RootsTech Relative Finder and MyHeritage DNA Freebie

 

A few things are popping this week. 

RootsTech is starting with the Expo Center opening Wed at 4 pm PT and the Main Stage opening at 8 pm PT. 

Randy Seavers reports that the Find My Relative function is live for matching RootsTech registered attendees with cousins.  I have over 4000 cousins, starting with some 4^th and the majority 5-9th.  Your results will depend on how well you are attached to your ancestors in the Family Search Tree. 

You log in to Family Search and there is a banner at the top of the home page.  It says ”Join Relatives at RootsTech” with a Join button.  Randy’s post is here with lots of detail.  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/02/relatives-at-rootstech-at-rootstech

 

Thomas MacEntee announced that MyHeritage is waiving the $29 fee for DNA features on transferred DNA results from February 21-28.  Email if you need help.  All the details are here.

https://mailchi.mp/genealogybargains.com/20210221?e=cb7c45b1c4

Also $20 off MyHeritage DNA tests.

News from our Ferndale Genies

Our Genies are staying in touch during the pandemic and I am delighted to pass on information from them.  Thank you to Sylvia for doing the minutes this week and thank you to everyone who wrote in.  Enjoy!

Bill on RootsTech

”Thanks for sharing the info about RootsTech.  The video was excellent.  It answered the questions I had about how the virtual conference will operate and how to get started.  Very helpful.  

 “It’s important to note that the video is still available but moved to another site on YouTube.  Here is a direct link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiKF0RZL_qA&feature=emb_err_woyt  “

 

Elizabeth’s Warning

“FamilySearch invited me to check out a timeline for my great-grandmother. She turned out to be my great-grandfather's second wife, Mary Garnett, not my maternal grandmother's mother, Susan Fulmer. That wasn't the problem.

"This timeline attributes the five children of GGF's first marriage to this second wife. At the time of the marriage, the ages of the children ranged from 5 to 12. This is still possible. However, Mary would have been eight years old when the first child was born, a flaming red flag.  Clarifying information is easily available in census, marriage and burial records.

"Thanks to our small group FamilySearch project, I know how to fix this and may do it one of these days.

 "Be careful out there. 

" Elizabeth”

 

Rick’s Adventure

Rick has an unidentified newspaper clipping referring to the USS North Carolina in which his grandfather was not named but had written “this is me”.  Here is the rest of the story.

“Well, here is what I did...

"Sent a note to the curator for the USS North Carolina Museum and she got right back to me with a day to day schedule for the ship on the dates I asked for. 

"Went to Ancestry and put in the reporter's name and a match came up for a gentleman who lived in Washington DC. A couple of clicks later his WWII DraftCard popped up with his employer listed...Evening Star Newspaper, 11th & Penn Ave NW, Washington DC. I googled the paper and a link to the DC Library System showed up.

"Clicked on that and started a LiveChat and within 5 minutes had the link to the article...I needed a DC Library Card though to access. I told her that I was born there in 1953 but left there in 1968. She was nice enough to send me a PDF of the page that the article was printed on. Amazing. I shared that with the curator and 10 minutes later she sent me 21 pages of the ship's movement from May 1941 through the early months of 1942. I found where the ship traveled and anchored and matched that with the information in the article. It anchored in Gravesend Bay, between the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Coney Island in New York.”

 

Barbara’s Spoon

Well, it’s not really Barbara’s spoon.  Her friend asked if she could help identify this type of spoon.  Anyone out there seen a spoon like this?  Or know someone who might know?

 

 

Sue’s News from Arizona

“Usually I do not have much to contribute but recently I have been busy.

"My son took the 23 and me DNA for medical reasons. It did show he should watch out for macular issues with his eyes and his grandmother had it bad.

"Two names showed up saying they were ½ cousins to Brian. One young lady (Jodie) we were not surprised that she was my brother’s daughter but her mother wanted to keep that a secret to Jodie. I understood her decision. We met young Jodie when she was a baby. Jodie never knew who her biological father was till now which is ok with her mother now. My husband and I are in Arizona now and will meet up with Jodie in a couple of weeks taking her gifts for her new baby. I have sent pictures of her father, my brother, and some stories about him. The ones I want to talk about.

