The recording of today's webinar, "Exploring AncestryDNA’s New Genetic Communities" by Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

AncestryDNA released a new tool called Genetic Communities which identifies regions from which our ancestors came from roughly 200 years ago. These communities provide you with insight into your ancestry, and provide a new method to characterize and organize some of those mysterious matches! Together we’ll look at this new tool, how it works, and how you can use it. 

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 29 minute recording of "Exploring AncestryDNA’s New Genetic Communities" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. Or watch it at your convenience with an annual or monthly webinar membership. 

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger  - 18.95

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 493 classes, 683 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,261 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Preserve, Share, and Search Your Digital Pictures with Google Photos by Geoff Rasmussen. April 5.
• Your Whiteboard in the Cloud: Trello for Genealogists by Lisa Alzo. April 12.
• Complete Photo Restoration in 4 Easy Steps by Eric Basir. April 14.
• The Genealogy in Government Documents by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 18.
• Neighborhood Reconstruction: Effective Use of Land Records by Mary Hill, AG. April 19.
• Finding and Using Land Ownership Maps by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 26.
• Researching Criminal Records by Ron Arons. April 28.
• Take Me Back to Where I Belong: Transportation Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau by Angela Walton-Raji. May 3.
• Beginning Danish Research by Charles Fritz Juengling, AG. May 10.
• New York City and State Governmental Vital Records by Jane Wilcox. May 12.
• MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. May 16.
• Remember Me: Lifestreaming and the Modern Genealogist by Thomas MacEntee. May 17.
• WikiTree: Free for All without a Free-for-All by Eowyn Langholf. May 24.
• The Great War: Researching Your World War I Ancestors by Michael L. Strauss, AG. May 31.
• Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. June 7.
• How Harry Potter Can Teach You About DNA by Blaine Bettinger. June 14.
• What Now? Your Next Steps with Autosomal DNA Testing by Diahan Southard. June 16.
• Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. June 20.
• Virtual Family Reunions: Super Easy, Super Fun by Pat Richley and Russ Worthington. June 21.
• Canada's Top 10 by Kathryn Lake Hogan. June 28.
• Censational Census Strategies by Mary Kircher Roddy. July 5.
• Google Books: the tool you should use every day! by Lisa Louise Cooke. July 12.
• Tips for Snapping Pics: How to Take Perfect Family Photographs by Jared Hodges. July 14.
• Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research by Angela Packer McGhie, CG. July 18.
• The Firelands, The Connecticut Western Reserve, and the Ohio Territory by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG. July 19.
• Family History Adhesive: The Science of Why History Binds Families and the Simple Tech of How to Do It by Janet Hovorka. July 26.
• Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray. August 2.
• A Taxing Matter: Using Tax Lists in Genealogy by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. August 9.
• Using Pictures with Legacy Family Tree by Geoff Rasmussen. August 11.
• Analyzing Probate Records of Slaveholders to Identify Enslaved Ancestors by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG. August 15.
• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause. August 16.
• How to do Mexican Research and Be Successful by Jonathan Walker. August 23.
• Getting Started with Evidentia by Edward A. Thompson. August 30.
• Top Tech Tips for the Technologist and the Genealogist by Geoff Rasmussen. September 6.
• Finding Isaac Rogers by Nicka Smith. September 13.
• The ABCs and 123s of Researching Your Ancestor's School Records by Melissa Barker. September 15.
• When Does Newfound Evidence Overturn a Proved Conclusion? by Tom Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL. September 19.
• WolframAlpha for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee. September 20.
• Quick Guide to Texas Research by Deena Coutant. September 27.
• No Easy Button: Using “Immersion Genealogy” to Understand Your Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. October 4.
• Southern States Migration Patterns by Mary Hill, AG. October 11.
• Is Your Society Growing? Social Media may be your saving grace by Pat Richley. October 13.
• Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard by David Ouimette, CG. October 17.
• The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy by Gena Philibert-Ortega. October 18.
• Midwestern & Plains States Level Census Records by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. October 25.
• Is this the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece by Luana Darby and Ursula C. Krause. November 1.
• New York City Genealogical Research: Navigating Through The Five Boroughs by Michael L. Strauss, AG. November 8.
• Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence by Jill Morelli. November 10.
• British and Irish research: the differences by Brian Donovan. November 15.
• Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required by Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG. November 21.
• Understanding Alabama by Rorey Cathcart. November 29.
• Finding Your Roots in Catholic Records by Lisa Toth Salinas. December 6.
• I Thought He Was My Ancestor: Avoiding the Six Biggest Genealogy Mistakes by James M. Baker, PhD, CG. December 13.
• Finding Your Nordic Parish of Birth by Jill Morelli. December 15.
• The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. December 19.
• Palmetto Pride - South Carolina for Genealogist by Rorey Cathcart. December 20.
• Problems and Pitfalls of a Reasonably Shallow Search by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. December 27.

