it should have been linked
10.Smart Stories, fixed issue where smart stories were not updating correctly in some cases
11.Conflict resolution, fixed issue where the sex fact was not handled correctly in conflict resolution
12.Conflict resolution, fixed issue where citation and media conflicts were reported unnecessarily
13.Clearer & safer option for deleting online trees from Ancestry
14.Title for Extended Family Chart is left justified by default
New

15.Ability to sync accepted and rejected hints between FTM & Ancestry
16.Option to include/exclude Ancestry media in synced trees
17.Undocumented Facts Report
18.Outline Descendant Report, Option to list only direct descendants between an ancestor and one descendant
19.Task List, Options to include/exclude task attributes and reclaim space for items excluded
20.Data Errors Report, Added option to list event dates that are not valid
21.Ability to select multiple facts in the source citation link dialog
The Fixed issues were probably those reported since FTM 2012 was released, and should improve how FTM 2012 works.  The New features include several new reports and new options for existing reports. 

Labels: FamilyTreeMaker, genealogy software

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I'm exploring the new features in RootsMagic 5, which was released on 28 November.  Previous posts in this series can be found in Exploring RootsMagic 5 New Features Compendium.

An interesting, and useful, report was added to the large suite of reports and charts - the "On This Day" report.  The description of this report is:

"Lists all events from your database which occurred on a selected day. You can also choose to print famous births, deaths and events which occurred on that same day."

To obtain an "On This Day" report, go to Reports > Lists and double-click on the "On This Day List" icon on the list (or highlight it and click on the "Generate Report" button):


Double clicking on the "On This Day List," the "Report Settings window opens:


The user selects the month from a dropdown list, and a day of the month from another dropdown list.  The user can check boxes for categories of:

*  Family Events (i.e., dates from your database)
*  Famous Births
*  Famous Deaths
*  Historical Events

There are buttons on the right side of the "Report Settings" screen for "Reset," "Layout" and "Fonts" where the user can control the report output.

I clicked on the "Generate Report" button and saw a seven page report for October 23rd (my birthday):



The four different categories are listed in order.  I found that I had:

*  48 people in my database with my birth day, but none of them are my ancestors.
*  16 couples in my database have my anniversary day, but only one ancestral couple.

*  Queen Isabella of Spain was born on my birthday in 1503
*  Johnny Carson was born on my birthday in 1925
*  Wakashima Gonshiro, a Japanese Sumo wrestler, died the day I was born

*  The first Parliament of Great Britain met on my birthday in 1707
*  The New York stock market panic started on my birthday in 1929
*  Apple released the iPod in 2001 on my birthday.

What did you find out about your birth date or wedding date?

While this "On This Day" feature is very useful, I had to use the Calendar report to find the direct ancestors who were born or married on my special days. 

Labels: genealogy software, RootsMagic

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Edwin Thomas Richmond (1883-1935) is one of my grand-uncles - the brother of my grandmother, Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.  He and his wife, Alice (Corey) Richmond (1884-1979), are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts:



This gravestone provides full names, birth dates and death dates for Edwin and Alice.  I wish all gravestones did!  Edwin and Alice (Corey) Richmond had one child - Helen Corey Richmond (1906-1997) who married Ralph Carlton Ordway (1903-1987). 

I took this picture on one of our visits to Evergreen Cemetery - probably in 2004 when we buried my aunt and uncle - Janet and Ed Seaver - in Evergreen Cemetery.

Labels: Cemetery records, Richmond/White Research, Tombstone Tuesday

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This post is number 6 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the 19th day of Christmas,
I have many happy memories
of visiting and being Santa Claus.

1) Did you ever send a letter to Santa Claus?

I don't think I ever did send a letter.

2) Did you ever visit Santa and "make a list?"

We visited Santa Claus every year down at the Marston's Department Store in downtown San Diego where my grandfather worked for 55 years. I think we "made a list" sometimes, especially as we got older and the wanted gifts became more complex. My recollection of visiting Santa is one of awe - this really big fat person in a red suit with a long white beard who flies around in a sleigh pulled by reindeer who goes down chimneys to leave gifts for children - I didn't question this for a long time (being a pretty smart kid, I guess).

3) Do you still believe in Santa Claus?

They say that in the first part of your life, you BELIEVE IN Santa Claus. In the second part of your life, you DON'T BELIEVE IN in Santa Claus. In the third part of your life, you ARE Santa Claus, and in the last part of your life, you LOOK LIKE Santa Claus. In my case, I have all four of these attributes ... still.

The magic of Santa Claus in a child's eyes is priceless. Everybody FIGURES OUT that SC is a figment of imagination - why do we fool our children like that? I love giving gifts to my wife, children and grandchildren. I've had a beard for 33 years, been practicing my "ho-ho-ho's" forever, but am working on reducing the belly. I still believe ... irrational, isn't it? I love going to the shopping center, and sitting on a bench near Santa's little hut and watching the little ones go up and talk to Santa. He waved at me on the escalator the other day - he knew! I've thought about being a "store Santa," but doubt if I ever will.

4) When did you find out "the truth" about Santa Claus?

