Ten Things Genealogy

We had a great Zoom meeting on Monday.  It is so good to see your faces…and your smiles as, one by one, you saw all of us together on the screen.

Zoom is becoming so common and I am happy to be on the bandwagon.  I want to applaud the many local organizations that are providing opportunities by Zoom, especially the Bellingham BSAC, the YMCA, many spiritual centers, and genealogy groups all over the country.  If you need help with Zoom, contact us.  It will enrich your “stay at home”.

#1.  I especially honor the Skagit Valley Genealogy Society’s early adoption of Zoom.  I attended their Zoom learning session and two meetings in April.  On their May schedule is a brick wall meet-up on May 2 and their monthly speaker on evidence and citations on May 16.  Membership is required for Zoom meetings.  It is $15 per calendar year and can be paid online. See the Board Message on their home page at https://skagitvalleygenealogy.org/ plus the Meeting and Membership pages.

#2.  Our public libraries are open online digital media and even live programming.  For the live programming schedule in Whatcom County, go to their home page at https://www.wcls.org/. Click on the tiles “We’re Open Online” then “WCLS @ Home”.  Also the Ancestry.com library edition, usually only at the library, is now available at home.  Librarians are answering questions in chat and email.

#3.  MyHeritage: FREE ACCESS to over 250,000 US Yearbooks IN COLOR (link)! MyHeritage has colorized its entire U.S. Yearbook collection, and to celebrate this they are opening up FREE access to U.S. Yearbooks through May 23rd, 2020!  Ancestry.com also has free access to yearbooks through this Sunday, April 26 (tomorrow).

#4.  Family History Library has free webinars going on and FamilySearch.org has meet-ups on Facebook and Instagram every week.

#5.  US Census:  50% of people in the US have responded along with 56% of Washingtonians.  If you have not filed, don’t delay.  https://my2020census.gov/

#6.  April 25^th is National DNA Day and the DNA Sales have started.  If you have already tested, consider testing strategic relatives who have not.  Thomas MacEntee has the best consolidated websites.  At dnabargains.com he has all the DNA companies with sales together.  At abundantgenealogy.com you can subscribe to a daily email in which he tries to balance free items and bargains.  He announces all the free webinars from familytreewebinars.com.  He keeps you informed about what you can do and what day it is (an important public service, if you ask me).

#7.  Have you heard the word “nibling”?  It’s a gender-neutral, quick way to say “nieces and nephews”.  Now we have siblings and niblings.  Niblings is not in the dictionary yet but definitely in common use.

#8.  Book:  The Lost Family; How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are is a new book and its author Libby Copeland is being interviewed on multiple podcasts, including Lisa Louise Cook’s Genealogy Gems, Extreme Genes, and my favorite, Research Like a Pro.  Libby wrote an in-depth article for the Washington Post a few years ago about an astonishing DNA surprise.  Quickly she received over 400 letters from people wanting to tell her their stories.  This was a book that needed to be written.  She weaves these stories throughout the chapters as she delves into the emotion, culture, history and business of DNA.  She aimed for it to be accessible by everyone, without DNA knowledge, and intentionally did not reveal the story in her interviews.

#9.  TV show:  Roots Less Traveled is half-hour show currently airing on NBC on Sundays at 4:00 PM.  The host travels with two family members to a location where they have family history.  The first show featured DNA half siblings in Mexico City, second show was a grandfather-grandson who went to Montana, and third is a mother-son who went to Tennessee.  The last pair learned about a slave ancestor who was set free and awarded land in his slaveholder’s will around 1840.  The former slave was sued by the children and it became an important case in the Tennessee Supreme Court.  The show is kind of fun and illustrates the stories regular people can find about their ancestors.

#10.  TV Show:  The Genetic Detective will be coming May 19 on ABC at 10 PM ET.  It follows CeCe Moore on genetic crime cases.  When CeCe did TV work in the past, she complained that most of her scenes were left on the cutting room floor.  It left me feeling unsatisfied about how they did the DNA research.  Now CeCe is the producer and the star and we are set to see more about the DNA in this show.

 

Some Non-Genealogy News

An orangutan named Sandra at the Florida’s Center for Great Apes observed her handlers and started washing her hands.  Ha, ha.

You have to read to the end.  You never know what you will find. 

Best wishes until we meet again.  Judith

RootsTech Highlights from Judith and Linda B

RootsTech is an unimaginably large conference of 30,000 or so attendees and more at home with live-streaming.  RootsTech is celebrating their 10th anniversary. Ten years ago,the conference was created, joining  family history enthusiasts and technology experts to collaborate and bring us the rich technological platforms we enjoy today.

At our April Genies Meeting Linda B and I spoke about our trip to Salt Lake City for RootsTech 2020.  Thank you, Linda, for your wonderful PowerPoint slides.  You’ve all heard it from me and now Linda told us repeatedly and emphatically how much fun it was.  We don’t exaggerate.