Print the 2017 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

The recording of today's webinar, "Introduction to Quaker Genealogy Research" by Craig R. Scott, MA, CG, FUGA is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

This lecture examines how Quakers created records at the various types of meetings, be they Yearly, Quarterly or Monthly. It examines the types of records, their value to a researcher and where they can be found.

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 30 minute recording of "Introduction to Quaker Genealogy Research" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. Or watch it at your convenience with an annual or monthly webinar membership. 

Our Quaker Ancestors: Finding Them in Quaker Records by Ellen Berry and David Berry - 22.00

136 pages | Published 1987, reprinted 2002 |Printed Edition

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 490 classes, 680 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,253 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Exploring AncestryDNA's New Genetic Communities by Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. March 30
• Preserve, Share, and Search Your Digital Pictures with Google Photos by Geoff Rasmussen. April 5.
• Your Whiteboard in the Cloud: Trello for Genealogists by Lisa Alzo. April 12.
• Complete Photo Restoration in 4 Easy Steps by Eric Basir. April 14.
• The Genealogy in Government Documents by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 18.
• Neighborhood Reconstruction: Effective Use of Land Records by Mary Hill, AG. April 19.
• Finding and Using Land Ownership Maps by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 26.
• Researching Criminal Records by Ron Arons. April 28.
• Take Me Back to Where I Belong: Transportation Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau by Angela Walton-Raji. May 3.
• Beginning Danish Research by Charles Fritz Juengling, AG. May 10.
• New York City and State Governmental Vital Records by Jane Wilcox. May 12.
• MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. May 16.
• Remember Me: Lifestreaming and the Modern Genealogist by Thomas MacEntee. May 17.
• WikiTree: Free for All without a Free-for-All by Eowyn Langholf. May 24.
• The Great War: Researching Your World War I Ancestors by Michael L. Strauss, AG. May 31.
• Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. June 7.
• How Harry Potter Can Teach You About DNA by Blaine Bettinger. June 14.
• What Now? Your Next Steps with Autosomal DNA Testing by Diahan Southard. June 16.
• Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. June 20.
• Virtual Family Reunions: Super Easy, Super Fun by Pat Richley and Russ Worthington. June 21.
• Canada's Top 10 by Kathryn Lake Hogan. June 28.
• Censational Census Strategies by Mary Kircher Roddy. July 5.
• Google Books: the tool you should use every day! by Lisa Louise Cooke. July 12.
• Tips for Snapping Pics: How to Take Perfect Family Photographs by Jared Hodges. July 14.
• Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research by Angela Packer McGhie, CG. July 18.
• The Firelands, The Connecticut Western Reserve, and the Ohio Territory by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG. July 19.
• Family History Adhesive: The Science of Why History Binds Families and the Simple Tech of How to Do It by Janet Hovorka. July 26.
• Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray. August 2.
• A Taxing Matter: Using Tax Lists in Genealogy by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. August 9.
• Using Pictures with Legacy Family Tree by Geoff Rasmussen. August 11.
• Analyzing Probate Records of Slaveholders to Identify Enslaved Ancestors by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG. August 15.
• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause. August 16.
• How to do Mexican Research and Be Successful by Jonathan Walker. August 23.
• Getting Started with Evidentia by Edward A. Thompson. August 30.
• Top Tech Tips for the Technologist and the Genealogist by Geoff Rasmussen. September 6.
• Finding Isaac Rogers by Nicka Smith. September 13.
• The ABCs and 123s of Researching Your Ancestor's School Records by Melissa Barker. September 15.
• When Does Newfound Evidence Overturn a Proved Conclusion? by Tom Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL. September 19.
• WolframAlpha for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee. September 20.
• Quick Guide to Texas Research by Deena Coutant. September 27.
• No Easy Button: Using “Immersion Genealogy” to Understand Your Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. October 4.
• Southern States Migration Patterns by Mary Hill, AG. October 11.
• Is Your Society Growing? Social Media may be your saving grace by Pat Richley. October 13.
• Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard by David Ouimette, CG. October 17.
• The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy by Gena Philibert-Ortega. October 18.
• Midwestern & Plains States Level Census Records by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. October 25.
• Is this the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece by Luana Darby and Ursula C. Krause. November 1.
• New York City Genealogical Research: Navigating Through The Five Boroughs by Michael L. Strauss, AG. November 8.
• Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence by Jill Morelli. November 10.
• British and Irish research: the differences by Brian Donovan. November 15.
• Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required by Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG. November 21.
• Understanding Alabama by Rorey Cathcart. November 29.
• Finding Your Roots in Catholic Records by Lisa Toth Salinas. December 6.
• I Thought He Was My Ancestor: Avoiding the Six Biggest Genealogy Mistakes by James M. Baker, PhD, CG. December 13.
• Finding Your Nordic Parish of Birth by Jill Morelli. December 15.
• The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. December 19.
• Palmetto Pride - South Carolina for Genealogist by Rorey Cathcart. December 20.
• Problems and Pitfalls of a Reasonably Shallow Search by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. December 27.

