Sunday, December 31, 2017

Added or Updated Record Collections at FamilySearch.org - Week of 24 to 30 December 2017

I am trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list) every week.

As of 30 December 2017, there were 2,279 record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 0 from last week):

The added or updated collections are (as Marshall provided them):

--- Collections Updated ---


*  United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2333694); 34,168,493 indexed records with 46,885,712 record images (was 34,168,493 records with 45,512,634 images), Updated 27 Dec 2017

*  France, Protestant church records, 1536-1897    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1582585); 149,574 indexed records with 39,994 record images (was 146,138 records with 39,994 images), Updated 27 Dec 2017

*  Ghana Census, 1984      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1615258); 1,438,969 indexed records with 904,488 record images (was 1,432,819 records with 904,488 images), Updated 28 Dec 2017

--- Collections with images removed ---

*  Denmark Census, 1911    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2691890); 2,792,790 indexed records with 251,481 record images (was 2,792,790 records with 263,382 images),  7 Dec 2017


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The over 31 million indexed 1930 U.S. Census entries that disappeared 11 weeks ago are still not in the collection.  

In order to select a specific record collection on FamilySearch, go to  https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner.

My friend, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED.  Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link).  It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the dates for major updates also.


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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 24 to 30 December 2017

Dozens 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 daily blog prompts or 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:


Attitudes and Deficits by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog.

*  Themes from 2017’s How They Do It series by Janine Adams on the Organize Your Family History   blog.

Ordering Records from the General Register Office of England and Wales by Camille on the Legacy Tree Genealogists blog.

*  10 Top Genealogy Tips: A Year in Review by Amy Johnson Crow on the Amy Johnson Crow blog.

*  Tips to Write an Excellent Genealogy Blog by Will Moneymaker on the AncestralFindings.com blog.

Best Genealogical Finds of 2017 by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

2017 Year in Review by Jess on the MyHeritage Blog.

*  Learning to Research Like a Pro by Diana Elder on the Family Locket blog.

*  The Archive Lady: Preserving the Old Family Trunk by Melissa Barker on the Abundant Genealogy blog.

Genealogy Resolutions:  What Will You Do in 2018? by Gena Philibert-Ortega on the GenealogyBank Blog.

A Small Segment Round-Up by Blaine Bettinger on The Genetic Genealogist blog.

2017: The Year in Review by Scott C. Steward on the Vita Brevis blog.

More Family History Fun by David Taylor on The Family Nexus blog.

2017 Year in Review: Legacy and MyHeritage by Geoff Rasmussen on the Legacy News blog.

The Official TLG 2017 Thank You List by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog.

Here are pick posts by other geneabloggers this week:

 Friday's Family History Finds by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

*  Friday Finds, 29 Dec 2017 by Lois Willis on the Lois Willis - Genealogy and Family History blog.

*  High Fives  - December 29, 2017 by Dianne Nolin on the Genealogy: Beyond the BMD blog.]

 Friday Finds 29 Dec 2017 by Nichelle Barra on the Copper Leaf Genealogy blog.

*  
This Week's Creme de la Creme -- December 30, 2017 by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

*  Saturday Serendipity (December 23, 2017) by John D. Tew on the Filiopietism Prism blog.

Readers are encouraged to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Feedly, another 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 900 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.


Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.



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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/12/best-of-genea-blogs-24-to-30-december.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


Randy's Best Genea-Musings Posts for 2017

I guess it's OK to write this post now - I wrote over 1030 blog posts in 2017, including some pretty good ones, IMHO.  I want to list the "best ones" - according to me!  They are the ones I want to be able to easily find later, or ones that might help another researcher.  I'll list them in chronological order:
































* Baiting the Genealogy Hook (23 August 2017)



















42 of them ... and I could have added more. It is heavy with Dear Randy, RootsMagic, Ancestry and personal research posts, but those are the ones that might help another researcher. 

 I hope you enjoy clicking through some of these over the New Year's holiday.  I did!  It's funny (haha, not strange) that I don't recall writing some of them.  Geneamnesia?  

