Family Preserves: New Blog Content

It has been awhile since I’ve updated the “My Blog List” and “Links” sections here at Family Preserves. So, I thought I’d take a moment to draw your attention to the blogs I am reading and the links to some really great genealogy presentations and webinars. The links to the blogs and links mentioned can be found just to the right of this post. Scroll down about midway and you will see “My Blog List” and right after that, “Links.” The blog title and the link description are hot links.

BLOGS

What I look for in a genealogy specific blog: I look for blogs that will broadly help me in my research. That is, I look for blogs that will further my self-education in the best research methodology and strategy. I look for blogs that share organizational tips such as how to best set up my PC genealogy files – best strategies for concisely naming my documents when saving them; is it best to save documents for specific person(s) under a surname file or . . .? I am very interested in how others process, review and critically analyze the information they find. What tools do they use and how are they using them to help them come to sound reasoned conclusions? How can I best set up and better use the tools that I’m using? What other tools are out there that might be used in my genealogy research? What new innovative tools have recently come on the genealogy scene; are they something that can work for me, how I work, and how I process the information I’m finding? I look for blogs that include location specific history; while they may, or may not, be blogs specifically about my ancestral geographic locations. There have been a number of times that I’ve read a post, or more, in a blog, that on the surface had nothing to do with my research; they were just interesting posts. Yet, I’m often surprised how something I've read in these posts proved to be helpful in my research. Whether it be about the laws of the time, the predominate religious culture of the area, the ethnic makeup, cultural history, and customs that people brought to an area, and how, or if, those cultural customs evolved and adapted in their new home of the United States. Sometimes I’m just drawn to a blog for its pleasing aesthetic and format, because I enjoy the blogger's writing style, or more likely because I can learn from their research methods, strategy, tips and tricks. And, of course, I am always looking for blogs that might “connect” me to my ancestors and my living “cousins.”

A Grave Interest

Blogger Joy Neighbor is a “Tombstone tourist:” Someone who loves to wander cemeteries. Like visiting an art museum; it's an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture.

Joy’s blog, "A Grave Interest" is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy – subjects of current relevance.

Joy is the author of “The Family Tree Cemetery Research Field Guide.”

A Hundred Years Ago

Blogger Sheryl Lazarus initially started her “A Hundred Years Ago” blog to post her Grandmother’s diary entries a hundred years to the day after her grandmother had written them. Sheryl also included contextual information and old recipes. After Sheryl recorded her Grandmother’s last diary entry, her blog evolved to posting old recipes from a hundred years ago; she includes updates to make them user friendly for modern cooks.

Climbing My Family Tree

Marian B. Wood blogs about her adventures in genealogy, learning new methodology, and connecting with cousins!

Family Tree Maker User

Russ Worthington blogs about the Family Tree Maker software. He provides helpful information, tips and tricks about all things Family Tree Maker.

Genealogical Musings

The author of the blog is a fellow Pennsylvanian whose research focuses on a few of my ancestral locations as well – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and New York. Her ancestral research also goes into Virginia, a location that is the focus of my research of my daughter-in-law’s ancestors. The blogger and I also have shared ancestral locations in Germany, UK – Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. And, we share a love of all things history. In other words, we have a lot in common, though we’ve never met and aren’t related.

Genohistory on Purpose

Coming soon . . . Starting in May, Donna Cox Baker will blog about genohistory. From Donna’s invite to subscribe. . .

“After years of bouncing between my two loves — history and genealogy — I have come to terms with something. I am most in my element at the place where the two intersect. I'm not satisfied to fill in the blanks on my family tree and keep climbing. I want to know an ancestor's world. I want to understand what it meant to be that person in that time and place. I call this pursuit ‘genohistory.’

Starting May 10, I will be blogging about genohistory to others who want to go deeper in their ancestral research.”

Donna’s new Genohistory blog is exactly the type of blog I’m interested in. If this is something that interests you too, you can subscribe here https://tinyurl.com/yao7j2wv

Leaf Twig and Stem

Theailureophile has a graphical and an aesthetically pleasing format for their blog, Leaf Twig and Stem. Though their ancestral locations, nor their ancestors are mine, I simply enjoy the blog.

Leaves & Branches

Colleen Pasquale posts about helpful books, cemeteries, maps, websites, libraries, archives, tips and tricks, her research trips along with stories, photos and her genealogy research.

My Family History Files

Erin Klein rediscovered her interest in genealogy in 2013 and soon became obsessed. One thing led to another and she began blogging about her attempt to clean up her “old” family history files and her desire to document her findings properly and maybe share a few stories and helpful hints along the way.