We lived on the second story of a two-story house at 2119 30th Street in San Diego from the time I was 4 until I left home in 1968 at age 24. The house did not have a fireplace, so my brother Stan and I could never figure out how Santa Claus could bring the presents under the tree. Did he come in the window? Did dad leave a key or leave the door unlocked?

My maternal grandparents, Lyle and Emily Carringer (“Gram and Gramps”), built a beautiful home on Point Loma in 1951, and Christmas Eves were spent there for many years – and it had a fireplace! Our stockings were hung there in hopes that Saint Nick would fill them to the brim. Before bedtime, my grandmother would lead us in Christmas carols while we lay in bed – it was a wonderful way to fall asleep, and is one of my most cherished memories of her (my eyes tear up every time I think of this!).

Santa was always good to us, probably because, in retrospect, we were usually good boys – mischievous but not criminal, loud but not abusive, whirlwinds but not destructive. We usually received toys that were all the rage of the day, plus the usual boring clothes, and fruit, candy and small toys in our stockings. The most memorable gifts were the "good" toys, of course. BB guns and Davy Crockett coonskin caps in 1954, Flexible Flyers (sleds on wheels) in 1955, bicycles in 1956.

Of course, Santa Claus isn’t mysterious forever. The Point Loma house had a two car garage that my grandfather had filled with generations of stuff – it was a wonderful place to hide, explore and search. We found the bicycles in the garage before Christmas in 1956, but didn’t tell anybody else. Sure enough, on Christmas morning they appeared by the fireplace and Christmas tree marked “from Santa Claus.” Aha! So, we knew, but being rather smart astronauts we didn’t tell the folks – why kill the golden goose?

Labels: Holidays, Memories

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Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the obituary of George Smith (1812-1876), who died in Chicago, Illinois.  The obituary was published in the Dodge County (Wisconsin) Citizen newspaper on 22 June 1876 (Volume 19, Number 45, Page 3, accessed on microfilm at the Beaver Dam (Wis.) Community Library). It reads:

"DEATH OF MR. GEORGE SMITH

"A dispatch was received Monday morning from Chicago, by Mayor Lander, stating that George Smith was dead, and that his body would be here on the evening train. We learn that it was his request that his body might be sent here in care of Mr. Lander. The funeral in the Baptist church Tuesday afternoon, and his remains deposited in the old cemetery, where his first wife was buried.

"Mr. Smith was born in Weston, Oneida County, New York, June 22d, 1812, making him, at his death, a few days less than 64 years of age. He came to Wisconsin in 1843, and settled at Lake Mills, but soon after moved to Watertown, where he engaged in building and running mills. In 1847 he came to Rolling Prairie, this county, and engaged in farming until 1851, when he came to Beaver Dam, purchased the mill property now owned by Dr. Hoyt which he ran until 1866. He then sold out and moved to Watertown and purchased a large mill which soon burned down, as did also his residence, by which he lost heavily. He soon sold his property there, moved to Dakota and bought a large grain farm, but the ill luck commenced at Watertown followed him to his new home. For two years the grass hoppers took all he raised, and last year the floods destroyed his entire crop, and last fall he left his farm to his creditors and came back to Chicago with comparatively nothing, where he lived up the time of his death, engaged, we believe, in the commission business. His sickness was of short duration, and the disease was jaundice. He leaves a wife, and daughter fifteen years of age, in Chicago. His son is still a resident of Dakota."


This obituary follows those for his brother, Lyman Dwight Smith, posted in Amanuensis Monday - the Obituary of Lyman Dwight Smith (1807-1889) and for Lyman's wife in Amanuensis Monday - Obituary of Lydia (Griggs) Smith (1808-1889).  The obituaries provide an excellent, but short, family history, including birth dates and birth places, and a migration date to Wisconsin.  George's obituary does not provide a name for his wives and children. 

From very basic research, George and his first wife, Mary --?--, had a son D'Estaing Smith (about 1837-before 1900) who married Catherine --?-- and they had two children.  George married (2) Matilda Ann --?--, and they had a daughter Carin Smith (about 1860-????). 

Perhaps one of their descendants will see this post and learn something more about their ancestry, or have more information about the Smith brothers in Dodge County, Wisconsin.

Labels: Amanuensis Monday, My genealogy research, Newspaper/Obituary listings, Smith Family

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This post is number 5 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the 20th day of Christmas,
My neighbors gave me a treat,
they lighted up the whole darn street!

1) Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights?

When I was a kid (1950s and 60s), there were few lights outside the homes, if any, in San Diego. We had no lights outside the house, mainly because we lived on the second floor and with the lighted Christmas tree in the cubby-hole, it was visible to passers-by on the street.

Starting in about 1970 (when we married), I noticed that some neighbors would string lights around their roof eaves or on a bush or tree in the yard. We put strings of lights on our roof eaves all across the front of the house and garage and in the entry-way starting in about 1975 until about 1995. We haven't done it since, mainly due to safety reasons (I'm not confident on the roof any more!).

With our daughters away from home, we are often not home at Christmas time.

In recent years, several of our neighbors on our cul-de-sac have the mesh-lights on their eaves, and several have blow-up displays or lighted figures in their front yard.