I demo-ed the Rootstech.org website. Here you will see the Recorded Sessions going back to 2015, Blogs, Syllabi Download, and finally the Virtual Pass Videos which are additional premium video classes.  Each of the 300 classes has about a 4-page free syllabus.  It seems like you need to know the exact name in order to find them.  Just peruse the list of titles to find a syllabus that interests you.  There are often helpful hints or resources listed, even if you did not attend the workshop.

Family History Library (FHL):  During RootsTech Linda and I made our first visits to the Library with mixed results. Members Judy B (who some may know from the WGS) and David R (joining us from his home in Philadelphia) have been to the Family History Library numerous times.  David suggested that if you needed technical help ask the young missionary helpers.  He also said when you come in, sit by someone who has all their papers spread out for the day and they might be very willing to help you out. Keep in mind that some folks who work at the library are professional genealogists, and others are LDS volunteers, who may or may not be more knowledgeable than you. 

Judy B told about taking several week-long classes from SLIG, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.  (Note: There are similar Institutes in Pittsburg, Birmingham, AL and at the National Archives in Washington, DC.)  One of the classes Judy took was a combination of research at the FHL and review and guidance by professional genealogists in the classroom. 

David adds that when visiting Salt Lake City, we should stay at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel.  It’s right next to the Library and across the street from the Convention Center.  That’s where Linda and I stayed. 

As an example of a free recorded class, I talked about the free recorded RootsTech class on “City Directories” given by Mike Mansfield, the Content Director at MyHeritage.  MyHeritage has created a unique “consolidated” collection for City Directories.  They have 25,000 directories from 1860 to 1960 with 1.2 billion source records.  The source records are combined for 545 million individuals.  Even if your ancestors lived in a small town, that town may be included in the directory from a larger city.  Also it can be a good substitute for the missing 1890 US Census.  How MyHeritage did this is an interesting story.  To see and use this new collection, at MyHeritage.com go to Research, then Collection Catalog, then Directories, Guides and References. I have a subscription so I don’t know if this requires a subscription.   

In the second half of this class Mike covers new collections from Norway, Germany, France and other countries. 

Another theme with two free videos on the Roots Tech website is the emotional side of genealogy.  This has always been present in the uncovering of family secrets but is more prevalent with DNA and the openness about our feelings in today’s culture.  Several in our group have reported this in their own families and with people they help.

RootsTech provides an opportunity to learn about new features and products.  And it really offers something for everyone: beginners, intermediate level researchers, and almost any genealogy-related topic.

All in all, our conference experience was a rewarding one and we recommend RootsTech to anyone who is comfortable with crowds.

Genies Zoom Invitation for Monday

We are starting our Zoom adventure this coming Monday.  If you did not come to one of the practices, you are still welcome to join us.  Sign in after 12:45 and chat with other early-comers. 

Linda B and I had a fun time at RootsTech and we will be giving you an idea of what the experience was like and what we learned.  Linda will start with a PowerPoint which will show on your at-home device.  I will follow sharing the RootsTech website.  DNA and more.

Next we will go around to all the participants.  Be thinking about what you can share, be it genealogy-related or not.  Remember no excuses are needed if you have been busy with other things. 

Looking forward to seeing you then,  Judith

___________________________________________________

Your invitation to the meeting:

Judith Culver is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Genies April Meeting

Time: Apr 20, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81801144347?pwd=VEpWYlhYUTM0TkoyQVBneU01VHRIZz09

Meeting ID: 818 0114 4347

Password: 032001

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US

        +1 253 215 8782 US

Quickie Tip: Colorized photos

Have some fun!  Free colorized photos at MyHeritage.  Usually first ten are free, but now unlimited until next Wednesday, April 22.   https://blog.myheritage.com/2020/03/myheritage-in-color-is-now-free-and-unlimited-for-one-month/

Zoom Security…Or Lack Thereof

The Zoom conference platform has experienced explosive growth in the last few months and a stressful expansion to meet the needs of all their new customers.  They have made many improvements to security, including upgrading their encryption. 

Imagine my surprise when I saw this NBC headline this morning.  “Passwords and email addresses for thousands of Zoom accounts are for sale on the dark web.”  “Zoom users who reuse the same passwords from other accounts can face on ugly unintended consequence.”

“Many of the email addresses listed had been part of previous data breaches, which are often sold and repacked on hacker forums.”  To me, this says that the original breach occurred a while back before they made the recent improvements.

Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer at Facebook, currently an NBC News contributor, and currently advising the Zoom CEO on security, was quoted in the article:  “This happens to every company every single day,” he said. “It’s only because Zoom is in the spotlight that anyone in the media is even paying attention.”

