Genea-Musings

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Ancestry Introduces Beta "Improved Website" - And A First Look

Ancestry.com has announced a significant change to their website, and especially the person profile in an Ancestry Member Tree, today.

Here is the announcement:

==================================

Over the past year, we have been conducting extensive research and testing to gather user feedback on our existing Ancestry website and to identify critical pain points.

As a result, we have been working on a groundbreaking initiative to evolve the Ancestry website to meet the needs of our users. We will introduce a new and improved Ancestry experience that makes it easier for anyone to discover and tell the rich, unique story of their family.
The improved Ancestry website includes:

A new LifeStory view to transform your ancestors’ facts and events into engaging, unique stories

A new, intuitive, modern look to streamline your work flows and make your family story the focus

Historical Insights to discover significant historical events that your ancestors may have experienced

A new Facts View to make it easier to validate facts with sources, and edit and review facts contextually

A new Media Gallery where you can consolidate all your media in one place

We will be showcasing the Ancestry beta at RootsTech, Feb. 12-14. Visitors to the Ancestry booth will be able to opt in to participate in the beta.

For those not at RootsTech who would like to be invited to the beta, visit this link to request to be on the waitlist: http://home.ancestry.com/beta We will be inviting new participants off the waitlist to join the beta over the next few months.

===========================================

Here's a quick look at the Beta site as it pertains to the Ancestry Member Tree:

When you click on the http://home.ancestry.com/beta link, you see a welcome that explains the changes to the site:

Clicking on the "Get Started" button takes you to your active Ancestry Member Tree, which has a different look from the previous web version:

If you run your mouse over one of the persons, a larger person summary appears:

Clicking on the person's name or the "Profile" button takes you to the profile. Below the person's name are four links - to "LifeStory," "Facts," "Gallery," and "Hints." In the upper right-hand corner are links to "Research" and "Edit".

On the LifeStory link:

The LifeStory starts with a summary paragraph about the person's vital dates and family members. Below that is a small relationship chart with spouse, children, and parents. Below that is a map that shows where vital record events took place.

Below the map a series of Events in the person's life, and some historical events, are listed. The date is in a purple circle on the left-hand side. There is a short paragraph describing each event, which can be edited, and the attached documents or photographs for the event are shown:

Some historical events are shown, but there are not many yet. Here is one on this profile:

The historical event story can be Reviewed or Ignored.

The LifeStory seems to concentrate on relationships to parents, spouses and children. The births of the children, the deaths of the parents or spouse, etc. are listed in chronological order.

On the "Facts" link (at the top of the page under the person's name), the Facts (date, event), Sources, and Family Relationships are in three columns. The slide below shows the Birth Fact highlighted, and it shows a link to the Source citation.

If I highlight a source citation, you can see the link to the Fact and also have an "Edit" button to edit the source citation:

The "Media" link at the top of the page shows the Media items attached to the person in the tree:

The "Hints" link shows the Unreviewed Hints for the person, but you can click on the "Show" dropdown menu to go to the Ignored or Accepted Hints also.

That's just a quick look at the Ancestry Member Tree changes. There are a number of other links and buttons to experiment with on the pages above. I can't find the Notes now.

I really like the LifeStory layout and content. I don't see a way to add another story to the Life Story page now, but I think it will be available at some point in time.

This feature essentially replaces the "Story View" that is available on the current Ancestry profile.

The new "Beta" version of Ancestry is live for me now, and I don't know the way back to the current site. I was part of a group that participated in two presentations and question/answer periods about the Beta, and was provided the opportunity to work with it during the past two weeks.

The message from Ancestry said people could volunteer to evaluate the Beta site but you'll probably be on the waitlist. They want feedback, and will be getting quite a bit of it at RootsTech 2015.

I'm sure that there will be more publicity about this over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/ancestry-introduces-beta-improved.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

I'm Ready to Explore the RootsTech 2015 Expo Hall, Are You?

At this year’s conference, the RootsTech Expo Hall will be bigger than ever before. Come visit hundreds of family history and technology exhibitors sharing the latest products, services, and hands-on experiences available. Below is a small sample of activities and booths you’ll be able to explore at the RootsTech 2015 Expo Hall.

