VGS News & Events: 23 September 2018 through 29 September 2018

Reminders:

Monday: September 24, 2018

Technology SIG Meeting:

10:00 AM in the Destin Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: "Methods of repairing Ancestry files and the effects on Genealogy Software using Sync"

Tuesday: September 25, 2018

Midwest SIG Meeting:

2:00 PM in the Clearwater Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center

Gen News & Announcements:

Our First Live Broadcast of our General Monthly Meeting Was A Huge Success:

The VGS
On Wednesday September 19, 2018, The VGS using our own GotoMeeting platform, presented our first live general monthly meeting to our membership. We had approximately 135 members present at the meeting and another 55 in attendance online. Several additional members have already viewed the meeting after it was posted to our website. In addition to the membership meeting, the presentation "Creating Google Map Tours" was presented by Karin A. Fortin.  Members can view the entire meeting by logging into the "Members Only" section of our website. Select the "Webinar & Meetings" menu option.

Powered by the World’s Largest Consumer DNA Network, Ancestry Unveils More Detailed and Precise Ethnicity Estimates Than Ever Before:

Ancestry
"Today, we announce that Ancestry will deliver ethnicity estimates with increased precision to its customers, through a new algorithm that analyzes longer segments of genetic information, marking an important evolution in the way we interpret DNA data. Having built and expanded our DNA reference panel, we have a better understanding of genetic signatures globally, can break down geographic ethnicity estimates with greater specificity and give you a more detailed picture of your origins."
Continue reading...

Ancestry.com Changed How It Determines Ethnicity And People Are Upset:

Detroit Free Press
"After Ancestry rolled out a new update to its ethnicity estimate system last week, users noticed dramatic changes in their ethnic profiles — some of which is inaccurate, customers say."
Continue reading...

Index to New York State Births (Outside of New York City), 1881-1942

Reclaim The Records
"In September 2017, Reclaim The Records made a new FOIL request of the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH), asking for the first-ever public copy of the basic index to all births in New York State (minus New York City). In September 2018, after a year of working and waiting and e-mailing and finally receiving the records, we went public with the news that we had won, and published the records online."
Continue reading...

MyHeritage Step by Step Guide: How to Upload-Download DNA Files

DNA eXplained

"In this Upload-Download Series, we’ll cover each major vendor:

• How to download raw data files from the vendor
• How to upload raw data files to the vendor, if possible
• Other mainstream vendors where you can upload this vendor’s files"

Continue reading...

Are You Making the Direct-Line Mistake in Your Family Tree?

Family History Daily

"One of the most common research mistakes that family historians make when building their tree (especially for the first time) is also one of the most limiting and potentially detrimental. We like to call it the Direct-Line Mistake, and its effect on your research is pretty huge."

Continue reading...

Citrus County Genealogical Society Meeting October 9

The Citrus County Genealogical Society will meet October 9 at 10 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto. 
"The speaker, Debbie Smyth, a professional genealogist from Palm Harbor, will present "Indirectly Evident: Finding William's Parents." Challenges arise in identifying parental relationships when the time period lacks traditional birth and death records. Research is further complicated by early marriage records that did not name parents. A genealogist must rely on the analysis and correlation of many sources to reach a conclusion. This presentation will explore a case study using indirect evidence to arrive at a conclusion for the parents of William. Guests are welcome to attend. For information call Mary Ann Machonkin at 382-5515 or go to www.citrusgenealogy.com

Tech:

All the Best Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts:

How-to-Geek
"Even if you’re familiar with Microsoft Excel, you might be surprised by the number and variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use to speed up your work and generally make things more convenient."
Continue reading...

Education:

5 Frequently Asked Questions About Census Records

Ancestral Findings
"The U.S. Federal Census is one of the best-known tools for researching your family history. Whether you are a novice or a veteran of using the census, there is always more to learn about this fascinating recordset. Today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast I’ll give you the five top questions genealogists of all levels have about the census, and their answers."
Listen now...  8.53 minutes

Webinar(s):

Importance of Newspapers for Family Research

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Newspapers are a key tool to get information about families in all kind of announcements; but not everybody knows how and where to access them. But the most recent revolution in newspaper technology was done with MyHeritage's Record Matching new technology, designed to automatically find historical records for families in newspapers, comparing important meta-data like places and dates. Learn how  this technology works and how it benefits the users and the newspapers as well."
Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Daniel Horowitz
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

VGS News & Events: 30 July - 5 August 2017

Reminders:

Thursday: August 3, 2017

Eastern European Genealogy SIG Meeting:

1:00 PM in the Daytona Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Gen News & Announcements:

Our Daily Blog Goes Weekly: Re-posted from yesterday...