2) Did some people really go "all out" when decorating?

Oh yes. And they still do, even more. One of the Christmas traditions for our little family in the 1975 to 1985 period was to drive around "Candy Cane Lane" and "Christmas Tree Circle" in Chula Vista to see the outdoor displays - lights, scenes, music, etc. One of our family traditions for awhile was to go to a pizza place with family friends, then drive by the lighted streets, and then have a gift exchange at our house with the friends. Unfortunately, they moved away, and we haven't done it since.

"Candy Cane Lane" is gone, but "Christmas Tree Circle" still exists in Chula Vista. There are many more of these neighborhood displays now all over the San Diego area. I saw a map in a local magazine recently of the biggest and best displays. Someone could drive around to about 20 sites using the map.
3)  Any stories involving your ancestors and decorations?

No, not that I recall.

Originally published on 4 December 2007 (edited since).

Labels: Family Stories, Holidays, Memories

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Hundreds of genealogy and family history bloggers write thousands of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interests. I appreciate each one of them and their efforts.

My criteria for "Best of ..." are pretty simple - I pick posts that advance knowledge about genealogy and family history, address current genealogy issues, provide personal family history, are funny or are poignant. I don't list posts destined for the genealogy carnivals, or other meme submissions (but I do include summaries of them), or my own posts.

Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:

*  Analysis of Evidence in the Genealogical Proof Standard, Who is this? Confirming the identity of a record’s subject, Correlating information from multiple records by Michael Hait on the Planting The Seeds blog.  Michael continues his series examining elements of the Genealogical Proof Standard.

*  Kids climb their family tree at the library by Joan Miller on the Luxegen Genealogy and Family History blog.  Joan describes this hour-long family tree project for 8 to 10 year old children.

* Taking an Active Role in Preserving Local History by Marion Woodfork Simmons on the Discovering Yesterday blog.  Marion presents a great list of activities for researchers and groups.

*  Christmas Shopping: 12 Must-Have Genealogy Toys by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.  Lynn helps out shopping-phobic genealogy spouses here.

*  Holiday Shopping: 6 Must Haves for This Genealogist by Marian Pierre-Louis on the Marian's Roots and Rambles blog.  Marian has a somewhat different list.

*  What do not-so-local genealogical societies have to offer? PLENTY! by Tami Glatz on the Relatively Curious blog.  She's right!

*  All I Want For Christmas: A Genealogist's Baker's Dozen Wish List by Lorine McGinnis Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog.  Lorine's wish list has some different items on it.

*  Family History Gifts: Something for Everyone! by Susan Farrell Bankhead on Susan's Genealogy Blog.  Susan has gift ideas for everybody.

*  My Dad's College Paper on the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts, My Dad's College Paper Part 2 by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on the Nutfield Genealogy blog.  Heather is sharing her father's college report on the Underground Railroad in Essex County, Massachusetts.  Fascinating!

*  Ooooh Look - Something Shiny by Sheri Fenley on The Educated Genealogist blog.  Sheri started out with good intentions, the n ... read it, you'll probably recognize yourself.

*  Give the Gift of Genealogy by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyAndFamilyHistory.com blog.  Here is a great list of gifts for the genealogist in your life.
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:

*  Monday Morning Mentions by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.

*  Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog.

*  Genealogy Round Up, December 1 by Megan Smolenyak on Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's Roots World blog.

*  Genealogy News Corral, Nov. 28-Dec. 2 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.

*  Follow Friday: This Week’s Favorite Finds by Jen on the Climbing My Family Tree blog.

*  Friday Finds - 12/02/11 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.

*  Follow Friday Gems - 12-02-11 by Deb Ruth on the Adventures in Genealogy blog.

*  Donna’s Picks, Link Love, and More: Advent Edition by Donna Pointkouski on the What's Past is Prologue blog. 

* Week In Review by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.

I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Google Reader, RSS feed or email if you like what you read. Please make a comment to them also - all bloggers appreciate feedback on what they write.

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 1060 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here

Labels: BestofGeneaBlogs, genealogy blogs

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This post is number 4 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the 21st day of Christmas,
my true friends sent to me
Christmas Cards from their family.

1) Did your family send them?

My parents sent Christmas cards to family and friends all of their lives. My mother made them for many years (I know I have several in my boxes of stuff...somewhere) - usually a fairly simple madonna or angel theme with a "Merry Christmas" and "from the Seaver family" or something similar. I remember a single color (red or green) stencil on card stock folded into a card, with writing on the inside.

2) Did your family display the ones they received?

In my childhood home, I don't remember having a mantle or shelf space that had displayed cards. I'm sure that my mother displayed them somewhere - perhaps on a bulletin board in the entry way. I'll have to ask my brothers. I wish I could remember more about this time of my life.

We received cards from my father's mother and siblings in New England which often had family letters in them. These were prized because this family never made long distance phone calls and rarely wrote letters, so this was our only contact each year with the family 2,500 miles away.

3) Do you still send Christmas cards?