The entire article is here:  https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/passwords-email-addresses-thousands-zoom-accounts-are-sale-dark-web-n1183796

What does this mean for us

I will continue to use Zoom for exercise and church and even Genies meetings.  We’ll still have a Zoom practice this Friday and our monthly meeting next Monday.  I will use a waiting room and admit only people I know. 

At Zoom I used a very strong password and I changed it this morning.  You should know that to be a participant you don’t need an account.  If you have a Zoom account, just consider if you need it and assess the risk you think it brings.

Definitely consider how strong your other passwords are.   A few years ago a similar breach happened at a lesser-known genealogy site.  The only people who had problems were the ones who used the same password at Ancestry. 

The biggest warning I hear is don’t repeat your passwords at multiple sites.  We know this but we don’t do it.  There is a balance between security and convenience and we have to find it. 

Hope to see you soon. 

Second Zoom Practice

We had our first Zoom Practice on Monday this week.  It was a while since we had seen our friends and were happy to welcome members from North Carolina, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Without Zoom they would not be able to participate.

We’re having a second Zoom practice for people who are coming for the first time or who want some more practice.  It’s this Friday, April 17.  Arrive between 12:45 and 1:00 and we’ll help each person get familiar with the features. 

First you will be in a waiting room and I will admit you.  This is a safety precaution so we can control who attends and avoid hackers.

After you have been admitted and see the pictures of the attendees, your picture should be showing and your microphone unmuted.  Feel to talk to the group or try out the various controls.  There are controls across the bottom of the screen that appear when you move your cursor over them. 

Every time we have a meeting scheduled over Zoom, you will get an invitation that looks similar to the one below.  This is your real invitation for Friday so keep this in a safe place.

___________________________________________________________

Judith Culver is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Genies Zoom Practice #2

Time: Apr 17, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83981525693?pwd=L2I5Z2VkZEZvWGs4OE4xcmo4M0x4dz09

Meeting ID: 839 8152 5693

Password: 012639

Dial by your location

        +1 253 215 8782 US

        +1 301 715 8592 US

       

______________________________________________________

Here’s what to do…the easiest way.  Instructions will vary according to your device.  No one needs to make an account or sign in to participate in this meeting though you may want to in the future.

Using a computer:

1.      Keep your meeting number and password handy.

2.      Use the “Join the Meeting” link in the invitation. If the invitation link is not active, you will need to copy and paste the link into your browser. 

3.      When prompted, click on Open Zoom Meeting.  If this is not working, wait a bit then click on “download and run Zoon.”

4.      Then click on “Use Computer Video” and “Computer Audio” and enter the password if asked.

5.      You will be in a Waiting Room until I admit you to the meeting. 

6.      If you are using a computer, you may start with a vertical bar of attendees which can be expanded to a full screen. 

Using a tablet or smartphone:

1.      Go to your play store and install the app “Zoom Cloud Meetings” from Zoom.us.

2.      Start the app.

3.      Click the Join button and enter the Meeting ID and password from the invitation.

If nothing else works, dial one of the phone numbers at the bottom of the invitation and join that way.

Thank you to Bill R. who has been helping me and has provided these additional instructions and references for anyone who wants to dive deep.

Here are instructions for creating your Zoom account and installing the Zoom software/app on your personal computer, tablet or smartphone:

1. If you are using Zoom on a Windows or Mac desktop or laptop:
1. Go to the Zoom website at:   zoom.us
2. Click on the blue ‘SIGN UP, IT’S FREE’ button in the upper right corner.
3. Follow the instructions to create your Zoom account using your preferred email address.
4. The process should prompt you to download and install the Zoom software on your computer

If not, go to:   zoom.us/download and click the blue button Download button under Zoom Client for Meetings

5. Start the Zoom program on your computer after it has been installed.
6. When you wish to join a meeting, click the ‘Join’ button and enter the Meeting ID provided by the meeting host.

You can also click on the weblink sent in the meeting host’s email invitation message.

2. If you are using Zoom on an Android or IOS (Apple) tablet or smartphone:
1. Download and install the ‘Zoom Cloud Meetings’ app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Start the Zoom app on your device.
3. Choose the ‘Sign Up’ option to create a Zoom account using your preferred email address.
4. When you wish to join a meeting, click the Join button and enter the Meeting ID provided by the meeting host.

The following are weblinks to guides for using Zoom on different devices:

Getting Started on Windows and Mac

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-on-Windows-and-Mac

Getting Started with iOS

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362993-Getting-Started-with-iOS

Getting Started with Android

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/200942759-Getting-Started-with-Android

Zoom comes to Ferndale Genies

Some Genies are having withdrawal symptoms.  They miss their friends.  I miss my friends too.

Have you heard of Zoom?  I’ve been attending a variety of Zoom meetings for YMCA exercise, church groups, and even to talk to my relatives.  It’s not complicated.  Think of each of us live in a little window with our names below.  Kind of like Hollywood Squares (if you are old enough to remember).

