Mark your calendar for January 20 and February 17. These are two holidays for which we are looking for accommodations.
Thank you, Linda B., for your wonderful meeting notes. Imagine virtual hands clapping with joy.
January & February Meeting Locations
Our first discussion topic was meeting at a restaurant for lunch in January and February 2020. The library is closed on our regular meeting days in those months due to holidays. It was agreed that we should meet on the same day but in a different location. Judith had requested names of restaurants with private rooms at our previous meeting and received several suggestions.
Judith pointed out there are three factors to consider in choosing a location:
- 1. Price
- 2. Parking
- 3. Private room
Private room was agreed upon as the most important to consider. We agreed the meeting time should remain the same: 1:00 pm. It was pointed out that we could find a meeting room available to the public without having lunch. The Bellingham Food Co-op provides their meeting room to the public when not in use. This idea has appeal because folks could still buy and eat lunch if so desired, and it would be easier to accommodate dietary preferences. The Cordata location would be closer to those in Ferndale. Judith will ask a volunteer to coordinate this.
Special Events
Judith announced books were available for free, located on a side table. These were from her collection. There would also be a door prize drawing. The prize was an Ancestry DNA kit, also from Judith.
Accomplishments & Goals
Each person was given the opportunity to share accomplishments for the year, and state goals for 2020. Every person accomplished at least one goal, and most completed several. These included working through brick walls, finding answers to specific research questions, organizing research materials, completing Research Like A Pro study group, sorting through inherited photos and documents, and writing personal stories.
Goals for next year included researching specific individuals or family lines, organizing research materials and photographs, visiting the local LDS Family History Center, and publishing family stories.
Judith pointed out that past goals of the group included organization, writing personal history, and understanding DNA. There are resources on the Ferndale Genies blog for each of these topics. Some of us have worked with Loretta Willems on writing personal stories.
Assistance with Brick Walls
Genies members can receive help with a brick wall from the group. In advance of the meeting, the person wishing assistance must prepare information about research already completed and be prepared to share it with the group. Fellow Genies can work on the problem together and make suggestions.
Sharing Family History
Judith shared her goal to complete a personal history about her childhood, which led to discussion of various ways those family histories can be shared and how important they can be to those who receive them. Writing a report of completed research, jotting down personal memories, collecting holiday letters or other personal letters were mentioned.
Fan Chart
Judith shared a fan chart she was able to create from the website: www.geneanet.org. This visual presentation of one’s family tree is easy to read, several generations can fit on one page, and gaps in research are easy to spot. (Additional information at the bottom of this post.)
Family Locket & Learning to Use PERSI
Judith recommended the blog and podcasts by Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder as an excellent resource for learning about basic genealogy research. They wrote Research Like A Pro and offer podcasts, blog articles and courses on many genealogy topics. They also offer a weekly newsletter sent via email to those who subscribe. Find them at: www.familylocket.com.
The most recent topic to capture Judith’s attention is a two-part series on using the Periodical Source Index, aka PERSI. This is a resource created at the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, IN, which is the second largest family history library in the country. It is an index of family and local history literature published in periodicals. It contains 2.7 million searchable entries for articles published from 1850-present. PERSI is now online and can be accessed at many local libraries. Nicole Dyer wrote an 8-page handout for one of her workshops, describing PERSI and how to use it. This is available as a free download; the link is in her blog article dated December 9, 2019, “RLP #74 : PERSI Part 2 – How to Find Articles.” There are instructions for using PERSI on page 5 of the handout.
Gedmatch sold
The volunteers who designed and ran the gedmatch DNA database sold it to Verogen, a forensic genomics firm. The database will still be available for genealogists interested in uploading their DNA results, and participants will be able to opt in if they would like their data used in forensic research.
Shared Clustering of DNA results
At our last meeting, Judith described the services of Genetic Affairs (www.geneticaffairs.com), which create a chart of DNA shared matches by user defined groups. Users pay a small fee to subscribe to use the tool on their website.
This month, she shared a similar resource, Jonathan Brecher’s Shared Clustering tool, which also creates a chart of shared DNA matches. Unlike Genetic Affairs, the Shared Clustering tool is free application that is downloaded and installed on one’s computer.
Directions from Judith about GeneaNet fan chart: I remember it was tricky to find this.
1. Go to www.geneanet.org.
2. You have to sign up for a free account.
3. Then click on the tab Family Tree. Then Import/Export a GEDCOM file. This is where you load your family tree from another site. Contact me if you need help.
4. Go back to the Family Tree tab and select Your Family Tree. Your tree displays.
5. Click on the person you want at the bottom of your fan chart.
6. Click on Print at the top. Then Illustrated Family Tree.
7. Fill in the parameters. Type= Ancestry, Chart= Fan, others are your choice. Theme is where you get color choices.
8. At the bottom click Download PDF to your computer and you can print from there.
Good luck!