Family Discovery Zone (Sponsored by FamilySearch)

Family Discovery Zone The family discovery zone will be a fun, engaging, and interactive experience and will feature new and exciting technologies to help you discover and connect your family and stories. Stop by and experience the fun side of family history with these activities:

Photo Scanning Area: Bring your family photos! Make digital copies for free that you can preserve, share, and even upload directly to your FamilySearch family tree.

Recording Booth: Record Your Story! Your private recording session includes 10 minutes of recording time in a sound booth and get a free copy of it on a flash drive.

Record a Call with Someone Who Inspires You: Simply call a parent, grandparent, or someone who inspires you and find out more about their life. Our app will record the conversation and give you a personal copy as well.

FamilySearch Scanning Booth: Get your family book scanned for free. We’ll make a digital copy, and you'll keep the original and a searchable PDF copy for you. You can also donate personal works, family journals, and books that are in the public domain.

Demo Theater (Sponsored by Backblaze)

Curious about the newest in family history products and services? Take a seat, and listen to demonstrations by RootsTech sponsors and exhibitors. The 15-minute demos will be scheduled daily during Expo Hall hours.

Cyber Café (Sponsored by Dell)

Refresh and recharge at the Cyber Café while at RootsTech. The café offers wireless Internet access, recharging stations for your electronic devices, and free sodas. The staff from the Family History Library will also be here to offer one-on-one help.

Media Hub

The RootsTech Media Hub is a dedicated space for our official RootsTech Ambassadors and National and Local media to meet and interview special guests, including RootsTech keynotes and industry leaders. Media credentials are required for access.

The Expo Hall is shown on the Salt Palace map here:

For a complete map of the RootsTech expo hall, expo hall hours, and list of exhibitors, visit RootsTech.org.

What am I going to do in the Expo Hall?

The short answer is: Camp Out!! I expect to spend most of my time at the FGS/RootsTech 2015 Conference in the Expo Hall, in the Media Hub which is located just past the FamilySearch exhibit inside the main doors (just across from Room 150 on the map above). I am an official RootsTech Ambassador and appreciate the honor.

I will be visiting as many exhibits as possible, talking to the exhibitors (the best times are when classes are in session), trying out their products, taking photographs, and blogging about my experiences. I look forward to renewing my acquaintances with employees of the companies large and small in attendance, and meeting new people who are trying to break into the genealogy marketplace.

We geneabloggers have a lot of fun in the Media Center, and we get to see all of the important people (genealogy rock stars) come in for video interviews in the glass cage. Some of my colleagues conduct these video interviews, but I have not done that yet, and won't this year. I also look forward to seeing DearMYRTLE and her AmbushCam around the Expo campus interviewing unsuspecting genealogists and exhibitors.

I may even attend a class or two on my list of potential classes of interest. I figure that the RootsTech streaming video will include a number of my classes of interest, and I can watch them when I return home.

It's going to be a busy week! I'm trying to get extra rest this week so I can brave the warm Expo Hall and the cold (?) Salt Lake City temperatures. Linda and I are staying at the Hilton Hotel again, and I'm hoping that we can use their wheelchair to get Linda to where we want to go. The hotel is only a half block from the main Salt Palace entrance, and from the Marriott where there is a mall. Linda has several friends that she meets, shops with, dines with, and swims with, so she is looking forward to that. On Saturday night, DearMYRTLE is hosting the Geneabloggers after party with 50 in attendance from around the world.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/im-ready-to-explore-rootstech-2015-expo.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tip: DearMYRTLE's Hangouts On Air and YouTube Channel

This week's Tuesday's Tip is: Watch DearMYRTLE's videos on Beginning Genealogy, the Genealogy and the Law, and more on YouTube.

DearMYRTLE is, of course, "your friend in genealogy," Pat Richley-Erickson. Her YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE.

During this week, and many weeks, she produces a number of videos, along with her cousin, Russ Worthington. These are done with a public Hangout On Air, a feature offered by Google+, which are then archived on YouTube (also owned by Google).

