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Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all - free webinar by FamilySearch's Devin Ashby now online

2019-07-31-image500blog

The recording of today's webinar, "Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all” by Devin Ashby is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

What if there was a photo app that could manage all your photos and give you unlimited backup space? There is one. It’s called Google Photos. Google’s facial recognition technology lets you create shared albums, collages, animations, movies, stories, and much more. It’s totally free and unlike any other photo app out there.
 
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 "Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 967 classes, 1,240 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 4,328 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

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

DNA, Genealogy, and Privacy: Handling the Double-Edged Sword 8/2/2019

Thomas MacEntee

Finding Families in New Zealand 8/6/2019

Fiona Brooker

Case Studies in Gray: Identifying Shared Ancestries Through DNA and Genealogy 8/7/2019

Nicka Smith

Historialliset sanomalehdet & kansallisarkisto (Finnish) 8/14/2019

Juha Vuorela

Basics of Land Platting - Part 1 8/14/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Ten Tools for Genealogical Writing 8/20/2019

Harold Henderson, CG

MyHeritage DNA - Ein Überblick (German) 8/21/2019

Silvia da Silva

Bullet Journaling for Genealogy 8/21/2019

Shellee Morehead, PhD, CG

Introduction to Forensic Genealogy 8/23/2019

Kelvin L. Meyers

Généalogie pour débutants : Commencez votre arbre... (French) 8/26/2019

Elisabeth Zetland

Using Teams with your Genealogy 8/28/2019

Tessa Keough

Are you Lost? Using Maps, Gazetteers and Directories for British Isles Research 9/3/2019

Paul Milner

Civil Law Concepts and Genealogy 9/17/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

The Stories Behind the Segments 10/1/2019

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

Civil Law Records in Genealogical Research: Notarial Records 10/15/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

Trove: An Australian and Beyond Genealogical Treasure 11/5/2019

Helen Smith

Native American Research: Things You May Not Know 11/19/2019

Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Buried Treasures: What's in the English Parish Chest 12/3/2019

Paul Milner

Marriages Here, There, and Nowhere: Finding Gretna Greens and Borders 12/17/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.

See you online!


Tuesday's Tip - Options: View (Beginner)

TT - Options - View

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

Options: View (Beginner)

Previous articles in this series:
Customize Legacy
Options: General Settings
Options: Data Entry
Options: Data Format
Options: Date Defaults
Options: Dates
Options: Locations
Options: Sources


The next section in the Customize Legacy menu is Options > Customize > 8. View

8.1 Birth and Death Years on Names (ff)

8.1 Birth and Death Years on Names
(click image to enlarge)

 

This simple puts a life range (1855-1902) next to the person's name in these lists. I always have this turned on to make it easier to tell people with the same name apart.

 

8.2 Display Numbers on Names (ff)

8.2 Display Number on Names
(click image to enlarge)

 

This works like the life range in the previous option but in this case it you are appending the name with any of the possible numbers you have entered into Legacy. The first section governs whether you see this on the Family, Pedigree, and Descendant Views and the second section covers RINs specifically on Name Lists.

 

8.3 Ancestor Color Coding (ff)

8.3 Ancestor Color Coding
(click image to enlarge)

 

This one is explained in Ancestor Colors. You can also get to the settings screens by going to Tools > Set Ancestor Colors

 

8.4 Short Location Names on Screens (ff)

8.4 Short Location Names on Screens
(click image to enlarge)

 

On the Master Location List you can enter long and short location names. For example, in my file you will see:

Long - Purvis, Lamar, Mississippi, United States
Short - Purvis, Lamar County, Mississippi

How you format this is totally up to you. This option will display your short locations on screens. This does not affect reports. Reports have their own option to use short locations.

 

8.5 Child Columns on Family View (ff)

8.5 Child Columns on Family View
(click image to enlarge)

 

This is one you need to play with. Different people like their Children's List to be formatted in different ways. The Grid List option puts the information in columns (which you can edit) similar to the Index View1, 2, 3, or Best Fit columns only displays the minimum amount of info (name, RIN if selected, Life Span if selected, and symbols for marriage and children if selected).

Include half-siblings will show you ALL of the children from all of the marriages from that couple being displayed. If the child comes from another marriage they will have 1/2 before their name and after their name it will have the name of their other biological parent. Some people like to see all of the children like this and some people don't. I am a don't. I like to think in terms of nuclear families which is easier for my pea brain to process.