 In addition, I transcribed and sourced many of the records and documents on hand in my weekly Amanuensis Monday and Treasure Chest Thursday posts.  

With this list, I should be able to remember some of what I did wrote in 2017!


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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/12/randys-best-genea-musings-posts-for-2017.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


Saturday, December 30, 2017

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Make ONE Resolution/Goal for 2018

It's Saturday Night - 
time for more Genealogy Fun! 


Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1)  Did you make any New Years Resolutions, or state Goals and Objectives, for genealogy research in 2018?  If so, tell us about them.


2)  If not, then make ONE resolution, or state one goal, for your genealogy research that you are determined to keep during 2018.  We'll check on progress toward that resolution/goal during the year in SNGF (if I remember!).

3)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook status post or Google+ Stream post.

Here's mine:

I have NOT made resolutions or stated goals for 2018, based on my seemingly poor performance in recent years.

The ONE, most important, genealogy Goal that I have for 2018 is to:  


Make a spreadsheet for my autosomal DNA Matches from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritageDNA and GEDMatch.  The spreadsheet will include the name of the tester, the test service, the amount that matches in cMs and percentage, the number of matching segments, the known or approximate relationship, the known common ancestors, and more.

I haven't even started in on looking at specific chromosomes and segments with my matches on FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe and GEDMatch.  I will try to get that started also.  

My problem is time.  I spend a lot of time reading blogs, watching webinars and videos, writing blog posts and the supporting research, and adding Ancestry Hints to my RootsMagic family tree database.  I need to carve out time to do this DNA task on a regular basis - say 10 matches a day until it's completed, and then a weekly update.


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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Top 40 Most Viewed Posts in 2017 on Genea-Musings

Like many other genea-bloggers, I'm curious about which posts on Genea-Musings are "popular" - and why they might be.

1)  Here are the Top 40 viewed Genea-Musings blog posts from 2017 that had the most page views in 2017 (from View Count statistics on the Google Blogger Posts page as of 28 December 2017). 



No.
Post Title
Date
Views
1
RootsTech 2017 Blog Compendium – UPDATED
3/1/17
9758
2
Family Tree Maker 2017 Software Announced at #RootsTech
2/9/17
6785
3
Surname Saturday -- WORCESTER (England to colonial New England)
3/18/17
3789
4
Checking Out FamilySearch Web Search Feature on Family Tree Maker 2017
7/19/17
3362
5
All Census Records at MyHeritage Are FREE August 14-20
8/13/17
3296
6
Family Tree Maker 2017 Update News
4/10/17
2981
7
Latest Update from Family Tree Maker About FTM 2017
4/4/17
2883
8
Why Does the Ancestry API For Web Hints Add Bogus Facts?
8/28/17
2528
9
Amanuensis Monday -- Probate Records of Thomas Dill (1708-1761) Estate in Barnstable County, Massachusetts - Part 3
3/13/17
2328
10
A Wonderful Autosomal DNA Relationship Chart From DNA Detectives
11/27/17
2166
11
Good News for Suffolk County, Massachusetts Researchers
11/20/17
2163
12
Updated Find A Grave Website Adds Decent Source Citations
11/9/17
2082
13
Find A Grave Website Updating on 1 November
10/25/17
2045
14
Comparing My Living DNA Results With Other Autosomal DNA Tests
1/12/17
2018
15
Received my LivingDNA Autosomal Test Results - Post 1
1/10/17
1822
16
Family Tree Maker 2017 News - March 2017
3/27/17
1773
17
It's Easier to Download #RootsTech 2017 Syllabus Articles Using the App Website
1/23/17
1756
18
Amanuensis Monday -- Probate Records of Thomas Dill (1708-1761) Estate in Barnstable County, Massachusetts - Part 2
3/6/17
1642
19
Genealogy Industry Benchmark Numbers for 1 January 2017
1/1/17
1568
20
Is There Really an Ancestry.com "Big Tree?"
3/04/17
1398
21
Well, Good. Ancestry Explains the Lack of Changes to Number of Collections
11/29/17
1348
22
Using RootsMagic TreeShare - Adding Facts, Media and Sources to My RootsMagic Tree
6/29/17
1311
23
Latest Family Tree Maker 2017 Update and FamilySync News
5/1/17
1287
24
Latest News on Family Tree Maker 2017 Release
4/14/17
1230
25
Finding Syllabus Material on the RootsTech 2017 Mobile App
1/16/17
1223
26
Exploring the New FamilySearch Collection "Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950"
1/25/17
1215
27
Get Free Advice About and Access to Probate Records on NEHGS on 18-25 April 2017
4/7/17
1214
28
52 Ancestors - Week 161: #226 Matthias Trimmer (1722-1793) of New Jersey
1/27/17
1191
29
Ancestry.com Quirk: The Vanishing Search Result
7/26/17
1156
30
Which Record Provider Provides the Most Record Hints?
4/5/17
1135
31
Added or Updated Databases at Ancestry.com - Week of 23 to 29 April 2017
4/30/17
1126
32
Latest Update From Family Tree Maker 2017
4/20/17
1098
33
FamilySearch Digital Microfilm Update
8/16/17
1096
34
Spring 2017 NEHG Register is Available
5/19/17
1077
35
Have You Tried One Page Genealogy?
3/15/17
1075
36
6 Things to Look for in FamilySearch in 2017
1/9/17
1031
37
CVGS General Meeting on 25 January Features Randy Seaver on FamilySearch Digital Microfilm
1/21/17
1027
38
Ancestry Member Trees, Indexing Rules, Cousin Bait, Source Citations and Me
12/18/17
1011
39
Twile is now completely free for everybody
2/5/17
1006
40
52 Ancestors - Week 189: #268 Jeremiah Knowlton (1713-1752) of Ipswich and Concord, Massachusetts
8/25/17
968

