1926 Census of Ireland

 For the first time following the independence of the Irish Free State a census was taken in 1926. This census will be released to the public on 18 April 2026. Learn about the census https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQn7dxNAgzk

Ancestry Released Custom Cluster

 Ancestry is rolling out Custom Match Clusters as a new addition to ProTools. I don't have it yet so I haven't been able to try it, but I can't wait. 

Custom Match Clusters

With match clustering, we compare not only whether you match each person, but also whether 

those people match each other. In addition to standard clusters, which don’t focus on any 

particular match, you can create custom clusters, which do. 

Pick a DNA match to find people who are related to them, based on a centimorgan (cM) 

range of your choice.

Why create custom clusters? 

Clustering around a certain match can help you fill in missing parts of your tree. 

Discover matches who share DNA with a match of your choice—likely because they 

all come from the same ancestor. 

You can even add up to four additional related matches—which we call “sidekicks”—to 

narrow your results even further.

Custom clustering goes beyond enhanced shared matches, showing you not just matches

 you share with a match, but also who’s related to those matches.

When you create a custom cluster, you can also choose the centimorgan (cM) ranges

you want, from 20 cM on the low end to 1,300 cM on the high end.

Read more https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Custom-Match-Clusters?language=it

Dallas Genealogical Society Fall Seminar - Kelli Bergheimer - Strategies for DNA Breakthroughs

The Dallas Genealogical Society Fall Seminar "Strategies for DNA Breakthroughs" features Kelli Bergheimer. 

Saturday, October 25, 2025 9:30-3:30 CT

Topics:

Successful Sleuthing, Not Stalking, for DNA Matches

Ancestry Pro Tools: Increase Your DNA Analysis

The Power of Ancestry Clusters and Inferred Matching

The Tale of Two Grandfathers and an Adoption - Privacy and Ethical Concerns with DNA

For more information or to register https://dallasgenealogy.org/meetings-events/2025-fall-seminar/

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Free Seminars

 NYG&B is offering a free week of seminars Nov 3-7. Programs include getting started with New York research, what to do if your ancestor's military personnel file burned in the fire, veterans of WWI, resources available at newyorkfamilyhistory.org, and more. 

For more information or to register https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/nygb-week-november-2025

My Heritage DNA Testing Change

 MyHeritage announced they are changing from array-based DNA testing (used by all the testing companies in the industry) to whole genome sequencing. The price of their testing won't change and the test provides more data. Here is a link to their press release https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251014913163/en/MyHeritage-Upgrades-Its-Consumer-DNA-Tests-to-Whole-Genome-Sequencing 

From their press release:

Whole Genome Sequencing reads almost the entire human genetic code, covering around 3 billion base pairs (nucleotides). This is superior to the standard genotyping arrays used by most consumer DNA tests, including MyHeritage until recently, which read only about 700,000 base pairs. More data enables deeper insights across all types of genetic analysis. Whole Genome Sequencing is now being applied to most new MyHeritage DNA kits currently being processed at the lab, and to every new MyHeritage DNA kit sold moving forward. MyHeritage DNA kits already processed with the older genotyping array technology will not be reprocessed with Whole Genome Sequencing. Customers whose MyHeritage DNA kits are processed with Whole Genome Sequencing will be able to download their entire genome from MyHeritage at no cost, in CRAM format. They may also unlock additional insights by uploading their data to other trusted genetic service providers that support such uploads.

Diane Southard's Blog Post explains the new testing and some of the implications. You will need to setup a free account to read the blog post.  https://my.yourdnaguide.com/c/diahan-s-corner/a-big-change-at-myheritage-what-it-means-and-why-i-m-watching-closely 

Library Lock-In Oct 17 - Haggard Library or Via Zoom

 Join other libraries across Texas and Oklahoma to see webinars throughout the day on genealogy research in person at the library or via Zoom. Registration https://plano.libnet.info/event/13963698

September DNA News

23andMe Ancestry Composition

23andMe announced a significant update to Ancestry Composition is coming soon.  The algorithm was last updated in 2022. They are improving the specificity of reference populations and updating the methods underlying the algorithm to provide more specificity and accuracy in the information provided. 

The announcement included:

• Better breakdowns in Europe and the Americas
• Enhanced Accuracy
• Elimination of Broadly and Unassigned DNA
• Better Error Detection
• Version History
• 33 New Ancestry Populations in Europe

Here is a link to the blog post with more information https://blog.23andme.com/articles/a-major-update-to-ancestry-composition-is-coming-soon. The announcement did not include a rollout date. 

Ancestry Image Transcript - New Beta Feature

 Ancestry now has an AI Image Transcription tool in beta. Here is how to use it:

1. Upload an image of a letter, newspaper article, etc., into your gallery. 

2. Open the image, in the upper left is a Transcribe button. Click It. 

3. The transcription appears in a window on the right side of the screen. 

Here is the image I used and the transcription generated

In this case, it was 100% accurate. I also tried a handwritten record from a Deed Book from 1886. It took longer and was not as accurate. A couple of the people's names were incorrect, but the rest of the text was pretty accurate. This will definitely be a time saver.   

September Saturday Seminar

 

Join Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries in person at W.O. Haggard Library, 2501 Coit Rd., Plano, TX or via Zoom on Saturday, September 20, 2025, for a free seminar. To join our mailing list and receive Zoom info for seminars, email newsletter@genealogyfriends.org. 

"How to Reopen and Work a Genealogical Cold Case" by Lisa Louise Cooke

Become a genealogical detective in this vital session. You'll learn how to track down ancestors like a criminal cold case detective, following their distinctive process. Learn how to sniff out holes in your research and get missing information on the record using a variety of methods including cutting edge technology.

Lisa Louise Cooke is the author of several books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 3rd Edition. She produces and hosts the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast (founded in 2007) and publishes weekly videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel.  She offers a premium Membership Service at her website, https://lisalouisecooke.com featuring exclusive on-demand genealogy education. And she writes a regular column for Family Tree Magazine and produces the Family Tree Magazine Podcast.

September Genealogy News

Citations

 "The Main Citation Types" video by Lisa Stokes is available on  YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1lNAFj_jWU She also offers a free Master Citation Template Starter Kit on her website https://lisa-stokes-heritage-research.kit.com/master-citation-template

New York State Death Index

NYB&G has a image browse-only collection of official Department of Health death index records for every county in New York State (excluding New York City, Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers until around 1915), covering the years 1880-1956. https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/online-records/collection/new-york-state-death-index

For more recent deaths, researchers should use New York State's Interactive Ancestry/Genealogical Research Death Index, which begins in 1957 and contains deaths up to 1974. https://health.data.ny.gov/stories/s/Interactive-Ancestry-Genealogical-Research-Death-I/x83h-k5ey

Railroad Maps, 1828 to 1900

The Library of Congress has images of  635 railroad maps on its website. Our ancestors traveled on railroads and possibly settled near the railroad. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900

RootsMagic 11

RootsMagic 11 is available and on sale until September 30th. New Users $29.95 and Upgrades $19.95 - that's $10 off. Improvements include a clearer, more comfortable workspace, a life story at a glance, better editing and a new sources view, better searching, and an AI prompt builder. https://www.rootsmagic.com/rootsmagic/buy

Dallas Genealogical Society Fall Seminar

DGS presents "Strategies for DNA Breakthroughs" with Kelli Bergheimer on October 25, 2025.  Information is available on their website https://dallasgenealogy.org/meetings-events/2025-fall-seminar/

TxSGS Live

Texas State Genealogical Society presents "Deep In The Heart" on Friday and Saturday, November 7-8, 2025. Ten live sessions featuring nationally recognized speakers on the two live days are paired with 20+ recorded lectures that you can watch at your convenience through February 6, 2026.

Speakers and Topics https://www.txsgs.org/2025-txsgs-conference-speakers-and-topics/

Registration https://www.txsgs.org/2025-conference-registration/

DAR Annual Reports to the Smithsonian Institution

When the Daughters of the American Revolution was incorporated in 1896, it was required to submit an annual report to the Smithsonian Institution. The reports are available on the DAR website. Records for female ancestors are often hard to find. If you have an ancestor who was an officer of the DAR they will be listed. These reports also include projects the group worked on.   https://www.dar.org/collections/archives/smithsonian-report

John Grenham - Griffiths Valuation New Features

When you choose a surname you see the results for all of Ireland. You can add a county and or parish, and you can now drill down in Griffith's Valuation to the townland level. This might help locate your ancestors in Ireland. https://www.johngrenham.com/blog/2025/09/17/the-greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread/

Translating Old German Handwriting

I returned from a recent trip with images of a book published in Baden in 1842. A distant cousin had the book. She was told that Gottlieb Ziebold brought the hymm book with him when he emigrated to America in May 1851. The first three blank pages were filled with information about the family of Gottlieb Ziebold and Maria Magdalena Schnaiter. The couple emigrated along with his brother and her sister. Both couples married in New York City shortly after they arrived. They traveled west to Ross County, Ohio where other family members, who had emigrated earlier, were living. Nine years later both couples along with other family members again headed West and settled in California, Moniteau County, Missouri. 

My goal was to translate the family information recorded on the book's pages. I started by uploading images of the first three pages to ChatGPT and asked it to translate the text from German to English. I have numerous German ancestors and have worked with old German handwriting for these families enough to be able to read the names, dates, and places, so I knew that some of the translations provided by ChatGPT were incorrect. Coincidentally, I received an email from Katherine Schober of Germanology Unlocked saying that ChatGPT was having difficulty reading old German handwritten documents. It is deceiving because it provides a translation, however it is not accurate. 

I uploaded the same images to Transkribus, an AI tool designed for translations. This gave me a German transcription.  I took the German text from Transkribus and used DeepL to translate it into English. I still wasn't satisfied, so I used a Schrift Generator.  I typed in the German words and selected the font that looked like the handwriting in the book.  This way, I could compare what was written on the page to what the AI tools had produced. Some of it matched, and some didn't. I went back to DeepL and typed in the English words for what I thought the text was. Using the German translation, I put them into the Schrift Generator. 

Translating the cover page of the book and some of the printed pages was much easier. I used Transkribus and DeepL. The translation was excellent; there was one problem with a location. This was easy to correct since I was familiar with the geography of Baden. 

The Evangelical Protestant prayer book, published in Karlsruhe, Baden in 1842, belonged to Michael Schnaiter, Maria Magdalena's father. The earliest date recorded was 15 January 1848. The information provided included Gottlieb's birth date, 4 November 1822, and his parents' names and ages - G Ziebold, age 63, and Katharina Lauer, age 60. These would have been their ages in 1848 based on church records from the Evangelical Parish in Wagenstadt, Baden.

Page 2 started with Maria Magdalena's birth date, 5 October 1833, and the names of her parents, Michael Schnaiter and Catharina Markstahler, who had eight children.[Supported by the Evangelical Church records from Broggingen, Baden.] It goes on to say that Maria Magdalena and Gottlieb emigrated to America in May 1851. [Supported by the passenger list for the ship Samuel Fox.] The information that followed was for the first six children of Gottlieb and Maria Magdalena:

Wilhelmina, born 7 February 1854 at 4:00 in the morning. Baptized 8 May 1854. [Supported by her age on the 1860 U.S. census.]

Gottlieb Nelson, born 14 July 1857. Baptized 1 November 1857. [Supported by the baptismal record at the Evangelical Church in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio.]

George Washington Ziebold, born 1 March 1860 at 8:00 in the morning. [Supported by his death certificate.]

Maria Magdalena Katharina born 8 March 1862.  Baptized 19 March 1862. [Supported by Record of Pleasant Grove Lutheran Church, Saline Township, Cooper County, Missouri.]

Maria Magdalena born 15 September 1863 at 1:00 in the morning. Baptized 3 February 1864. [Supported by Confirmation Record, St. Paul Evangelical Church, Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois.]

Karl Friedrich born 25 April 1866. Baptized 29 July 1866. [Supported by Baptism record from the United Church of Christ, California, Moniteau County, Missouri.]

The pages all appear to be in the same handwriting and ink. It isn't possible to determine if the information was recorded as each event happened. There was a card in the book from Mary [Maria Magdalena Ziebold] and her husband, Francoise Bonnet, indicating that the cover of the book was a Christmas gift from them to her sister, Wilhelmina Ziebold Rickert, dated 1899.  

This book is a family treasure and I'm grateful to my cousin for sharing it. It took a lot of back and forth and using a combination of the four tools, but it was definitely easier than trying to read the old German handwriting and hunting through a dictionary to identify words.  

August Genealogy News

Newspapers.com added 482 new newspapers. Link to list of titles. 

Genealogy Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) announced the 2026 courses. Registration opens 3 February 2026

GRIP Virtual Courses, 22-26 June 2026

• Advanced DNA (Coordinator: Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD)
• Practical AI for Genealogists: Foundations and First Steps (Coordinator: J. Stephen Little Jr.)
• Navigating Independence: Researching the Lives of Revolutionary War Ancestors (Coordinator: Cheri Daniels, MSLS)
• Not Just Farmers: Records, Relationship, and the Reality of Their Lives (Coordinator: Cari Taplin, CG)
• Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills (Coordinator: Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA)
• Women and Children First!: Research Methods for the Hidden Half of the Family (Coordinator: Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, FUGA)
• Marching Toward Change: Reformers, Crises, and Movements that Transformed 19th and 20th Century America (Coordinator: Katherine R. Willson)
• The Intentional Genealogist: From Chaos to Clarity (Coordinator: Kelli Bergheimer)
• Land, Faith, and Family: Navigating Early Ontario and Quebec Research (Coordinator: Kathryn Lake Hogan, BA, PLCGS, UE)

GRIP In-Person Courses at the University of Pittsburgh, 12-17 July 2026

• Genetic Networks: Start at the Beginning (Coordinator: Kelli Bergheimer)
• Interdisciplinary Civil War Research: The Road to Disunion and Reconstruction, 1820–1877 (Coordinator: Michael Strauss, MA, AG)
• Records Loss: Overcoming Destroyed, Missing, or Non-Extant Records (Coordinator: Kelvin Meyers)
• Surrogates and Substitutes: The 1890 US Census Exemplar (Coordinator: Cecelia McFadden, MISM, MEd)
• Researching Penn's Colony (Coordinator: Sandra Rumble)
• Skill-Building Practicum for Genealogical Research Success (Coordinator: Sunny Jane Morton)
• Advanced AI Techniques for Genealogists: Expanding Your Research Skills (Coordinator: Mark Thompson)
• Metes and Bounds: Land Platting (Coordinator: Gerald "Jerry" Smith)

  

Bob Kellow

 Bob was on the Genealogy Friends Board for years and was married to Brenda Kellow, our founding president. Please keep Bob and his family in your thoughts and prayers. 

 Robert Strong Kellow

Robert Strong Kellow passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family and his longtime, wonderful caregiver on July 3, 2025 in Richardson, Texas. He was born October 17, 1937 in Jacksonville, FL to James Campbell Kellow & Mattie Jane (Singletary) Kellow.
Bob, always prepared, wrote his own obituary in simplest terms, but we who loved him know his life was too rich to leave it at that. An extraordinary man who made a memorable imprint on those around him, his deep love for family and friends left no doubt how much we meant to him.

Bob worked passionately and genuinely loved what he did. Bob earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1959 from University of Florida. He then moved to Richardson, Texas, joining Collins Radio Co., which became Rockwell International and ultimately Alcatel. In 1993 after 34 service years, Bob retired as Business Manager of Alcatel's Lightwave (Fiber Optic) Dept.

Bob innovated nascent technologies, including emerging military radio programs, satellite telecom and fiber optics. While so engaged, he directed development of several high-power microwave amplifiers. After retiring, Bob consulted for another 20+ years, designing earth stations for Andrews Corp/Andrews Satellite.

An avid ham radio operator, Bob held his license since 1952 as W5LWY and earned his Expert License, W5LT. A longtime member of the Collins Collectors Assoc., Lone Star DX Association, ARRL, and other radio clubs, he also was a member of Beta Theta Pi, Sons of the American Revolution, and Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries.

Bob was predeceased by his lovely wife of 58 years, Brenda Burns Kellow, and survived by their two daughters: Elizabeth Kellow of TX and Renee Quattromani and her husband, Marc, and grandsons, Nicolas and Michael of OR. Also predeceasing him were Jacksonville, FL siblings Betty Jane Kellow Weekley, James Campbell Kellow, Jr., Doris Marie Kellow Barnwell, and Grace Johnston Kellow Goldsmith of Visalia, CA. The Family plans a private ceremony and invites donations to Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries.

For those mourning his loss, may your memories of Bob bring comfort and strength. He is forever in our hearts.

Ancestry's DNA Clustering Tool

 Ancestry has added a clustering tool to Pro Tools which is rolling out to Pro Tools Members. This tool finds connections between your DNA matches. 

Matches that share between 65 and 1300cM of DNA with the tester and share at least 20cM with each other are included. Up to 100 matches that meet this criteria will be displayed at a time. 

Here are links to more information

Ancestry - Science of: Matches By Cluster https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Science-of-Matches-by-Cluster?language=en_US

Ancestry - Matches by Cluster https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Matches-by-Cluster?language=en_US

Dana Leeds Video AncestryDNA's New Clustering Tool Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg2RTuaU5mw

TxSGS Genealogy Essentials: July 14-August 25, 2025

 The Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS) is pleased to announce the second session of its online education program, “Genealogy Essentials,” designed specifically for individuals interested in beginning or expanding their family history research skills and dedicated to “Building a Strong Foundation for Family History.”

This is the second time that we will be offering our comprehensive, eight-session curriculum aimed at beginners and those that want to review the basic principles necessary to be successful as a genealogist. The courses will all be released on July 14, 2025, which allows students the opportunity to watch them as time permits.  A homework assignment booklet has been designed which will help participants practice what they have learned in the courses.  Zoom sessions will be held weekly to allow for discussion about their learning and answers to questions.

“In designing ‘Genealogy Essentials,’ we aimed to create an accessible, flexible program that helps participants build a strong foundation in genealogy,” said Emily Richardson, TxSGS president and course coordinator. “From understanding basic research concepts to evaluating sources and organizing family documents, this course empowers learners to discover their heritage with confidence.”

All participants will enjoy access to the course materials—including detailed handouts and Zoom session recordings—through August 25, 2025, allowing ample time for review and reinforcement. No prior experience is required; all you need is a computer with audio.

Here are a few comments from participants in the first session which started in January 2025.

• “Overall, it was great.  The recorded videos plus Zoom was a great combination. I’ve been doing things very ad hoc, and this helped me go back to basics with structure and purpose.”
• “It was interesting to hear how the different experienced researchers went about things. I enjoyed listening to their thought processes on tackling topics or problems etc. Very helpful.”
• “Thank you all for taking the time to offer this program, at a reasonable cost and virtual where one can watch on their own timeframe. I was pleased this course was not purely basic information and researchers on all levels could learn.”

For more information:

• Topic Descriptions and Speakers
• Speaker Biographies
• Pricing and Registration Information
• What to Expect
• Questions: genessentials@txsgs.org

July Genealogy News

 2025 National Archives Genealogy Series

Recordings are available https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-series/2025 for the presentations:

• Revealing Ties to Espionage in the Office of Strategic Services Records
• From the Territory of Montana to the Republic of Vietnam: Researching Native American Veterans in the National Archives, 1881-1966
• Washington DC, Law and Order: Cops and Robbers, 1861-1991
• Disaster Preparedness and Response for Family Collections
• Research Immigrant Ancestors: Alien Registration (AR-2) Forms

Past Event recordings are also available https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-series

Thomas MacEntee Amazon Prime Day Special - Free E Books

25 books written by Thomas MacEntee are free to download during Amazon Prime Days July 7 -July 11, 2025.  Link to article https://genealogybargains.com/amazon-prime-day-free-genealogy-ebooks/.

175,000 New Historical Records Released by Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland

The Virtual Treasury of Ireland was launched in 2022 and is working to reconstruct the records lost in the fire in 1922 at the Public Record Office of Ireland. Here is a link to a post on Dick Eastman's blog about the new records and the website https://wwweogncom.wildapricot.org/page-18080/13516932.

Black Pearls of Genealogy

This is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and honoring Black family histories. 

https://thebpog.org/home-two/

Newspapers.com Added Page Category Options

Page Categories like politics, disaster, sport, etc. help you find what you're looking for faster. When you apply a Page Category filter to your search you will see results where your search term appears on pages related to the category.  Here is a link to their blog post about this feature https://blog.newspapers.com/explore-our-new-page-categories-options/?xid=8822&utm_source=Internal&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Find_July-2025

All Day Virtual Seminar - Discovering New Paths with Thomas MacEntee

 

Explore innovative and practical tools to enhance your family history research. Whether you're just starting your journey or have years of experience, these dynamic sessions will inspire you. 

Join us from the comfort of your home, or if you already have plans for August 16, the sessions will be recorded and available for you to watch later. You won't want to miss this opportunity. 

When: August 16, 2025 - Zoom room opens at 8:30 am, and the first session starts at 9 am CT

Register: On or before August 2, 2025 -  Members $40 Non-Members $60

                Beginning August 3, 2025 - Members $55 and Non-Members $65

We have a membership special - $45 for a membership that covers through September 30, 2026. With this, you can save $20 on this seminar and next year's seminar, in addition to getting access to handouts and recordings of our Saturday Monthly Seminars. 

Sessions:

Creating An Ancestor Sketch - Face it: most genealogists never get around to publishing that family history book based on their genealogy research. How about a different approach: producing short 3-5 page "sketches" about an ancestor? You'll learn how to include a cover, photos, facts, family stories, source citations and more! And guess what, once you get a few of these ancestor sketches done, you can compile them together for one big book!

Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents With AI - Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogical records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We'll cover the AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need. 

Internet Archive: A Gold Mine for Genealogists - The Internet Archive (www.archive.org) is a free, on-line repository rich with genealogy source documents including census images and e-books. 

Managing the Genealogy Data Monster - It is so easy to let large amounts of data involved with genealogy overwhelm you - to the point that family history research is no longer fun! Learn how to tackle the three main problem areas of genealogy data: research data, project data and file data so you can put the fun back in your research!

Speaker: Thomas MacEntee is a Baby Boomer guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow "fell" into the technology industry almost 40 years ago, and then left a lucrative IT career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. Technology and historical research are opposites, but "tech people" like Thomas are needed to guide today's genealogists through the maze of options so they can deploy the best apps and devices to break down research brick walls. Thomas MacEntee: author, educator, advocate, entrepreneur, and that "genealogy guy" who helps you accomplish your family history goals. 

 

June Genealogy News

Chronicling America

 The Library of Congress is upgrading its search engine and interface for Chronicling America. The official change is scheduled for August 4, 2025.

Old Maps of Ireland

The first detailed land survey on a national scale was in Ireland in the mid-17th Century. Here is a link to a blog article from IrelandXO about maps. 

Reddit

Reddit is a kind of message board. Messages are posted in interest-based forums called subreddits. The genealogy subreddits are:

r/Genealogy

r/AncestryDNA

r/AskHistorians

r/Translator

Here is a link to an article about using Reddit. 

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society - Report on Tracing Immigrants to New York City

NYG&B has published a report of sources available to research immigrants to New York City held in their collection and at the New York Public Library. We might not be able to visit to take advantage of these items but could possibly find them in a library nearby. Here is a link to the report. 

Lunch at Chocolate Angel - June 17, 2025

 

Join Genealogy Friends Members and Enthusiasts for Lunch!

When: June 17, 2025 at 11:30 am ct

Where: Chocolate Angel in High Street Antique Mall, 800 Central Expressway, Plano, TX

Cost: $20 - Pick from a limited menu. Drinks & dessert are not included. 

RSVP to dining@genealogyfriends.org

DNA Day Specials

DNA Day was Friday, April 25. Many DNA related companies are offering specials on their products, here are a few:

Your DNA Guide - Offers expire on April 30th

YourDNAGuide Book and Workbook have been updated to include information about Ancestry ProTools Shared Matches on sale 20% off.

Genealogy Solves It! Use coupon code GSIDNA to take 20% off on-demand forensic investigative genetic genealogy experience.  

Here is a link to their blog post with more information. 

Ancestry DNA Ask Me Anything with Crista Cowan - here is the link to the replay. 

FamilyTreeDNA Test Kits Sale - Offer expires April 30th. Here is a link.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars 50% Off - Offer expires April 30th. New members only $25 for annual membership use code Spring25 at checkout. Link to website. 

Membership Special

Our normal individual membership year from October 1st through September 30th is $30. If you join or renew after April 1st, we have a special deal available—$45 for membership from April 1 to September 30, 2026. 

Members can access handouts and recordings for the Saturday Seminars and attend our August All-Day Seminar at a discounted rate. 

More information is available on the Membership Page on our website. 

Volunteer Opportunities - We Need Your Help!

Genealogy Friends is an all-volunteer organization that depends on our members' help to keep the society running. We need to fill these positions:

Treasurer: Accounts for income and expenses for the society using Quicken, PayPal, and the bank website. Procedures are documented. You will be trained on the procedures and technology. If you can reconcile your checking account, you can do this. Duties can be done monthly and take about 30-45 minutes. More work will require extra time in Sept/Oct for Membership Renewals and August for the All-Day Seminar. 

Blog - Posting on the Genealogy Friends News on Blogger, including the calendar, summary of Roundtable and DNA Group meeting content, current events in Genealogy, and other items of interest. Training material and help with content are available. Tim required 1-2 hours per week. 

Photographer - Take pictures at in-person Gen Friends events and upload them to Google Drive to be posted on the website. 

Fold3 War of 1812 Pension File Update

 Fold3 Content Update:

In the past three months over 3,000 War of 1812 Pension files have been digitized. Most of the surnames begin with S and T. Link to their Blog Post.

Genealogy News

Enjoy FREE ACCESS to 96 million+ Civil War records through April 14, 2025, at Fold3. To see a full list of the records in the featured collections, please click here.

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon is April 3-4, 2025. This FREE event is hosted by Legacy Family Trees and My Heritage. Click here to explore the full schedule and register for free.

Tales & Trails, the 2025 NGS Family History Conference, is being held May 23-26, 2025, in Louisville, KY. Visit the National Genealogical Society website for registration and event information.

Registration is still open for most of the virtual (June 22-27) and in-person (July 13-18) courses being offered during the GRIP Genealogy Institute. Check the webpage for more details. 

6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon!

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon, hosted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars and MyHeritage, is coming to a screen near you on April 3–4, 2025! The marathon kicks off on Thursday, April 3 at 4 P.M. Central (U.S.) and runs straight through to Friday, April 4 at 4 P.M. Central — that's 24 hours of nonstop learning, inspiration, and discovery.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from a powerhouse lineup of genealogy experts and educators from around the globe. Whether you're looking to dive deeper into DNA, break through brick walls, use AI for research, or explore your family's origins, there's something here for every genealogist — from beginner to pro.

Every session is completely free to attend live, but spots are limited per session, so be sure to register early to save your seat! Explore the full schedule and register now at: https://familytreewebinars.com/24-marathon/.

Texas Czech Genealogical Society Event

Texas Czech Genealogical Society (TCGS) will have a speaker event April 12, 2025.

 CZECH FAMILY ORIGINS

103 Hwy. Texas 21 W. Caldwell, TX 77836

Speakers: T.J. Slansky - "Researching the Opava and Brno Archives in the Czech Republic"
Tomas Pansky - "Czech Republic "Unplugged"
Clint Williams - "Discovering Your Czech Roots Through Oral Histories"

8:00 AM - Registration & Morning Refreshments 

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Speakers, Catered Lunch, Czech Gift Shop, Silent Auction

PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE: 

Postmarked on/before 04/01/25 TCGS Members-$40; Non-Members-$45

Postmarked After 04/01/25 TCGS Members-$45; Non-Members-$50; At the door (All) - $60

Registration fee INCLUDES catered lunch; kolaches, coffee & orange juice 

Detailed information and registration forms are on the TCGS website at https://www.txczgs.org under “Events” https://txczgs.org/eventListings.php?nm=38.

TCGS is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

Websites to Explore

Connecticut State Library - New Haven County Court Records

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/archives/uncoveringnewhaven/main

This website offers information and links to websites, books, digitized records, etc., for diverse subjects including New Haven, Black and Indigenous History, Women's History, Colonial and National History, and Connecticut Courts. Be sure to check out their Blog, which is currently highlighting cases involving women in honor of Women's History Month.

Kilbourn Public Library - Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton

https://kilbournpublic.advantage-preservation.com/

Part of the Community History Archive, this free searchable website provides links to digitized copies of newspapers local to the Wisconsin Dells area of Wisconsin. I found detailed obituaries including immigration information for siblings and cousins of some of my direct line ancestors living in other parts of Wisconsin, new information providing clues for additional research. Lots of community news, too.

Cousin Finder - No DNA Needed

Cousin Finder is a useful new genealogy feature unique to MyHeritage that uses the power of family tree matches to find members of MyHeritage who are your blood relatives — cousins — with whom you share common ancestors. Cousin Finder™ then lets you easily get in touch with them so you can collaborate and gain new insights about your shared ancestors and family history.

Think of Cousin Finder™ as a new way to find DNA Matches, but without a DNA test. The MyHeritage members that Cousin Finder™ reveals may be relatives you already knew about, but you didn’t know they use MyHeritage, and in many cases, they might be new relatives you’ve never heard of before. Unlike DNA Matches, Cousin Finder™ shows precisely how you are related to each relative. With Cousin Finder™, growing multiple branches of your family tree further has never been easier. Read more about Cousin Finder in the blog post.

Genealogy News

♦  Now through March 24th, Ancestry is offering 6 month memberships for 1/2 off! Take advantage of their Spring Sale here.

♦  Irish roots? MyHeritage is offering free access to their Irish record collection through March 18th. Details at the MyHeritage blog.

♦  St Patrick's sale on Irish books at Genalogical.com. Save 20% now through March 20th. Details here.

♦  Free webinar - Germany's Shifting Map: What It Means For Your Research - presented by Katherine Schober of Germanology Unlocked. Three dates to choose from: March 18th, 19th, or 20th. Register for free now.

♦  Check out Fishwrap, the official blog of Newpapers.com, for information about the 2.5 million pages of Irish newspapers recently added to their archive. 

♦  A new genealogical resource book titled San Agustín de Laredo Baptisms, 1823-1845, Laredo, Texas is now available on Amazon. It picks up where Gloria Villa Cadena & Angel Sepulveda Brown’s book, Annotated Baptisms 1789 to 1823 of San Agustin de Laredo (present day Laredo, Texas), published in 2008 by Los Bexareños Genealogical Society, left off. The baptisms, translated from Spanish to English, are the focus; however, Grace Scruggs Rolph also shares her mother’s family story, reveals answers to long buried secrets, and why it is so important to use traditional research methods in conjunction with DNA analysis.

♦  MyHeritage has released their new DNA ethnicity model: Ethnicity Estimate v2.5. This MyHeritage Blog article provides much information about this exciting new ethnicity model including these highlights: 

• Identifies 24 percentage-based European ethnicities.

• Quite a few of the new percentage-based ethnicities, such as Armenian, are unique to MyHeritage and not identified by other tests.

• Distinguishes between 15 different Jewish ethnicities, more than most other DNA tests on the market.

♦  American Ancestors will host an online seminar April 2-30, Revolutionary War Research: Tracing Patriot and Loyalist Ancestors. This five week course will delve into the many primary and published records that can help document your Patriot or Loyalist ancestors. Learn more.

Specials During Roots Tech

There are lots of sales that go on during RootsTech (March 6-8). I'll keep updating this as I find more sales, check back often.

The RootsTech Expo Hall is open and is full of deals. 

Ancestry - 50% off membership March 6-8

Legacy Family Tree Webinars - 50% off annual membership

GenealogyBank - 60% of annual membership offer ends March 10, 2025

Family Tree DNA - Here is a link to discount codes to use when you check out. 

MyHeritage - Upload your dna results and unlock advanced DNA features for free, forever until March 9, 2025. Link

RootsMagic  - Save 50% on software - RootsMagic 10, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas. 

Genealogy TV - https://genealogytv.org/about-the-genealogy-tv-academy/ Promo Code GTVA25% Sale Ends March 9, 2025

Germanology Unlocked - New Course - Discounts on The Complete Guide to German Genealogy class,  Reading Old German Handwriting class, German for Genealogists class, and books.  

FamilyTree - 25% off orders at store.familytreemagazine.com Use Code FTM-25 at checkout. 

Related Faces - 20% off your first subscription. Offer expires 4/30/2025. relatedfaces.com

BanyanDNA - Stop by booth for a 20% discount. 

YourDNAGuide - Special prices for those who can't attend RootsTech in person

The Photo Detective - Book bundles - print and ebook  ends March 9, 2025

Shared cM Project With Editable Boxes

Shared cM Project with Editable Boxes

The Shared cM Project was built with data from known relationships. The chart provides estimates on how much DNA should be shared for different relationships. 

There is an editable version available. Enter the amount of shared cM between the tester and the match. The possible relationships will be highlighted. Click in the relationship box and enter the names of the tester or ancestral couple. Name the chart and download an image of it to keep as you research. 

https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv2

Free Access to Marriage Records on MyHeritage for Valentines Day

 MyHeritage is offering free access to all 279 marriage record collections - over 881 million historical records through February 16, 2025. 

Search Marriage Records Now

Marriage records offer incredible insights, revealing details like names, birthplaces, residences, and even parents' names. This limited-time offer lets you dive into these records for free - no subscription required. 

RootsTech - March 6-8, 2025

 

RootsTech, the largest genealogy conference, takes place March 6-8, and it is free to attend online. There are over 150 online sessions. If you haven't registered yet, use this link Register Here. Sessions are available after the conference ends in case you can't watch all the sessions you want to in one weekend. 

Roundtable Recap - Census Records

The February 6^th Roundtable topic of census records was a nice refresher as most of us have used census records often in our research. The question of where to find census records elicited the common responses of Family Search, Ancestry, My Heritage, the National Archives (NARA), and a couple of suggestions for international census records – Find My Past and the Danish Archives.

The Family Search Wiki is an outstanding source for census information. A quick search there on the general term ‘census’ brought up pages of hits for both the United States and international records and information. Census records can also be searched at the Wiki by choosing a specific location first then picking Census from the Record Types list.

Did you know there was a federal census taken in 1885? This census was not mandatory, and the states of Florida, Nebraska, Colorado and the Dakota and New Mexico territories were the only participants. More information about this census can be found at The National Archives. The 1885 census included four schedules: population, agriculture, manufactures, and mortality.

Other general notes from the Roundtable:

If the census copy located at one site is poor, be sure to check other sites. The scan quality can vary between websites. Likewise, if your ancestor isn’t found in the index at one provider, check with another as their name might be mistranscribed at one site and not the other.

Do not make relationship assumptions, even for the censuses that include relationship to head of household. The adult male and female may or may not be the parents of all or even some of the listed children. Early deaths often led to additional marriages and blended households. The children could be a mix of full, half, or step siblings, cousins or other relatives, or even neighbor children taken in after an unfortunate event.

The 1880 census for St. Louis, Missouri, was enumerated twice, once in June and then again in November. City officials of that time were unsatisfied with the June enumeration believing the population numbers were too low and demanded it be redone. Researchers will find inconsistencies between the two enumerations.

Mortality schedules were taken along with population schedules during the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1885 censuses. People who had died June 1^st through May 31^st prior to the census year were included. Deaths were not always reported in the past, so the mortality schedules are helpful to researchers. If you are fortunate to have had an ancestor listed on a mortality schedule, you will find a wealth of information similar to what is found on current death certificates.

Some websites are more comprehensive than others. A good one to check out is One Step Webpages by Steve Morse.

A helpful tool mentioned during the Roundtable and listed on the handout is the Narrowing Birth Dates Calendar offered for free at Genohistory.

Always review the phrasing of questions asked for each census. They vary by census and make a difference in how to interpret and record the information found. The questions may be found at various websites. The handout provided for this Roundtable also includes these questions and much more information as well as links to helpful websites.

A key thing to remember is that census records provide clues for further research but should not be accepted as actual facts without further documentation.

The February Roundtable – Census Records video is now available, along with the detailed handout provided by our President, Barbara Coakley. Members of Genealogy Friends should check their email for the link. If you are not currently a member and are interested in joining, please see the Genealogy Friends website.