The Genealogy Event

October 27, 2012 at 9:03 PM (Conferences, DNA, General)

Congratulations are in order for Bridget Bray of BBNY Group LLC, who did an outstanding job pulling everything together for The Genealogy Event in New York City on October 26th and 27th.  The Metropolitan Pavilion was a buzz of activity from just before noon on Friday, when a crowd lined up to enter, until 6pm on Saturday, when everything wrapped up.

The format of the event consisted of 30 minute power learning sessions, with 15 minute breaks in between.  I really liked this format.  I typically start to get fidgety after sitting in a presentation for a while.  With the condensed timeframe, presenters needed to choose their best and most important information, which is obviously beneficial to attendees.

One of the highlights of my visit was an appointment with Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective.  Maureen looked at three pictures and confirmed some suspicions I had, as well as gave some great tips and insight.  She was able to pinpoint two of the photos to the 1870s and one to 1900.  I thought that the two pictures from the 1870s had been taken several years apart, as the woman looked much younger.  Maureen said that she had recently learned more about the artists who did these terrible, inaccurate renditions.  The tintype, which showed the woman looking older, was probably a better representation of the subject’s actual appearance.

I had the opportunity to speak with Kenny Freestone of Ancestry.com.  I was told by their representative that Kenny was a DNA specialist.  I asked Kenny about the availability of raw data.  He said the same thing we’ve been hearing.  Ancestry believes that our raw data belongs to us and they intend to release it in early 2013,  It is Ancestry’s hope to provide service such that we will no longer need our raw DNA to go to outside sources.  It appears that the intent is to become one-stop shopping for DNA needs.  I then questioned Kenny about the questionable population results.  He referred me to the paper “The People of the British Isles”.  He said that people in the British Isles have a lot more Scandinavian that anyone believes.  I am skeptical but I suppose time will tell.  Thirdly, I asked Kenny a question about possible persistence of certain segments and he said he  did not know.  I will admit that I asked the question simply to find out if he could answer it.  It appears that he is more of a product manager, as his card states, than a DNA expert.   He was quite pleasant and I told him that I’d hold him to his word that we will have our raw data very soon.

Almost all of the presenters did an outstanding job.  Among my favorite were:

  • Ron Arons, author of The Jews of Sing Sing, presented Finding Living People on the Internet on Friday and Putting the Flesh on the Bones on Saturday.  Ron was engaging, informative, and entertaining.   Ron says he’s not a stalker but he’s sure got first rate skills.  I love finding living relatives, so he’s a man after my heart.  Ron’s specialty is criminals and black sheep.
  • As expected,  Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, gave a well-prepared, cohesive, and informative talk titled The ABCs of DNA.  The lecture was at a basic level, as I am sure was appropriate for the majority of the attendees.  I enjoyed watching Judy’s speaking style and learning important things about how to give a solid presentation.
  • Laura Prescott gave two wonderful talks.  There’s An App For That was chock full of useful apps for genealogists.  I did not sit in on her timelines talk because I saw it last weekend at the Connecticut Society of Genealogists seminar, but I know it was great because I have already tried several of her ideas and found them to be quite useful.
  • Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA gave a talk titled Success Stories Using DNA.  Like Judy’s, the talk was at a basic level.  I went to the lecture both days, simply because I wanted to.

The best part of the weekend was that I got to spend it with my 4th cousin, Suzanne.  We met on a genealogy message board more than 8 years ago and have been collaborating ever since, but had never met in person despite living just two hours apart.  We are planning a trip to the New York Public Library together in the near future.

 

Bennett Greenspan, President and Founder of Family Tree DNA

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Boston University Genealogical Certificate Program

September 10, 2012 at 9:21 PM (Education)
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Well, I’ve made it through the first week and I’ve only cried once.  Yes, precisely once, when I realized I’d made one REALLY stupid error that brought my nearly perfect transcription to a B+.  Traumatizing, I know.  My family is waiting for Earth to spin off its axis.  I, on the other hand, have been calculating what I’ll need to do to ensure that this transgression does not have a major effect on my final average.  My very academic friend tells me that she passed easily and her assignment grades were a mix of “the good, the bad, and the ugly”.  How come that doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies?

Week 1 down.  Only 14 to go.

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Book Review – Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA

September 10, 2012 at 4:58 PM (Book Reviews, DNA)
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I never thought that I would refer to a book about DNA as riveting, but the time has come.  Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA by Richard Hill is a well-written tale of a man who spends many years searching for his biological family and eventually, through the use of DNA and genetic genealogy, is finally able to solve the mystery of his birth.