Oh yes! That's what the post-Thanksgiving hecticity (is that a word?) is all about. "We have to get this done so we can do this and this next ..." Angel Linda is a taskmaster. This solemn process includes:

* Finding the boxes of cards bought during the year at thrift shops or 99 cent stores. Or going out and buying more. We only get angel cards, naturally.

* Randy prints off the Christmas card address list and Linda updates it. The list is then printed on peel-off labels.

* Linda affixes the labels on envelopes, puts the return address labels (hopefully, Christmas motif) on the envelopes, and puts stamps on the envelopes.

* Randy writes the two-page Christmas letter (more on this in a later post), Linda edits it, and Randy creates 120 copies of it (this takes about four days to finish).

* Linda writes messages on the cards, since Randy thinks that the Christmas letter covers everything that could be said. Linda's handwriting is much better, too! Randy and Linda stuff the letters in the envelopes and seal the envelopes.

* We typically send these out in early December - soon!

This process takes about ten days from start to finish, but it's now a tradition and we have a proven process for it. I also send the Christmas letter to email correspondents, but I don't want to post it online because it has some personal details not appropriate for the world to see. If you want one, please send me an email address (if I don't already have one - at rjseaver@cox.net).
4)  Do you have any cards from your ancestors?

I think we have a few from my grandparents, but none from earlier generations.  They would be in one of the treasure boxes buried in the genealogy cave!

Originally published on 4 December 2007 (edited since)

Labels: Family Stories, Holidays, Memories

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It's Saturday Night - take some time from the Christmas shopping frenzy - and have a little Genealogy Fun!!


Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. Here's your chance to sit on Genea-Santa's lap (virtually) and tell him your Christmas genealogy-oriented dreams:

1) Write your Genea-Santa letter. Have you been a good genealogy girl or boy? What genealogy-oriented items are on your Christmas wish list? They could be family history items, technology items, or things that you want to pursue your ancestral quest.

2) Tell us about them in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook status or Google Stream post.

Here's mine:

Dear Genea-Santa,

I tried so hard to be a good genea-boy this year. I worked hard speaking all over Southern California and teaching at OASIS and CVGS, serving my local societies, writing my society newsletter, my FGS FORUM Genealogy 2.0 columns, my Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal columns, and over 1,300 blog posts, attending two genealogy conferences, and helping several friends and colleagues with their research. In addition, I standardized all of my sources, and added more names, facts and sources to my database. 

Thank you so much for last year's gifts - I love my presentation laser pointer/slide advancer gizmo,  and my travel radio.  During the year, you also brought me the solution to my Elizabeth Dill brick wall as I asked you to do.

I  still BELIEVE!!!!! Come on, Santa, all I want for Christmas for 2011 are:

* A notebook computer that is small and light and full of genealogy capability for my speaking and research and conference adventures. 

*  A smart phone full of applications so I can visit genealogy sites wherever I am, can network and stay up to date on genealogy news and technology.  I need one for my wife too so she can play games while I play genealogy.

*  A genea-robot that can work 24 hours a day on getting my genea-piles organized - that is so boring...but a robot would not have to sleep or eat or share time with my wife.  Maybe I could even train it to write blog posts.

*  A solid lead on the ancestry of William Knapp (1775-1856), Thomas J. Newton (ca 1800-ca 1840) and Devier James Lamphear Smith (1839-1894) would be welcome too!

Thank you, Genea-Santa, for listening to my pleas. I will leave a nice personal meat-lovers pizza in the freezer for you (you can heat it in the kitchen microwave), a rosy red apple and some delicious chocolate chip cookies on the fireplace hearth, and some eggnog (in the refrigerator) for you on Christmas Eve just in case you need fortification. You can get a yummy Dove chocolate ice cream bar out of the refrigerator if you'd like. Nothing's too good for Genea-Santa - mi casa es su casa!

Picture credit:  Sheri Fenley (The Educated Genealogist)

Labels: Genealogy Fun, Holidays, SNGF

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It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 297, who is Joanna Wilson (1701-1786), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]

My ancestral line back through four generations of WILSONs is:

1. Randall J. Seaver

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)

18. Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)
19. Sophia Newton (1834-1923)

36. Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857)
37. Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)

74.  Josiah Sawtell (1768-1847)
75.  Hannah Smith (1768-1827)

148.  Ephraim Sawtell (1735-ca 1800)
149.  Abigail Stone (1736-ca 1800)

296.  Hezekiah Sawtell, born 02 March 1703 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 18 March 1779 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 592. Obadiah Sawtell and 593. Hannah Lawrence.  He married  01 August 1723 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
 297.  Joanna Wilson, born 06 January 1701 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 11 September 1786 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. 

Children of Hezekiah Sawtell and Joanna Wilson are:  Jonathan Sawtell (1724-1801); Hezekiah Sawtell (1725-????); Elnathan Sawtell (1728-1758); Hannah Sawtell (1730-1762); Obadiah Sawtell (1732-1819);  Ephraim Sawtell (1735-ca 1800); Richard Sawtell (1737-1815); Elizabeth Sawtell (1739-1804); Nathaniel Sawtell (1743-1825); Esther Sawtell (1745-????); Rebeckah Sawtell (1747-????).
594.  John Wilson, born 03 January 1673 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died after 1717 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married 27 October 1694 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
595.  Elizabeth Foster, born 07 October 1673 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; She was the daughter of 1190. Joseph Foster and 1191. Alice Gorton.