I discovered Erin’s blog a year later when I ran across her blog series titled “OneNote A to Z, How I Use Microsoft OneNote for my Genealogy Research” and I was hooked! As, I too, have always had the desire to document my findings properly and to share my ancestors’ stories along the way and OneNote is just one genealogy tool among many that are in this genealogist’s toolbox and I always enjoy learning how others use these tools to their research advantage.

Nutfield Genealogy

As I said, earlier I’m not “looking” for blogs that are only written about, or for, only my ancestral geographic locations. Nor do I limit myself to looking for blogs that are specifically about my ancestral surnames, or about my ancestors. However, it is ALWAYS fun when I come across a blog that is. Nutfield Genealogy is just such a blog.

This is a blog specifically about Derry, Londonderry and Windham, New Hampshire. But the author also writes about New England broadly.

Londonderry, Rockingham County, New Hampshire is the specific location that my “supposed” paternal 5^th Great Grandfather is to have settled after having immigrated to the colonies in 1722. I will be blogging in the near future about what I found at the Nutfield Genealogy blog that set me on my current research journey to discover more about this “supposed” 5^th Great Grandfather.

PhillyHistory Blog

As the title would indicate this is a blog about Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its history. I was born and raised just outside Philadelphia so its rich history is near and dear to me. But, it is also my Ancestors’ stomping grounds . . . both sides, actually all sides of my family, one era or another.

The Golden Egg Genealogist (GEG)

Do you strive for excellence in the pursuit and research of your genealogy? Are you always looking for a way to better your genealogy game – your knowledge of genealogy methodology, strategy, best practices? If so, you may be a Golden Egg Genealogist (GEG)

The blog is authored by Donna Cox Baker; two of her earliest GEG posts had me hooked.

1. Are you a GEG in the Making? Where she lists key characteristics of a GEG. You can read that post here https://gegbound.com/qualities-of-the-golden-egg-genealogist/

2. Another GEG post that caught my eye was the post about a new genealogy tool. One that looked promising; one that would help a researcher to come to sound and reasoned conclusions. One that would address the “missing” information in the pre-1850’s censuses. No, there really is no “missing” information, but the information that is there is not something that you click on the image and “see.” The pre-1850’s census requires some time. Time to look it over and to really analyze the questions being asked; time to review and understand what the tic marks are telling us; time to compare each succeeding census with the previous one and with the following ones 1790 – 1850 and if we’re smart, we won’t stop there, we’ll keep going . . . 1850 – 1940. And, when the 1950 census is released in 2022 we will continue to look at, AND compare, ALL the censuses for our ancestors.

The pre-1850 censuses can be . . . well, laborious! And, many reason they don’t really tell us much; they’re just a bunch of tic marks and sense can’t be made of them. Ah, but they can tell us a whole lot if we just spend some time with them. Donna, made that easier. She designed an Excel-compatible spreadsheet tool. As I noted above I am always looking for new and innovative genealogy tools that will help me process, review and critically analyze the information I find, which in turn, helps me come to sound reasoned conclusions.

I have been using this genealogy tool since I first read about it. LOVE IT!!! You can read more about it here https://gegbound.com/early-federal-census-drama/

The Shy Genealogist

Lisa’s research centers on Russell County, Kentucky and Kankakee County, Illinois. No common ancestral locations and no shared ancestors. What drew me to the Shy Genealogist was Lisa’s video tutorials and downloads. Lisa has developed a number of templates that are helpful tools in reviewing and critically analyzing the documents and information we find during our research. They help with correlating the evidence and help in making sound reasoned conclusions. Lisa has a whole series of posts, 25 to date, on Excel; how she uses it and the custom templates she has created. You can find Lisa’s tutorials and templates under the “Video Tutorials” and “Download” tabs respectively.

LINKS

Complex Evidence – What is It? How Does it Work? And Why Does it Matter?:

Presented by Warren Bittner, CG. Webinar description – “A genealogist’s goal is to establish identity and prove relationships; complex evidence is the ONLY way to do this. Follow a case study of clues from multiple sources to solve a problem.”

I can’t say enough good things about Warren Bittner. Perhaps it was because he was one of the first speakers I heard, at THE VERY FIRST national genealogy conference I attended six years ago. Could be. But, his presentation at that national conference in Richmond is where I first “cut my teeth” on what is truly meant by an “exhaustive research.” While we may understand the root word of exhaustive – “exhausted” – I assure you, until you’ve heard Warren’s presentation, or that of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ (I will be touching on this later), it’s likely you don’t . . . not really. Warren’s presentation in Richmond in 2014 was entertaining, informative, and educational. And, his webinar presentation here on the same topic is equally so and does not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

Note: This video presentation is found at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, a subscription site. If you have a subscription, this and others are free to view. If you do not, there is a $10.00 download fee.