Print the 2017 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

Save

AncestryDNA is releasing a new tool called Genetic Communities which identifies regions from which our ancestors came from roughly 200 years ago. These communities provide you with insight into your ancestry, and provide a new method to characterize and organize some of those mysterious matches! Together we’ll look at this new tool, how it works, and how you can use it.

Join us and Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. for the live webinar Thursday, March 30, 2017 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. 

Or register for multiple webinars at once by clicking here.

Not sure if you already registered?

Login to view your registration status for this webinar (available for annual or monthly webinar subscribers).

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 a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is an intellectual property attorney by day and a genetic genealogist by night. In 2007 he started The Genetic Genealogist (www.thegeneticgenealogist.com), one of the earliest blogs on the topic. Dr. Bettinger has been interviewed and quoted on personal genomics topics in Newsweek, New Scientist, Wired, and others. He authored I Have the Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What? in 2008, which is distributed by Family Tree DNA to all of their new customers.

Blaine frequently authors articles and gives presentations to educate others about the use of DNA to explore their ancestry. He is an instructor for genetic genealogy courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research, and Family Tree University. Blaine was also recently elected to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society's Board of Trustees, and graduated from ProGen Study Group 21 in 2015.

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 Thursday, March 30, 2017 at:

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

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!

This lecture examines how Quakers created records at the various types of meetings, be they Yearly, Quarterly or Monthly. It examines the types of records, their value to a researcher and where they can be found.

Join us and Craig Scott, MA, CG, FUGA for the live webinar Wednesday, March 29, 2017 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. 

Download the syllabus

In preparation for the webinar, download the supplemental syllabus materials here.

Or register for multiple webinars at once by clicking here.

Not sure if you already registered?

Login to view your registration status for this webinar (available for annual or monthly webinar subscribers).

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 a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Revised) and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). His most recent work is Understanding Revolutionary War and Invalid Pension Ledgers, 1818 – 1872, and the Payment Vouchers They Represent. He has authored seventeen books and several articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Family Chronicle and other genealogical publications. He is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 5,300 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians on the editorial board of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and is a Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. A faculty member for several years of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and recently the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh. He is the coordinator for the 3rd Annual Heritage Books Genealogical Conference and Cruise. He was awarded the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award in 2008 and UGA Silver Tray Award in 2009. He became a Fellow, Utah Genealogical Association in 2014.

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, March 29, 2017 at:

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

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!

Those of us with westward migrating ancestors know how difficult it can be to trace people from their destination to their point of origin and vice versa. Even harder is finding the short stops along the way.

Many genealogists have learned to use the United States Federal Census as a clue to migration. By looking at the birth location of children in a migrating family, we can often determine some of the stops a family made on their journey westward. The only challenge is that the Federal Census is only enumerated every 10 years. That's a big gap!

New York's Role in Migration

New York played a big role in the lives of migrating families. Families who originated in New England often passed through New York, often stopping there for a few years before moving on. New York residents as well joined the migration west heading to Ohio and beyond.

The Trouble with New York

The challenge for many researchers is that the trail goes cold in New York. Vital records for most towns in New York state didn't start until the 1870s or later. If you have New England ancestors traveling west this come as a cold shock when you're used to vital records going back to the 1600s. Researching in New York is frustrating to say the least.

Your New Secret Weapon

All is not lost! You were on the right track when you used the U.S. Federal Census. While we may not have the advantage of New York vital records we do have the New York State Census.

The New York State Census was taken for the years 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915 and 1925. Not all counties in New York have extant records for all years but for 1855-1905 the coverage is very good
with the exception of a few counties.

Each of the census years asks for different information, of varying value to genealogists. It's the 1855, 1865 and 1875 censuses that I want to bring your attention to. These three censuses asked for the county of birth. If
your ancestors are making stops within New York before moving on, this information is invaluable in tracing their steps.

In addition, the three censuses indicate if a person owned land and the 1855 census mentions the “years resident in the town or city”.

An Example in Action

One of my "challenging" families is David Allen, his wife Mariah and their five kids. Between a common surname, transcription errors and migration I was fit to be tied tracking down this family.