Children of John Wilson and Elizabeth Foster are:  John Wilson (1695-1764); Elizabeth Wilson (1697-????); Joseph Wilson (1699-????); Joanna Wilson (1701-1786); Alice Wilson (1703-????); Jacob Wilson (1705-????); Sarah Wilson (1706-????); Mary Wilson (1708-????); Esther Wilson (1710-1729); Dorcas Wilson (1711-????); Seth Wilson (1713-1783); Benjamin Wilson (1715-????); Rebecca Wilson (1717-1729).

 1188.  John Wilson, born about 1652 in probably England; died 01 February 1735 in Bedford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.   He married about 1672 in probably Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
 1189.  Johanna Carter, born about 1647 in probably Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States; died before 10 November 1698 in probably Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 2278. Joseph Carter and 2279. Susanna Chamberlain.

Children of John Wilson and Johanna Carter are:  John Wilson (1673-1717); Hannah Wilson (1674-1676); Hannah Wilson (1677-????); Susanna Wilson (1679-????); Dorcas Wilson (1680-1727); Elizabeth Wilson (1683-1712); Ruth Wilson (1685-1728); Sarah Wilson (1687-????); Francis Wilson (1690-1765); Ebenezer Wilson (1693-1693); Samuel Wilson (1695-1747).
 2376.  John Wilson, born about 1625 in England; died 02 July 1687 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married about 1650 in England.
 2377.  Hannah James, born 1629 in England; died after 21 June 1697 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of John Wilson and Hannah James are: John Wilson (1652-1735); Sarah Wilson (1653-1686); Dorcas Wilson (1657-1714); Samuel Wilson (1658-1729); Francis Wilson (1660-1724); James Wilson (1663-1750); Abigail Wilson (1666-1747); Elizabeth Wilson (1668-1743); Benjamin Wilson (1670-1750); Hannah Wilson (1672-1726).
Data for these families was obtained from Massachusetts town vital record books and from a Wilson surname book:

Ken Stevens, Wilsons From New England; Volume "J" - Descendants of John Wilson of Woburn, Massachusetts (Walpole, N.H.: K. Stevens, 1991).

Labels: My genealogy research, Surname Saturday

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This post is number 3 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.

On the twenty-second day of Christmas,
My super-wifey says to me
It's time to decorate the beautiful Tree!

Did your family have heirloom or cherished ornaments? Did you ever string popcorn and cranberries? Did your family or ancestors make ornaments?

I really don't remember many heirloom or cherished ornaments from my childhood. Almost all of the ornaments were small or medium sized round glass balls of varied colors. Of course, having three rambunctious boys in the house was rough on the traditional round ornaments.  We usually applied a lot of tinsel to the tree branches.

As school children, we brought home paper chains for the tree. Sometimes we had a popcorn string, but never cranberries. I don't think we made ornaments - we were boys! We did have some of Dorothy's home-made ornaments on our trees.

When we had children, my mother made Christmas ornaments for each of her grandchildren. Each was unique and incorporated angels into the design. They were kiln-fired enamels on flat copper plate. Each had the child's name and the year on it. These were given featured places on our family Christmas trees as my kids grew up. After my mother died, and as my daughters started their families, we gave them to our daughters as a Christmas gift. Each has chosen to display them year round in a case on the wall rather than put them on their Christmas trees.

Originally published on 1 December 2007 (edited since).

Labels: Family Stories, Holidays, Memories

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Here are my posts to date for the Exploring RootsMagic 5 New Features series:

*  RootsMagic 5 Released (28 November 2011)
*  Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 1: The View Screens (29 November 2011)
*  My RootsMagic 5 Problem was Solved Quickly (29 November 2011)
*  Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 2: The Research Manager (30 November 2011)
*  Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 3: The CountyCheck Feature (1 December 2011)

*  Exploring RootsMagic 5 New Features - Post 4: The CountyCheck Report (2 December 2011)

I will update this compendium periodically.

Last update:  2 December 2011

Labels: genealogy software, RootsMagic

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I've been trying to Follow-Up on Fridays to answer comments received on Genea-Musings posts and questions in email.  This post will cover issues raised concerning RootsMagic:

1)  In The Strange "Y" in a Death Description Field in a RootsMagic 4 GEDCOM File, there was a bit of discussion about the "Y."  Since I wrote the post, I have seen the "Y" in other GEDCOM files I've created, but had not noticed it before.  The comments are interesting:

*  Bruce Buzbee (creator of RootsMagic) said:

"No, this is not a flaw in RootsMagic (but apparently *is* one in FTM)."
"This is from the GEDCOM spec...

"All GEDCOM lines have either a value or a pointer unless the line contains subordinate GEDCOM lines. In other words the presence of a level number and a tag alone should not be used to assert data (i.e. 1 DEAT Y should be used to imply a death known to have happened but
date and place are unknown, not 1 DEAT )."

