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All Blog Posts (3,110)

Problems communicating my family tree.

When I first started to research my family tree I wisely wrote down every entry I heard from family, I researched the usual places online and found dates and names to fill in my tree, my data became a menagerie. So I read how to organize the mess you see, then I wondered how to communicate this book across the sea. Now I searched for templates and discovered many but unfortunately I needed dollars a plenty you see. . Each…

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Added by Gail Ann Gruszka Reitz on September 9, 2010 at 9:16pm — No Comments

Generations of "the girls"

Sometimes it's interesting to put the photographs together and see the resemblances and differences. These are photos of "the girls" of my family.

Great niece, Victoria (2010):

Her grandmother, my baby sister, Maggie (about 1956):…

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Added by William S Dean on September 9, 2010 at 1:43pm — 1 Comment

Doing Homework

I just spent 2 hours helping my 8 year old grandson do his homework, he likes to twiddle between answers, could this be a early indication of procrastination. I guess he has inherited it from his grandma. I love to procastinate when I have to do things I dont want to do. I wonder how many other of my quirks he has inherited? I guess I need to be more observant and I just might find out.

Nite all.

Added by Gail Ann Gruszka Reitz on September 8, 2010 at 7:59pm — No Comments

Lies, Damned Lies, and Genealogy

While it's rarely a challenge outside of old Spanish/Mexican genealogy, the idea of social caste strongly rears its "old school" head when dealing with the complexities of European (Spanish), mestizo, creole, mulatto, indio, and the numerous variations of how much percentage you are of one or another.

I was reminded of the challenge recently when contacted by a possible relative for more information. She had traced her ancestry to the second… Continue

Added by William S Dean on September 2, 2010 at 1:11pm — 1 Comment

Join us for a webinar on September 15 - Mapping Software for Genealogists

Join us for our first-ever live webinar on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 2:00PM EDT. The webinar, Mapping Software for Genealogists will cover essential software tools: AniMap (U.S. & Canada), Centennia (Europe & Middle East), and Map My Family Tree (entire world), and maybe even a Legacy Family Tree tip or two.

Registration is free but space is limited.

In this 30 minute…

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Added by Geoff Rasmussen on September 1, 2010 at 4:13pm — No Comments

Looking for the ideal lineage linked database program

There have been a rash of Blog posts about the release of Family Tree Maker 2011. It looks like I last visited the subject of lineage linked database programs

back in January of 2009. For those of you who are not used to that

name, a lineage linked database program is software that stores your

family information such as Personal Ancestral File, RootsMagic,

Ancestral Quest, Legacy… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 31, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Pocket Genealogist v4 now available - access Legacy on Windows Mobile devices

Got a Windows Mobile based device? With the new Pocket Genealogist 4.0 you can easily transfer your Legacy Family Tree files, including pictures, from your PC to your PocketPC 2003 or Windows Mobile 5/6 device.

And while you are at the cemetery or the library, you can add or edit information and when you get home, Pocket Genealogist will sync with and update your Legacy files on your PC - no GEDCOM…

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Added by Geoff Rasmussen on August 31, 2010 at 5:02pm — No Comments

Are You Ready?, New Adventures by the Chula Vista Genealogy Society starting Sept 11

Come Join Us At These Events

Guest Speaker: Alfredo Pena, head genealogist for CorGoMiUri

Sept 11 is the start of a three part series presented to help Hispanic Researchers find their past.

Sept 11, 2010 Bonita Library on Bonita Road, by the Museum and golf course at 1-3 pm

Conference Room in the door to the left.

"The CONQUEST OF MEXICO: FINDING YOUR ANCESTORS AMONG THE…

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Added by Susi (Susan C Jones) Pentico on August 30, 2010 at 8:47pm — No Comments

James Wilson- America’s first Globe Maker

James Wilson was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire on March 15, 1765. His father was a farmer, and James was an apprentice to a blacksmith. He had little formal education. In 1796 he removed to Bradford, Vermont and taught…

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Added by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on August 30, 2010 at 2:09pm — No Comments

Connecting the Genealogist to the Research -- an online conundrum

In the title to this post, I use for the definition of "conundrum" that

of an intricate and difficult problem. The question was raised by Martin

Hollick, author of

Hollick, Martin E. New Englanders in the 1600s: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published between 1980 and 2005. Boston, Mass: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.

