AncestryDNA Sale???

Image from AncestryDNA website

You didn't hear this from me, but I was on the phone with Ancestry.com's Tech Support today (very helpful as usual) and before I hung up, I asked if their DNA test was still $99. She said that yes, it was to which I replied that I thought there might be some holiday specials.  Now, she didn't say anything definitive, but she "suggested" that I check the pricing on Black Friday.

Since the start of their DNA project, I have been cynical (or maybe the right word is skeptical) about their early results.  After all, it's hard to tell someone who is obviously of Asian descent that they were 98% Scandinavian.  Now I don't know if they tried to get away with that result specifically, but I do know that the early results were, at best, questionable. But after reading Judy G. Russell, Blaine T. Bettinger, Roberta Estes and others, Ancestry seems to have gotten their act together. They've even tweaked their autosomal results creating a significant trimming of possible matches. Nice job Ancestry!!  

As a result of all this and other factors, I'll certainly check them out again this Friday and see if the "hint" from Tech Support pans out. Or should I say the "shaky leaf" from Tech Support!!

By the way, my original issue was resolved...I think!
I'll leave you with my new mantra: "Climb YOUR tree!"

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DDOS, sync'ing FTM and other genealogy subjects

Diagram of Stachledraht attack (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The DDOS at Ancestry is behind us....almost.  I was still having sync problems and the solution was to delete one and upload or download the remaining file to create a new replacement, a strategy that didn't exactly hold my interest.  It's my "master" file which, today, has 40,004 individuals, countless photos and even more documents, notes and everything else you can thing of.

For those who are wondering, I un-linked my tree this morning, re-uploaded FTM to Ancestry and I now have a new "sync-able" data base, with a name that ends in "(1)". 

So from here, I'm going to re-invite all my previous guests and see who stays and who goes.  It's like this blog.  I tried to make a shift from one service to the other and lost 3/4 of the content. I guess that means it's time for a fresh start in a lot of areas.

The only other thought that's on my mind tonight is my schedule.  It has slowly crept up on me.  For the first time, I had a minor panic attack thinking that as I was sitting here in my office I was supposed to be somewhere teaching something to someone!

Well, don't worry!  It's next week, not this week.  The rest of July has a few "engagements" but then August, September and October will be the busiest I've ever been. The Yellow House Center of Community Learning, Hitchcock Free Academy, Wistariahurst, 4 public libraries and a few other locations!  On top of that, in response to "popular demand", I'm putting together an advanced genealogy program which I think will be 5 or 6 sessions in all.  Should be interesting!

The big announcement for me is coming up in the spring.  I'll get the details and post about that later.

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Websites - Blogs - Facebook Pages for Genealogy Research

Over the past several months, I've collected a list of helpful websites.  It began as a single page list that I used as a handout in my "Genealogy and Family Research" classes.  As time went by, of course, more and more sites interested me and I began to add them to the list.  Lately, a few Facebook pages have crept onto the list.  They're under "Polish Research".  The latest addition is Russ Worthington's blog for Family Tree Maker users.

Image via CrunchBase

So I put the list into Dropbox and you're welcome to click this Handouts link and download the list for your own use.

I could also use your help.  If there is a site that you have found to be particularly helpful in your own research, let me know!  I'll be happy to add it and upload the edited list to Dropbox for everyone to share.

I've been using Family Tree Maker for several years.  As a matter of fact, I bought my first edition at Circuit City and they've been gone for quite awhile!  I think I started using it around 1998 and I've bought every update since.  Recently, I've been reading Russ Worthington's blog titled Family Tree Maker User.  There is an amazing amount of information, instruction, tips and other useful information about getting the most out of FTM and with it, many research tips as well.  Click the link or put ftmuser.blogspot.com into your browser!

If you've stumbled across this blog while searching the net, please click the "Follow" button or add your e-mail address in the box just below.  Thanks!

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Google+ Hangout with GeniAus

There are many links in this particular post.  But I believe that you'll have to click "Continue reading" for them to work!

Now why would I be interested in learning more about Australian genealogy in the first place?  When I say "more", I mean anything at all because I know next to zero about Australian genealogy specifically!

However, as I have learned over the years, it's good to listen to any source in your field.  Especially when the subject matter is completely foreign....no pun intended toward the Australians!