Decoding Social Security: Providing Benefits to our Ancestors:

Presented by Michael L Strauss, AG. Webinar description – “The passage of the Social Security Act of 1935 during the height of the new deal era and the great depression would provide stability to our nation. By decoding the meaning of the series of numbers, ordering the applications of the social security cards, and understanding how delayed births played an important part in this act can help genealogists to find new information about their ancestors.”

Did you know there are other social security forms / documents BESIDES the social security application, the SS-5, that document your ancestor's employment and social security benefit history? Did you know that through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) you can request them? Do you know that all of these, may contain anywhere from a nugget to a wealth of information on your Ancestor? Do you know where to find this information and how to request copies of the documents? If not, I encourage you to watch Michael’s presentation.

Michael is a fellow native Pennsylvanian and is from my home stomping grounds.

Note: This video presentation is found at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, a subscription site. If you have a subscription, this and others are free to view. If you do not, there is a $10.00 download fee.

Funeral Homes and Family History: They’re Dying to Meet You!:

Presented by Dan Earl. Webinar description – “Most genealogists know to look in a cemetery to find their ancestors, but what about the funeral home? Funeral home records can provide loads of genealogically rich information. This presentation will teach participants what types of records are typically found in funeral homes, how to locate these resources online and "in the field", as well as provide real life examples of how to search for ancillary clues in funeral home records.”

Dan is both entertaining and informed, he packs a lot in this hour long presentation

Reasonably Exhaustive Research The First Criteria for Genealogical Proof:

Presented by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CCG, CGL. Webinar description – “Tracking a project from start to finish, this session demonstrates the principles of reasonably exhaustive research and how much is required to prove identity and parentage.”

Oh, my goodness! I LOVE THIS PRESENTATION!!! Elizabeth Shown Mills, author of “Evidence Explained, Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Third Edition” knocks this out of the park!!! She takes, for me, everything that I learned from Warren Bittner’s presentation in Richmond, that I mentioned previously, and builds on that.

Ten Genealogical Lessons I Learned the Hard Way:

Presented by Warren Bittner, CG. Webinar description – “This light—hearted excursion into the mistakes of a novice researcher will entertain audiences of all levels of experience.”

Legacy Family Tree Webinars:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars is a subscription site.

From the site: “Learn genealogy at your own pace with a webinar membership. All live webinars are free to the public. With a webinar membership, you get on-demand access to our entire video archives, and access to the instructors’ handouts. Watch via your computer or mobile device. New videos are added monthly at no additional costs.”

A wealth of information on one site. And, should you choose to subscribe, you will have access to ALL of their previous presentations, at no additional cost. The current subscription rate is $49.95 per year.

Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia:

From the website – “The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia is a civic project to increase understanding of one of America’s greatest cities. Produced by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden, the Encyclopedia as a digital resource and in print volumes will offer the most comprehensive authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region.”

I love reading about the history of this city; a city dear to me, as I grew up not too far from there. And, it, as I mentioned before, predominately features in my ancestors’ lives on all sides and branches of my family tree.

Genealogical Proof Standards Series:

Presented by Crista Cowan, Ancestry.com’s Corporate Genealogist. Video series description – “Ready to take your genealogy skills to the next level? “Proof” is a fundamental concept in genealogy. In order to merit confidence, each conclusion about an ancestor must have sufficient credibility to be accepted as “proved.” Acceptable conclusions, therefore, meet the Genealogical Proof Standard.” (Board for Certification of Genealogists)

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is NOT just for professional genealogists. ALL genealogists, the novice to the professional, should strive to meet the burden of “proof” as outlined in the GPS! All of us want our conclusions – our family tree and our family history to be accurate. The GPS is our “compass” to ensure that it is.

This is a 7-part video series and is completely FREE! The link takes you to the introduction to the series, then to the right of the video you will see the other six videos in the series listed. They are:

- Reasonably Exhaustive Search
- Complete and Accurate Citation of Sources
- Analysis and Correlation of Collected Information
- Resolution of Conflicting Evidence
- Soundly Reasoned Coherently Written Conclusion
- Negative Evidence

Making Discoveries with the New and Improved Ancestry DNA Match List:

Presented by Crista Cowan, Ancestry.com’s Corporate Genealogist. Video description – “A detailed tour through the New and improved AncestyDNA Match List. The Barefoot Genealogist will then walk you through her process for working with her DNA matches to make new discoveries about her family history. She will also provide you with some quick tips for keeping track of your new connections.”