"Now, the second ½ cousin was a huge surprise and Bill and I have been e-mailing back and forth with pictures etc. He only found out his “father” was not his biological father so it was a huge surprise to him. He had a terrible childhood but made a great life for himself with family and children.

I JUST HOPE NO ONE ELSE TAKES THE 23 AND ME DNA TEST!!

"Long lost family I found in Argentina sent me a letter that my Uncle in Detroit sent his brother (my grandfather that I never met) that moved to Argentina. It was written in such old Macedonian/Slavic writing my contacts could not translate. My daughter-in-law from Yugoslavia has been translating it word by word. I even contacted the Greek church in Bellingham and the Father there called me asking me to forward the letter and he could not help but so nice of him to try and help me.

"Now I got a msg from a lady that took a DNA and we are 3 or 4th cousins on my Macedonian’s grandfather’s side so we are exchanging information.

Regards,

Susan McFarlane”

 

Lynne’s Snow Art

Remember Lynne Oliver.  She used to sit on the window side, maybe by Rick and Peggy.  I’m still in touch with her because she is the Treasurer of the Whatcom Genealogical Society.  She loves to ski and she has been doing trail maintenance during Covid.  I hope this picture is good enough to see the profile of a horse. 

RootsTech countdown to next Wednesday (and more)

 

RootsTech

If you have registered for RootsTech, READ THIS. If you have NOT registered for RootsTech, READ THIS!   You will see the fantastic sources available for a whole year.

Two of my bloggers are RootsTech Ambassadors.  There are 75 or so Ambassadors who are charged with getting the word out.  There are over 1000 sessions.  You can create a playlist and watch those sessions for the next year.  What a resource!  And did I say "everything is FREE".

Randy Seavers brought you the 52-minute video from the Ambassador talk.  It tells you how everything will work.  This is a whole new ballgame.  No schedule, no phone app, no printed catalog/syllabus.  The video is worth your time.

https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/02/rootstech-connect-2021-website-unveiled.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geneamusings%2FlEXw+%28Genea-Musings%29

Roberta Estes from DNA-Explained blog offers her view here:  https://dna-explained.com/2021/02/16/customize-your-rootstech-conference-96-dna-sessions-to-choose-from/

 ____________________________________________________________________

New Service!  Family Search is offering live zoom research strategy sessions.  Most 20 minutes, DNA 40 minutes.  The link gives you all the details.  They are not for looking up records.  Let us know if you try this.

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Virtual_Research_Strategy_Sessions

 ____________________________________________________________________

Randy Seavers offers this great ten-generation gravestone on Genea-Musings:

 FERNDALE GENIES MEETING MINUTES

 

DATE: February 15, 2021

IN ATTENDANCE: Judith C; Sylvia W; Bill R; Peggy V; Rick; Frank; Margie; Sherry J; Barbara B; Linda B; David; Elizabeth D; Sue P; Judy S.

CHECK INS

Linda B is working on her maternal great-grandfather’s ID. She has learned some important German keywords used in records in the early days. Ancestry provides a lot of translated records. Through the local Family Search Center, she found a published book, Decipher German Records, which has proved very useful. It can be ordered through Amazon as If I Can, You Can Decipher German Records by Edna Bentz.  It comes in a soft cover with spiral binding.  Also on Amazon, you can find the book, The Magic of German Church Records by Schober. Linda is also studying German naming conventions. She learned that a lot of original source newspapers have translation capabilities. She found another interesting history book, Letters of a German American Farmer, which is a rich source of the lives of immigrant farmers.

Judith C has been working with Newspapers.com. She finds the “save/print” feature to be difficult but found a great article on an ancestor from the 1920s who was arrested for his socialist activities. Judith has also been attending interest groups from genealogy special interest groups put on by clubs such as the Seattle Genealogy Society and the Eastside Genealogy Society. She feels these special interest groups are especially good for helping her target topics to focus on. If you are considering joining a society, check with Judith to find a good fit for yourself.  Judith is also continuing to write her personal history.

Elizabeth D is writing about her “troublesome” great grandmother and is now working on her own grandmother whose life is revealing surprises that she enjoys sharing with her family. Elizabeth finds value in looking over what you’ve already done to check what you might have missed earlier. She is also working on the German line of her tree.