Viewers can watch the Hangout On Air live on DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Community on Google+ (invitation required - https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104382659430904043232) and can comment on the Google+ community post. Or viewers can watch it almost live (a short delay) on YouTube. The great thing about Hangouts On Air is that up to ten people can JOIN the panel and participate in the discussion.

This week, the videos include:

1) Mondays with Myrt (Mondays, 12 noon ET, 9 a.m. PT) - a weekly 90-minute romp through the genealogy news with Pat as the moderator, Russ commenting and adding community comments, and others on the panel. I try to join the panel when my schedule permits and add my perspective or expertise (?). This is open for anyone to join the panel.

Here's the 2 February 2015 Mondays With Myrt Hangout On Air:

Next week's Mondays With Myrt (9 February) will be hosted from the Family History Library in Salt Lake city and will feature guests at the library.

2) Beginning Genealogy Study Group (Wednesdays, 12 noon ET, 9 a.m. PT) - a 20 week class, each week is a 60-minute discussion about beginning genealogical research, with information about a variety of subjects. This is open for anyone to join the panel.

Last week's Beginning Genealogy Study Group video is here.

3) Wacky Wednesdays (Wednesdays, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT) - a weekly 60-minute discussion on a genealogical topic hosted by one of Pat's many distant cousins. This is open for anyone to join the panel.

Last week's Wacky Wednesday video is here - the subject was "How Old Was She?"

4) GenLaw Study Group (Fridays, 12 noon ET, 9 a.m. PT) - an 8 session class, each week is a 60-minute discussion about chapters in the book Genealogy and the Law, with fixed panelists (i.e., not open for anyone to join the panel). The panelists do their homework from the book, and discuss issues in each show.

Last week's GenLaw Study Group video is here - the subject was Chapter Two in the book.

5) Genealogy Game Night (Saturdays, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT) - a weekly 60-minute game night playing "Who's In My Line." This is open for anyone to join the panel.

Last week's Genealogy Game Night video is here.

Pat and Russ also put together videos on short subjects. You can see all of Pat's YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE/videos.

I try to watch and listen to all of these each week, often playing them in the background while I write or research. The beauty of the YouTube videos is that you can go back and replay something you are interested in, watch closely the on-screen demonstrations, etc. You can pause the video to go find or try out what was just discussed.

Google+ Hangouts On Air can be used for other purposes, including family meetings/video calls, online business or board meetings, and remote presentations by a speaker to a local genealogy society. The Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD) had DearMYRTLE make a presentation via Hangouts On Air in January.

Did I mention that all of this is FREE? Genealogy education, discussion and entertainment for free on a weekly basis.

You can see the schedule for all webinars and Hangouts On Air on the GeneaWebinars calendar at http://blog.geneawebinars.com/p/calendar.html

There are several other genealogists using the Google+ Hangout On Air platform to educate the genealogical community - I will highlight some of them in future posts.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/tuesdays-tip-dearmyrtles-hangouts-on.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Monday, February 2, 2015

MyHeritage Searches for FamilySearch Family Tree Profiles

MyHeritage announced today, in a blog post titled "MyHeritage Adds 900 Million Global Historical Records" that they have added historical person profiles from the FamilySearch Family Tree to their SuperSearch results. The blog post notes:

"The new content has been made available thanks to MyHeritage's partnership with FamilySearch and consists primarily of family tree profiles that have been submitted by more than 22 million FamilySearch users. Integration ensures that this data is refreshed on MyHeritage on a daily basis as it is updated on FamilySearch."

I wanted to see what the search results were, so I found the MyHeritage search page for the FamilySearch Family Tree (http://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-40001/familysearch-family-tree).

1) I entered my grandfather, Lyle Carringer into the search field:

2) The results of the search:

3) Here's the top of the information from the FSFT for Lyle Carringer:

The information from the Family Tree profile is presented event by event, but not in perfect chronological order (e.g., the marriage in 1918 is listed before the Residence events that start in 1900).

If I run my mouse over the little blue icon next to the place name on one of the items and the Google Map locating the place popped up:

Further down the list, after all of the Events, the relationships (parents, spouses, children, siblings) are listed:

Note that the relationships are all linked to the profiles for those persons in the FamilySearch Family Tree.