From the first page, the reader is drawn into the plight of a young man who discovers that he is not who he thought he was.  Over the course of more than forty-five years, Richard Hill searches to find the true identity of his parents.  Hill uses some conventional and some less well-known techniques for obtaining information.  There is much to be learned from both the successes and the problems that Richard encountered.

This gripping true story is an absolute page turner.  Whether you are an adoptee, a genealogist, or someone who likes a good story, Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA is worth every minute.  Both those who are just starting their journey and those who have many years of experience will likely come away with a couple of new tricks up their sleeves.  Once you open the book, don’t plan to do anything else until you’ve reached the final page.

 

Description

Trade Paperback, 260 pages

Published August 2012

ISBN: 1475190832

ISBN 13: 9781475190830

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Historic Map Works

March 5, 2012 at 1:25 PM (Mappy Monday)
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Historic Map Works is a database containing more than 1.5 million full color digital maps, with thousands more being added monthly.  For members of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, access to this database is now included.   Members can access Historic Map Works by going to the NEHGS American Ancestors website.  On the “Search” tab, click on “External Databases” and then scroll down to find Historic Map Works.

The location of the building now known as the Henry Whitfield Museum, said to be the oldest stone house in the United States, can be seen on this 1868 map of Guilford, Connecticut.[i]   At the time of the survey, it was the property of Mrs. H.W. Chittenden. Mary, wife of Henry Ward Chittenden, had inherited this property from her mother, Mrs. Sarah (Brown) Grifling, said to be one of the wealthiest women in Connecticut at the time.[ii]

 

Sources:
i W. Beers, surveyor, Atlas of New Haven County Connecticut: from actual surveys by and under the direction of F.W. Beers assisted by A.B. Prindle and others (New York: F.W. Beers, A.D. Ellis, and G.G. Soule, 1868),Guilford; digital image, Historic Map Works, LLC, Historic Map Works Distributed by ProQuest (http://www.proquest.historicmapworks.com :accessed 05 Mar 2012).
 ii William Given Andrews, The Henry Whitfield House, 2nd ed. (Guilford, Connecticut: Shoreline Times, 1909),8; digital image, Internet Archive, Open Library (http://openlibrary.org/ : accessed 05 Mar 2012).

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A Day at the National Archives in Waltham

March 4, 2012 at 1:11 PM (General)
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For some, a visit to the National Archives is routine but for those of us who don’t live nearby, it is a special treat.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit NARA in Waltham, Massachusetts, attend a 1940 Census Workshop sponsored by the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, see some old friends, and make some new ones.  All in all, a great day in genealogy land!

When I walked in, the guard said, “It’s 8:01!  I wondered who was coming in the parking lot at this hour.  You don’t mess around.”  No, Sir, I don’t.  By 8:10 I had my coat put away, my belongings in a locker, and was learning the ropes.  The staff is extremely nice and, since I came prepared with a list, I was able to do my lookups pretty quickly.

Once I had my list, one of the staff assisted me to complete an application for researcher identification and showed me how to complete the Reference Service Slip.  Since it was a busy day, they asked if it would be ok if they gave me copies at no charge.  That was certainly fine with me, although I can see that it’s going to be a little trickier for me to come up with proper source citations this way.

By the time I finished my lookups, people from MSOG started coming in.  Pat Stano-Carpenter, President of Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, gave me her I <3 Indexing pin.  Thank you, Pat!  I love goodies!  It was great to see everyone.

Jean Nudd, NARA Archivist, gave a presentation about the 1940 census.  I can’t wait to dig in and read the instructions to the enumerators.  They are lengthy, but I think they are certainly worth the read.  The Abridged Instructions to the Enumerator  and the Complete Instructions to the Enumerator can be found online at www.archives.gov. In 1940, the government was trying to measure the effects of the Depression on the nation and the questions reflect that.  One key thing to note is that in 1940, for the first time ever, the information provider will be noted.  This is of great importance because, for the first time, the census record will now become a primary document.

Thank you to Rick Wetmore of MSOG for the demo about map overlays.  I have used that technique to convert geocache information to orienteering (compass) maps and overlay with park maps to determine trail routes, but I hadn’t thought to use it for enumeration districts.  There are so many Scout skills that come in handy being a genealogist!

It was wonderful to meet Michael Maglio of Origin Hunters and have a great DNA conversation.  We are still a rare breed, so it’s nice to find a new Genetic Genealogy buddy!

At the end of the day, I walked away with several new friends, a few goodies, and six naturalization records.  A stellar first visit to a repository!  The weather did not cooperate so I could not go to the Mt. Feake Cemetery in Waltham to locate my third great-grandmother May Wilson Armstrong, so I will definitely be back!

