Friday, October 18, 2013

Follow-Up Friday - Helpful and Interesting Reader Comments This Past Week

Here are helpful and interesting comments from Genea-Musings readers this past week, plus my own response when appropriate:

1)  On Happy to Have More AncestryDNA Hints (posted 15 October 2013):

a)  Anonymous commented:  "When is Ancestry going to roll out the Real DNA results for the rest of us peons and not you 'celebrities'?"

My response:  They did it yesterday, 17 October 2013.  Did you see it?  Ask and ye shall receive...

2)  On AncestryDNA Updated Ethnicity Estimates Available for Everyone (posted 17 October 2013):

a)  Anonymous said:  "Just a question. If I have 3% Neanderthal, is there a site where Neanderthals upload their GEDCOMs? Or, mayabe FamilySearch.Neanderthal.org:-?"

My response:  Not yet, but surely someone with too much time on their hands is thinking about it.  That said, I note that AncestryDNA does not tell us our Neanderthal percentage like 23andMe does.

b) Cormac noted:  "It seems everyone is a comedian tonight.

"Thanks for letting us know that the update finally made it to everyone. I remember when you got the sneak peek. If I stopped by tonight, it would have been a while before I found out!"


3)  On Gleaning Information From a Record or Article (posted 14 October 2013):

a)  Geolover added:  "Randy, your notes regarding caution/suspicion of these accounts are spot-on. A factor in addition to the usual wishes for happy tales, in this case, is that the main subject was a politician, and maybe only some of his offices were listed. Persons don't get appointed and reappointed Postmaster for 'many years' without some fairly hefty connections. Such sketches and obituaries tend not to mention such items as might have been newsworthy, and the upshots of personal temptations might only be buried in court records. And even then such court items might have been sealed."

My response:  I think that you're saying "Go find more, less self-serving records for this person and family - such as newspaper records, land records, probate records, court records, government records, and the like."  Great advice - articles like this are stepping stones for finding further records that may shed more light on a person's life and times.

b)  Lisa Gorrell noted:  "Since I learned to make assertions in the program Evidentia, I have been listing assertions from sources when I record them in RootsMagic. 

"Here is an example of what I'm working on now: an obituary of Harry R. Gorrell.  

'What is learned from the obit:
--Harry was 64 when he died, making him born about 1880
--Harry was born in Jamestown, Ohio
--He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan university in 1903
--He taught school for 3 years in Bloomington, Illinois'

I then use these assertions to find additional sources."


My response:  Evidentia has taught some of us how to be more analytical and critical.  

c)  bgwiehle said:  "You didn't explain what you do with the text of the article.

"In my database, I put a copy of the full text in the primary person's Notes, and include specific excerpts with the source citation for each event. I put name and relationship information with the name citation and I add events to document people referenced in the article that I can't definitely identify yet or won't be researching extensively. As I enter the new citations, I review existing citations for conflicts and questions and may add or revise comments and explain deductions. As the various facts are documented, new research approaches or gaps are noted in the appropriate location."


My response:  If the text is not under copyright protection (and this particular text was not), I will copy and paste it into the Notes for the person, attributing the information, and adding a source citation for the Events/Facts gleaned from the text.  I add persons referenced in the article into my database, and events/facts/sources for them also.  I summarize the information in my Research Log for the persons involved, and add items to my To-Do list to research further.  I may even write a blog post about the item.


a)  Geolover opined:  "Randy, you say you think this is win-win for both outfits.  That may be true, but this statement in the FAQ is laughable: 

"'FamilySearch will share with MyHeritage a massive number of international records and family tree profiles which are key to researching family history.'

'The Family Tree should have been omitted from the sentence. Maybe in about 10 years, ~if~ very large numbers of excellent researchers consider it worth the time and effort to make major repairs, the FamilySearch Family Tree could be around 30%-50% accurate.

"Every tree-hosting operation has its own reasons for promoting these trees as major tools for research."


My response:  I agree with you in principle.  However, there are many families included in the FamilySearch Family Tree system that  are not found in any other family tree system because of the LDS orientation of FSFT.  It also has the potential, as you described, to be the most accurate universal (connected) family tree, if sources are attached and collaboration is performed.  Or not.  We'll see.  

b)  Any Hatchett groaned:  "...AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!

"Family Tree Profiles have never been, are not presently, and hopefully never will be, 'key' to researching family history!"


My comment:  To be fair, the press release sentence included "...a massive number of international records..."  I think that MyHeritage users will benefit more from the international records to be available to them through FamilySearch than from the Family Tree profiles.  

c)  JUDYRUM210 said:  "So Ancestry is buying up all the other genealogy sites, I have already noticed that you can not get into images on most of Family Search records already from Ancestry buying them, even though the site remains free, while we input information free to Ancestry."

My response:  Um, no, not really.  Ancestry does not own FamilySearch, MyHeritage or DC Thomson (FindMyPast), and probably never will.  Ancestry.com has acquired a number of other content providers over the years (Genealogy.com, Fold3, Find A Grave, etc.), just as MyHeritage has (Geni, WorldvitalRecords, etc.).  

There have always been some record collections on FamilySearch that have only indexes and links to images on Ancestry.com (an example are the 1880, 1910 to 1930 US census records).  To my knowledge, FamilySearch has not removed images from their site to please Ancestry, If you know of some, please tell me what they are.