There is also a "Source" link which points to the profile for the historical person.

Below the relationships is "Additional information," which includes the "Life Sketch" (a sort of Person Note):

At the bottom of the "Life Sketch" is the link to "Save this record and extract info to a person in your family tree."

4) I clicked the green "Save" link and was provided the opportunity to attach the FamilySearch Family Tree record to the person (nd their relatives) in my MyHeritage tree.

When I "save" that information, then I can also extract Event information to the MyHeritage person. The source of the information attached will be the FamilySearch Family Tree profile.

5) At the bottom of the Event list, and before the "Life Sketch," there was a link to the FamilySearch Family Tree profile for the person. I clicked on that, and saw my grandfather's profile in the FamilySearch Family Tree:

I can edit the profile information in the FamilySearch Family Tree, and it will be refreshed in MyHeritage the next day.

Note that the user cannot see the Media (except for the primary image), Memories, Sources, Notes (other than the Life Sketch) and Discussions that are on the FamilySearch Family Tree in the MyHeritage profile. To see those items, the user needs to visit the profile on the FamilySearch Family Tree (which requires registration).

6) This is, I think, an excellent addition to MyHeritage that is a result of their collaboration with FamilySearch. A MyHeritage user with a tree can capture information about a person from the FamilySearch Family Tree.

Like all online family trees, the accuracy of the information on the FamilySearch Family Tree needs to be evaluated by the user and added to their tree person only after judging the veracity of the information.

7) With this addition to the MyHeritage website, we can see another benefit of the collaboration between FamilySearch and MyHeritage. MyHeritage gained access to many FamilySearch historical record collections, and the FamilySearch Family Tree profiles, while FamilySearch received several technological capabilities and free access to MyHeritage for LDS Church members.

8) I hope, and expect, to see the same sort of search capability of the FamilySearch Family Tree profiles on Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.com.

9) One neat thing (at least for me!) is the number of profiles on the FamilySearch Family Tree, which shows up at the top of the MyHeritage search screen for the FamilySearch Family Tree: it says 835,921,086 . It will be interesting to see how that grows over the years.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/myheritage-searches-for-familysearch.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

New or Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - January 26-February 1, 2015

I'm trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list). As of 1 February 2015, there were 1,915 record collections on FamilySearch (up 9 from last week).

The 21 recently added or updated record collections are:

* United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014; 4,291,565 indexed records with images, added or updated 31 Jan 2015
* Netherlands, Friesland Province, Church Records, 1543-1911; Browse Images only, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Netherlands, Overijssel Province, Church Records, 1542-1893; Browse Images only, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Philippines, Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1983; 11,684 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* North Dakota, Census 1925; 284,113 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015

* California, San Francisco Airplane Arrival Card Index, 1936-1949; Browse Images only, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Ohio, Crawford County Obituaries, 1860-2004; 30,008 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Indiana, Daviess County, Washington Times Herald Obituaries, 1984-2012; 32,135 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Minnesota, Clay and Steele County Obituaries, 1865-2006; 29,797 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925; 959,931 indexed records with images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015

* Delaware Church Deaths, 1750-1886; 1,848 indexed records, no images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Delaware Baptisms, 1697-1886; 6,816 indexed records, no images, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1994; Browse Images only, added or updated 30 Jan 2015
* Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008; 48,385 indexed records with images, added or updated 29 Jan 2015
* Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959; 3,287,619 indexed records with images, added or updated 29 Jan 2015

* United States, New England Passenger and Crew Lists, 1911-1954; 179,903 indexed records with images, added or updated 28 Jan 2015
* United States Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps, 1798-1937; 1,703,529 indexed records with images, added or updated 28 Jan 2015
* Maine, Crew Lists Arriving at Robbinston, 1947-1954; Browse Images only, added or updated 28 Jan 2015
* California, Immigration Registers of Japanese, Filipinos, and Hawaiians at San Francisco, 1928-1942; Browse Images only, added or updated 28 Jan 2015
* Nova Scotia Delayed Births, 1837-1904; 70,925 indexed records with images, added or updated 28 Jan 2015

* Argentina, National Census, 1895; 3,888,939 indexed records with images, added or updated 28 Jan 2015

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell which collections are brand new and which ones are updated. The asterisk they use is for "Recently added or updated." I am particularly interested in new collections, for the obvious reasons.

