VGS News & Events: 25 March 2018 through 31 March 2018

On February 16, a delegation of 15 German SIG members made the 2½ hour trip to Port Charlotte to hear the all day presentation of Baerbel Johnson, one of the eminent German specialists at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  She covered the subjects of German Marriage Laws, Digital Libraries, German Archives and Good Old-fashioned Research in the Internet Age in the four sessions very professionally put on by the Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society (SWFLGG), with really great handouts.  The above photo shows 10 of our group, due to a traffic jam, being “forced” into a post-conference dinner and refreshment stop on the return trip to The Villages.

Coming Events:

Monday: March 26, 2018

Technology SIG Meeting:

10:00 AM at the Savannah Center (Note Location Change)
Topic: "I Found It On The Internet, Now What?"
Guest Speaker: John DeAngelo, VGS Webmaster
Wednesday: March 28, 2018
Family History Expo

Savannah Center: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Expo Speaker Sessions: Rhett Butler Room

10:10 - 10:40 - Legacy Tree Genealogists – "Google Tips & Tricks"
10:50 - 11:20 - MyHeritage - "Introduction to DNA Testing in Genealogy and Family History"
11:30 - 12:00 - FamilyTreeMaker - "What’s New in FamilyTreeMaker 2017"
12:10 - 12:40 - Family Search
12:50 - 1:20   - Roots Magic: "What’s New in Personal Historian 3" 
1:30 - 2:00     - Ancestry – "Using Ancestry DNA to Enhance Your Research"
2:10 - 2:40     - Family Chart Masters - "How to Zap the Grandma Gap: The best ideas for engaging your youth with their family history"

2:50 - 3:20     - Jim Beidler – "Behind the Scenes Tips from The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide"
3:30 - 4:00     - Legacy Tree Genealogists – "Google II"

Note: Due to the Expo there is no general monthly meeting or Brick Wall SIG meeting normally scheduled for today.

Gen News and Announcements:

How Do I Find My Irish Cousins among My DNA Matches? (This Works for 331+ Other Regions, Too.)

Ancestry
"Has Saint Patrick’s Day left you wondering about your Irish ancestors? Who they were? Where they came from? How they got here? Whether you really have some?"
Continue reading...

ICYMI: New Record Collection Arrivals:

Ancestry
"Just in case you might have missed them during the harried hustle of the holidays or the long winter’s night, we asked three of our favorite family historians to dish on some of their favorite new records on Ancestry."
Continue reading...

Women’s History Month:

FamilySearch
"Who are the women that shaped your family? Do you know their stories? Do you know what their lives were like? If not, celebrate Women’s History Month this March by learning about the inspiring women in your family tree. Read the articles below to find tips that can help."
Continue reading...

Don’t Label Me—But Do Label Your Ancestors:

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch Family Tree is seriously huge. With over a billion unique names, it is the largest family tree in the world.
Navigating such a large tree to connect with your ancestors can be tricky. We recently added a new feature called “Labels” that will, as it continues to develop, provide a new way to place your ancestors in better context."
Continue reading...

New Free Family Tree Offers Record Hints, Powerful Tools and a Modern Design:

Family History Daily
"For avid family historians the search for the perfect tree program can be a challenging one. We need a very specific set of tools, intelligent ways to enter and view data, robust reporting options and ongoing stability – but we also hope for an intuitive and attractive design, access from any device and the ability to easily share our work with family members and collaborators. It’s a tall order to fill."
Continue reading...

How Much Was Your Ancestor Worth?

Amy Johnson Crow
"When we see a reference to how much something cost "back in the old days," it's easy to marvel at how cheap it was. Gas for 25 cents a gallon? Sign me up! But that doesn't take into account how much things cost compared to wages. So how can we tell just how much our ancestor was worth (financially)? There are some ways we can gauge the wealth of people back in the day."
Continue reading...

New Genealogy Records On The Genealogy Giants:

Lisa Louise Cooke
"Millions of new genealogy records for Australia, the British Isles, the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Central and South America have been added to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com, the “genealogy giants.”"
Continue reading...

New State Genealogy Records Online:

Lisa Louise Cooke
"Check out these new or updated collections from 15 different states: AR, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MD, MA, NE, NJ, NM, NC, SC, TX and WY."
Continue reading...

Technology:

Guidelines for Use of Computer Technology in Genealogical Research:

NGS
Recommended by the National Genealogical Society
Continue reading...

Guidelines for Sharing Information with Others:

NGS
Recommended by the National Genealogical Society
Continue reading... Downloadable

Education:

A Review of Stories from Ipswich:

AncestralFindings
"Do you have early New England ancestors? Tens of millions of people do. If so, you won’t want to miss today’s episode."
Listen Now... 8.10 minutes 

Webinars:

How DNA Testing Can Reveal Your Ethnic Roots:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Discover your family's historic origins by uncovering the regions your ancestors came from. DNA tests allow you to uncover which ethnicities you inherited from the ancestors who came before you. The MyHeritage Ethnicity Estimate includes 42 ethnicities -- the most detailed percentage breakdown available. In this webinar, you will learn how MyHeritage determines your Ethnicity Estimate, how you can understand and share it, and how to use it to expand your family history research."
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: MyHeritage Webinars
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Formulating a DNA Testing Plan:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"DNA testing can be expensive, but DNA evidence is a component of exhaustive research when it is available. Identify some of the ways you can minimize costs while maximizing results by formulating a DNA testing plan early in your (or your client's) research."
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: MyHeritage Webinars
Learn more or Register for this webinar...