 Some of the indexed information on FamilySearch may be used on Ancestry.com to find records for their subscribers, but it is still free for everybody to find and access on FamilySearch.  Nothing has been taken off FamilySearch, except for record collections at the request of the original content provider (FamilySearch has to abide by its agreements with content providers).  


a)  Geolover commented:  "One great element of Luke Bigelow's narrative is description of how the deed was made: the granting parties went to the local storekeeper to have him write the instrument, then the storekeeper and the parties went to the nearest Justice of the Peace to have him authenticate the document as their respective acts and deeds. This is a gem in the rather small inventory of such back-stories."

My response:  I also found that interesting.  Those who suffer from "presentism" think that our ancestors could read and write well.  Most 19th century (and before) men did not, and had to find those who could read and write and do simple arithmetic to help them with tasks such as writing an agreement or notes that they could take to a Justice of the Peace or a judge to create and enter it into a legal record.  A store keeper had to keep accounts for all of his suppliers and customers, and was an excellent candidate to help them write agreements and notes.  The social network was very active as a result - he knew everyone in his area, and they knew and trusted him.  

b)  familyfolklore challenged:  "There is a great deal more information is this record than just the 'facts' you have extracted about your Seaver ancestors. Land records are fabulous for their richness, but as you said, not entirely straight forward.

"I am working through an English example at http://familyfolklore.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/claverley-property-document-analysis-part-1-transcript/, and will extract all the information in my next post. Can I challenge you to do the same for this document?"


My response:  I didn't really extract the Facts one at a time - I tried to group them in a chronology so as to provide background and summarize the record contents, based on information in the record and in other records.  

You can challenge me...I'm assuming that you mean to itemize facts and analyze my Amanuensis Monday document.  I will try to do it in a future Genea-Musings post.  

I like your transcription methods and look forward to your data extraction and analysis of your Claverly documents.

6)  On Legacy Family Tree 2013 Cruise - Post 1: Highlights (posted 8 October 2013):

a)  Julie said:  "Wow Randy sounds like you had a wonderful time! You made me tired just reading all the wonderful side trips you took!

"Glad you got to meet a lot of good folk! Any cousins?  Good to see you back!"


My response:  Thanks!  The only "for sure" cousin" I found was Geoff Rasmussen, who mentioned Stephen Hopkins from the Mayflower, noted that he was his ancestor, so I shouted out "Cousin."

b)  CARDENAS NAIDA offered:  "My name is Mr Cardenas, my wife was having affair with a senior secretary in her office. I love this woman so much that i would not want to share her with any body. i told her to retire from the job and i would take care of all her needs but she would take it because she is been embraced by everybody in her office, this normally leads to quarrel every-time. i tried all i can to please her and she will promise to be good, some days later she will turn back to her normal way.

"i was nearly loosing out, i could not focus in my job, my whole life was full of sorrow and i was thinking i should kill the other man my self and put an end to all this until i saw a testimony from a blog on how DR EDIONWE could cast a love spell to bring lovers back no matter what is behind the disappointment. so i decided to write him via email edionwesolutiontemple@yahoo.com and now all my wishes are exactly as i wanted. She told me everything that has happened secretly in the past and i forgave her as DR EDIONWE instructed me to and she loves me and care for me as i ever wanted. i know there are many spells that do not work but i want to assure all you out there no matter what you have been trough to have faith and believe that this is the final solution to your problem.

"Even if my job is taking most of my time, the little free time i have, i will share the good news to everyone in the world because i know that with love brings happiness and hope for a long life."

My response:  Yes, now the genealogy world knows all about your wife's affair and your forgiveness...were you on this same cruise?  Was Dr. Edionwe on the cruise?  Or is he a genealogist?

I'm not sure why you wrote this on my blog post, and I don't think that I have any problem that Dr. Edionwe can help me with, other than who Jane (Haslam) Morley's lover was in 1821 that produced Rachel Morley.

7)  Thank you to all of my brilliant readers and commenters for their wise thoughts and analysis, and their compliments too.  I appreciate all comments, and congratulate the commenters for defeating the Captcha trap.


Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver


9 comments:

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Anonymous said...


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Anonymous said...

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kimbey steve said...

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Hanna Rosin said...

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Hanna Rosin said...

I had struggle relationship with my husband in the past which led to divorce with my first husband. After i and my ex husband got divorced, i had another chance to re-marry again and just 5 years of my second marriage there was another divorce which almost killed me emotionally. I stayed for another two years been unmarried and a single mother. Honestly I wasn't really happy it because every woman need a man in her life, there was a time i saw my first husbands photo and i realized how much i loved him and have missed him. I tried to get to him but i was told that he moved on with his life and we may never been together again. I wept bitterly that night thinking i have lost the man that i have had so much love for. I asked for advise on what to do and a friend of mine gave me a contact of Osasu Solution Temple, i consulted him and to his very best with his powerful spells he helped me with a Reunion Marriage Love Spell to returned my ex husband back to me, in just 9 days i had enchanter with a spiritual reunion prayers with priest Osasu everything turn around for good in my life, I am now happily living with my first husband again and sort out the divorce issues. with the help of Osasu temple, his a man of wisdom and care. Thanks and i appreciate all the help you have rendered to get my ex husband back into my life again. I testify here today that Osasu temple is powerful it can resolve all problem in a broken relationship with love once. contact him for solutions to any kind of relationship problem. Email....(drosasu25@gmail.com) You can also call him or add him on WhatsApp +2347064365391

Elena Antonio said...

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susan smith said...



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