in his post, "Shepardizing… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 30, 2010 at 8:18am — No Comments

Following links from Google Books, WorldCat and Archive.org

When I was working at the University of Utah Library a million years ago

(maybe only half a million), my past-time on break was to walk the

stacks, it was exercise and I also became acquainted with all of the

different sections of that huge library. I would also find books of

interest from time to time. Whenever I go to a library, I essentially do

the same thing, walk up and down the shelves looking for relevant

material. I have learned that no index (card catalog)… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 29, 2010 at 5:12pm — No Comments

My rules for buying a new computer for genealogy

In my recent post

on buying a new computer I talked about some of the factors that go

into choosing a system for home (or small business) use. Here are my

rules or at least the ones I have adapted over the years in purchasing

dozens of computers:

Rule No. 1: Always buy the fastest computer you can reasonably afford.

This is a pretty simple rule.… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 28, 2010 at 5:39pm — No Comments

On publishing genealogy -- still a viable option?

The hallmark of the published genealogy is a thick book of names, reported relationships, brief narratives and NO

sources. I have a number of these books on my own shelves at home. Most

are treasured as family heirlooms, written by someone's great

grandmother or aunt, long since passed away and unavailable to make

corrections or even defend their work. In a past post, out of a sense of

self preservation, I have declined to identify any particular book.

Now,… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 28, 2010 at 5:39pm — No Comments

A conundrum

Cross posted from my personal blog http://nbmomma.blogspot.com

One of the joys of completing family trees is that you get to piece

together puzzles in the family. Its hugely satisfying work to toil away

on a family unit, putting information together so that you can make some

sense of what happened to the family as a whole.

Currently, I… Continue

Added by Janet Audra Sinnett on August 27, 2010 at 11:25am — 2 Comments

Eat, Pray, Geneaology

Last night in the chat room, our GenWise hostess, Gena Philibert Ortega, passed along the information that the Summer, 2010 issue of Gastronomica magazine contained an article about one of my Yorba ancestors and that she'd make a copy for me. The article features my 2nd cousin, Piedad Yorba Sowl who owned and operated the Casa Verdugo restaurant in Glendale, California, in the early 1900s.…

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Added by William S Dean on August 27, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

The Beginning of a Memoir

When a person stumbles upon a deeply rooted secret, it’s nearly impossible to keep quiet. And yet, that is exactly what my family did for decades. None of us had the gumption to ask dad about the bizarre happenings in Wisconsin. We each furtively hoped he’d one day grant us an exclusive tell-all about the time grandfather abandoned the family to become co-leader of a controversial, anti-communist religious movement.…

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Added by Jennifer Swan on August 26, 2010 at 10:05am — 2 Comments

On buying a new computer for genealogy

In the past and for many years, I owned an Apple computer store which also sold a variety of manufactures' computers (most of those early computer stores are long since out of business). Since selling off my computer store business, I continue to teach a lot of classes about genealogy programs and online resources which gives people the idea I might… Continue

Added by James Tanner on August 25, 2010 at 10:38pm — No Comments

Emily Wiley Munroe’s Quilt- circa 1860

Last November I wrote a post at Nutfield Genealogy www.nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com about a quilt made by a member of my family tree. I didn’t know about this quilt, nor about this branch…

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Added by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on August 25, 2010 at 6:53pm — No Comments

Starting the School Year With a Personal History Project

When my own children were young, my father suggested taking a photograph of them every month, in the same location and pose. These photographs, he explained, could later be assembled into a type of time-line of their growth and development. While I did take many photos of both of my sons, I never did manage to do that specific project, although it still think it’s a terrific idea and would have been a wonderful thing to have now.…

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Added by Stefani Twyford on August 24, 2010 at 10:05am — No Comments

August Picnic for Chula Vista 5 Gen Charts Everyone

This month we have been focusing on learning the how's and why's of filing out our paperwork.

To also learn how to fill it out properly, sourcing it to another place and completing it as best we can.

There are a plethora of charts for us to us. Each serves a different purpose or carries a different agenda. There are round charts, fan charts, regular 9 x 13 charts, ha ha got you.

Now we learn if you color code some, the way they are…

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Added by Susi (Susan C Jones) Pentico on August 22, 2010 at 9:37pm — No Comments