 

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Evidence Management

February 22, 2012 at 8:21 AM (General)
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One of the hot topics in GeneaBlogging land this week is fact versus conclusion based data entry.  The gist of the discussion is whether to use software to enter conclusions only.  Over the years, I have found it to be quite a challenge to keep track of sources and such.  For me, there is no doubt that my work improved drastically when I learned to do document-based data entry, or evidence-based, as it is being referred to.

I use a couple of different software programs for a couple of different purposes.  Not all of my work is academic or research reports.  I am also very interested in DNA, which requires a different sort of tree.  When working with autosomal DNA, those non-documented trees that stretch far into Fantasyland can actually be helpful.  I primarily use Family Tree Maker 2012 for this.  One of the reasons to utilize autosomal DNA testing is to find unknown connections, so it makes sense for both parties to look to otherwise thinly-documented lines and supplement with DNA.  This can be especially useful when there is a group of people who match in the same area of the same chromosome, yet have an unknown connection.  It is oftentimes easier to pick out a match when working with trees for a small group rather than just two individuals.  I digress, I am not here to talk about DNA today.

Coincidentally, I was just discussing the use of document-based entries with the ladies at my local Family History Center yesterday.  I explained to them that I use Roots Magic 5 as my “document-based” software.  When I use that software, I set up the source first, memorize it, and then enter each and every piece of information listed on the document, pasting the source as I go.  For example, if I obtained a marriage record for George T. Armstrong and Mary L. Wilson, I would first set up the source information for the document and then I would begin to enter each and every item listed on the paper.  This document lists George as having been born in Boston, Massachusetts, so I would include that “fact”, or piece of evidence, and then cite it to this document source.

 

After entering each piece of data, clear patterns will often emerge.  I find this to be very useful, especially when dealing with conflicting information.  When it is clear that almost all evidence points to George T. Armstrong being born in Maine, the researcher will likely conclude that there was an error in the above-mentioned marriage record.  Perhaps George’s new wife did not know where he spent his early childhood?  Perhaps George did not want to tell her?  Perhaps it was a simple error.  Either way, this method paints a picture for me that I need to look first to Maine for a birth record for George.  Of course, that search can and will be extended if not initially successful, but Maine is clearly the first and best place to start looking.

If the next step wasn’t so clear, that is when I would likely use a spreadsheet to evaluate the evidence for a specific fact.  This method is also helpful because the Genealogical Proof Standard requires that we explain any conflicting evidence.  The chart that Roots Magic produces, as well as the accompanying spreadsheet that I would make for a more complicated problem, both assist with outlining items that require explanation.

In Roots Magic 5, there is also the option to evaluate the quality of evidence, listing it as primary or secondary, original or derivative, and direct,indirect, or negative.  I admit that I have not used these quality ratings many times because I feel that the individual pieces of data, rather than the document as a whole, should be evaluated for quality.

On that note, I am off to spend the morning on a George hunt.  Enjoy this sunny day!

 

 

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The People Have Spoken: Pennsylvania Vital Records Access Improves Today

February 15, 2012 at 11:03 AM (General)
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Thanks to the efforts of so many, Act 110 goes into effect today, allowing greater records access in Pennsylvania.  You can read more about this new law in a press release by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: New Access to State Birth, Death Records Eases Genealogical Research.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Department of Health are offering expanded public access to birth and death records.  Birth records now become public information after 105 years of issuance and death records 50 years after issuance.  These records can be accessed online or in person at the Pennsylvania State Archives.  Since I’m in Connecticut and only research onsite in Pennsylvania one week per year, online works for me.

Within just a few minutes, I was able to locate my husband’s great-grandfather Charles W. Zinck, who died in 1937, his wife Annie E., who died in 1914, and Annie’s father Daniel Weidler, who died in 1906.  I don’t happen to have anyone born in 1906 to look for so the birth records were less useful to me for the time being.  That will, of course, change in time.  I will definitely return to the site when I have time to review year by year.

Non-certified copies of birth and death records can be ordered online from the Department of Health for $3.00 charge but you must include the state file number, which is available in the index.  Be sure to enclose a SASE.  The website says that mail requests take 16-18 weeks from date of receipt to be processed.  If you are able to go to Harrisburg in person or hire someone to do so, that’s certainly the more efficient way.  However, if you’re not in a hurry, spend the time to fill out the forms and get a surprise in your mailbox sometime next summer like I will.

