The recording of today's webinar "Find Your Immigrant Ancestors AND their Relatives in the New York Passenger Arrival Records” by MyHeritage's Mike Mansfield is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars..com for free.

Webinar Description

Until now, no organization has indexed the millions of additional names and relationships listed in the New York passenger arrival records which provide information about the arriving immigrant’s nearest friend or relative in his home country as well as information about a friend or relative in the USA. These additional names and relationships are now available in a searchable index for the first time and can help genealogists find elusive passenger arrival records and solve difficult genealogical problems. This webinar will provide a brief history of passenger arrival records collected at the Port of New York and focus on using the newly updated and expanded index on MyHeritage to improve findability in these important immigration records.

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 21 minute recording of "Find Your Immigrant Ancestors AND their Relatives in the New York Passenger Arrival Records” 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. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 626 classes, 842 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,866 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 (currently 50% off until August 20, 2017)
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• 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!

Until now, no organization has indexed the millions of additional names and relationships listed in the New York passenger arrival records which provide information about the arriving immigrant’s nearest friend or relative in his home country as well as information about a friend or relative in the USA. These additional names and relationships are now available in a searchable index for the first  time and can help genealogists find elusive passenger arrival records and solve difficult genealogical problems. This webinar will provide a brief history of passenger arrival records collected at the Port of New York and focus on using the newly updated and expanded index on MyHeritage to improve findability in these important immigration records.

Join us and MyHeritage's Mike Mansfield, for the live webinar Thursday, November 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

Mike Mansfield is Director of Content Operations at MyHeritage since 2013. In this role he is responsible for defining the company's strategy for growing its collection of 6.3 billion historical records, and supervising all operations of content acquisition. Previously, Mike held a Senior Product Manager role at FamilySearch. Mike's professional career has been heavily focused in electronic publishing, search and retrieval, and content acquisition and strategy. After completing his B.S. in Computer Science at Brigham Young University in 1994 he worked for Folio Corporation, a Provo, Utah based technology company which developed cutting edge CD- ROM publication and search technology. Mike joined Ancestry in 1999 and held key rolls in its development of the search engine and publication platform still in use today. As the Senior Director of Search and Content he led the team that created the record Hinting system which helped to revolutionize the way in which users interact with online genealogical records. Mike continued to develop his expertise in his roles in FamilySearch and MyHeritage.

 

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, November 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!

The recording of today's webinar "Understanding Alabama” by Rorey Cathcart is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars..com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Alabama presents the budding genealogist with both unique challenges and unique opportunities. Explore the records and repositories you'll need to consider. Learn Alabama's place in classic southern migratory patterns, and the reasons for it. Discover opportunities for African American research not found in other southern states.

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 28 minute recording of "Understanding Alabama” 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. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 625 classes, 841 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,866 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 (currently 50% off until August 20, 2017)
• Monthly membership: $9.95/month

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Find Your Immigrant Ancestors AND their Relatives in the New York Passenger Arrival Records by Mike Mansfield. November 30
• 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!

Tuesday's Tips provide brief how-to's to help you learn to use the Legacy Family Tree software with new tricks and techniques.

Burial vs. Cremation (Beginner)

On the Individual's Information screen you will see the standard vital events (born, christening/baptism, died, and buried) but what do you do if your family member was cremated instead of being buried? Legacy makes it very simple to change a burial to a cremation. Click the + (plus) sign to the right of the Buried location field and then select Cremated.

(click image to enlarge)

Now you will see that the field name has been changed to Cremated.

(click image to enlarge)

We get a lot of questions asking how to handle the scattering of ashes that occurs well after the cremation. This is similar to the question about what to do when the ashes are buried at a memorial ceremony that is held afterwards. I enter these as custom events. 