Because of the time zone differences, I got up at 5 AM (...good grief...) in order to be conscious at 6 AM when the Google+ Hangout was scheduled to start.  Congratulations to Australian genealogist Jill Ball as she was the epitome of punctuality....Thank you Jill.

If you have any interest in "Down Under" research, check out her blog at Geniaus and follow her.  Or, if you're on Google+, search for her and add her to your "circles".

Here are some of the web sites and blogs that I think will be useful:

1) Claiming Kin where I was introduced to "Transcript 2.4", a software tool that is free for non-commercial use with a paid professional version.

2) Russ Worthington's blog "Family Tree Maker User" is a must for anyone using Amcestry.com's genealogy software Family Tree Maker.  I purchased my first version of FTM in 1998 (I think) and I've kept it up to date since.  I'm currently running FTM 2014 but, as with anything else, I get into a rut and fail to look at new features or functionality.  I only spent a few minutes there and found myself saying "Wow"!

3) The National Library of Australia's web site contains many sources which can be useful to almost any researcher.  Links to books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and more can be found there, albeit mostly Australia focused, and might be found to be useful.

4) One Name studies are vital to researchers whose challenge it is to research a surname that can be spelled in a variety of ways.  In other words, virtually every surname out there!  Take a look!!  On their home page they state: "A One-Name Study (ONS) is a project researching all occurrences of a surname, as opposed to a particular pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendancy (descendants of one person or couple)."

5) Much of the other discussion revolved around FamilySearch.org's WIKI.  I'll admit that I've looked at them before but when I say "before" it was well before the LDS website was "improved" and I haven't been to the WIKI's in a while.  What I can tell you is that after you log in and click the "Search" button, you'll see "WIKI" to the right of the top bar, just underneath the words "Family Tree".  Here's a link to take you directly to the WIKI's main page.

There were a few others, but most concerned the activities and blogs of Australian researchers that I didn't feel would benefit me so I didn't take note of them.

I would appreciate any feedback from readers wo might take a look at any of these sites.  I would also ask for other suggestions that we all could find usefeul.

Ancestry.com buys Find-A-Grave

Well, for all the genealogists out there or anyone researching their family trees, this may be good news and it may be bad news...  Ancestry CEO Tim Sullivan stated: "We will maintain Find A Grave as a free website, will retain its existing policies and mode of operation, and look forward to working with Jim Tipton and the entire Find A Grave team to accelerate the development of tools designed to make it even easier for the Find A Grave community to fulfill its original mission to capture every tombstone on earth."

This may have all started when Ancestry began to collaborate with Find A Grave.  Ancestry's leafs will show up when Find A Grave matches an entry in your on-line tree or your Family Tree Maker tree.   Note that BillionGraves.com is also showing up. Can there be another "collaboration" in the future?  Can there be a melding of Find A Grave and Billion Graves?  One is certainly substantially larger than the other.  And one is certainly more technically advanced that the other as well!

There's an interesting article by Tom MacEntee at www.hackgenealogy.com that you might find interesting.

Family Tree Maker 2014 Upgrade is Available!!

I'm a sucker for upgrades... If i'st supposed to work better and faster with more features and benefits, I'm in! I've been using Family Tree Maker since 1998 when I bought the software at Circuit City. Remember Circuit City??

Ever since then, whenever an upgrade has been offered, I'd wait until the bugs were worked out. You know, at least a couple of days. Then I'd buy the software, usually a CD that had to be mailed. But lately, I need instant gratification: The "Download Now" button!!

I guess that part of me was hoping that the upgrade would clear up some glitches, some problems, some quirks I've had with a "NOT RESPONDING" error message in FTM 2012. So not only am I a sucker for upgrades, I'm a wishful, magical thinker as well.

OK, I spent the money (for the download AND the CD that they'll mail to me...I hope) and now I've got it all installed and the files open very nicely and I can get back to work, right?

Wrong! Whenever you upgrade FTM, you have to "Register" your new software. You have to do register so that all the features work. And there lies tonight's problem. The singular feature that I need to work is the "CLICK HERE TO REGISTER" feature. Right next to it, there's a "REGISTER LATER" button. But I don't want to register later! I want to register now. Unfortunately, the software has a mind of its own and it has decided that I cannot register now, I'll have to register later. Perhaps that will be after I call tech support in the morning and wait for XX minutes as all their technicians are currently assisting other customers!! But not to worry, my call will be answered as soon as an agent becomes available.

So, I guess I've found a new glitch, a new problem, a new quirk!

More to come....