Margie: Margie looked up her own marriage to Frank on My Heritage, but it did not appear. Suggestions were offered to use the collection description to see what dates and locations are included, and to put in less information in the search. More information may not all match the record.  Also, females need to remember to put in the maiden name rather than the married name.

Sherry J is researching her German family origins and wants to attend the Genie’s German group.

Sue Perry has found more information on when her grandmother came to the United States and how many came with her. Now she is researching when/if her grandmother was naturalized.

Peggy has signed up for Roots Tech and is looking forward to it. She is researching her grandmother who lived in what is now Ridgefield, WA but used to be “Union Ridge” named for Union army soldiers who settled there after the Civil War. She has been looking at photos from other trees online. She warned that Newspapers.com’s “all access” really means only basic papers and you need to pay more for a larger collection.

Rick called Ancestry after his subscription ran out and told them he wasn’t inclined to continue as there were no deals or special prices for the expensive subscription. He was immediately offered the basic subscription at half price! He shared a tip: that if you hover over the article in Newspaper.com the content pops up in a box which you can then email to yourself as an easy way to save or share it. Rick also told an interesting story about his grandfather who was a radio operator in WWII when the battle ship the USS North Carolina came into trouble in shallow waters and no one knew how to warn the ship. He used automobile headlights and morse code to warn the pilots. This story was related in a newspaper article he has in his possession, which has notations on it by his grandfather. Rick contacted the ship’s Museum for more information, and they are researching the incident.

Bill R shared a story about newspapers and warned, “Be careful what you read.” An article he found stated that an ancestor who was a coal miner in Pennsylvania died in a disastrous accident in the coal mine. It turned out the reporter had used the list of those assigned to work that shift instead of those who actually died there. His ancestor had been assigned to work but did not go in to work that day.  He was alive.

David R spoke about 23andMe going public and suggested people talk to their financial advisors if considering investing in the company. He discovered that Ancestry’s Thru Lines has not been especially helpful to him in breaking through his brick walls, though useful in finding more matches with common ancestry. He asked about the tool of “auto clustering” on various sites. This can be done by Genetic Affairs. Ancestry served Genetic Affairs with a cease-and-desist order so they are unable to analyze Ancestry matches for us. Genetic Affairs can do clustering for 23andMe, FTDNA and GedMatch. My Heritage partnered with Genetic Affairs to build a simplified version for their site. You can “paint” Genetic Affairs clusters onto DNAPainter.

Judy S has contacted a DNA match and they are communicating. She has found a link to an ancestor after watching a biography on Henry Gates Jr. She is checking in with all the various sites she is on.

Sylvia W has been working on revisiting the family trees she has online to see how many new records might be out there on individual ancestors that can be added to their profile page. Sylvia has also signed up to attend Roots Tech and is looking forward to a weekend of learning.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND BUSINESS

Judith reports that the Genies DNA work group has not scheduled a future meeting at this time. Members have a lot to work on. If anyone wishes to continue, they need to contact her and a meeting can be set up.

This is a good year for conferences. No need to travel or spend a lot of money, you can enjoy the conference in the comfort of your own home while we are still in the pandemic. Some conferences are:

RootsTech: The event begins Feb 24 at 8 pm Pacific. You can join 4 hours before that for the Expo Hall.  Registration and information at rootstech.org.  At that home page right under the picture are links to the Main Stage Schedule and an 18-page PDF of the classes and presenters.  There is no schedule for the Sessions.  They will be available at any time for the next year.  Search the classes using Control/Command F.  There are 5 matches for German and 60 for DNA.  If I find a speaker I like, I search by speaker.  I’ve heard that many of the talks are 20 minutes similar to Ted Talks. 

The Genealogical Forum of Portland is celebrating its 75^th Anniversary with a Virtual Open House.  From Mar 27 through Apr 3, they will have 18 free classes.  More later.

The International German Genealogy Conference will be two dates with live speakers, July 17 and 24 plus 50 pre-recorded lectures.  It is a paid conference with early bird pricing by March 31.

Judith also reported that Judy Bayliss has regretfully bowed out of our Genies due to a conflict in her schedule. We hope she can continue to join us in special interest groups when possible.

