You sent off your Ancestry DNA test in the form of a tube of saliva and you just received your results. Are you surprised? Excited? Puzzled? Wondering what to do next? Why not explore your ethnicity results and learn where in the world you come from. The science of DNA can seem daunting to the beginner, so I invite you to join me as I learn about DNA and how to use it for genealogy...
(1937) Attendants at Old Slave Day, Southern Pines. Apr. 8. [Image] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/99615435/.As African American History month comes to a close, I’m writing my first post releasing the names of enslaved individuals found in my genealogy research. Inspired by other bloggers and my experiences during African Heritage day at RootsTech 2017, I am joining in the effort to help African Americans find their family, taking inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King...
Are you interested in seeing what RootsTech 2017 is all about? Is this the year that you’d like bump up your genealogy education? Not able to travel to Salt Lake City to attend in person? With several sessions being streamed live and archived for later viewing, you can participate from the comfort of your home. 2016 was the first year that I attended RootsTech in person. Prior to that I waited until the streamed sessions...
One year ago I posted my goal for 2016: to become an Accredited Genealogist. Luckily I gave myself a caveat that if I didn’t get it done in 2016, there was always 2017. Well, it’s officially 2017, and I do need the extra time to meet this goal. What did I learn last year? Where am I in the process? Why would you want to explore accreditation? Good questions that I’ll try to answer. January...
It’s time to think about what you want to bring with you to RootsTech. With only two weeks left, you’ll want to download the RootsTech app, choose your classes, download the syllabi, and decide how you’re going to take notes. Here are some suggestions to help you do this (and otherwise enjoy the conference)! This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. Thanks...
Are you intrigued with the idea of using DNA to break down your brick walls? Have you done a DNA test but don’t know what to do with your results? Have you wondered what the future holds for DNA and genealogy? You might want to consider attending RootsTech 2017 where more classes than ever will focus on DNA. Popular genetic genealogist, CeCe Moore, will be giving the Saturday keynote address and she is certain to entertain and...
What do you do when you have a great family history story and have just learned how to use a new set of historical records? If you’re my friend, Karen, you share the story with your extended family then help your interested niece find some land patents. Today we have a guest post from Karen telling how she helped her teenage niece connect with her ancestors. By Karen Walters A few months ago, we were...
What do ethics have to do with genealogy? Turns out, a lot. If you’re paying someone to research your family, you expect the results to be accurate, not fabricated to achieve an objective. You should feel like your money has been well spent and the researcher has used their time well. A simple Google search brought up ethics agreements from numerous genealogy organizations, including ICAPGen, The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. I...
You’ve searched Find A Grave and Billion Graves. You’ve visited your local cemetery and taken photos of the headstones. What’s left for your cemetery research? Answer: the records kept by the cemetery office or sexton’s records. You may be surprised at the details in these records. I recently discovered a collection of cemetery records at the Utah Archives for my Kelsey family and today I’m sharing what I found. I’ll also give you three tips...
Have you been trying to get your ward youth excited about family history? Do you need some fresh ideas to spark interest? For the past two years, I’ve been working with teens age 12-18. Along with my fellow family history consultants, we’ve made a lot of progress in how our youth perceive family history. They’ve gone from reluctance to genuine interest. Here are some of the things we’ve done to turn their hearts to their...