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

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 major updates also.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/new-or-updated-familysearch-record.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Post 254: Administratrix Account for Simon Gates (1739-1803) Estate

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday." John offers this definition for "amanuensis:"

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

The subject today is the 1804 account of the administratrix for the estate settlement of Simon Gates (1739-1803) of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts in Worcester County Probate File 23252:

The transcription of this Account is:

[page 105 of 1069]

The Account of Susanna Gates Administratrix on the

Estate of Simon Gates late of Gardner in the County of Wor-

cester Yeoman deceased intestate.

The said Accountant Charges her self with the personal Estate

of said deceased, Amounting to Eighteen hundred Seventy Six

Dollars and Seventeen Cents ….............................................................................. $ 1876=17

The Improvement of his Real Estate

Sundry Debts Received …....................................................................................... 11=08

$ 1887=25

And prays allowance of the following Charges and payments (Viz.)

Funeral Charges to Doods & Miles $15=33 Smarny Glazer $2=00 $ 17=33

To ^Doctor^ Abijah Hemenway $9=20 Israel Whiton $2 James Carter $16=37 27=57

To Stephen Miles $4=35 Stephen Hoar $17=85 Aaron Wood $11=45 and }

Matthias Mosman $15 Appraizers …......................................................... } 48=65

Taxes Joseph Edgel $9=08 Do $ 4=09 …......................................................... 13=17

Paid Sundry Debts

To Jemima Miles $44=50 Asa Miles $6=45 Wm Penniman $6=64 = 57=59

To Samuel Larned $5=80 Rhoda Hale $2 David Wyman $6=61 14=41

To David Wyman $8=88 Dodds & Miles $5=35 William Edgel $17=23 = 31=46

To Heman Ray $1=17 Sally Thursting $0=86 Merari Spaulding $0=41 = 2=44

To Simon Gates $8=00 Simon Gates $108=50 Simeon Brooks $5=43 = 121=93

To Isaac Miles $31=35 Joseph Darby $6=21 Oliver Jackson $1=14 = 33=32

To Silas Wood $0=38 John Dunn $8=21 Elisha Jackson $93=70 = 100=29

To Orang Osgood $10=20 Exra Moor $13=71 Amos Gates $0=34 = 24=25

To Ezekiel Flint $3=60 Ephraim Tobin $9=42 Wm Chappel $1=29 = 14=31

To Levi Fairbank Jr $0=10 Rhoda Tafft $3=50 Levi Fairbanks $2=50 8=10

Delivered up to Nathan Gates Son of said Simon Gates Deceased }

by the Consent of all parties Concerned in and to said Estate } 767=05-6

Notes of hand to the Amount of ….................................................. }

To framing this Account &c (Mark) pd Matthias Mosman for his assistance 2=00

1281=87-6

Gardner May 17 1804 Office fees for selling real estate 5=75

Signed Susanna x Gates

1287=62

$ 599=63

We the Subscriber whose Names are hereunto

Subscribed have Examined the Above Account

are Satisfied with Said Account in all it

parts Dated as above

Daniel Gates

Elizabeth Gates

no charge for administering is made, the heirs

agreeing that the Widow shall not be charged on the

improvements of the real Estate

Sworn to Widows 199_88

one share 79_95

5 shares 399_75

599.63

[image 106 of 1069]

Worcester Ss Probate Court at Templeton May 17, 1804

Personally appeared Mrs Susanna Gates and made

Oath to the truth of the within account and produced

Vouchers for the payments therein contained I allow thereof

hereby it appears she hath a balance in her hands

the sum of $599.63 one third part of which I order

that she retain in her own hands ^being^ the sum

of $199.58 cents and the remainder of said

Balance I order her to pay to the five children

of said Deceased or their legal representatives on

demand with Interest ^annually^ till paid being $79.95 Cents

to each.

