Whether you are just starting out in genealogy research, or have been building family trees for years, these seven keys are crucial to your success
Google is an integral part of modem genealogical research, from Search to Keep to PhotoScan. But there's one research tool, Explore, that gets missed all too often because it is hidden inside of Google's well-known word processing tool.
Ancestry.com is famous for its hints - those little green leaves in your family tree. But they're not the only site that offers them.
It has been a while since I wrote about the "top ten" of anything. When I was a lot younger and listened to the radio (the radio? what is that?) many of the stations used to feature countdowns of the most popular songs of the times. The most interesting part of the this countdown, of course, was when the DJ got to the last ten, the Top Ten, hits of the day. I must say that my tastes in music at the time were quite a bit different than what was popular in many cases and I was not always in agreement. It might also be important to repeat, as I have written before, that I spent my summers on the Colorado Plateau and I could only hear a very few radio stations, mostly KOMA in Oklahoma City. Genealogists are just as partisan about the programs they use as some people are about sports teams and political parties and so, as they say, your results may differ. In the course of one day's use of my electronic devices, that include my iMac, my two iPads and my iPhone, I can easily use forty or fifty different programs. Any list I would compile would include the programs I use the most. I debated whether to list separately purchased programs along with subscription programs or "free" online programs, but I thought for this go-around I would simply list my impression of the programs I use the most. Since what I write about and work on all day involves genealogy, I will confine this list to those programs that relate more directly to what I am doing in genealogy. For this reason, I will include and exclude some really valuable programs that I use that might seem a bit strange to those not working on genealogy day in and day out. I am also going to lump some closely related programs together into one category so there really are quite a few more individual programs than just ten. OK, so here is the list. Unlike the radio stations, I am not going to put the list in reverse order. 1. Google and all its apps I use Google for email, word processing, blog writing, searching the Internet and maps. I have been decisively moving to online programs or apps as opposed to downloadable programs for the past two years. The reasons for this are complex but mainly as based on the proliferation of online subscription services and the atrophy of the stand-alone programs in general. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Keep, Google Translate and Google Maps more than any of the other Google programs or apps. 2. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Of course, most of my readers understand the importance of illustrations and images, especially photographs, and since I am a professional photographer, I use these two programs constantly every day. 3. FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com and Findmypast.com These four programs form the basis for most of what I do each day with my own genealogy and that of those people I am helping. I am always amazed that people who consider themselves to be genealogists and/or family historians are not completely familiar with all four of these programs. 4. WorldCat.org Along with a Google search, no genealogical investigation is complete without involving WorldCat.org. Books are an important part of any genealogical search and WorldCat.org is where you go to find the books. 5. Apple's Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint Since I am presently doing a number of webinars each month, I use these two programs constantly. I also use them to teach my classes and presentations. I use Keynote and then convert the presentations to PowerPoint, mainly because I like Apple programs more than others. 6. Dropbox.com Genealogy is heavy into sharing files and I could not do as much with moving files around as I can with Dropbox. There are some other options, but Dropbox is still the easiest and most convenient to use. 7. Zotero.org I do a lot of source citations and Zotero.org is my favorite for doing citations and adding sources. I should probably do a webinar on adding source citations using some of the online tools such as Zotero.org. 8. FindARecord.com Right now, I am spending a lot of time cleaning up entries in the FamilySearch.org Family Tree and this utility is very helpful in pointing out all the problems that exist. 9. Scanning and Adobe Acrobat Pro I use the scanning software that comes with my scanner of the moment, in this case, the Epson Scan program. I also use Adobe Acrobat constantly for PDF files. 10. RootsMagic I have to admit that I do use Rootsmagic very frequently. I have been focusing on moving all of my data into FamilySearch.org for some time now for reasons I have explained in other posts, but I still use RootsMagic for helping others. Now, just because I did not list a program you like or use does not mean that I do not use that same program occasionally. I use fifty or more a day so I use a lot of programs but this is list of those that come up the most frequently. If I were going to tell you to use certain programs as a beginner, my list would be vastly different than if you were a professional genealogist.
Make Instant Discoveries About Your Ancestors Here Well, rules might be a bit strict, but we do have some pretty tight guidelines that we like to follow when we’re doing genealogy research. We promise we use them most of the time. You likely have your own set of rules and we’d love to hear them. What would you add … Do You Follow These “Rules” of Genealogy Research? Read More »
Make Instant Discoveries About Your Ancestors Here By Jodi Bash Small piles of photos, letters, and other yellowed documents lined the living room walls. As I walked further into the house, I saw they also lined all available space in the kitchen and bedroom. “I want to throw it all away!” My client was overwhelmed … Sort, Scan, Share: How to NOT Drown in Family Memorabilia Read More »
Making the most of your autosomal DNA ancestry test requires understanding some simple odds and finding a good way of visualizing how genetic match connections work. The trick is to build a picture that fits in your brain and doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed by a morass of potentially connecting pathways. I've got one and I'll share it with you below in the hopes that it works for you too. The most basic, probably universal, chart for "family" looks something like this: When visualizing "ancestry", a common approach builds on the standard family chart by adding to it vertically. This is the vertical pedigree chart, which looks something like this: You may recognize that as the structure used by Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA and others for tree display. The tendency for genealogy and genetic testing companies to use the vertical pedigree visualization is a damn shame. I think it is the major limit on efficiently identifying the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) between genetic matches. You'll see why in a moment. The alternative ancestry charting method is the horizontal pedigree chart: Notice how: this is a much more space-efficient chart that is easy to display on a computer screen, (it's basically a table) and each column is a nice, easy to read list of all the ancestors belonging to each ancestry level in your tree. GEDMATCH, to its credit, uses a horizontal pedigree chart, although it's not space efficient (it does not list many generations). Why am I going on about space efficiency and the benefits of listing names per generation? Odds, that's why. When you receive your autosomal test results, you typically get a list of 700-1000 other testers who share at least one DNA segment with you. Looking at your list of matches and the estimated relationships between you two (provided by the testing company), you'll notice that you have a handful of relatively close matches but the vast bulk of your matches, say 995 of your 1000, will be more distant than that. Pretend, for a moment, that all the connecting relationships for the 1000 matches were already known, the average relationship across the group would probably be something like 5th or 6th cousins. So, what do you need to know in order to identify the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) between you and the vast majority of your matches -- all these people, who are, on average, your 5th cousins? Odds are, you need to know the fourth-great-grandparents of each tester. If you have two full fifth cousins and you take a list of the 64 fourth-great-grandparents for each, two names on both those lists will be the same. (simulated tree) So, in order to effectively use your test results 99.5% of the time, you need to have lists of fourth, fifth, and sixth great-grandparents to compare. Unfortunately, none of the testing companies provide an easy way of doing this*. None provide single view horizontal pedigrees to the fourth-great-grandparent level (or beyond). Instead, the tree structures they provide for testers to add information to are difficult to access and use. I estimate that 90% of the completed, already researched, genealogies in the testing pool are not available by clicking on a match's name. This is a massively wasted opportunity. As this charting method shows, in terms of odds, most matches will resolve through a shared person or couple in the list of your 64, 128, or 256 "lines" (i.e. the 4th, 5th, or 6th great grandparent level of your tree -- the farther you complete your tree, the more known lines you have and the more information you have available to figure out how you relate to someone). Most people have no trouble understanding they have a maternal and paternal side, but the exponential expansion of lines to the level of their fourth-great-grandparents is not yet part of how they see the process. Unless everyone is provided with a horizontal pedigree chart to complete to the relevant levels, efforts to identify MRCAs quickly stall. It gets trickier to identify connecting relationship if fewer names are known (on either tree) but the same principal applies: use the testing company to estimate the level of your tree and your match's tree that should contain an overlapping couple or person (half relationships can be considered by going out one farther level than the estimate predicts). If you can't find a match, look at any missing areas on either side and consider whether the DNA and the combined information from both of you provides a clue about who the missing people could be. This is how genetic genealogy can break through brick walls. A seven to nine generation horizontal pedigree model provides a way of easily working with a complex situation. For full fifth cousin matches there are 32 potential pathways on your side and 32 potential pathways on your match's side (because the two sides of the final complete path between you and the match will connect at a couple).While this means that there are over one thousand potential pathways to investigate (odds that can seem overwhelming) checking two reasonably complete lists of 32 pairs of fourth-great-grandparents to find a common pair is not that hard. So, in summary: to succeed at genetic genealogy you need to have a model of your tree and your matches' trees that allows you to easily identify the overlapping ancestors, namely shared fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-great-grandparents. Horizontal pedigree charts which run at least to the fourth-great-grandparent level allow you to do that efficiently and with an awareness of what is missing. Other methods are not as easy or effective. *** A second reason why genetic genealogy needs horizontal pedigree charts is substantially more obvious then the one outlined above: they can provide a spatial representation of ancestry composition. Testing companies who provide ancestry composition estimates do not provide a charting tool that reveals regional contributions to the tester's DNA, but the horizontal pedigree chart can easily do this as well: And finally, completing such a chart would give testers something to do during the long wait between sending the kit and waiting for their results to come in. Updated: Template - this is an excel file I use (it is bigger than the above and set up to print on 11 x 17 at a copy shop). It is also expandable -- you can copy the table into a new worksheet and then each person in the last column becomes the base person of their own table, assigning them the ahnentafel number next to their name. *Note for clarity: Apparently AncestryDNA does have a pedigree view option (I am not sure how many generations it shows on one screen). As a Canadian, I had used AncestryDNA for haplotype testing many years ago and those accounts, deleted by the company last year, did not have a pedigree tree view (or trees, if I remember correctly). Apparently those (US, Ireland) who can order the autosomal testing do have access to this. Updated 2015-02-09 with template (see bottom). 2015-02-10 template link updated and switched to viewable sharing as someone is editing the template with their own information. Please let me know in the comments if the viewable template cannot be downloaded, thx.
Find your Welsh Ancestry. Here are links to our guides to the main British genealogy record sets that you need to find your roots.
Hey there, storyteller! Are you looking for theUltimate All-In-OneGenealogy Worksheet? First, some bad news… after five years and over 40,000 downloads, the free worksheet is no longer available. Don’t click away yet, because I have some good news and two choices for you instead. Snag the PDF Pack from the Template Store VISIT THE TEMPLATE […]
Organize all those paper genealogy files that you have so you can put your hands on the exact document you want within seconds!
Ancestral Findings offers a variety of genealogy e-books that can help individuals with their family history research. We cover a range of topics and are designed to assist beginners and experienced researchers in uncovering their family history.
If you're searching for German ancestors, these 3 websites can be instrumental in your genealogy research.
Have you ever heard of the Union medical card collection? It is an invaluable and little-known resource for Civil War genealogy research. In this article, I’ll explain how to use it.
A genealogy research plan is more than a to-do list. It's a framework that guides your research and helps you be more productive and less frustrated.
Looking for clues about your ancestors’ relationships and migration patterns? Discover your ancestry and find family history with these five type of genealogy land records.
120 free genealogy websites. Here are some great free resources from around the world to help you with your family history.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I have been doing a TON of Amazon shopping thanks to the pandemic and I thought I'd share some of the things I've found for genealogy. I feel like we all have our copy of Evidence Explained and our favorite photo scanner but there are a lot of other things offered on Ama
If you're not sure what a family group sheet is, or you've never gotten around to using one in your genealogy research, you're not alone. While the concept of a family group sheet is about as basic as it gets, not every family historian out there has had the chance to embrace this clever method of research and organization. If you're not sure what a family group sheet is, or you've never gotten around to using one in your genealogy research, you're not alone. This guide will help you discover what a FGS is, how to find or make one, and how they can help with your genealogy research.
If your memoir involves lots of historical research such as archives and family history, it can get overwhelming! Here's some tips to simplify the process.
Is your genealogy research stuck? Can't find your ancestors? Learn why you are not finidng your ancestors and what you can do.
These forms help you keep track of your research progress and organize your genealogy files.
This post looks at the best websites you need for successful Irish genealogy research. Many of them are free.
Make Instant Discoveries About Your Ancestors Here It’s an often overlooked fact that a vast amount of FamilySearch’s collections can not be found via the search on their site. Millions of free family history records are waiting to be discovered but have not yet been indexed and are, therefore, somewhat hard to find. These records are invaluable tools … Millions of Free Records on FamilySearch Can Not Be Found via Search: Here’s How to Access Them Read More »
Using free Irish Catholic Parish records. How to use this great National Library of Ireland resource for your Irish genealogy research.
One of the most exciting things about doing family history research is moving beyond names and dates to begin exploring the stories of our ancestors' lives. There are many ways to do this. Records like pension applications, wills and obituaries can provide details that allow us a special glimpse into the important events and personal relationships of our forebearers. But there is one type of genealogy resource that often stands above the rest when it comes to providing unique insights. And this same resource also happens to be a wonderful place to locate names and dates, land ownership information, occupations and much more.
Having a hard time finding an ancestor, or two, or three? Some individuals can be nearly impossible to locate, but there are strategies that will make your job easier. Expert Bridget Sunderlin shares her ten favorites.
Deciding who to include in a family tree and who to leave out can be confusing. Here's some help for deciding - including adding adopted, stepparent, foster and other non biological relationships.
From tracking down useful information, to organizing your research, to sharing it with your family and friends - Pinterest just might be the genealogy research tool you've been missing.
Family history research is never complete. There are always more records to be discovered, photos to be identified, and additional connections to uncover. But maybe you’ve reached the point when you want to share what you’ve learned so far. Here are some great options. Family history research is never complete. There are always more records to be discovered, photos to be identified, and additional connections to uncover. But maybe you’ve reached the point when you want to share what you’ve learned so far. Here are some great options.
The dictionary tells us that being invisible is being inconspicuous, unobtrusive, and unnoticeable. From a researcher’s point of view, tracing the life movements of invisible women creates many challenges.
It won't be easy to locate old photos of your ancestors, but the hard work is worth it. Here's where to get started in your search.
Technology has done a lot to make conducting our genealogical searches easier. There's the obvious boon of increased access to nearly limitless resources, but there are a great many other ways in which technology can aid our research - from organizing what we find to digitizing and storing copies of photos. And one of the best parts is that we aren't limited to using those tools only when we're sitting at home, not with so many free genealogy apps on the market.
It's not uncommon for people to share the same name, but how do you know which one is your ancestor when researching your family tree?
Finding out about your family’s history can be an exciting endeavor. Keeping track of all the information and placing it all into some kind of organized fashion however, can be quite a task. There are so many Genealogy websites, software programs and ways to store your findings that it can become overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to determine what should be included in your Family Tree and what isn’t necessary...