(click image to enlarge)

There is one more thing that you need to do. If you create a custom event that occurs after a person's death date you will need to tell Legacy not to flag this as a Potential Problem. Go to View > Master Lists > Event Definition. Highlight the event you just created and then click the Edit button over on the right. Check the box that says Exclude from Potential Problems report. You also need to do this for other events that occur after death such as Cemetery and Obituary, if you use those.

(click image to enlarge)

Other programs and websites do not have this feature so if you ever export your file as a gedcom you will need to tell Legacy to pull the cremation information out of the burial field and create a cremation event.  You can see this option by going to File > Export > GEDCOM File. At the top select the Other Options tab.

(click image to enlarge)

Being able to record your ancestor's information correctly is very important to us at Legacy.

Find tech tips every day in the Facebook Legacy User Group. The group is free and is available to anyone with a Facebook account.

For video tech tips check out the Legacy Quick Tips page.  These short videos will make it easy for you to learn all sort of fun and interesting ways to look at your genealogy research.

Michele Simmons Lewis, CG^® is part of the Legacy Family Tree team at MyHeritage. She handles the enhancement suggestions that come in from our users as well as writing for Legacy News. You can usually find her hanging out on the Legacy User Group Facebook page answering questions and posting tips.

Alabama presents the budding genealogist with both unique challenges and unique opportunities. Explore the records and repositories you'll need to consider. Learn Alabama's place in classic southern migratory patterns, and the reasons for it. Discover opportunities for African American research not found in other southern states.

Join us and the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Rorey Cathcart, for the live webinar Wednesday, November 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. 

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

Rorey Cathcart is a professional genealogist and owner of The Who Hunter LLC based in Charleston, South Carolina. She has spoken locally and nationally on topics of interest to genealogists and society leadership alike. In addition to serving individual and corporate clients, Rorey has researched for two seasons of the hit PBS series, Genealogy Roadshow and was a Senior Researcher for the show’s third season. Her research specialties include Southern States, Migratory Patterns, South Carolina and Irish heritage with a unique subspecialty emphasizing Irish Publicans of Philadelphia. She currently serves as President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

 

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, November 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!

After my dad died I started doing more intensive research on his life. He didn't talk about his childhood very much because he had some unhappy memories. He grew up in a family of dirt poor sharecroppers and he had to start picking cotton at a very young age. He was ridiculed in school for not having shoes and for wearing tattered hand-me-down clothes. When he left Mississippi to join the Air Force he pretty much never looked back. 

The Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957 is one of my favorite record sets. My dad did attend school from 1st through 12th grade so I knew I would find him here but I would have missed some records if I had only looked at the years when he was 6 to 18. Sometimes the records don't contain what you think they do.

Thomas Simmons is my dad and he graduated from Purvis High School in 1955. This school census is from 1957. In 1957 my dad was in the Air Force and stationed in Hahn, Germany but the school board still listed him.

Children who were not attending school anymore were still included. They are given a W code with an explanation. This is important information. Always be flexible with your searches and make sure you know exactly what information the particular record can tell you. Did I learn anything about my dad that I didn't know when I saw this page? No but I still wanted to see it. I want to see every record where my dad is mentioned. However, I could have easily learned something that I didn't know.

(click image to enlarge)

"Mississippi Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 31 March 2017), Lamar > image 98 of 157; citing Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Box ID 15134, Series 21.

When you are looking at a record set that you haven't worked with before it is important to take some time to get to know the records. Even if I find a document for my person of interest right away I always look at many examples in the set to get a better feel for the documents. I also check to see if there is any sort of explanatory section.

You can see a good example of this in the federal census records. You should read the instructions the enumerators were given before they were sent out. The United States Census Bureau has this information online. Kathleen W. Hinkley's book, Your Guide to the Federal Census Records is an excellent resource for background information. You also need to look at the pages before and after the page that has your ancestor's family. If you take the time to  understand the records better you will be less likely to miss something.

Michele Simmons Lewis, CG^® is part of the Legacy Family Tree team at MyHeritage. She handles the enhancement suggestions that come in from our users as well as writing for Legacy News. You can usually find her hanging out on the Legacy User Group Facebook page answering questions and posting tips.