"So if you know there was a death but have no date or place (which you would in RootsMagic if the Living flag was unchecked but there was no death fact entered), then GEDCOM says to use:
1 DEAT Y "

*  Russ Worthington commented:

Bruce, which GEDCOM Spec is that in? Just curious. 

Randy: I just ran a Custom Report in FTM2012. What I was able to confirm is that IF there is a Birth Date and No Death Date, a "Y" will appear in the Description Field. If there is a Death Date, there will be no "Y".

There are 86 people in the file, and looking for people with a "Y", there are 49 people. When I look at the Report that Includes Death information, the is no "Y".

I think we have a better understanding of where the "Y" came from. For me, this isn't a finger pointing contest, but to understand the data.

*  Louis Kessler added:

"Russ: You'll find that in GEDCOM 5.5.1 on page 21, used as an example that all lines must have a value or a pointer (so you can't just say: 1 DEAT without the Y).

"The key thing is that the program should NOT change or set the value of DEAT for you. This should be set deliberately by the user because they know the person has died, but does not know the date or place. The program should never use any algorithm to impute it. The person must be the one to set it.

"All the program may do (not required) is to not include the 1 DEAT Y if there is any other death information entered, e.g. date or place."
and:

"... and RootsMagic does it backwards. They should not use a Living flag. They should use a Death flag.  Once a person is dead, they stay dead. That's why GEDCOM did it that way."

*  Sue Adams had interesting comments:

"This is an example of the inadequate data model GEDCOM uses. There are four different pieces of information here:
death date
death place
imputed death
living

"Each of these should be stored and handled separately, and have an associated source.

"Gedcom handles death data and place by expecting two bits of data for each DEAT tag. It does not allow separate sources for data and place, so you can't cite a grave marker for the date and a burial record for the place.

"It is sometimes useful to input whether someone is dead based on data stored in the database at a particular time (e.g. to produce a calender with birthdays and anniversaries of living people, to check data validity). However, this has problems associated with it. If a birth date is changed, the inputed death value must be updated. How this is handled depends on whether the value is stored or calculated 'on the fly'. The user should have a choice whether or not to use this flag. It should have a 'source' that tells us when it was calculated and from what data and the criteria used (e.g. born over 120 years ago).

"The living tag serves a different purpose. I suspect the RootsMagic introduced it because users wanted to be able to exclude particular people (usually living) from charts and reports intended for distribution. It is really a on/off switch for displaying data.

"So, Rootsmagic, or for that matter any other program vendor could improve their product and better serve genealogists as follows:
1. ensure that these four data items are stored separately within Rootsmagic
2. ensure that these data items are exported correctly and comply exactly with the Gedcom standard, since we do not yet have a viable alternative
3. ensure that all the functions of Rootsmagic continue to work properly
4. repeat 1-3 for each and every piece of data Rootsmagic currently stores
5. repeat 1-3 for any other data items that customers want and add functionality
6. develop a data model that works properly

"In short: Please don't feed the Gedcom zombie."

*  Bruce Buzbee responded:

"RootsMagic has a Living flag for each person that is checked by default. When the person dies the user can uncheck the box, or when the user adds a death type fact (death, burial, cremation, etc), RM will uncheck the box for them. So RM is *not* doing it backwards."

*  Sue Adams commented:



"The "Living" flag is checked by default?! That makes no sense to me as in reality the vast majority of people in genealogy databases are dead.

"Given that the "living" flag is really a means of the user choosing to whether or not to include individuals in GEDCOM files, reports, calendars or website, for privacy reasons it is mis-named. It is a different kind of information than the flag GEDCOM stores in the DEAT tag, so the two should not be confused."

And there the discussion ended.  I really appreciate the civility of the discussion and the "on point" focus of the discussion.  I learned a lot!  I hope my readers do too. 

It seems to me that the software users need to be aware of the need to check or uncheck the "Living" box (or whatever the software has) when they do not have a birth and death date (from which it might be imputed that someone was dead) and to check it when they know a person is still alive.  Russ noted that FTM 2012 also adds the "Y" for a person not known to be dead.

2)  I received an interesting email from Eddie about Place Names in RootsMagic:

"I have been using RM, 2, 3, and 4.  Getting close to a year ago I got frustrated with the ability to do research by county; so I began the process of reversing the place locations from municipality, county, state, nation to nation, state, county, municipality.  I found it very useful; the place list naturally sorted everything by county name and made county research easy.

"Now we have RM5 arrive; I immediately suspected I had a problem with my reverse order locations when I saw the "CountyCheck".  I sent an email to RM support and received a response from Renee that said, yes, the place list locations must be in order of municipality, county, state, nation for the "CountyCheck" feature to work.

"Are you aware of a program that would easily reverse my place list names?; it has been a lot of work."

My response to Eddie was:

"I have no ideas as to how you could reverse the place list order easily.  A smart programmer could do it by writing a program to read a GEDCOM file (plain text) and reverse the elements when it encountered a PLAC tag.  I used to be able to do that in FORTRAN, but now don't have the tools. 

