Historically, since the first permanent settlement, there has never been a time in North America when people did not make wills or when the estates of those who failed to do so were not handled by a court appointed for that purpose to ensure that the rightful heirs–the legal heirs–became the heirs in fact.1 The Value of Probate Records We have established that land was very important to our Pennsylvania German ancestors and we learned...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the 1950 census that will be released on April 1, 2022. Diana shares an example of finding the enumeration district (ED) of her grandparents in Cassia County, Idaho. We review the information that can be found on the 1950 census and discuss indexing efforts. Join us as we discuss how to prepare for this census release! Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like a Pro episode...
Last week I wrote about the transfer of lands from the family of William Penn and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to original owners. These transfers resulted in what are known as “First Titles.” When one of these original owners sold their land to a buyer, the resulting document was a deed. Because our Pennsylvania German ancestors would have been involved in subsequent land transactions as they lived in and migrated through the state, it is...
RootsTech is a world-wide, free, online family history conference that will be held this week. In addition to over 1500 class sessions, there is a fantastic feature called, “Relatives at RootsTech,” that can help you in your genetic genealogy research. If you’ve ever wanted to connect with like-minded family members who may share your interest in family history, as well as DNA, here is your opportunity! Do you ever wonder who the people in your...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to write a research report at the end of a research project. This is an underused skill and many of us need to practice! The benefits of report writing far outweigh the challenges. This is a replay of episode 119 with new commentary at the beginning. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is episode 190 revisiting report writing Again. Welcome to Research Like a Pro a Genealogy...
…whoever brings plenty of money-he will have it good. For whoever brings in money can buy a piece of land.8 As we have discussed in the first three posts in this series, one of the reasons our Pennsylvania Germans left their homeland and came to America was the promise of land. Letters and tracts that told of Pennsylvania’s virtues were widely distributed in Germany. Friends and family members shared these with one another. Escaping the...
Today we have the following question from a Research Like a Pro with DNA study group member: If you already know the relationship to a match, is there any other reason to contact that match? Yes, there are many reasons to contact your DNA matches, from verifying their tree, to asking them to share their matches with you. As you establish communication with them, it opens the door for further collaboration. When you need to...
Today I am answering a new question for our Research Like a Pro with DNA Q&A series: “Should I sort my 23andMe matches by percent or strength of relationship?” The RLP with DNA study group member asked this question during assignment 1, which includes sorting DNA matches into color clusters using the Leeds Method. The full question is: How does 23&Me determine “Strength of Relationship?” Is this a more valuable sorting mechanism to use for...
We are starting a new series called Research Like a Pro with DNA Q&A. Study group and eCourse members ask questions, and we answer them with a short video. Today, the question is: “what is the significance of the first cluster in an AutoCluster or Collins Leeds Method chart?” I answer the question by showing an example of a MyHeritage AutoCluster chart where the clusters are ordered by size (number of matches in the...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to use a genealogy research log. As you follow this step in the RLP process, you’ll add links and citations to your log to help you stay organized and keep track of what you did. This is a replay of episode 118 with new commentary about Airtable. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is episode 189, Revisiting Research Logs Again. Welcome to Research Like a Pro a...