 

8.6 User Interface Style (gbl)

8.6 User Interface Style
(click image to enlarge)

 

This one allows you to show elements on the screen as Flat or 3-dimensional.  If you have a really slow computer you will want to set this as Flat as it takes more RAM to draw the 3-D elements. 

 

8.7 Default Family View Labels and Report Wording (ff)

8.7 Default Family View Labels and Report Writing
(click image to enlarge)

 

To see these options you need to click the Edit Default Marriage Wording button and now you will see this:

Default Marriage Wording
(click image to enlarge)

 

These are global settings that will affect your entire file. You can also change these on an individual basis by opening the couple's marriage screen and selecting the Wording Options tab.

 

8.8 Master Location List Style (ff)

8.8 Master Location List Style
(click image to enlarge)

 

As of the time this article was published, mapping is currently not available.

 

8.9 Picture of Main Person (ff)

8.9 Picture of Main Person
(click image to enlarge)

 

These are "mug shot" photos that you see on the Family View and Pedigree View. Normally the photos you have in the Individual category in the person's Media Center are pictures of the person themselves. All other photos should be attached to the event that they pertain to. If you don't have an Individual photo you can opt to use any photo that is in the Media Gallery or you can opt to have a blue or pink silhouette display.

 

8.10 Show Status on Family View (ff)

8.10 Show Status on Family View
(click image to enlarge)

 

If you have given someone a Marriage Status, usually divorced, this option will allow you to see this status in parentheses after the marriage date. Normally, if you want to show the marriage status you want to exclude showing the status of "married" because then you will have a status on everyone in your file that has been married. 

On Children will show the child's status in parentheses such as (twin). Legacy comes with default statuses but you can always add your own custom ones. You can do this in a couple of places but the easiest is View > Master Lists > Marriage Status (and Child Status). 

 

8.11 Monitor Potential Problems (ff)

8.11 Monitor Potential Problems
(click image to enlarge)

 

How to use Potential Problems is an entire blog post in itself. Suffice to says that this screen simply allows you chose to see the Potential Problems icons on the various screens in Legacy and you can edit the settings by clicking the Change Potential Problem Settings. You can get to this same settings screen by going to Tools > Potential Problems.

 

8.12 Aunt, Uncle, Niece, Nephew Terms (gbl)

8.12 Aunt  Uncle  Niece  Nephew Terms
(click image to enlarge)

 

This is a simple wording choice between seeing Great-Aunt vs. Grand-Aunt on relationships.

 

8.13 Perform Background Legacy Hints (ff)

8.13 Perform Background Legacy Hints
(click image to enlarge)

 

You can choose to show the Hints icons on the various screens in Legacy and you can change the settings by clicking Select Background Hints. When you do, the following screen appears:

Legacy Hints
(click image to enlarge)

 

You will have to use the scroll bar to see all four of the hint options, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, Find My Past, and GenealogyBank. The options are pretty self-explanatory but you can consult the Help File if needed.

 

8.14 Prompt Style (gbl)

8.14 Prompt Style
(click image to enlarge)

 

This options changes the wording on all screens. For example, if you choose the Gender-Neutral option, instead of seeing Add Husband and Add Wife you will see Add Spouse.

 

Next time we will look at Options > Customize > Colors.

 

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.


Register for Webinar Wednesday - Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all by FamilySearch's Devin Ashby

Register
 
What if there was a photo app that could manage all your photos and give you unlimited backup space? There is one. It’s called Google Photos. Google’s facial recognition technology lets you create shared albums, collages, animations, movies, stories, and much more. It’s totally free and unlike any other photo app out there.
 
Join us and FamilySearch's Devin Ashby for the live webinar Wednesday, July 31. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. 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 

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

DevinAshby-144x144Devin Ashby is a Project Manager for FamilySearch, the largest genealogical organization in the world. Devin has been involved in family history for years and in 2004 he received Bachelor degrees in History and Spanish and the following year earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.

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, July 31, 2019 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!


Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around - free webinar by Cari Taplin, CG now online for limited time

2019-07-26-image500blog

The recording of today's webinar, "Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around” by Cari Taplin, CG is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

This program shares some tips and tricks for overcoming common and uncommon census research obstacles. Cari will cover topics such as language barriers, literacy, indexing errors, imaging errors, errors (accidental), and errors (intentional). Using examples, she will demonstrate each of these issues and suggest solutions for overcoming them.
 