2)  The ten most popular Genea-Musings posts since 2007 are:

1)  Microfilm Scanning at the FHL and FHC (posted 22 July 2009) - 76,910 views.

2)  1940 Census Enumeration District Maps Online at NARA Website (posted 18 July 2011) - 63,116 views.

3)  Genealogy Presentations on Slideshare.net (posted 28 January 2010) - 25,937 views.

4)  Merry Christmas to All! (posted 25 December 2011) - 14,852 views.

5)  World records for number of children (posted 21 July 2006) - 11,536 views.


6)  Randy's NGS 2010 Photos - Post 1 (posted 4 May 2010) - 9,700 views

7)  Book Review: "The Spyglass File," by Nathan Dylan Goodwin (posted  29 September 2016 -- 6,960 views

8)  Family Tree Maker 2014 Software Announced - 30% Discount (or more) (posted 26 August 2013) -- 5,007 views.

9)  Creating Source Citations in RootsMagic 7 - Post 1: New Master Source (posted 12 January 2016) -- 4,786 views.

10)  Surname Saturday - LNU (? Dolbear ?) (England to colonial New England) (posted 28 September 2013) -- 4,407 views



NOTE:  Google's "all-Time" page views seems to be broken - those posts and numbers are what they were a year ago.  The two 2017 posts with over 5,000 page views are not included.  

3)  Of course, all of my blog posts are viewed by many more readers than those that go to the web page for the post - those who read them on the Genea-Musings home page, those that read them in an RSS reader, or on a mobile device, and those that receive them via email.

Another measure of popularity or readership might be in the number of comments generated by each post.  I don't think that is a reliable measure of popularity because of the proliferation of RSS reader usage, email usage, and mobile device usage, each of which require one or more click throughs to get to the comment box.

It certainly seems like readers search for Ancestry.com, source citations, and genealogy software topics, and find my blog posts.

Previous "most popular" posts on Genea-Musings are:


I wondered what the least popular Genea-Musings post was in 2017.  I know that Surname Saturday, Treasure Chest Thursday, Wordless Wednesday, and Amanuensis Monday posts are not that popular.  Best of the Genea-Blogs and Saturday Night Genealogy Fun are usually popular, often with the highest number of views each week.  I found that 52 Ancestors - Week 206: #285 Hannah (Atwood) Horton (1686-1771) of Eastham, Massachusetts  (posted 22 December 2017) had only 73 views to date.  

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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.