Attention Genealogists: You Might be Missing Out

Image from FreeImages.com; Photo by Emin Ozkan

If you haven't heard of genealogy webinars, you are missing out! Getting to go to genealogy workshops, conferences, and lectures are fun and certainly educational, but they can also be expensive and require you to travel long distances. However, online webinars are the next best thing and many are free.

What is a webinar, you ask? It is an online meeting. Imagine listening to a live genealogy lecture without ever having to leave the house. Participants can view PowerPoint slides, download handouts, and even ask questions. A typical webinar lasts about 45 minutes to an hour with some time left over for questions. With a variety of topics, you will soon turn into a webinar junkie.

You don't need special computer software to participate. Webinars are browser based. All you need is a good internet connection and an internet browser such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome.

Most webinars require pre-registration. You will register using your email address. Then, you will receive an email with instructions for logging into the webinar on the day of the event. It is really easy and the instructions are clear and straight forward.

When participating in a webinar, it's a good idea to log on early as some of the webinars are first come, first serve. If you log in late, you may not be able to "attend." However, if you do miss the webinar, many societies offer a recorded version to their members. If you are not a member of their society, you will sometimes pay a small fee to download the past webinar or have limited access.

I started attending webinars regularly over the past year. I love the freedom of going to genealogy lectures without having to actually "go" anywhere!

Some of my favorite places to go for webinars are:

• New England Historic Genealogical Society
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars
• Georgia Genealogical Society
• Board for Certification of Genealogists
• Wisconsin Genealogical Society
• Illinois Genealogical Society
• FamilySearch

This is just a small list of what's available. Genealogy webinars are becoming more and more popular, so don't miss out! Check your local state genealogical society for webinar opportunities and take advantage of this new tool for your genealogy and family history education.

If you have some go-to webinar sites for genealogy that you enjoy, I would love to hear about them!

Find out if you have these top three genealogy books in your library. Click here.

Multiple Family Trees Online...It's a GOOD THING!

A few weeks ago in a Facebook group I follow, a very upset woman shared her feelings about having lost access to her online family tree. Even though she had taken some small precautions to protect her data, it got me thinking.

I have a family tree on no less than five websites: FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and Findmypast. This does not include the family tree I keep on my personal computer using genealogy software. I feel like my family tree has turned into an orchard of trees! How on earth do I keep them all maintained? Read the rest of this article at RootsBid.com here.

DNA May Have Revealed the Family Secret

I was born and raised a blonde, blue-eyed, "White" child. I look like my  mother, also blonde and blue eyed. So you can imagine the surprise while researching her family, I found that her great grandfather, his siblings, and parents were recorded as "Black" in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. Surely, there was some mistake. Wasn't there?

Read the full article here at RootsBid.com/blog and learn how DNA may have finally revealed the family secret.

SeekingMichigan.org Leads the Way in Michigan Records

Can you imagine how exciting it must have been to your ancestors to first hear about Henry Ford's "Tin Lizzy?" If your genealogy research is in the state of Michigan, you might feel as excited as they did that day. I just found a website full of genealogical records for the state of Michigan and it's free!

SeekingMichigan.org is a website dedicated to helping you with your Michigan family history. You will be amazed at the digital images of records they have there. Learn more about SeekingMichgian in the article at the RootsBid.com blog here.

7 Family History Things To Do on a Rainy Day

It seems like it has been raining non stop for days and it is raining again today. It's cold, wet, and gloomy outside.

I have a million things to do, but can't do any of them due to the bad weather. Then, I thought of my favorite genealogy and family history things to do when I have some down time.

Here are seven family history things I do on a rainy days.

1. Upload all my pictures from my phone to the computer and then to the Cloud. Sometimes, I go a step further and organize them by year.
2. Write in my personal journal about all the latest happenings in the family. I have kept a personal journal since I was 8 years old. I believe I am on journal number 17. I have NOT been as good at my journal writing since the kids have gotten older. I am lucky to write once a month. Since time passes so quickly and I don't write daily like I used to, I have started using a new format for journal writing. I use an outline format. It may not be as detailed or "interesting" but it will work for key events and at least jog my memory someday.

3. Clean up my pedigree chart by checking that no sources are missing.
4. Catch up on reading my favorite blogs, magazines, or newsletters.
5. Write letters or emails to all those on my "old ladies" list. Now before I have everyone jumping all over me, let me explain! Years ago, I had several older ladies that allowed me to interview them for our family history. I realized that many were widows and enjoyed getting a phone call or letter from time to time. I decided to create a list I loving referred to as the "old lady list." Over time, I added other people to the list, even older couples or widowed men. I try to write them as often as I can. I let them know I am thinking of them, how the family history research is going, and update them on my latest happenings.
6. Dust the shelves. I have a lot of shelves in my office. They get pretty dusty. :)
7. Clean the desk and file away notes. I love to make notes. They are everywhere. On occasion, it is necessary to go through the notes and either file in drawer 13 (the trash can) or file in the appropriate hanging folder. When the note is important to the family tree, I not only file it, but I add the information to my family history database with a source citation.

Guess what? While I sat here writing this post, it stopped raining! Figures. Maybe I will do a few of my rainy day items anyway. What family history things do you do on a rainy day?

Researching Your Dutch Ancestry

I had the great opportunity to do some research for records in the Netherlands and wanted to share with you what I learned. If you don't think you can do international research from the comfort of your home, you can! I found birth records, marriage records, and more. Don't speak Dutch? NO PROBLEM!

I have written a blog post for RootsBid.com about my success doing Dutch research from home. You can safely view the entire article here.

New Blog at RootsBid.com

If you hadn't already heard, I was hired this past spring as a content specialist for Rootsbid.com. This is a wonderful new website for family history and genealogy researchers everywhere...and I mean EVERYWHERE.

A worldwide company, RootsBid helps to find others like yourself that are willing to do look-ups, pictures, and more for a small fee. Don't let the fee scare you. Imagine yourself being willing to drive 100 miles or so to a courthouse to help out a friend, but you can't afford the gas money. You tell this friend what it will cost for the gas and they are willing to pay it because they can't make the drive themselves.

Post a request or bid to help someone else in need. It's really easy.

Be sure to check out the site and don't forget to read the great articles on RootsBid blog. Happy hunting!