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 20 minute recording of "Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 965 classes, 1,238 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 4,314 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

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all 7/31/2019

Devin Ashby

DNA, Genealogy, and Privacy: Handling the Double-Edged Sword 8/2/2019

Thomas MacEntee

Finding Families in New Zealand 8/6/2019

Fiona Brooker

Case Studies in Gray: Identifying Shared Ancestries Through DNA and Genealogy 8/7/2019

Nicka Smith

Historialliset sanomalehdet & kansallisarkisto (Finnish) 8/14/2019

Juha Vuorela

Basics of Land Platting - Part 1 8/14/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Ten Tools for Genealogical Writing 8/20/2019

Harold Henderson, CG

MyHeritage DNA - Ein Überblick (German) 8/21/2019

Silvia da Silva

Bullet Journaling for Genealogy 8/21/2019

Shellee Morehead, PhD, CG

Introduction to Forensic Genealogy 8/23/2019

Kelvin L. Meyers

Généalogie pour débutants : Commencez votre arbre... (French) 8/26/2019

Elisabeth Zetland

Using Teams with your Genealogy 8/28/2019

Tessa Keough

Are you Lost? Using Maps, Gazetteers and Directories for British Isles Research 9/3/2019

Paul Milner

Civil Law Concepts and Genealogy 9/17/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

The Stories Behind the Segments 10/1/2019

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

Civil Law Records in Genealogical Research: Notarial Records 10/15/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

Trove: An Australian and Beyond Genealogical Treasure 11/5/2019

Helen Smith

Native American Research: Things You May Not Know 11/19/2019

Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Buried Treasures: What's in the English Parish Chest 12/3/2019

Paul Milner

Marriages Here, There, and Nowhere: Finding Gretna Greens and Borders 12/17/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.

See you online!


New "Member Friday" Webinar - Arkansas and Its People by Jane Wilkerson

New "Member Friday" Webinar - Arkansas and Its People by Jane Wilkerson

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "Arkansas and Its People" by Jane Wilkerson for the Arkansas Genealogical Society. 

Arkansas and Its People

Learn about how to research you Arkansas families pre-territorial (1673-1819), territorial (1819-1836), and statehood (1836-present).  Record types, locations and examples will be presented and discussed.

Arkansas and Its People by Jane Wilkerson


_WatchVideo

 

About the Presenter

Jane WilkersonJane A. Wilkerson is an Archival Assistant at the Arkansas State Archives. She has a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Public History from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Wilkerson served at the Arkansas State Archives from 2001 to 2017 as a library technician, archival manager, and interim director. She also worked as an independent researcher before returning to the Arkansas State Archives in 2018. Wilkerson is also a board member of the Arkansas Genealogical Society.

 

See all the webinars by Jane Wilkerson in the Legacy library.

 
Not a member yet?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars provides genealogy education where-you-are through live and recorded online webinars and videos. Learn from the best instructors in genealogy including Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, J. Mark Lowe, Lisa Louise Cooke, Megan Smolenyak, Tom Jones, and many more. Learn at your convenience. On-demand classes are available 24 hours a day! All you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.

Subscribe today and get access to this BONUS members-only webinar AND all of this:

  • All 964 classes in the library (1,237 hours of quality genealogy education)
  • 4,314 pages of instructors' handouts
  • Chat logs from the live webinars
  • Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
  • Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Additional members-only webinars

It's just $49.95/year.


Congrats to Mary Roddy, CG - awarded Certified Genealogist credential

MaryKircherRoddy400x400One of our favorite webinar speakers, Mary Roddy, has some new letters after her name - CG. She has just been awarded the prestigious Certified Genealogist credential by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. According to BCG, "those who hold this credential have demonstrated their competence in research, analysis, kinship determination, and reporting skills." Congratulations Mary Roddy, CG!

Mary joined FamilyTreeWebinars.com as a speaker in 2014 and immediately was a hit with our viewers. She is most known for her series of webinars on using Excel for genealogy. View her classes at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/MaryRoddy or click the image below.