"You might ask the question on the RootsMagic message board (http://boards.ancestry.myfamily.com/topics.software.rootsmagic/mb.ashx) or the RootsMagic Forums (http://forums.rootsmagic.com/).   Maybe someone else has your problem and has solved it, or can do the programming task.

"You could turn off the CountyCheck option in Tools > Program Options also and not be bothered by it."

That's all I have on RootsMagic.  I have some follow up to do on FTM 2012 and source citations too.  Maybe next week.

Labels: Follow Friday, genealogy software, RootsMagic

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I'm exploring the new features in RootsMagic 5, which was released on Monday. This series started with Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 1: The View Screens and Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 2: The Research Manager.  I posted Exploring RootsMagic 5 - Post 3: The CountyCheck Feature yesterday.

One of the highlights of the CountyCheck feature is:  "Report gives you a list of all events in counties which didn't exist at the time."

Let's look at this County Check report today.

From any View screen, click on the Reports menu item, and select Lists:


I double-clicked on the "CountyCheck" icon in the screen above, and was taken to the "Report Settings" screen for the CountyCheck report.  I decided to select Aaron Smith as my starting person, and select all of his ancestors and children.  On the "Report Settings" screen I selected "Select from list," and the "Select People" screen appeared.  I typed in "Smith, Aaron," selected the right one, then clicked on "Mark group" and the "Ancestors" option and finally, in the "Ancestor Options" I selected "Ancestors and children of ancestors" and "10" generations. Three of the screen windows are shown below:



Aaron Smith's entry is shown on page 75:

Some of the things I've noticed from this report include:

1)  Aaron Smith (1765-1841) resided in Walpole and Medfield, which was in Suffolk County, Massachusetts before 1793, and in Norfolk County after 1793 when Norfolk County was created.  The report notes for Aaron's birth entry for 1765 in "Walpole, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States" that Norfolk was eliminated in 1679, Massachusetts Bay wasn't created until 1629, and the United States wasn't created until 1777.  The report then makes suggestions for all of the Counties in Massachusetts Bay in British America.  The proper entry is "Walpole, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America" for this particular Fact.

2)  Rose Shepard (1549-1625) is in my database.  Her 1549 christening record is in "Redgrave, Suffolk, England" is in my database.  The Error noted is that Suffolk wasn't created until 1974 (yes, that's what it says!  Is that right?).  The suggested place name is "Redgrave, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom."

Hmm.  When was the "United Kingdom" formed?    The Wikipedia article for "History of the formation of the United Kingdom" notes that the "Kingdom of England" (which includes Suffolk existed from 927 to 1707, then the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, and then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922), then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922 on).  So the entry for the "United Kingdom" for a 1549 date is wrong, it should be the "Kingdom of England."  I just use "England!"

What about later times?  I ran a CountyCheck for an English family from South Petherton in Somerset that emigrated in the 1830s, and found:

*  A birth in Somerset in 1668 was not matched.  Does it want Somersetshire?  I can't tell easily.
*  A death in England in 1733 is suggested as "South Petherton, Somerset, England, Great Britain" so that matches the list above well.
*  A death in 1809 is suggested as "South Petherton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom" so that matches the list well.
*  A death in 1925 is suggested as "South Petherton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom." 
*  A death in 1820 or 1920 entered as "Belfast, Northern Ireland" offers no errors or suggestions, probably because Ireland (Republic and Northern) are not in the CountyCheck database.

I checked the Somerset problem. When you get the message from CountyCheck about the Fact, you can click on the county name. When I clicked on Somerset, it said that Somerset was a County from 1066 to 1974. So the error message was wrong. What happened after 1974? Was the county name changed?  I didn't check every English county to see if the RootsMagic CountyCheck system is correct.

Apparently the system does not differentiate between the different official names for Great Britain and the United Kingdom.

It said that "England" was a Kingdom from 927 to 1707, and a Country from 1707 to the present.  "Great Britain" was a Kingdom from 1707 to 1800, and a Country from 1800 to the present.

Other place names should be checked for inconsistencies between "standard" historical place names and the RootsMagic historical place names, remembering that we're discussing only the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.

In order to use this report, I will have to print it out, or save it, and use it to go into each person with a CountyCheck problem and fix the problem.  There is no link from the report to the person in question.

As I stated in Post 3, before I make any changes to my database, I need to make sure that the historical place names for the counties, states and countries are a standard used by genealogists. 

What about how other software programs?  I don't want to do this task again!   Do other programs standardize these historical place names?  If so, do they do it easier than correcting on every Fact? 

The "What's New in RootsMagic 5 Webinar" from 29 November is now available to watch, for free, at http://www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/. Bruce Buzbee goes through all of the new features in this webinar. I commend it to your viewing if you want to see how all of the new features work.