The Editor
Recently I conducted a poll to gather information about continuing our blog in the current format on a daily basis. Being an all volunteer organization, it requires a lot of time and research to continue a blog in a daily format. Also our blog was not as popular as we had hoped when it began in January of 2015.
Some survey results...
We had 76 people respond to the survey. Of those 76 responses...
87% said that they have learn great things from the blog and that it should continue.
83% responded that a weekly blog post would work for them.
Therefore, effective tomorrow, Saturday July 29th will be our first weekly post. For those who receive it by email you will continue receiving it in that format. For those who go to our website, you will find it exactly in the same place on our website.
Thank you to all who support the VGS Blog.

This “Genealogy” Site is Openly Sharing Your Personal Details Online: Here’s How to Remove Them:

Family History Daily
Here at Family History Daily we have spent a great deal of time researching free genealogy sites. While large paid websites can offer a wealth of information to family history researchers, there is a growing selection of no-cost genealogy databases available online that provide just as much value. These sites, which are generally made available through the work of dedicated organizations, local governments, and volunteers provide a staggering amount of data that would be nearly impossible to access otherwise.
Continue reading...

History in Living Color:

MyHeritage
A new trend has emerged — people are taking old black and white photos and meticulously adding color to them. In some cases, the colorized photos look so modern, you’d guess that they’re from our times, instead of being decades old.
Continue reading...

New York Online Genealogy Records:

FamilySearch
"A Guide to New York Online Genealogy Records for researching ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth, marriage, death, census, church, military, immigration, and naturalization records. This chart shows links to statewide collections."
Continue reading and search NY Records FREE...

Online Germany Genealogy Records by State:

FamilySearch
"Links to German online genealogy records by state currently available on FamilySearch.org"
Continue reading and search German  Records FREE...

Review: GreetingStory™ Cards from PassItDown™

GenealogyBargain
"Once a card is completed and given back to the family historian, the Pass It Down platform is used to preserve and share the family story. I found the website intuitive and easy-to-use. I had to create an account, agree to a basic Terms and Services, and then I could customize my profile with a photo and bio."
Continue reading...

Creating a Family Health History:

OwnYourHealth
"A family health history is a record of health information, such as illnesses and conditions, present in your family. Usually, your doctor will want to know of any health concerns in your immediate family (birth mother, birth father, full and half siblings) and extended family (grandparents, aunts and uncles), but you should note any condition or illness of any family member if you think it could be helpful for your doctor to get a well-rounded picture of your health."
Continue reading...

Citrus County Genealogical Society August Meeting:

CCGS
The Citrus County Genealogical Society will meet August 8 at 10:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto. The topic is “Cemetery Transcriptions and Headstone Cleaning.” The program will be presented by Nigel Rudolph, Public Archaeology Coordinator, Florida Public Archaeology Network, Central Regional Center, USF Department of Anthropology. Guests are welcome to attend, For information go to www.citrusgenealogy.com or call Mary Ann Machonkin at 382-5515

Program Note:

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns to PBS with a new season on October 3rd to explore the fascinating family trees of popular figures including Ana Navarro, Bernie Sanders, Garrison Keillor, Mary Steenburgen, Scarlett Johansson, Ted Danson, William H. Macy, and others!

Tech:

RootsMagic Essentials:

RootsMagic
"RootsMagic Essentials is a free genealogy program that contains many core features from the award-winning RootsMagic family tree software. Downloading RootsMagic Essentials is absolutely free and is the easiest way to start tracing your family tree!"
Learn more and/or download the software...

Editor's Note: The full version sync's directly to ancestry.com

"RootsMagic’s TreeShare for Ancestry will let you move data between your RootsMagic files on your computers and your personal Ancestry online trees. You can transfer people, events, notes, source citations, and even pictures between the two systems."

Education:

Why I Love Genealogy (And You Should, Too!)

Ancestral Findings
"Genealogy is the most wonderful of pastimes. I love it, and you should, too. There are endless reasons why. Genealogy is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the western world, as more and more people discover the exhilarating and slightly addictive nature of ancestor hunting. It’s like an ongoing mystery with clues you have to discover and then put together to come to conclusions about your family’s past."
Listen now...  12.22 minutes

Upcoming Webinars:

Tracing Your West Country Ancestors:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Introducing the identity of ‘The West Country’, its geography and history over the centuries, this class guides the family historian through the wealth of historical records available both online and in archives and libraries to add the ‘flesh to the bones’ of the names of ancestors on your family trees, including some fascinating details that can be uncovered about the places they lived, their occupations and the distinctive features, identity and character of the West Country. Case studies of some notable individuals from the counties are provided as well as some records of those individuals who never hit the headlines."
Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Kirsty Gray
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Free Family History Library Classes and Webinars for August 2017:

FamilySearch
"The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has announced its free family history classes and webinars for August 2017. There are 22 of them. Participants can attend in person or online. Many of the August classes teach how to research records in Great Britain, China, and Prussian Poland, to understand DNA, and to use documents and photos to preserve memories. Some classes are also in Spanish. See the full schedule below. Mark your calendars for events you want to join so you don't forget." This is the only post on these webinars.
Continue reading...