Zoom can be used on a variety of devices including personal computers (Windows & Mac), tablets (Android & Apple) and smartphones (Android & iPhone).  Your device will need to have a working video camera, speaker and microphone to fully participate.  Personally, I like to use my largest screen so I can see all those Squares.  A phone-in option will be available but you will be disappointed not to be able to see the Squares.  I mean… your friends.

We can do this!  I’ll keep it as simple as I can. 

Mark your calendars for two upcoming Zoom events.

Monday, April 13 at 1:00  Genies Zoom Practice Session.   Tomorrow I will post a invitation to join the meeting on Monday along with some instructions.  We will practice the various features so we know how it works.  And we will have plenty of time to catch up with each other too.  I’m sure we have some tales of intrigue from the past month. 

It is not required that you attend this event in order to participate in our regular monthly meeting but you might miss out.  If you can’t make this one, let me know and I will schedule another time for you.

Monday, April 20 at 1:00  Regular monthly meeting over Zoom

This is a brilliant solution for including people who live at a distance or have to stay home for any reason.  (Rick B., are you listening?)

Let’s do it!

We can do this!

We can do this and have fun in the meantime!  Here are some diversions.

Roots Less Traveled---New TV Show starting Sunday

·              Features relatives as they set out on an adventure with host Faruq Tauheed, to solve mysteries in their family tree. 

·              First of 8 episodes on Sunday, April 5, 2020 4:00 PM on Channel 5

·              Streaming available on NBC.com and Hulu

·              30-minute show

Series Synopsis - "The series features relatives as they set out on an adventure to solve mysteries in their family tree. From rumors of ancestors aboard the Titanic to stories of homesteaders forging a new path for future generations, the duos discover the truth behind the tales that have been passed down for generations, revealing the inspiring lives their ancestors led. In partnership with Ancestry®, they learn how their past has shaped their present and through this shared journey how family bonds are deepened."

From Legacy Family Tree Webinars--- Free webinar each day in April
We're trying to do our part to help genealogists around the world who are staying at home. For each day in April, we are unlocking a members-only webinar from the library and making it free for the entire public. Click here for the day-by-day calendar.

Lastly, during April 2020, the MyHeritage Ask the Expert series will be offered twice a week -on Tuesdays and Thursdays - at 2:00 pm Eastern. Daniel Horowitz, Genealogy Expert at MyHeritage, will explain how to use a feature and then answer questions from the audience.

• April 2nd, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  How to Work with U.S. Census Records
  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8963085054942985483
  As the U.S. begins collecting the 2020 census, explore the U.S. census collections in MyHeritage SuperSearch™, discover what information each one holds for you, and learn how to save these valuable genealogical insights to your family tree.

• April 7th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Accepting Smart Matches™ https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/917095358053186827
  Every week MyHeritage brings you thousands of matches with other family trees, and some have lots of details that may be new to you. Learn how to best manage those matches, contact the source of the information, and effortlessly add the details to your tree.

• April 9th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Filling in the Details on Your Tree https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7480822434515060491
  Go beyond the basic details (birth, marriage, and death) and record all the facts and events of your relatives' lives with proper source citations, notes, and images.

• April 14th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Theory of Family Relativity™: Nailed It or Not?
  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5583071962043447307
  MyHeritage brings you Theories of Family Relativity™ to help you trace the relationship path between yourself and unknown DNA Matches. By corroborating tree and record data, Theories of Family Relativity™ provide plausible theories that may help you prove or further explore a possible relationship path.

• April 16th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Generate Charts and Graphics https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3865786532143811595
  You've been putting so much work into your family tree — wouldn't it be nice to have something tangible to show for it? Learn how to generate FREE charts and reports from your tree that you can print or share digitally with other family members.

• April 21st, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Accepting Record Matches https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/824691301343306251
  You receive thousands of matches with historical records that can add lots of valuable new details to your research. Learn how to best manage those matches, evaluate the facts, and extract the information effortlessly to your tree.

• April 23rd, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  PedigreeMap™
  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4623707384960546315
  Locations are key in tracking your family. The MyHeritage PedigreeMap™ feature takes the information from your tree and plots it on a map of the world. Learn how to make the most of this feature and review all the information on ancestral places around the world.

• April 28th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
  Consistency Checker https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2866206217681575691
  No research is perfect; even the most seasoned genealogists can miss things. MyHeritage help you identify those errors with the Consistency Checker. Learn what we review and how to fix those inconsistencies to make your family tree more accurate.

·         April 30th, 2020 2:00 pm Eastern
Instant Discoveries™
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/44911057855552781
MyHeritage gives new genealogists a jump-start by offering the option of adding a whole new branch of up to 50 people to your tree with one click. Learn what you need to do afterwards and how to take full advantage of this feature.