Then I found them in the 1855 New York State Census. The family was living in Volney, Fulton City, Oswego County, New York. David was listed as being born Jefferson County, New York according to the 1855 census. His wife Mariah (no maiden name yet discovered) was also born in Jefferson County about 1823. Their first child Henry was born about 1844 also in Jefferson County.

The 1855 New York State Census showing the David Allen family. Please note the image has been altered to show the headers directly above the family listing. Ancestry.com

The next child, Elizabeth, only one year younger that Henry, was born in Lewis County. A second daughter, Eleanor, was also born in Lewis County about 1849. The last child, Charles, only 11 months old was born in Oswego County.

This tells me I can place the family in Jefferson County, New York at least up until 1844. They are in Lewis County from about 1845 to no later than 1854. They arrive in Oswego County in time for Charles’ birth around 1854.

But there’s another clue. Column 13 – “Years resident in this city or town” – shows that the Allens have been in Volney, Fulton City for 2 years thus changing their likely arrival date in Oswego County to 1853. Column 20 – “Owners of land” – indicates that the Allen family did not own any land.

This one census helped to clear up where the family started and where they stopped along the way in New York on the travel west. It gave me new locations to search for new records. By 1860 the family had moved on the Manlius, LaSalle County, Illinois.

If your family traveled west during the mid-nineteenth century be sure to check the 1855, 1865 and 1875 New York State censuses (available on Ancestry.com) to find the clues to solving their migration mysteries.

Unfortunately the Allen family remains a bit of a mystery for me. In the 1880 US Federal Census I find a David Allen, Maria Allen and son Charles Allen of appropriate ages in Faribault, Rice County, Minnesota. But I also find in a different 1880 census a John Slocumb, Elizabeth Slocumb and a widowed Maria Allen living in Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan. A Michigan marriage record indicates that a Libbie Maria Allen born in Lewis County, New York married John Slocumb in 1877. It will take a bit more digging to determine which is my Allen family!

For help researching your New York ancestors see our New York series by expert Jane Wilcox in the Legacy library!

Marian Pierre-Louis is the Social Media Marketing Manager for Legacy Family Tree. She is also a speaker, writer and the host of The Genealogy Professional podcast. Check out her webinars in the Legacy library.

The recording of today's webinar, "Picture This: Images You Can Freely Use" by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

There *are* images out there for use in your genealogical writing and speaking, free, and free from copyright. Learn to find and use them safely.

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 27 minute recording of "Picture This: Images You Can Freely Use" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. Or watch it at your convenience with an annual or monthly webinar membership. 

Carmack's Guide to Copyright and Contracts: A Primer for Genealogists, Writers and Researchers - 9.95

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies on the Internet. Genealogists love to share information about their families, and the very nature of the Internet fosters this practice. Probably because there is so much free information on the Web, many individuals have formed the false conclusion that "if it is on the Internet, anyone has a right to use the information as he/she sees fit." Despite the best of intentions, therefore, people will occasionally post content on a website or transmit it by e-mail without proper permission to do so.

The issue of copyright is an aspect of genealogical research that may never have crossed your mind. As copyright lawyer Karen Kreider Gaunt puts it, "Numerous misconceptions surround even basic issues, such as work for hire, fair use, public domain, and publication. An author or genealogist operating under one of these misconceptions could find herself faced with serious misunderstandings, loss of business and clients, harm to reputation and goodwill, and, at worst, litigation in federal court."

Ms. Gaunt's observations raise such fundamental questions as, "What is and what is not protected by copyright? What is in the public domain? Can I use information I find on the Internet? What constitutes fair use? When do I need to ask permission to use someone else's information, even if I quote it? And so on.

Fortunately, you can find the answers to these and similar questions in this book aimed primarily at genealogists and written in layman's terms. With Carmack's Guide to Copyright and Contracts in hand, you will be able to determine:

• What are your rights to your own genealogical discoveries?
• What can/should you do if someone has infringed on your copyright?
• When do you need to ask someone's permission to reprint their work?
• What are works in the public domain and how to find them?
• Can someone tape your lecture without your permission?

In scarcely 100 pages, Carmack's Guide to Copyright and Contracts informs its readers about all aspects of copyright law. Each chapter in the book lays out a specific principle of copyright or contracts and then addresses the topic with situations specifically applicable to genealogists. Subjects covered in this fashion include: (1) Copyright Basics, (2) Fair Use, the Public Domain, and Seeking Permissions, (3) Illustrations, Images, Photographs, and Maps, (4) Works for Hire, (5) Collaboration Agreements, (6) Journals/Magazine Contracts, (7) Book contracts, (8) Electronic Contracts, and (9) Self-Publication Contracts. The author also provides an extremely useful glossary of terms found in contracts and matters of copyright. Rounding out the volume are an up-to-date bibliography; a resource directory of websites, links, and online articles; and an index to the book's contents.

119 pages | Published 2005, reprinted 2007 | PDF Edition

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 488 classes, 677 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,238 pages)
• On-demand access to the live webinars' chat logs
• 5% off all products at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com (must be logged in at checkout)
• Access to all future recordings for the duration of their membership
• Chance for a members-only door prize during each live webinar
• Access to register for bonus members-only webinars
• Ability to view which webinars you are registered for
• Use of the playlist, resume watching, and jump-to features

Introductory pricing:

• Annual membership: $49.95/year
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Introduction to Quaker Genealogy Research by Craig Scott, MA, CG, FUGA. March 29.
• Exploring AncestryDNA's New Genetic Communities by Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. March 30
• Preserve, Share, and Search Your Digital Pictures with Google Photos by Geoff Rasmussen. April 5.
• Your Whiteboard in the Cloud: Trello for Genealogists by Lisa Alzo. April 12.
• Complete Photo Restoration in 4 Easy Steps by Eric Basir. April 14.
• The Genealogy in Government Documents by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 18.
• Neighborhood Reconstruction: Effective Use of Land Records by Mary Hill, AG. April 19.
• Finding and Using Land Ownership Maps by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 26.
• Researching Criminal Records by Ron Arons. April 28.
• Take Me Back to Where I Belong: Transportation Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau by Angela Walton-Raji. May 3.
• Beginning Danish Research by Charles Fritz Juengling, AG. May 10.
• New York City and State Governmental Vital Records by Jane Wilcox. May 12.
• MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. May 16.
• Remember Me: Lifestreaming and the Modern Genealogist by Thomas MacEntee. May 17.
• WikiTree: Free for All without a Free-for-All by Eowyn Langholf. May 24.
• The Great War: Researching Your World War I Ancestors by Michael L. Strauss, AG. May 31.
• Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. June 7.
• How Harry Potter Can Teach You About DNA by Blaine Bettinger. June 14.
• What Now? Your Next Steps with Autosomal DNA Testing by Diahan Southard. June 16.
• Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. June 20.
• Virtual Family Reunions: Super Easy, Super Fun by Pat Richley and Russ Worthington. June 21.
• Canada's Top 10 by Kathryn Lake Hogan. June 28.
• Censational Census Strategies by Mary Kircher Roddy. July 5.
• Google Books: the tool you should use every day! by Lisa Louise Cooke. July 12.
• Tips for Snapping Pics: How to Take Perfect Family Photographs by Jared Hodges. July 14.
• Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research by Angela Packer McGhie, CG. July 18.
• The Firelands, The Connecticut Western Reserve, and the Ohio Territory by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG. July 19.
• Family History Adhesive: The Science of Why History Binds Families and the Simple Tech of How to Do It by Janet Hovorka. July 26.
• Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray. August 2.
• A Taxing Matter: Using Tax Lists in Genealogy by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. August 9.
• Using Pictures with Legacy Family Tree by Geoff Rasmussen. August 11.
• Analyzing Probate Records of Slaveholders to Identify Enslaved Ancestors by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG. August 15.
• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause. August 16.
• How to do Mexican Research and Be Successful by Jonathan Walker. August 23.
• Getting Started with Evidentia by Edward A. Thompson. August 30.
• Top Tech Tips for the Technologist and the Genealogist by Geoff Rasmussen. September 6.
• Finding Isaac Rogers by Nicka Smith. September 13.
• The ABCs and 123s of Researching Your Ancestor's School Records by Melissa Barker. September 15.
• When Does Newfound Evidence Overturn a Proved Conclusion? by Tom Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL. September 19.
• WolframAlpha for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee. September 20.
• Quick Guide to Texas Research by Deena Coutant. September 27.
• No Easy Button: Using “Immersion Genealogy” to Understand Your Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. October 4.
• Southern States Migration Patterns by Mary Hill, AG. October 11.
• Is Your Society Growing? Social Media may be your saving grace by Pat Richley. October 13.
• Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard by David Ouimette, CG. October 17.
• The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy by Gena Philibert-Ortega. October 18.
• Midwestern & Plains States Level Census Records by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. October 25.
• Is this the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece by Luana Darby and Ursula C. Krause. November 1.
• New York City Genealogical Research: Navigating Through The Five Boroughs by Michael L. Strauss, AG. November 8.
• Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence by Jill Morelli. November 10.
• British and Irish research: the differences by Brian Donovan. November 15.
• Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required by Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG. November 21.
• Understanding Alabama by Rorey Cathcart. November 29.
• Finding Your Roots in Catholic Records by Lisa Toth Salinas. December 6.
• I Thought He Was My Ancestor: Avoiding the Six Biggest Genealogy Mistakes by James M. Baker, PhD, CG. December 13.
• Finding Your Nordic Parish of Birth by Jill Morelli. December 15.
• The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. December 19.
• Palmetto Pride - South Carolina for Genealogist by Rorey Cathcart. December 20.
• Problems and Pitfalls of a Reasonably Shallow Search by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. December 27.

Print the 2017 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

The recording of today's Board for Certification of Genealogists webinar, "Are You My Grandpa? Men of the Same Name" by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

This lecture reviews tactics for sorting our ancestors from other men or women of the same name in the same general time period and location. Several case studies show how these methods were effective.

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Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Picture This: Images You Can Freely Use by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. March 22.
• Introduction to Quaker Genealogy Research by Craig Scott, MA, CG, FUGA. March 29.
• Preserve, Share, and Search Your Digital Pictures with Google Photos by Geoff Rasmussen. April 5.
• Your Whiteboard in the Cloud: Trello for Genealogists by Lisa Alzo. April 12.
• Complete Photo Restoration in 4 Easy Steps by Eric Basir. April 14.
• The Genealogy in Government Documents by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 18.
• Neighborhood Reconstruction: Effective Use of Land Records by Mary Hill, AG. April 19.
• Finding and Using Land Ownership Maps by Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA. April 26.
• Researching Criminal Records by Ron Arons. April 28.
• Take Me Back to Where I Belong: Transportation Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau by Angela Walton-Raji. May 3.
• Beginning Danish Research by Charles Fritz Juengling, AG. May 10.
• New York City and State Governmental Vital Records by Jane Wilcox. May 12.
• MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. May 16.
• Remember Me: Lifestreaming and the Modern Genealogist by Thomas MacEntee. May 17.
• WikiTree: Free for All without a Free-for-All by Eowyn Langholf. May 24.
• The Great War: Researching Your World War I Ancestors by Michael L. Strauss, AG. May 31.
• Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. June 7.
• How Harry Potter Can Teach You About DNA by Blaine Bettinger. June 14.
• What Now? Your Next Steps with Autosomal DNA Testing by Diahan Southard. June 16.
• Beating the Bushes: Using the GPS to Find Jacob Bush's Father by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. June 20.
• Virtual Family Reunions: Super Easy, Super Fun by Pat Richley and Russ Worthington. June 21.
• Canada's Top 10 by Kathryn Lake Hogan. June 28.
• Censational Census Strategies by Mary Kircher Roddy. July 5.
• Google Books: the tool you should use every day! by Lisa Louise Cooke. July 12.
• Tips for Snapping Pics: How to Take Perfect Family Photographs by Jared Hodges. July 14.
• Analyzing Documents Sparks Ideas for Further Research by Angela Packer McGhie, CG. July 18.
• The Firelands, The Connecticut Western Reserve, and the Ohio Territory by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG. July 19.
• Family History Adhesive: The Science of Why History Binds Families and the Simple Tech of How to Do It by Janet Hovorka. July 26.
• Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray. August 2.
• A Taxing Matter: Using Tax Lists in Genealogy by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. August 9.
• Using Pictures with Legacy Family Tree by Geoff Rasmussen. August 11.
• Analyzing Probate Records of Slaveholders to Identify Enslaved Ancestors by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG. August 15.
• Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories by Ursula C. Krause. August 16.
• How to do Mexican Research and Be Successful by Jonathan Walker. August 23.
• Getting Started with Evidentia by Edward A. Thompson. August 30.
• Top Tech Tips for the Technologist and the Genealogist by Geoff Rasmussen. September 6.
• Finding Isaac Rogers by Nicka Smith. September 13.
• The ABCs and 123s of Researching Your Ancestor's School Records by Melissa Barker. September 15.
• When Does Newfound Evidence Overturn a Proved Conclusion? by Tom Jones, Ph.D, CG, CGL. September 19.
• WolframAlpha for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee. September 20.
• Quick Guide to Texas Research by Deena Coutant. September 27.
• No Easy Button: Using “Immersion Genealogy” to Understand Your Ancestors by Lisa Alzo. October 4.
• Southern States Migration Patterns by Mary Hill, AG. October 11.
• Is Your Society Growing? Social Media may be your saving grace by Pat Richley. October 13.
• Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard by David Ouimette, CG. October 17.
• The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy by Gena Philibert-Ortega. October 18.
• Midwestern & Plains States Level Census Records by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA. October 25.
• Is this the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece by Luana Darby and Ursula C. Krause. November 1.
• New York City Genealogical Research: Navigating Through The Five Boroughs by Michael L. Strauss, AG. November 8.
• Using Non-Population Schedules for Context and Evidence by Jill Morelli. November 10.
• British and Irish research: the differences by Brian Donovan. November 15.
• Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required by Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG. November 21.
• Understanding Alabama by Rorey Cathcart. November 29.
• Finding Your Roots in Catholic Records by Lisa Toth Salinas. December 6.
• I Thought He Was My Ancestor: Avoiding the Six Biggest Genealogy Mistakes by James M. Baker, PhD, CG. December 13.
• Finding Your Nordic Parish of Birth by Jill Morelli. December 15.
• The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL. December 19.
• Palmetto Pride - South Carolina for Genealogist by Rorey Cathcart. December 20.
• Problems and Pitfalls of a Reasonably Shallow Search by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL. December 27.