Nath^l Paine JProb.

The source citation for this record is:

Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925, Case 23252, Simon Gates Estate, 1803, Administratorix Account; digital images, FamilySearch.org,(https://familysearch.org: accessed 12 August 2014); in "Case no 23243-23330, Gates, Sarah-Gay, William, 1731-1881" (images 105-106 of 1069); original records in Worcester County, Mass. Courthouse.

This is the eighth transcription from the Estate packet for Simon Gates (1739-1803), my 5th great-grandfather. He died 11 March 1803 in Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

In this part of the estate file, Susanna Gates, the administratrix of the estate, itemizes the payments made to the creditors of the estate. The shares of the heirs (one third to the widow, and the balance to the five children) are calculated, and the Judge of the Probate Court decrees that what was done was proper and he approved of the results.

Of particular interest to me is that $767.05 from the estate was allowed to son Nathan Gates, who did not share otherwise in the distribution of the estate.

I believe that most of the debts owed to the creditors were either personal loans to Simon Gates or were accounts of Simon Gates owed to the persons for goods or services rendered and unpaid at his death.

On thing I didn't transcribe was the arithmetic done in the lower right-hand corner of image 105 to determine the shares for each heir. I also used the punctuation I saw for the money, usually + for the divider between dollars and cents.

This completes the transcription of the papers of interest in the estate file for Simon Gates (1739-1803) of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/amanuensis-monday-post-254.html

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 25 to 31 January 2015

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 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:

* Setting Genealogy Goals With Blogging Buddy Amy Coffin by Denise Levenick on The Family Curator blog. Denise and Amy carry on their tradition of setting reasonable goals for the next year.

* SLIG 2015 - Part I by Susan Olsen LeBlanc on the Gopher Genealogy blog. Susan describes her SLIG 2015 experiences.

* All Packed for the Combined FGS and RootsTech Conferences? by Paula Stuart-Warren on the Genealogy by Paula blog. Um, not yet, still two weeks to go. Thanks for asking, though! Paula has excellent tips for this.

* FamilySearch Releases 570 Million New Hints Between Family Tree and Records by Robert Kehrer on the FamilySearch Blog. Excellent news, I wodner if they found anything on thomas Newton?

* Following a Shiny Star Into a Genealogy Black Hole by Sierra Pope on the Up In the Tree blog. I do this all the time but don't have this much success! Great find, Sierra!

* Census Assumptions: A Tale of a Genealogy Near-Mistake by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog. Diane recovered nicely.

* Smash and Grab Genealogy, or Deciding Whether to Post an Online Tree by Debbie Mieszala on The Advancing Genealogist blog. Debbie ponders why se should (or not) post an online tree, at least for DNA matches.

* Learning About Genetic Genealogy, Part 1 by Shelley Bishop on the A Sense of Family blog. Shelley shares her experiences at SLIG in the "Getting Started in Genetic Genealogy" class.

* Read How a Family History Fib Spread in 1889, and is Still Spreading Today by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on the Nutfield Genealogy blog. This happened before the Internet...

* A Supreme Irony by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog. Judy demonstrates how even Supreme Court cases can have a genealogical interest.

* Case Study - the Origins of Jan Dirkse van Eps by Yvette Hoitink on the Dutch Genealogy blog. Yvette studies my ancestor (but I wasn't the client). Excellent work!

* The 4 Family Stories You Must Save For Your Children by Karen Hanna on the FamilySearch Blog. I wish I had a better answer for these four topics.

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

* GAGs - GeniAus Gems - 30 January 2015 by Jill Ball on the GeniAus blog.

* Recommended Reads by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

* Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for January 30, 2015 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog.

* Friday's Finds -- 01/30/15 by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Hub.

* Friday Finds and Follows: 30 January 2015 by Miriam J. Robbins on the Ancestories: The Stories of My Ancestors blog.

* Blog Posts and News Stories for Genealogists, January 30, 2015 by Michael J. Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.

* This Week's Creme de la Creme - January 31, 2015 by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

* Saturday Serendipity (January 31, 2015) 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 1550 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/02/best-of-genea-blogs-25-to-31-january.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver