Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions

I found that after I started working for FamilySearch the amount of time I spent on blogging and family history research has dropped. I could write a whole series of blogs on why I think this happened, but the result was a new year’s resolution to share one post a day on social media. For the most part it has not been a burden. It has not garnered as many followers and my blog used to get but the stress surrounding the project is much less.

As I was reviewing past posts from fellow bloggers about Genealogy New Year’s resolutions to decide which might be good to link from GenealogyTrot, I decided it might be time to set some of them for myself.

First, a list of genealogy new year’s resolutions I was able to accomplish over the years.

1.     Find at least one photo of each of my ancestors for five generations.

When I was at Rootstech several years ago I came across the Tapestree booth. At the booth they were selling wire trees with little picture frames on the end of each branch of each tree. I loved how they looked but I was not sure if I had enough pictures of my ancestors to fill the picture frames. I made it my goal to find the pictures I needed to fill the tree.

 I have one at my desk at work and two at my home, one for my ancestors and one for my wife’s ancestors. (They make great gifts and after I have all of the pictures it was easy to duplicate for my parents, in-laws, siblings, etc. I promise I am not being paid for this. It is likely they will never see it).

What I would do differently – I was so excited about gathering the photos I did not do the best job of keeping track of how I got them and how I know they are accurate. I should have documented them a little better.

2.     Share what you have learned with your family.

I think a lots of family historians, especially those who call themselves genealogists, are hesitant to share all of their hard work to others. It was not easy to overcome the “my tree & my family” mentality. However, I have gotten so much more back from sharing I don’t know if I would have had many of the successes I have had in my research. This could also be a post by itself, but I created Facebook groups for each of my families by surname. Whenever I make a discovery, I shared it in the groups. Not only did I get additional details and stories from what I shared I now have other family members sharing their findings in the groups too. This has also led some of the older members of the family to bring me photo albums and other heirlooms because they know I care and will share and preserve the information.

3.     Attend Rootstech.

When I decided to attend Rootstech I felt I had tapped all my known resources and still needed to learn so much more. Saving the money to attend took some planning but the real obstacle in my mind was convincing my wife. As it turns out she attended with me. I don’t want to go as far as to say attending Rootstech changed my life, but I am confident in saying that for both myself and my wife the decision to attend impacted both of our careers. I am not saying this will happen for everyone who goes to Rootstech but I am sure you will learn things that will help to give you direction for your research.

4.     Join A Genealogy Society.

I saw this on many of the other bloggers resolutions lists. I have joined several societies over the years. I also have joined several family organizations. Some are better than others but the adage that “you can learn something from anyone” rings true here too. Some of my favorites are the National Genealogical Society, the Utah Genealogical Association, and the Sons of the Utah Pioneers. Of the many family associations I have joined the Merriam Family Tree and EdmundRice Association stand out in my mind the most.

5.       Learn about my ancestors who trekked to Utah between 1846 and 1869.

This is a specific goal related not only to my heritage but the region of the county where I live. Last summer I participated in a reenactment of the trek with my wife and one of my sons. We each traveled with the name of one of our ancestors who made the trek. In all I found 58 pioneers my son could choose from that were his direct ancestors who traveled to Utah by wagon or foot. I also put together short biographies for each one of them from the many different resources that are available.

I thought I could come up with more than five. I have set many resolutions that I did not accomplish and several I am still working on.

Resolutions I started but have not finished

1.     Earn a genealogical accreditation.

This again could be a whole post. I started the certificate program through BYU-Idaho because I was encouraged by a co-worker and because the price is pretty good. This certificate is not accreditation itself, but the courses are designed to allow you to learn the steps you need for accreditation. I have issues with the program which I may outline at a later point. I have used these as an excuse to take time between semesters or I would be finished.

2.     Interview older relatives.

This was something I started 20 plus years ago. A generation has died since then and I need to interview and document the interviews with the now oldest generation of my families.

3.     Clean up my database.

I have used the same genealogy database since I started researching. For the most part it is pretty good but over the years as I have learned more and added new skills, I have gotten better about entering information and documenting the sources. I was told to start using your skills now and go back later to update information. It is time I need to do that, but the task seems a little daunting. So far I have just updated as I have had opportunity.

4.     Publish my genealogy.

I have a dream to publish one or many different family histories. The task seems so enormous I am not sure where to start. I know the saying that you eat an elephant one bite at a time, but I am not sure where to take that first bite. I need to take my wife’s advise about this but that is also another post.

5.     Knock down the Trotter Brick Wall.

This is not a goal I am sure that I can accomplish. I did successfully break down my Merriam brick wall but the clues for the Trotter line run much colder and in much older veins. I need to put together my conclusions to share them with my family. I am not sure I will ever to be able to accomplish more than that.

Other ideas for genealogical resolutions

• Add your sources [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Backup your data weekly [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

• Concentrate on one area [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Find (your ancestors in) all of the censuses [Archives.com by Pamela Velazquez]

• Join Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, and look for other genealogists [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

• Label all of your photos [Archives.com by Pamela Velazquez]

• Listen to a webinar or a podcast [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

• Look for inspiration [FamilyTree By Vanessa Wieland]

• Organize what you have [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Participate In An Indexing Project [Archives.com by Thomas MacEntee]

• Print out your data [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Schedule the time [FamilyTree By Vanessa Wieland]

• Take a DNA test [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

• Visit a Family History Center or genealogy library [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Visit an older relative [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

• Write out the stories [Genealogy.com by Donna Przecha]

• Write your own memories [MyHeritage Blog by Esther]

FamilySearch Update - Relationship Viewing

It is exciting to learn about new features about FamilySearch. Today I learned about a new relationships feature that allows you to see how you are related to those who are also working on the Family Tree.

For those of you familiar with the FamilyTree app or those who have attended RootsTech, we have been able to see those who were are related to either in the same room or those also attending RootsTech. We have also been able to see how we are related to people contained in the Family Tree. Now we can see how we are related to those who are working on or in FamilySearch or the Family Tree.

On the opening page feed you can see items that have been attached to your relatives memories. In the case above James Backman (jamesbackman1) has added a newspaper clipping with our common relative.

Clicking on his name pops up a box that included his contact information. Now the pop-up also included a link that says "Enable Relationship Viewing." It is important to note that this new feature is one where you need to opt-in. It is not available by default.

After clicking the Enable link another pop-up box opens so you can enable relationship viewing. Once you opt-in to viewing relationships you are opted in for everyone to see your relationship, it is not a one-to-one option.

After you have enabled viewing then when you click the name it shows a description of your relationship.

You can also click the View My Relationship link in the pop-up and a tree of the relationship will display.

You can access this relationship viewing option from anywhere on FamilySearch where a name is assigned to a fact or memory.

When you click on the name and the pop-up appears and that person has not already opted into Relationship Viewing you will see a link that says Request to View Relationship. When you click this link it sends a request to that person so they can opt-in to view relationships.

If you have already requested that they opt-in but they have not responded the link will say Request Pending.

The feature is also working in memories.

What do you think? Is this something you would want to use?

New United States quicklink map added to Internet Resources page of Genealogy Trot

Family Search In-Home activities

FamilySearch has released a new resource for families and individuals to help you discover, gather, and connect your family—past and present.

In-Home Activities are themed activities that help individuals or families to participate in Family History in fun and basic ways. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with getting started or participating in family history. 

There are currently eleven different activities in the About Me section. Each activity is displayed with a name, star ranking from participants, and a short description. 

There are 15 different activities in the My Family section. Like the About Me section, each activity is displayed with a name, star ranking from participants, and a short description. 

Also included is a Tip for Parents page that helps to remind about the purposes of the activities and suggestions on how to make them meaningful and impactful.

The Family Traditions activity in the My Family Section gives ides for three possible activities as well as two ways to enrich or preserve the activity.

The Remembering My Photos activity centers around family photographs and the memories they capture. There are four possible activities along with a way to preserve the pictures and memories online

The My Name activities help to find out more about your own name as well as those family members who may share your name. There are four possible activities and two digital preservation ideas.

At the bottom if the My Name page there is a link to an All About Me activity online.

This Discover Experience currently has 23 different information points that has to do with you and your birthday.

In one I can find out the meaning of my name and of any name of my wife, children, parents, and great-grandparent.

In one I can find out how many people in my country share either my first, middle or last name. It will also look at the names of the five generations of family whose picture are at teh bottom of the page.

There are 289,801 people who share my wife's name in the United States. It is also interesting to note that my father-in-law is from Texas and my mother-in-law is from California. The top two states on the map with the most Rachels.

I almost did not post this one. I feel a little old knowing the first personal computer was invented the year I was born.

One of the modules shows relatives who share a common year with you. In this case my great-grandfather died the same year I was born. The page is filled with information about him including pictures, stories, documents, and audio records if any are available.

I think the In-Home Activities page is a wonderful place to find worthwhile activities that he you to learn about yourself and your family. You should try it out.

Find a Person on the FamilySearch Family Tree App

FamilySearch has a new feature on the Family Tree app for those who do not have accounts or have not filled in their Family Tree.

When downloading the app be aware that FamilySearch has two different apps.

1. FamilySearch Tree
2. FamilySearch Memories

I don't want to discourage you from downloading both but the feature discussed here is in the FamlySearch Family Tree App.

Users without accounts or who are not logged in will see a page to learn about your family. Click the Search for an Ancestor button or swipe to the left.

This page allows you to search for an ancestor without having an account or being logged in.

You will be given information about the family name as well as multiple results to choose from.

  Basic information for your relative will be displayed. If you want more information or functionality you are then asked to log in or create a free account.

Users who already have an account can access this feature by clicking the  more button.

Then select Find a Person.

Enter information about your relative.

You will also receive multiple results and information about the surname you entered.

Once logged in you can see more details about the person and their spouse, and parents. You also can see any sources or memories attached to the person.

If you have not tried the app or if you do not have a free familySearch account you should give this a try.

Updates are coming to the FamilySearch Fan Chart

I am excited about the announced updates and changes for FamilySearch Fan Chart. The changes are scheduled to come out in a few months but the development team has released a video of some of the features and said that we can share with family and friends!!

Yes, there are things coming I cannot share yet.

The feature I think I am most excited for is the ability to view seven generations in the Fan Chart. I have a full tree and the additional two rows will help me navigate my tree much faster. I know those of you with none or some trees will not find this feature as awesome.

The other additions to the tree allow you to see a visual representation of the number of sources, stories, and photos that are associated with each person.

In the above Fan Chart the darker the color the more sources that are associated with that person. The lighter or white pieces would be great places to find more relatives by attaching additional sources.

In the above Fan Chart, the darker color shows that 5-9 different stories have been attached in memories. The white pieces would be places to go and write narratives or stories about your ancestor and then upload it to the memories tab. The person I would recommend you start with is the one in the circle.

The above Fan Chart shows that one side of the family has five to nine photos loaded into memories of most of the second through sixth generations of ancestors. The other side of the family and many of the 7th generation do not have any photos uploaded at all. This would be a good place to focus efforts.

I know that these additions may not ground breaking but they add richness and texture to the process of discovering your family.

The FamilySearch Memories app allows you to see and find the photos, stories, and documents attached to your relatives memories. Even better, it allows you to upload new photos, stories, documents, and audio recordings to the memories of your ancestors.

FamilySearch also already had a way to find photos of your ancestors. However, the outlined steps took you through filtering drop-down menus. Once found, you had to click an additional view my relationship link. The new design is much more simple and easy to use as well as understand. 

The website and app from  https://stories.familyfoundapp.com/ has made it possible to find your family stories. The site also estimates how long it would take to read the story. 

FamilySearch also had a way to print a seven generation Fan Chart even though you could not view all seven generations in the Fan Chart View on the website or app.

I hope I have done justice in showing the upcoming features and additions as well as some of the other ways to access and enrich your discovery experiences. 

LivingDNA Test Results

I received my LivingDNA test results. No, I am not taking multiple tests to see if my heritage will change. I am however intrigued by DNA and they had a great sale at RootsTech this year.

As a side note, I purchased my 23andMe test before Christmas and this test in February. I took both tests and mailed them in on March 3rd. I received my 23andMe results on April 15th. A month later I got my LivingDNA results on May 14th.

The initial navigation is fairly simple but unique. A tutorial kicks on and asks if you want to walk through the results. 

The mtDNA and and Y-DNA results are the same as 23andMe. I am not really surprised but with my experience with MyHeritage DNA I am still skeptical. The above three body outlines and a simple navigation are all you see without drilling down to find more information.

I am sure this website is mobile friendly but the lack of symmetry between the graphics and the text bothers me when I am using my PC. I doctored the above image to get the graph and map in proportion and close together. The rest of the images I will not change.

A unique feature from LivingDNA is the ability to change the display of the results based on three formulas; complete, standard, and cautious. One of the issue I have with the MyHeritage test is explained with these formulas.

• The Complete setting assigns small amounts of the unassigned percentages to regions that look most similar. There is some uncertainty about matching in this way. 
• The Standard setting is assigned using the best guess of the exact source. Unassigned segments are labeled that way.
• The Cautious setting groups genetically similar populations together. This is the most certain result but gives a much bigger footprint to ethnicity.

The selling point of this test was that they claimed to have the best testing for locations within Great Britain. 

LivingDNA also gives you two other ways to understand the percentages of your ethnicity.

The body graph displays the makeup in a visual way. I can see some different colors but since I am color-blind I think this effectiveness is lost on me. 

Clicking on the body sorts the colors together. I understand this much more than the other body graph but these views are my least favorite.

I think the pie-chart view is the easiest to understand besides the map view. The percentage presented are the same in all three presentations but each allow you to see the meaning in different ways.

LivingDNA has the best sharing ability of the four DNA websites I have used. Not only can you share the complete report but it is also just as interactive for those you share with as it is for the users. Sharing works for Facebook and Twitter. They also made it very easy to download your Raw Data so you can use it with other sites. 

Comparing to the other DNA sites I am missing the chromosome browser on this website. I realize that Ancestry also does not have this tool but I think it will become essential. However, the biggest loss is that there is no matching, They group my results, present it in three different ways but there is not any information about others who have taken the test and how closely I am related to them. This may be why there is not a chromosome browser. There is nothing to compare or match. I did not realize this was not a feature of the LivingDNA package.