VGS News & Events: June 14 through June 20, 2020

Practice Social-Distancing

Coming Events:  Due to Covid-19, no Rec Center meetings this coming week. Some SIG's are having virtual meetings. Be on the lookout for emails announcing the meetings and how to connect to them.  That list is very fluid. Check the "Coming Events" section of the website as event news becomes available.

All remaining regular Monthly Meetings for 2020 will be virtual meetings.
Our guest speaker for our 21st Annual All-Day Seminar, 24 Feb 2021, will be Amy Johnson Crow.  More details on that as they become available.

Tuesday, June 16

Family Tree Maker Users SIG Meeting

1:00 pm

Online Webinar

John DeAngelo, Co-Coordinator

Presentation: "Using Sources and Citations in Family Tree Maker "

Description: Learn the basics for creating Sources & Citation within Family Tree Maker.  Step by step examples will include Census records, SSID, Obituaries, FindaGrave and documents you have in your possession.

Please register for the webinar Here...

Wednesday, June 17

VGS General Monthly Meeting

10:00 am to 11:15 am

First of two Online Webinars

Note Date Change...

Presenter: Crista Cowan

Topic: “How to Get the Most from Ancestry.com”

Description: Are you getting the most out of your Ancestry subscription?  Even if you don't have a subscription, are you aware there are many things you can access for free?  We will cover the major areas of the Ancestry.com website and show you our favorite tools for advancing your family history research.

Please register for the webinar Here...

Wednesday, June 17

VGS General Monthly Bonus Meeting

11:30 am to 12:45 pm

Second of two Online Webinars

Note Date Change...

Presenter: Crista Cowan

Topic: “What's New with Ancestry DNA”
Description: Learn more about AncestryDNA's features that will power your research and make it easier to discover your story.  ThruLines and better matching tools help you get even more from your AncestryDNA information.

Please register for the webinar Here...

Gen News and Announcements:

Free Pennsylvania & Vermont Obituaries and Obituary Index Links:

The Ancestor Hunt
"One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes more importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family. "
Search now...  Pennsylvania
Search now...  Vermont

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 8 June 2020

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch added 5M United States obituary, Minnesota death records and Electoral Registers for Wales, 1839-1778.  More records were added for American Samoa, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, Ireland, Micronesia, Niue, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, and Zambia.  United States collections included CA, HI, ID, LA, MS, NH, NY, NC, OR, PA, UT, and VA."
Search now...

How to Diagram a Mystery DNA Match...

FYFT
"One of Mom's DNA matches is driving me crazy. This is what I'll do when a DNA match is too abstract to make sense."
Continue reading...

Y DNA: Step-by-Step Big Y Analysis

DNAeXplained
"Many males take the Big Y-700 test offered by FamilyTreeDNA, so named because testers receive the most granular haplogroup SNP results in addition to 700+ included STR marker results. If you’re not familiar with those terms, you might enjoy the article, STRs vs SNPs, Multiple DNA Personalities."
Continue reading...

To Test or Not to Test – An Excellent Question

LegacyTree Genealogists
"The first hurdle a researcher may face as they contemplate engaging with the growing field of genetic genealogy may be the decision of whether or not to take a DNA test in the first place. While DNA testing is increasingly useful for the genealogist, the power of genetic genealogy to reveal surprising or unexpected information, and its current and potential future uses are reasons to pause and consider the options."
Continue reading...

Technology:

How to Copy, Cut, and Paste on a Windows PC

How-to Geek
"Copy, cut, and paste are three basic operations that every Windows user should know by heart. The concepts behind them apply to nearly every application you’ll ever use. Here’s how they work."
Continue reading...

Education:

Genealogy Again: Breathing New Life in Your Family Research:

Ancestral Findings
"Do you need some ideas to make your genealogy research more interesting again? Here are four ideas to get you moving."
Listen now... 4.04 minutes

Webinars:

Genealogical Treasures in Irish Archives:

Legacy Family Tree
"An enormous variety of Irish manuscripts tell the stories of our ancestors. Parish registers, census returns, Griffith’s Valuation, and civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths provide a great beginning for Irish family history research. However, a careful search of record repositories in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom reveals many more Irish archives of great worth."
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: David Ouimette, CG
Learn more or Register for this event...

Bridging the Gap: Finding Ancestors in the United States between 1780 and 1840

Legacy Family Tree
"Have you lost an ancestor between 1780 and 1840? Often connecting our ancestors to colonists can be quite a task. Learn how to employ probate, land, census, tax, and other compiled records to help bridge the gap."
Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS
Learn more or Register for this event...