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "Creating Family History Ebooks: Your Blueprint for Success" by Lisa Alzo. If you're not a member,  remember the webinar previews are always free.

Creating Family History Ebooks: Your Blueprint for Success

You’ve done the research, verified the details, and uncovered the secrets. Now what?  In this session, you will learn how to find your creative muse to turn your genealogy research into a book fast, then publish it and share with others in three simple steps.  Even if you are busy, intimidated by writing, or don’t know where to start, this simple and easy-to-follow blueprint will help you go from blank page to published family history in no time.

 

 

About the Presenter

The recording of tonight's BCG webinar "Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required” by Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars..com/BCG for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Federal records offer genealogical gold with both direct references to our ancestors and rich contextual background information. But it can be daunting to explore record groups that are not readily available online. The wide array of tools includes paper finding aids, preliminary inventories, online indexes, web guides, and published articles, as well as the National Archives Catalog. Malissa will offer a framework and several case studies that highlight the integration of multiple research tools.

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 28 minute recording of "Research in Federal Records: Some Assembly Required” 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. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 621 classes, 836 hours of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 2,857 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)

• Understanding Alabama by Rorey Cathcart. November 29.
• Find Your Immigrant Ancestors AND their Relatives in the New York Passenger Arrival Records by Mike Mansfield. November 30
• 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!

Tuesday's Tips provide brief how-to's to help you learn to use the Legacy Family Tree software with new tricks and techniques.

What Are Those Numbers? (Beginner)

We get quite a few emails asking us what the numbers in the bottom right of the Family View are.

The H:31 means that the Husband's RIN (Record Identification Number) is 31. The M:10 means that this couple is MRIN (Marriage Record Identification Number) 10. W:200 means the Wife's RIN is 200. In the options I have selected to show RINs next to the names so that you can see that the numbers match. (If you want to see the RINs or other available numbers next to each person's name go to Options > Customize > View > Option 8.2).

If you click in any of those three squares you will get a popup menu where you can type in a RIN (or a MRIN) as a shortcut to navigate. Most people have a few numbers memorized.

The I:6 means that I can scroll through everyone that is tagged on Individual Tag 6 by using the left and right arrows. The M:1 means that I can scroll through everyone that has a Marriage Tag of 1.

If I mouse click in the middle of the Tag box it will bring up the menu so that I can change the Tag.

I use the Tag arrows all the time. I will tag a group of people then work on them one at a time. If you don't have your RINs next to the person's name you can still see them at the bottom and you can see the MRIN of the couple without having to open the Marriage screen.

Find tech tips every day in the Facebook Legacy User Group. The group is free and is available to anyone with a Facebook account.

For video tech tips check out the Legacy Quick Tips page.  These short videos will make it easy for you to learn all sort of fun and interesting ways to look at your genealogy research.

Michele Simmons Lewis, CG^® is part of the Legacy Family Tree team at MyHeritage. She handles the enhancement suggestions that come in from our users as well as writing for Legacy News. You can usually find her hanging out on the Legacy User Group Facebook page answering questions and posting tips.

Federal records offer genealogical gold with both direct references to our ancestors and rich contextual background information. But it can be daunting to explore record groups that are not readily available online. The wide array of tools includes paper finding aids, preliminary inventories, online indexes, web guides, and published articles, as well as the National Archives Catalog. Malissa will offer a framework and several case studies that highlight the integration of multiple research tools.

Join us, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and Malissa Ruffner, JD, CG for the live webinar Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 8pm 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

Malissa Ruffner, CG, holds degrees in law and library science. After working in a variety of fields, she heeded the call of genealogy in 2009, becoming a Board-Certified Genealogist® in 2014. She currently serves as vice-president of the Maryland Genealogy Society and the director of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, held every summer at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

 

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 Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at:

• 8pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 7pm Central
• 6pm Mountain
• 5pm 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!