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November 2013

Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives - free webinar by Judy Russell now online for limited time

LogowhiteThe recording of today's webinar by Judy Russell, "Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives" is now online to view for free for a limited time. As Judy explained so very well - always use court records in genealogical research! They not only provide genealogical information but give us a feel for the history of the times and what our ancestors experienced. Definitely a must-see webinar!

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 32 minute recording of Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives is now available to view in our webinar archives for free through November 7, 2013. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch. Judy's 7 pages of handouts are also available for annual/monthly webinar subscribers.

Special Discount Coupon

The special discount coupon of court2 that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything at both www.LegacyFamilyTreeStore.com and www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com through Monday, November 4, 2013.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 196 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 508 pages)
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout, and yes, you can also use the 10% off webinar coupon above for a total of 15% off)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year (that's about the cost of 5 webinar CDs)
  • Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

  • Ancestry Trees Can Jump Start Your Research by DearMYRTLE. November 1.
  • Researching with Marian! Creating a Research Plan with YOUR Research by Marian Pierre-Louis. November 6.
  • Using GPS Coordinates to Tag and Record Your Photos with Heritage Collector Software by Marlo Schuldt. November 8.
  • Researching Your Ohio Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. November 13.
  • Mind Mapping Your Research Plans and Results by Thomas MacEntee. November 20.
  • How Computers & Gadgets are Changing Genealogy by Barbara Renick. December 4.
  • Overcoming Lost Records Using Technology by Karen Clifford. December 18.

Click here to register.

See you online!


Legacy QuickGuides now available on Kindle: Illinois, New Jersey, New York Genealogy

Legacy QuickGuidesTM have quickly become one of the more popular resources for genealogists. Each guide contains four (sometimes five, sometimes more) pages of valuable information covering a variety of genealogy research topics, dozens of clickable links, and are written by genealogists and family historians who are experts in the subject areas.

Guides have been available as downloadable PDFs, and now our first three Legacy QuickGuides are available for your Kindle or Kindle app on your smart phone or tablet:

The guides have been reformatted for easy use on your Kindle or in your Kindle app.

If you have the PDF editions, click here to learn about copying them to your mobile device.

Now choose from 86!

United States - State Guides

United States - other Guides

Canada

Europe

Religion

General


Register for 2 genealogy webinars this week - Court Records (Judy Russell) and Ancestry Trees (DearMYRTLE)

LogowhiteJoin us this Wednesday AND Friday for two exciting genealogy webinars presented by two of genealogy's finest - Judy Russell and DearMYRTLE. On Wednesday, Judy will present "Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives" and on Friday DearMYRTLE will present "Ancestry Trees Can Jump Start Your Research."

Wednesday - Using Court Records to Tell the Story of Your Ancestors' Lives by Judy Russell

Early court records give us evidence to prove who our ancestors were. But they’re even more wonderful in helping us understand how our ancestors lived. Learn how to use court records to add richness and depth to help tell your family’s story.

Click here to register. Click here to download the 7 pages of supplemental syllabus materials (for annual/monthly webinar subscribers).

Friday - Ancestry Trees Can Jump Start Your Research by DearMYRTLE

Find out why Ol' Myrt gave up the notion to avoid sharing her family tree online. Secret: It's all about collaboration. This webinar guides participants through the process of creating a GEDCOM file in the Legacy Family Tree software, uploading the file to Ancestry.com, and looking for "reasonable" matches using Ancestry's shaking leaf. We then focus on deeper searches using using the "magnifying glass" and analysis of reliability of matches.

Click here to register.

Webinar Reminder: Join us for the live webinars Wednesday, October 30, 2013 and Friday, November 1, 2013 at 2pm Eastern U.S. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Before joining, please visit www.java.com to ensure you have the latest version of Java which our webinar software requires. When you join, if you receive a message that the webinar is full, you know we've reached the 1,000 limit, so we invite you to view the recording which should be published to the webinar archives within an hour or two of the event's conclusion.

Registerbut

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for free for the first 7 days after the live event. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access for the duration of their membership.

Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinars will be live on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 and Friday, November 1, 2013 at:

  • 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
  • 1pm Central
  • 12pm Mountain
  • 11am Pacific
  • 6pm GMT

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
  2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
  3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
  4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
  5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
  6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
  7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!


New Legacy QuickGuide Now Available - Anatomy of a Birth Record

Legacy QuickGuidesTM have quickly become one of the more popular resources for genealogists. Each guide contains four (sometimes five, sometimes more) pages of valuable information covering a variety of genealogy research topics, dozens of clickable links, and are written by genealogists and family historians who are experts in the subject areas.

Anatomy of a Birth Record Legacy QuickGuide

Anatomy of a Birth RecordBirth records represent part of a triad of records known as “vital records” which also includes marriage and death records. Vital records are among the fundamental building blocks of sound genealogical research. Birth records verify an ancestor’s identity from her beginning, usually identifying an infant with her parents. Since birth records tend to be recorded near the time of the birth, they are generally considered quite accurate.
 
The Anatomy of a Birth Record Legacy QuickGuide™ contains valuable information on how to interpret the data in a variety of birth records including birth certificates and birth registers. This handy 4-page PDF guide can be used on your computer or mobile device for anytime access.

Click here to purchase for just $2.95.

Now choose from 86!

United States - State Guides

United States - other Guides

Canada

Europe

Religion

General


Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors - free webinar by Mary Hill now online for limited time

LogowhiteThe recording of today's webinar by Mary Hill, "Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors" is now online to view for free for a limited time. Mary explained about the importance of church records, the different denominations and the records they created, how to locate church records, how to find out which religion your ancestor was a part of, and how to overcome the challenges of working with these records. I loved Mary's comment, "church records are a gift from heaven."

Our live viewers were also treated with live webcams from both Geoff and Mary - another reason to attend live if you can. AND...I (Geoff) got to try out my new green screen equipment for the first time. It was a blast broadcasting (vwith green screen equipment) from the old family church in Nilose, Denmark:

10-23-2013 9-20-23 AM

Here's Mary and I:

2013-10-23_152321

This is what my webcam looks like with the green-screen software turned off:

2013-10-23_152820

Thanks Russ Worthington for the screen captures! Just imagine the possibilities - I can broadcast from anywhere in the world! Oooo, we're going to have fun with this in the coming months....

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 33 minute recording of Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors is now available to view in our webinar archives for free through October 31, 2013. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch. Mary's 4 pages of handouts are also available for annual/monthly webinar subscribers.

Special Discount Coupon

The special discount coupon of church that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything at both www.LegacyFamilyTreeStore.com and www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com through Monday, October 28, 2013.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 194 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 508 pages)
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout, and yes, you can also use the 10% off webinar coupon above for a total of 15% off)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year (that's about the cost of 5 webinar CDs)
  • Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

  • Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives by Judy Russell. October 30.
  • Ancestry Trees Can Jump Start Your Research by DearMYRTLE. November 1.
  • Researching with Marian! Creating a Research Plan with YOUR Research by Marian Pierre-Louis. November 6.
  • Using GPS Coordinates to Tag and Record Your Photos with Heritage Collector Software by Marlo Schuldt. November 8.
  • Researching Your Ohio Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. November 13.
  • Mind Mapping Your Research Plans and Results by Thomas MacEntee. November 20.
  • How Computers & Gadgets are Changing Genealogy by Barbara Renick. December 4.
  • Overcoming Lost Records Using Technology by Karen Clifford. December 18.

Click here to register.

See you online!


Timelines and Chronologies, Secrets of Genealogical Success - free webinar by Geoff Rasmussen now online

LogowhiteThe recording of Saturday's flash/surprise webinar, taught by Geoff Rasmussen (that's me!), is now online to view for free for a limited time. The class was taught to a live audience at the Anchorage Genealogical Society seminar and turned out great! Geoff demonstrated the class using the forthcoming Legacy 8.0 edition to teach the importance of events and timelines.