 

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On the occasion of my first presentation

February 5, 2012 at 8:17 PM (Genealogy 101, General, Presentation, Speaking)

After a couple of weeks of planning and developing my first presentation, Genealogy 101: Gathering Branches on Your Family Tree, I made it through!  I have, for quite some time, been wanting to prepare a genealogy beginner lecture.  I love to talk, I love to teach, and I love to share, so it makes sense that I should share what I love.  The Friends of the Library in town wanted to host a genealogy presentation and I was honored that I was asked.

I was told that 22 people had signed up but when I arrived today, the number was up to 26.  There were a few more walk-ins, but having prepared 30 folders of handouts, everything went quite smoothly.  There was plenty of space and enough seats for everyone, with just a few to spare.  The room was of moderate size with good acoustics, so there was no need for a microphone to speak.

Being quite the lucky lecturer, I have my own personal teenage technology assistant.  I have seen many notes telling of disasters due to technical malfunctions and it is a big relief not to have to worry about that sort of thing.  I made my presentation in PowerPoint but didn’t realize at the time that I needed a solution to be able to see my notes, without wasting paper to print them.  I was able to print as pdf using pdf995 and used the resultant pdf file on my ipad at the lectern, while leaving my laptop, which I was able to control by remote, on the table with the projector.  My new Targus Laser Presentation remote worked seamlessly.

At first I was cognizant of speaking slowly, as I tend to talk very quickly.   I have been that way since I was a little kid - my mind races quickly and my mouth follows right along!  I had added a few new slides and didn’t time the program in advance, which may have been a mistake.  I looked at the clock during my program and time was about half up and I was not quite near the middle of the presentation.  I realized that I needed to go more quickly and I think it was at this point that I became less mindful about speaking slowly.  I did finish almost exactly at the one hour mark, but I had to gloss over a few things that I would have liked to talk more about.  I have come to the conclusion that I need to either remove material from the program or make it into a 90 minute program.

As far as content, I included basic things such as where to find information, types of source information, and what to do with that information once you find it.  I touched on software options, types of charts and forms, and free online resources.  I stressed the need to cite your sources and I am thrilled that several people included this as the best thing that they learned at my presentation.  One person even mentioned “GPS & sources” as the best things learned.  Jackpot!  I feel like I really did a good deed for the genealogy community today.  If we, as genealogists, can teach newcomers to the field about the importance of quality, we can head off the “junk genealogy” at the pass.

All in all, I think it went very well.  Of the 24 evaluation forms that were turned in, 19 had all 4 (good) and 5 (excellent) ratings.  On three of the forms I had a 3 (adequate) for “the speech was well-delivered” and on two of them, a 2 (fair).  All of those people noted something along the lines of ”talked too fast”.  One of the people who gave a 2 for delivery hand-wrote “talk too fast” but also circled 5 (excellent) and wrote in “content”.  I am generally pleased with the results but I know I have to slow down next time.  Even my mom tells me to slow down, so it’s nothing I haven’t heard before!  It was clear that some people really liked the quick pace and information-packed session, but a few may have found it to be a bit overwhelming.

I’m not exactly sure where to find the balance.  Of course I don’t want people falling asleep, but I don’t want people to feel that they’re in a graduate physics course, either.  I am accustomed to attending presentations by genealogists (and sometimes scientists or other professionals) for genealogists.  I’m sure there are always some who find the information to be basic and others who find it to be complicated, but I suppose the key is to find the place of optimal enjoyment for both individual skill levels.

Surprisingly, about 80% of the questions after the session focused on DNA, which I mentioned only briefly as a research tool in one slide.  This started to lead the topic of questions into more advanced discussion, which I really tried to avoid during this beginner session.  DNA is not really a beginner genealogy topic!  I did not want people to feel like I feel when I listen to someone like Spencer Wells or Mike Hammer give a talk.  While they are both brilliant scientists and wonderful speakers, they can make my brain hurt.  (Although I must admit, being the sort of nerd that I am, I kind of like that.)  I had several requests for a DNA specific program, so I think that is something I will begin to develop.  Since it’s one of my favorite research tools, I love that other people like it, too.

I think I will offer to present this same program for another Friends of the Library organization.  The second time around, I will be able to focus more on the actual delivery of the program rather than the construction of the program.  I was thrilled to have almost all 5′s for my program content and next time I’d like to see all 4′s and 5′s for program delivery, as well!

 

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Advent Calendar 2011 aka Blogging Bootcamp: What I’ve Learned

December 25, 2011 at 10:00 AM (Advent)

It occurred to me shortly into it that this Advent Calendar project would be more than just writing down stories.  I haven’t really had anything that spectacular to talk about but I’ve been finding something to fill the space each day so that I can attain my goal of completing the advent calendar.