Print the 2017 webinar brochure here.

See you online!

There *are* images out there for use in your genealogical writing and speaking, free, and free from copyright. Learn to find and use them safely.

Join us and Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL for the live webinar Wednesday, March 22, 2017 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. 

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About the presenter

A genealogist with a law degree, Judy G. Russell is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, including the interplay between genealogy and the law. She has a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark, and holds Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer credentials from the Board for Certification of Genealogists where she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, trade association writer, legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and, until recently Judy was an adjunct member of the faculty at Rutgers Law School. Judy is a Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother's side and entirely in Germany on her father's side. Visit her website at www.legalgenealogist.com.

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We look forward to seeing you all there!

In week two of my investigation into MyHeritage.com I will look into their Smart Matching technology. My initial post explained that just like I have experimented with other genealogy technologies, I felt it was time to give MyHeritage a solid look. Last week I described my experience of importing my Legacy-generated GEDCOM file into a new online tree. It went smoothly and I ended up with a private online tree.

Well, mostly private. This "mostly private" part concerned me enough that I sent an email to the company to get clarification. They responded nearly immediately. What I learned from their response not only satisfied my concern, but gave me great confidence in and respect for their Smart Matching.

What is Smart Matching?

Less than two days after importing my tree, I received the following email which 1) defines a Smart Match and 2) presented me with 45 Smart Matches:

I recognized one of the Smart Matches as being on my father-in-law's side. And since we're now living with him as we await the completion of the construction of our new house, maybe researching one of his ancestors will earn me some points.

This Smart Match shows that the Fanny Maria Stewart in my tree could be the same person as a Fanny Maria Stewart in a potential relative's tree. If I determine that they are identical, it looks like I may be able to add a photograph and quite a bit of personal information that I did not previously have.

I clicked on the Learn More button and was presented with this screen (click to enlarge):

Because I did not start with much information about Fanny, I was not able to determine if they were the same or not. In the absence of an "I'm not sure" button, I instead opened Legacy to take a closer look:

Sure enough, they are the same person. And even better, I chose someone who ended up in my state of Idaho! I had no idea my father-in-law had family here. I wonder if he knows....

Using Legacy's Relationship Calculator (Tools > Calculator > Relationship), I learned that Fanny is the wife of my father-in-law's great-granduncle. I love Legacy! Maybe MyHeritage has a similar relationship calculator. Good for them if they do!

After my closer look, I can with confidence click on the orange Yes button.

This took me to a Review Match screen where it compares what I have in my tree with what the other submitter has in their tree.

Scrolling to the bottom, it compares our trees in graphical format. Clearly, there is a lot that I could add to my tree from theirs. Yet, any good genealogist knows to use content from others' trees as clues and not as evidence or conclusions. Regardless, it looks like they've done a lot of work and I love the many photographs they have.

Before clicking on the Confirm Match button, I noticed an arrow to its right. Clicking on it popped up a message that I could save this submitter's data to my tree - "only New and Improved information will be saved." Like I just mentioned, I probably would not want to do that without verifying the data. Instead, I will just click on the Confirm Match button.

Not knowing for sure what or if anything would automatically be added to my tree, I was relieved when I saw the next screen. Although I probably will not use its functionality, it has arrows pointing from the right side to the left side indicating that I could copy bits and pieces of information if I desired. It's actually quite similar to the FamilySearch tools in our Legacy Family Tree software.

At the very bottom it showed two photographs that I could add to my tree, and since I love photos of my ancestors, to see how it works, I clicked on the copy button. Pretty easy.

Scrolling to the end, two buttons await my next click - "Extract all info" or "Save to tree." Clicking "Save to tree" I would expect that the only thing that would be copied to my tree would be the one photo. Let's do it.

The "Review Match" screen appeared along with a confirmation of when I confirmed the match.

Just below her picture, I am going to click on the "View in Tree" link.

Just like that, her picture now appears in my private online tree.