View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 6 minute recording of Timelines and Chronologies, Secrets of Genealogical Success is now available to view in our webinar archives for free. It is also available to our monthly or annual Webinar Members for the duration of your membership. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com to watch.

Geoff's Legacy Family Tree - Unlocked! book

The new Legacy Family Tree - Unlocked! is the perfect companion to this webinar. Both emphasize the research process and use of Legacy's custom events and timelines. Available in printed edition ($19.95 AND includes the free PDF edition) or PDF edition ($14.95). Click here for more information or to purchase.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 193 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 508 pages)
  • 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout, and yes, you can also use the 10% off webinar coupon above for a total of 15% off)
  • Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
  • Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar

Introductory pricing:

  • Annual membership: $49.95/year (that's about the cost of 5 webinar CDs)
  • Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

  • Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors by Mary Hill. October 23.
  • Using Court Records to tell the Story of our Ancestors' Lives by Judy Russell. October 30.
  • Ancestry Trees Can Jump Start Your Research by DearMYRTLE. November 1.
  • Researching with Marian! Creating a Research Plan with YOUR Research by Marian Pierre-Louis. November 6.
  • Using GPS Coordinates to Tag and Record Your Photos with Heritage Collector Software by Marlo Schuldt. November 8.
  • Researching Your Ohio Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. November 13.
  • Mind Mapping Your Research Plans and Results by Thomas MacEntee. November 20.
  • How Computers & Gadgets are Changing Genealogy by Barbara Renick. December 4.
  • Overcoming Lost Records Using Technology by Karen Clifford. December 18.

Click here to register.

See you online!


Register for Webinar Wednesday - Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors by Mary Hill

LogowhiteChurch records contain a wealth of family history information. In this week's webinar, presented by Mary Hill, you wll learn what types of records different churches kept, how to determine your ancestor’s denomination, and where to locate these important records.

Join us for the live webinar Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 2pm Eastern U.S. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Before joining, please visit www.java.com to ensure you have the latest version of Java which our webinar software requires. When you join, if you receive a message that the webinar is full, you know we've reached the 1,000 limit, so we invite you to view the recording which should be published to the webinar archives within an hour or two of the event's conclusion.

Registerbut

Supplemental Syllabus

Mary's 4 pages of supplemental syllabus materials are now available to download, save, or print. Click here and then click on the Download Syllabus button. Available for annual or monthly webinar subscribers. Click here to become a subscriber.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for free for the first 7 days after the live event. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter 

HillMary100Mary E.V. Hill, MLS, AG ® (Southern States and Eastern States); worked as reference librarian at BYU from 1989-1992, as genealogy instructor at BYU from 1992-1995, as Family History Library US/Canada Reference consultant from 1995-2006. She served on the UGA Board of Directors from 2006-2008 and as an LDS missionary at the Family History Library from 2006-2008. She is the author of Saga of a Southern Loyalist: William Riddle of Virginia and North Carolina, and Angel Children. She is a lecturer with emphasis on U.S. research methods and genealogical organization. Mary is a mother and grandmother.

Watch Mary's previous webinars here:

  • Colonial Immigrants: Who They Were and Where They Came From
  • Land Records Solve Research Problems
  • The Big 4 U.S. Record Sources
  • Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records
  • FamilyRoots Organizer System

Register for Mary's upcoming webinars here:

  • Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors

Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at:

  • 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
  • 1pm Central
  • 12pm Mountain
  • 11am Pacific
  • 6pm GMT

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
  2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
  3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
  4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
  5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
  6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
  7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!