Our minutes only scratch the surface.  For more information, we can put you in touch with our members. 

 

NEXT MEETING:

Genies German Group next meeting: March 2, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.

Next Genies meeting: March 15, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Genies Recurring Zoom Invitation

 Our regular meeting is tomorrow, Feb 15 at 1:00.  I’ll open at 12:45.

 This invitation can be used for any Genies event, regular meeting or small group meeting.  You can even ask to meet with a friend and all I have to do is open the meeting.

I am using Windows 10 and the handy trick of dragging the link to the bookmark bar.  Now I have four links sitting up there just for the ease of getting to my recurring meetings.  Ask at the meeting if you need help with this.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86349777794?pwd=ZGl5cWZvNldGNDNjR0M3bldWbTIrdz09

Meeting ID: 863 4977 7794

Passcode: 446855

 

Genies German Group

To anyone with German or German-speaking ancestors:

The idea of a German Group has been brewing (pun intended).  At our last meeting, there was interest in exploring our German ancestors.  From people who want to dig deep to others who just want to watch and listen and learn, everyone is invited.

Linda B and I will be co-leading the group. We are not experts; we are organizers and fellow travelers.  We are proposing a tentative date for the first zoom meeting on Tuesday, March 2 at 1:00.  Sherry, Barbara, Suzie, and David R. are on our list of possible participants.  If others want to join us, email me.  Future notices and info will be sent to an email list.

To get started Linda has given us a research document for her great-great grandfather Christof Bartels.  She follows the Research Like a Pro process.  You will receive this by email.

I am following her example and will start mine soon for Emma Dallmer. I have just one German great-grandparent couple.  Unmarried, they came separately in 1892 and soon married Des Moines where her brother lived.  A few years and two children later, they moved to St. Louis.  He was born on a farm near Vienna.  She came from Berlin.  I need to nail down the town. 

At our first meeting, we will share about our ancestors and the goal is for each of us to decide what our next research step is.

If you are wondering how to get started, begin in the US records.  Look for departure passenger lists and arrival passenger lists.  Look for naturalization papers, starting with Declaration of Intention.  Maybe marriage records will list the parents or home village.

Email me to be included.  Auf Wiedersehen!  Judith

 

 

Two Free Deals This Weekend

Thomas MacEntee sent these deals.  Newspapers.com free until Monday, February 15 and MyHeritage Marriage millions of records free through Tuesday, February 16.  Make a list and jump right in.

BSO, if you don't know, is Bright Shiny Object.  It will take you right down the rabbit hole.

BSO ALERT! FREE ACCESS to NEWSPAPERS.COM THIS WEEKEND! Now through February 15th, get free access to over 630 MILLION historical newspaper pages!    As always, I am humbled by your support. Thanks for following and please stay safe and healthy!     ​   FREE ACCESS Marriage Records at MyHeritage   MyHeritage offers FREE ACCESS to 158 marriage collections with 462,808,849 records in all - now through February 16th! During this limited-time offer, you’ll be able to access these records freely even if you’re not a paid subscriber. Access to these collections will be completely free, but free registration to MyHeritage will be required for non-MyHeritage users. Click HERE to get started!

 

Genies next meeting: Monday, Feb 15 at 1:00.  The Zoom link will be sent the day before.  Your Genies are looking forward to seeing you. 

So many conferences are coming up.  This is an ideal time to try some out with no airlines or hotel rooms.

 

Featured Free Conference.  Of course, it’s RootsTech.  This year free and global.  More than 150,000 from around the world have registered so far.

RootsTech Virtual Event 2021 is FREE!  February 25-27 this month!  This is a 24/7 event with classes and events following the rotation of the earth.  The home page is: https://www.rootstech.org/?lang=eng and the short registration form is right on the home page along with lots of info about the event.  Don’t be tempted to skip the keynote speakers.  That can be the richest part.

I suggest you sign up for the RootsTech newsletter at the very bottom of the home page.  I’m guessing that is the same as the “blog”.  Everything is new and different so we can’t base it on our memories of the past.

 

Featured Paid Conferences

 

I have had my eye on this Jamboree for a few years but never went to San Diego for it.  Now is the time. 

First, Early Bird Date is April 26.  I’ll give you the non-member prices but sometimes becoming a member is a better deal.  You do the math. 

The Jamboree (June 14-15) is $155 for non-member early bird including 6 live and your choice of 20 recorded sessions.  The Plus level includes all 56 lectures.

The Genetic Genealogy (June 4-5) is $150 for 6 live and 10 recorded plus $20 if you are not registering for the Jamboree.  The Plus Level includes all 26 lectures.

All the details at https://genealogyjamboree.com/

 

Other conferences

 

You'll get 15 presentations (listed on the link) that you can download and keep, along with several live Q&As, access to professional genealogists through the discussion boards. Sign up now to reap the rewards of a fun-filled genealogy weekend - and watch your family tree grow. 

Early Discount 21% with this code: VirtualConf21.  Regular $199.

Look for the tab halfway down “Scheduled Speakers” for the topics.

_____________________________________

Registration for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2021 Family History Conference opens 1 February, 1:00 p.m. (EST). Plans for the forty-third annual conference include a full week of virtual events* for individuals, societies, and organizations 17-21 May 2021.
 
The main event for individuals runs from Wednesday and Thursday, 19‒20 May. The NGS premier two-day virtual conference event―NGS 2021 Live! ―features award-winning authors Dani Shapiro and Ric Murphy; an opening session by esteemed genealogist and Virginia expert Barbara Vines Little; and presentations by nationally recognized speakers.  Live and on-demand choices.  More than a few hundred dollars.

 

German Events

From Linda B:  FYI for folks wishing to learn more about researching German ancestors, especially those who settled in Wisconsin.

This seminar is available through the Wisconsin Historical Society: https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Event/EV7998

 

 

The Lives and Times of Our German Speaking Ancestors

Mar 6

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CDT

This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies

Event Details

Saturday, March 6, 2021

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CDT

$40 with 10% discount for members of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Friends of the Max Kade Institute or the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society.

Register by Thursday, March 4, 2021

REGISTER ONLINE

 

Germans were the largest immigrant group to settle in Wisconsin during the 19th century. Join the Wisconsin Historical Society for an online workshop that will help trace your family history back to these early settlers from German-speaking Europe.

 

In this workshop we will explore resources that simplify the process of researching your family history and gain access to information that goes beyond names and dates, helping you paint a picture of the world your ancestors lived in. Learn about why Germans came to America, look at community documents, and examine brick walls that sometimes slow the research process.

 

 

 

Other German Events.  I have not attended any of these conferences or webinars.  Caution:  Where the time zone is not specified, you need to check the websites.  I don’t know if any of these are free. 

 

Sat, Feb 13 @ 2 PM CST  -- “Help! I Don’t Speak the Language: Tips and Tricks for Deciphering Foreign Language Records” by Katherine Schober (she is known for her translations old German handwriting), a free webinar hosted by the Appleton Public Library https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3TB7D1-XSWCK_z7NH4cN1A

 

Wed, Feb 17 at 7pm – “Researching Prussian and Pomeranian Genealogy in Poland” by Jason Kruski   https://dcgs.org/eventListings.php?nm=105  

 

 

 

2021 Virtual IGGP Conference

“Researching Together Worldwide / Weltweit Gemeinsam Forschen”

17 July to 24 July 2021

 

The International German Genealogy Partnership is thrilled to announce that the 2021 International German Genealogy Conference, previously cancelled as an in-person event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now be held virtually from 17 July to 24 July 2021 with the theme of “Researching Together Worldwide / Weltweit Gemeinsam Forschen”. This new format will allow both passionate genealogists and expert speakers from around the world – including many from our partner organizations in Germany – to attend and participate. Will you be one of them?

 

https://iggpartner.org

 

2021 Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International  Conference

Oct 12 – 16^th  Presentations throughout the conference will explore the history, culture, and traditions of the people who lived in present-day Czech Republic and Slovakia.     

https://cgsi.org/news-events/2021-cgsi-conference

 

2021 International Germanic Genealogy Conference

July 16-18, 2021 virtual with a full conference experience.

https://iggpartner.org/cpage.php?pt=145

 

Federation of East European Family History 2021 Conference Going Virtual

Aug 11 – 13, 2021     

(German track, Polish track & 6 others. More details will follow on their website https://feefhs.org/  )