Conclusions

• MyHeritage did a good job of correctly presenting me with a possible match to Fanny.
• If I ever wanted to, it appears to be very simple to copy information from another tree to mine.
• Yet is the ease of copying going to contribute to the duplication of inaccurate trees? 
• I am still going to treat data like this as clues and follow up with solid genealogical research.
• I will always be a believer that someone else may hold a missing piece of my family's puzzle and so I continue to believe that it's okay to look at others' trees.
• In each step, there was a link to contact the submitter of the information. If I am looking to get in touch with a submitter, it seems to be pretty simple.

More Smart Matches?

The email I received showed 45 possible Smart Matches. Clicking on the "Matches by People" option of the Discoveries menu shows that MyHeritage has been busy since they sent me the email. 

Check this out:

I don't know whether to be excited or overwhelmed by those numbers. Keep in mind, I uploaded my entire tree - my side, my wife's side, ancestors that I'm not currently researching, ancestors that I think about every day. Wondering if I could narrow the matches down, I clicked on the "Sort by" menu and then clicked on Relation.

This is where things started getting, in my kids' words, "sketchy." 

Among the first Smart Matches, when sorted by Relation, was my grandmother! It showed that there were three matches. How could there be Smart Matches to my grandmother, who is alive, when I thought my tree, and the living people in it, were private? This shows that Grandma is a Smart Match to someone in the "Fjeldsted Web Site," the "Reed Web Site," and the "McCall Web Site." 

Clicking on the orange Review Match buttons definitely shows that Grandma does appear in these other websites as a living person. Her personal details and the personal details of her children are there as well. This is where I became concerned with the privacy.

I sent an email to MyHeritage asking them to help me understand this experience as it relates to their privacy policy. My email to them was sent at 10:34am. Their response to me was sent at 11:39am. Impressive. I halfway expected to learn about some little-known "gotcha" fine print in their privacy policy. While they did point me to their privacy policy, the feeling I had after reading through it was that of amazement. What they are doing really is incredible - in a good way! Here's the copied/pasted policy from https://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/popup.php?p=privacy_policy

What are Smart Matches™ and how do they affect your privacy?

Smart Matches™ is a technology developed and owned by MyHeritage to find matches between family trees, by looking for individuals that they have in common, and bridging across differences in spelling, phonetics, facts and languages. Smart Matches™ are very useful in that they facilitate discoveries of unknown relatives and reuniting families whose ties have been disconnected over time.

Other MyHeritage users may receive notifications regarding Smart Matches™ between individuals in their family tree and individuals in your family tree. Smart Matches™ may also be found on living individuals in your tree. If you are concerned about the privacy of your family tree, to the extent that you do not wish to allow potential relatives to find and view parts of it, you can disable Smart Matches™ for your family tree(s). See "Privacy Preferences" below. By default, Smart Matches™ are enabled.

With permission from MyHeritage, I also am including their follow-up comments to me:

It is very rare that we have people concerned by this, and their remedy is to turn off the Smart Matching. When others cannot match with your tree, you too do not get matches with other trees, so 99.99% of the people prefer to keep it enabled. The ability to match living relatives is very helpful, because many discoveries and family reunions happen that way. btw, if the other user didn't have your children in his tree already, he won't see their details in a Smart Match, to protect their privacy. If he does have them in the tree, he is very likely related to you, and he knows about them already, and in that case hiding information such as their age defeats the purpose of having matches.

So these three other trees in which my grandmother was listed as a Smart Match already had the living details about my grandmother and her children. So like MyHeritage wrote, they are likely close relatives, and someone I would probably actually want to communicate with. And if they did not already have the private information about Grandma, I never would have matched to their tree anyways. Without this explanation, or the careful attention to the explanation of how their Smart Matching works, some may be concerned, like I was. In my opinion, this is actually very good technology, and like they said, if it bothers you, you can easily disable Smart Matches.

Smart Matches in the Tree

I also learned that while browsing the tree in the chart mode, you can tell if a person has Smart Matches if they have a little green icon. Just give it a click and their list of matches appear.

Surprise at the end - Smart Matches in Legacy 9.0

For the first "official" time ever, I'm announcing here that the soon-to-be-released Legacy 9.0 will have built-in hinting. Instead of going out to sites like FamilySearch, GenealogyBank, or even MyHeritage, Legacy will do the searching for you! 

Above, Jeremiah Brown's new Hint icon shows the number of 9+. Clicking on it shows 39 hints from MyHeritage, 23 hints from GenealogyBank, and 1 hint from FindMyPast. Clicking on each one will present the results. While I could go visit each site each month on my own, Legacy is using some pretty advanced logic to find results that you may miss on your own.

Coming soon to Legacy 9.0!

What's Next

This post was a little longer than I intended it to be, but I think I now have a good grasp of the ins and outs of MyHeritage's Smart Matches tool and like what I see. Coming up next, I will report on the second of the seven unique technologies from the MyHeritage webinar - Record Matches. Stay tuned.