Register for Saturday's "Flash Webinar" w/Geoff Rasmussen - Timelines and Chronologies

LogowhiteJoin FamilyTreeWebinars.com's host and Legacy Family Tree developer, Geoff Rasmussen, as he presents "Timelines and Chronologies: Secrets of Success" to a live audience in Anchorage, Alaska. Geoff will teach:

  • Benefits of using a timeline in your genealogical research
  • What a good timeline includes
  • Methods of creating a timeline
  • How to embed historical events into an ancestor's timeline
While waiting for his airplane en route to Anchorage, Geoff had the idea to share his in-person class with the rest of the world. Fun for the live seminar audience - they'll get to see the behind-the-scenes of hosting a live webinar. Fun for the webinar audience - they'll get to join one of the classes of the annual Anchorage Genealogical Society's seminar from the comfort of their home. Let's just hope the Internet and microphones are working...we'll see... Time zones: 5:45PM Eastern U.S., 4:45PM Central, 3:45PM Mountain, 2:45PM Pacific, 1:45PM Anchorage, 6PM GMT.


Join us for the live webinar Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 2pm Eastern U.S. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Before joining, please visit www.java.com to ensure you have the latest version of Java which our webinar software requires. When you join, if you receive a message that the webinar is full, you know we've reached the 1,000 limit, so we invite you to view the recording which should be published to the webinar archives within an hour or two of the event's conclusion.

Registerbut

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for free for the first 7 days after the live event. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access for the duration of their membership.

Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at:

  • 5:45pm Eastern (U.S.)
  • 4:45pm Central
  • 3:45pm Mountain
  • 2:45pm Pacific
  • 1:45pm Anchorage

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

  1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
  2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
  3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
  4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
  5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
  6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
  7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
  8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!


Windows 8.1 update now available

It's finally here! Windows 8.1 is now available as a free update for those who already have Windows 8 (like me!) installed. I hear the Start button is back and a bunch of other improvements are available. I have no experience with the update yet, but have read the good review here. I think I'll install it on my kids' computer first and see how it goes....

To download the update, visit www.windows.com and click on the Get the Free Update button.


3 New Genealogy Books (PDF) from Thomas MacEntee Now Available

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of Thomas MacEntee's series of PDF books:

  • Pinning Your Family History
  • Family History Trippin': A Guide to Planning a Genealogy Research Trip
  • Guide to Wolfram|Alpha for Genealogy and Family History

Thomas has become one of our favorite webinar speakers at FamilyTreeWebinars.com and has a gift for his use and instruction of genealogy and technology.

PinningYourFamilyFilePinning Your Family History

It seems that pinning sites are all the rage and becoming more popular. Sites like Pinterest and others can let you share your family history finds with family, friends and the public. But be warned! Pinning can become an addictive way to surf the Web! Besides Pinterest, sites like Google Maps, What Was There, History Pin and uencounter.me allow you to share your family photos and content easily! And you never know who will find that content and how you might connect with other genealogists. Pinning is the new “cousin bait!”

20 pages | Published Sep 2013 | PDF (download-only) edition

Click here to purchase for just $2.99.

FamilyHistoryTrippinFamily History Trippin': a Guide to Planning a Genealogy Research Trip

Whether you've been researching your family history for over twenty years or you are just getting started, there comes a time when you need a trip to assist you in your research. There are many options available to genealogists: some within the genealogy community and others in the greater travel industry that can be adapted for research trips.

58 pages | Published Sep 2013 | PDF (download-only) edition

Click here to purchase for just $2.99.

Guide to Wolfram|Alpha for Genealogy and Family History Research

Wolfram-AlphaMost genealogists and family historians these days are familiar with a variety of search engines used to locate information on the Internet. These include Google, Bing, and Yahoo as well as specialty search engines such as Mocavo. The process is pretty straight-forward: you enter your search terms and you get back a list of links to relevant websites. But what if there were a search engine that allowed queries in the form of a question and, in fact, preferred that format? You could classify the resulting search engine as more of an answer engine than anything else. And what if you could take the concept one step further and have this answer engine also calculate information based on set input parameters? Great concept, right? Well such a search engine does exist: Wolfram|Alpha (http://wolframalpha.com). What sets this computational knowledge engine apart from other search engines is the ability to pull data from external sources (meaning websites outside of Wolfram|Alpha) that are curated (meaning selected for their data reliability and sources).

31 pages | Published Sep 2013 | PDF (download-only) edition

Click here to purchase for just $3.95.