Disclosure: I have received free software and other gifts previously from RootsMagic at conferences, but I purchased RootsMagic

Labels: genealogy software, Localities, RootsMagic

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Are you in the Christmas card, family letter and gift shopping mode yet?  It's December, step away from the keyboard, put down your ahnentafel, and have a life.  That's my wife's advice, of course.  Me?  I just want to have some Genealogy Fun this weekend. I recommend:

1) Listen to the Geneabloggers Radio show tonight (Friday night, 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. MT and 6 p.m. PT) hosted by Thomas MacEntee. This week's topic is "Capturing Family Memories – All Year Round."  The special guests include:

*  Stefani Twyford, President and Founder of Legacy Multimedia in Houston, Texas who will help us understand why preserving family memories is so important and various methods you can use;
*  Jennifer Shoer of The Scrappy Genealogist blog who’ll explain some of the methods and resources she uses to capture family memories;
*  Lorel Kapke of Sort Your Story whose product can help you organize not just your genealogy data but photos, stories and more!

2) Listen to the FGS Radio - My Society show on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, 12 noon MT, 11 a.m. PT) hosted by Thomas MacEntee.   This week's topic is "Insider’s Guides to Genealogy."  The special guest is:

*  Kathryn M. Doyle, of the FGS-member society California Genealogical Society and Library in Oakland, California. Kathryn will explain how her society was able to compile and publish their Insider’s Guide to California Genealogy in an amazingly short six-week period!
*  Society Highlight:  We’ll be highlighting FGS member society, San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
3) Check out the recent FREE Webinars on:

* LegacyFamilyTree:
*** A Closer Look at Google+, by Dan Lynch (Legacy Family Tree, free until 12 December)
*** Celebrate the Holidays and Share Family History with Heritage Collector software, by Kathleen Bitter (Legacy Family Tree).
*** Creating a Shareable CD with Legacy and Passage Express software, by Jefferson Shupe (Legacy Family Tree)
*** Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, by Drusilla Pair (Legacy Family Tree, available free until 5 December)
*** Exploring FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com by their founder, Paul Allen. (Legacy Family Tree)
*** "Newspapers for Genealogists: Using GenealogyBank.com to document every day of your ancestors' lives" with Tom Kemp. (Legacy Family Tree)
*** "Organizng for Success" with Karen Clifford (Legacy Family Tree)
*** "The Power of DNA in Unlocking Family Relationships," with Ugo Perugo (Legacy Family Tree)

* RootsMagic Webinars (all free) available at http://www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/.  Recengtly added:

*** What's New in RootsMagic 5
*** Fun Family Gifts with RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas

* National Genealogical Society (NGS) Videos (some are free to view) at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/videos_online

* Thomas MacEntee's Explorinars, including:

*** Easy Website Creation (free to view).
*** Evernote - Easy Note Taking UPDATED (free to view)
*** Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups (free to view)

* Ancestry.com's YouTube Channel has 115 items on it now, including (free to view):
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: Unlock the Secrets of the 1790 - 1840 US Census Records  with Anne Mitchell*** Ancestry.com LIVE: Search with Ancestry Anne with Anne Mitchell
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: One Question with the Barefoot Genealogist with Crista Cowan
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: Lorraine's 5 Tips for Online Grave Digging with Lorraine Bourne
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: How do I use newspapers on Ancestry.com to find out more about my ancestors? with Crista Cowan
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: How Do I Find My Ancestors Before 1850? with Crista Cowan.
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: How to dress up your family tree ...for the holidays! with Anne Mitchell.
*** Ancestry.com LIVE: How to Find Your Civil War Roots on Ancestry.com with Anne Mitchell.
*** Emigration & Immigration Records Online with Crista Cowan @ Ancestry Day San Francisco
*** Find Them Fast: Secrets to Searching Ancestry.com with Laura Dansbury @ Ancestry Day San Francisco
*** Five Tips for Digging Up Answers at Ancestry.com with Jeanie Croasmun @ Ancestry Day San Francisco

4) Respond to my Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, posted on www.geneamusings.com soon after 12 noon Pacific time (that's 1900 GMT for those who understand time zones).

5) Go to a local genealogical society program. You might want to check out what's offered in your area.

6) Go to a local or close repository with genealogy and family history material. Do some research in traditional resources or order FamilySearch microfilms online with original source records.

7) Do some online research in the latest record collections at:

* FamilySearch (free, https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list),
* Ancestry ($$, http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default),
* Fold3 ($$, www.fold3.com),
* WorldVitalRecords ($$, www.WorldVitalRecords.com),
* American Ancestors ($$, www.AmericanAncestors.org),
* GenealogyBank ($$, www.GenealogyBank.com),
* Archives ($$, www.Archives.com)

8) Add content (names, dates, places, notes, images, sources, etc.) to your genealogy software program. I still have two inches of paper collected from my vacation, and more from before that, and will try to enter some of it into my database this weekend.

9) Spend time with your family doing fun things.  I'm taking my wife to Catalina for two days to celebrate her birthday this weekend..

Go to a local cemetery and clean stones, take gravestone pictures, or transcribe epitaphs for your local society, for Find-a-Grave, or a similar online service.

11) GO SHOPPING for genealogical products or services, or for technology products, for yourself, or for a gift for that special genealogy friend. Online or in a store - go for it!

Whatever you decide, please tell us about your genealogy endeavors on a social network or in a blog post. You never know when your experiences may stimulate or encourage others to do useful genealogy work.

Labels: Genealogy Fun, Radio/Podcast Shows, Webinars and Bloginars