I figured out on the first day that it’s not as simple as it seems to “just do it”.  There’s a lot involved if one cares to at least make an attempt to do it with some semblance of quality control.

Day 1.  I wanted to add a photo from my box of treasures.  That would have been simple if my Brother machine hadn’t been inoperable since switching internet providers a couple of months ago.  I spent about two hours and found a firewall issue.  Finally, pictures!

Day 2. Neat!  I’ve got these pretty posts.  How does anyone see them?  Where do I get those buttons that everyone else has?  Widgets?  Mastered!  Subscription and sharing buttons added and Twitter and Google+ accounts revived.  I’m on a roll now!

Day 3.  People are leaving me comments!  I need to learn how to approve their comments and I need to interact with these people.  Got it!

Day 4.  I tend to be disorderly.  Very disorderly.  I’d better get a handle on this now.  Categories to the rescue!  All posts are now filed neatly where they belong.

Day 5. I want to use a photo from the internet.  What are my options?  Creative Commons – that sounds interesting.  I’ll learn more about that.  Perfect!  Now to make a caption.

Why do I get the feeling I’m living inside the children’s book If You Give A Moose A Muffin?

Day 6. Tag Cloud.  I’d better make some tags first!  Time for a quick SEO refresher course!

Day 7.  Disclosure Policy.  I’ve heard that we should have one.  I made one of my own here.

Day 8.  I added a plugin to automatically add copyright lines to my posts.  I noticed that my verb tenses are all over the map.  Must brush up!

Day 9. Hyperlinks.  I cannot tell a lie.  I already knew how to do these but it’s late and I’m out of time.  This is the first time I’ve used them in a post so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Day 10.  I took a guess that it might be beneficial to tag popular people when mentioning them in blog posts.  A bit of further reading shows that this is, indeed, a good way to get noticed when you’re new to the blogging scene.

Day 11.  My Google Page Rank is 0.  How sad.  I guess it’s to be expected when a site is just two weeks old.  Since I’ve been mainly doing the Advent thing to get on a roll, I’m not convinced that my content is worthy of too many backlinks yet.  I’ll revisit this in the new year when I begin writing some organic content.

Day 12. Today I signed up for StumbleUpon.  I’ve seen it used and had never taken a look at it.  Social bookmarking is now on my to-do list.

Day 13.  I, of all people, should know better than to leave anything not backed up!  A new WordPress version came out today and I had to create a backup before installing it.  I am now using Backup Scheduler and WP-DB Manager plugins to make sure my blog is backed up every three days.

Day 14.  I may have found a solution for those bad grammar moments.  After the Deadline plugin uses artificial intelligence to check spelling, grammar, and style.  Installed!

Day 15.  W3 Total Cache is supposed to dramatically improve the speed and user experience for my blog so I added it.  Here’s to faster page loading!

Day 16.  Time to get my festive on!  I added Christmas Lights plugin to decorate for the holiday season.

Day 17.  I read a tip today to mention your sources.  As genealogists, I hope we do this regularly!

Day 18.  I feel like these posts are getting very boring!  Remember to write with the reader in mind!

Day 19.  I’d like to have a section for book reviews so I reread Chapter 21 of Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians  today and started my first book review.  Hopefully it will go well and be ready for publication soon!

Day 20. I read that it’s good to have at least 5 posts per week.  I’m doing that now but I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up the pace once I’m writing truly quality posts.  I think I’d rather put quality over quantity.

Day 21.  Even with the spelling and grammar check, I’m finding that some typos slip by.  It’s really important to proofread!

Day 22.  I’ve been using words like yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Research shows that this tends to date the post and makes people think it’s old.  Avoiding these types of words will help to make the content timeless.

Day 23.  I got rid of the monthly archives.  There is probably no need for this section.  I think it will be better for my readers to look by subject.

Day 24.  I made it!  The final day! I’m not absolutely impressed with my last few blog entries but I am thrilled that I finished my commitment!!!

Merry Christmas!

 

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Advent Calendar 2011 – Christmas Eve

December 24, 2011 at 4:06 PM (Advent)

Our family doesn’t really have a set Christmas Eve tradition.  When I was a teenager my mom let us open some presents on Christmas Eve so that we could sleep in on Christmas morning.  I have little kids now so it’s the other way around!  We have to try to get them to bed at a decent hour so that we can get some sleep to wake up with the crack of dawn!

We enjoyed a nice dinner this afternoon around 3:00pm.  Everything is all cleaned up, kids are playing, and it’s a countdown to bedtime for Mom and Dad.

This is the final entry for the GeneaBloggers Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.  The project came at just the right time to jump start my blog.  I am happy to have had the opportunity and also relieved that I am done!

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