VGS Latest News & Tips: 30 Mar 2015

Are You Researching Your Mayflower Ancestors?

Michael J. Leclerc writes "If your research leads you to family that lived in southeastern Massachusetts, there is a good chance that you may discover ancestors who lived in the Plymouth Colony. If you are very lucky, you might even find that you have some who arrived on the Mayflower. Here are three resources to help you find out more about Mayflower ancestors."
Read more...

Michael also wrote about Family Registers as Gifts. I know it's early but maybe this might be a Birthday, Christmas or Special Occasion gift idea. He writes "One of the nice things about doing genealogical research is being able to share our family history with our family and friends. In today’s digital age, we have many new and exciting ways of doing this. But sometimes it is the traditional ways that are most fun, even when they carry a modern twist.  Creating new family record or family tree broadsides from antique originals is a great way to gift your genealogical research to other family members.
Read more...

Who Do You Think You Are?

Have you missed any of the episodes from the current series of Who Do You Think You Are? You can catch up online.
Episode 3: Angie Harman
Episode 2: Josh Groban
Episode 1: Julie Chen

In Iceland’s DNA, New Clues to Disease-Causing Genes:

The New York Times:
Carl Zimmer writes "Scientists in Iceland have produced an unprecedented snapshot of a nation’s genetic makeup, discovering a host of previously unknown gene mutations that may play roles in ailments as diverse as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and gallstones.
Read more...

News:

The Citrus County Genealogical Society will meet May 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto. The program will be “Tracing Immigrant Ancestors” presented by Lisa Alzo as a webinar on CD. She is a teacher of online genealogy courses for Family Tree University. This session will show you tips and tricks for locating and searching passenger lists and other key immigration documents both on and offline to help you trace your roots. Guests are welcome to attend. For questions call Mary Ann Machonkin at 382-5515 or go to www.citrusgenealogy.com

This Day in History:

30 Mar 1981: President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr.

30 Mar 1870: Texas is readmitted to the Union following Reconstruction.

30 Mar 1867: Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about $.02 per acre by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward

VGS Latest News & Tips: 27 Mar 2015

What's Going On with Heritage Quest:

Recently, HeritageQuest changed their internet appearance and with any change there are pro's and con's and likes and dislikes. The following two articles will give you a sense of what has and has not changed. Heritage Quest is a FREE online library asset that every genealogist should have in his or hers toolkit. You can access it from your home with your library card. Everyone in The Villages can obtain a Free Sumter County Library card. Visit our website for details.  

Librarians Express Concern Over HeritageQuest Changes...

Ancestry.com Did not Buy HeritageQuest...

Milford Times Obituary Request:

The Milford Times is the oldest newspaper still being published in Oakland County, Michigan. The Milford Public Library has issues of the newspaper available on microfilm going back to its first issue in 1871. It has always been published on a weekly basis. The Milford Times includes news from Milford, Michigan, and many of the surrounding communities, including Highland Township, Commerce Township, White Lake Township, Hartland, Hickory Ridge, Wixom, Clyde, Walled Lake, Novi, and New Hudson. The obituary Index is from 1929-1949. Look-ups is a free service provided by the Milford Public Library.
Read more...

Seeking Michigan:

Seeking Michigan recently made the following announcement. "Today is Seeking Michigan’s sixth birthday, and the Archives of Michigan is thrilled to announce that images of Michigan death certificates from 1921-1939 are now available for free here at Seeking Michigan. The index for records from 1940-1952 will be made available in the next few weeks, with additional certificate images to be released each year as privacy restrictions are lifted."
Read more...

Death Record Pitfalls:

Death records are one of the most commonly used sources for genealogists. They have been around, in one form or another, for centuries. But one must be careful to use them properly. There are some pitfalls in using them. Michael J. Leclerc writes about 5 common pitfalls to be aware of during your research.
Read more...

News:

The Citrus County Genealogical Society will meet April 14 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto. The speaker will be Bob Bryan from the Pinellas County Genealogical Society. He will talk about  “Genealogy Photos: Organizing, Managing and Enhancing” and will demonstrate how to organize your digital genealogy photos so they can be easily found and how to enhance their appearance. All this can be done using Picasa, the free program from Google. Guests are welcome to attend. For questions call Mary Ann Machonkin at 382-5515 or go to www.citrusgenealogy.com

Benefits of a Newspapers.com Subscription:

• Search and browse thousands of newspapers across the United States
• Access to over 92 million pages
• Millions of new pages added every month
• Easily view, print, save, clip, and share your findings
Offer ends March 31st, 2015

Take advantage of this offer here...