Mary

We are also honored to be the host of the webinar series of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Each month, a credentialed member of the organization presents a free, live webinar on a variety of topics. Register for future live webinars at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG. Recordings of the presentations are also found here. The top 5 most-viewed BCG webinars include:

  1. Transcribing Documents: There is More Than Meets the Eye! by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, CG, CGL
  2. Thinking About Becoming a Board-certified Genealogist? by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL
  3. FAN + GPS + DNA: The Problem-Solver's Great Trifecta by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL
  4. Valid and Unsound Assumptions: What Was She Thinking? by Jeanne Bloom, CG
  5. Writing Up Your Research by Michael J. Leclerc, CG

 


Register for Webinar Friday - Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around by Cari Taplin, CG

Register
 
This program shares some tips and tricks for overcoming common and uncommon census research obstacles. Cari will cover topics such as language barriers, literacy, indexing errors, imaging errors, errors (accidental), and errors (intentional). Using examples, she will demonstrate each of these issues and suggest solutions for overcoming them.
 
Join us and Cari Taplin, CG for the live webinar Friday, July 26. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. 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 

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

CariTaplin-144x144Cari A. Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that's what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but migrated to Wyoming, Colorado and now Pflugerville, Texas which is just outside Austin. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. She currently serves on the boards of the Association for Professional Genealogists and is the Vice President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking, research, and consultation services. Cari focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states and methodology.

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 Friday, July 26, 2019 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!


Should You Take the Hint? Automatic Record Hinting on the Giant Genealogy Websites - free webinar by Sunny Morton now online for limited time

2019-07-24-image500blog

The recording of today's webinar, "Should You Take the Hint? Automatic Record Hinting on the Giant Genealogy Websites” by Sunny Morton is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Become a more savvy user of automated record hinting technologies on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com when you learn from an industry insider how these technologies work—and their limitations. See crucial differences between record hints and your own search results. Learn how accurate hints are and how to determine whether a particular hint is a match. Finally, what do you do when you run out of hints for your relative on your favorite genealogy website?
 
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 8 minute recording of "Should You Take the Hint? Automatic Record Hinting on the Giant Genealogy Websites" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. 

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

  • On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 963 classes, 1,236 hours of genealogy education)
  • On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 4,309 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

Click here to subscribe.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around 7/26/2019

Cari Taplin, CG

Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all 7/31/2019

Devin Ashby

Finding Families in New Zealand 8/6/2019

Fiona Brooker

Ten Tools for Genealogical Writing 8/20/2019

Harold Henderson, CG

Are you Lost? Using Maps, Gazetteers and Directories for British Isles Research 9/3/2019

Paul Milner

Civil Law Concepts and Genealogy 9/17/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

The Stories Behind the Segments 10/1/2019

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

Civil Law Records in Genealogical Research: Notarial Records 10/15/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

Trove: An Australian and Beyond Genealogical Treasure 11/5/2019

Helen Smith

Native American Research: Things You May Not Know 11/19/2019

Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Buried Treasures: What's in the English Parish Chest 12/3/2019

Paul Milner

Marriages Here, There, and Nowhere: Finding Gretna Greens and Borders 12/17/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.

See you online!


Convenience and Memories in a Drive-Thru

National Drive-Thru Day

Mention the word drive-thru and you might think of the coffee you bought this morning or maybe a special night out with your parents when you were a kid.

Drive-Thrus are as American as apple pie and hamburgers. Today you can get almost anything at a drive-thru from food and coffee to non-food items. We tend to equate drive-thrus with “fast food” but in some cases drive-thrus may go beyond those familiar fast food choices. In the Southern California city where I grew up we once had a drive-thru Italian restaurant where you could order a bucket of spaghetti (packed in a bucket similar to those used for fried chicken).

Drive-thrus are a convenient way to also access services such as banking, library book returns, dairies, and pharmacies. There’s even a few drive-thus you may have memories of that no longer exist  such as Fotomat where you could drop off your camera film and later return to pick-up your printed photographs. You may even know someone who made a lasting memory at a drive-thru such as a couple that said “I do” at the Las Vegas based A Little White Wedding Chapel .

While there are all kinds of drive-thrus, most of us think of fast food when we hear the phrase “drive-thru.” Many of the fast food restaurants you are familiar with have their roots in Southern California. McDonald's, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and Carl’s Jr are just some of those iconic fast food restaurants that were founded in Southern California. If California is the home of so many fast food restaurants, is it also the home of the first drive-thru?

Well, surprisingly the answer is actually no. But Southern California is the home of the second fast food drive-thru. Early fast food restaurants utilized a drive-up or drive-in model which served customers using walk-up or carhop service. So customers either walked up to the counter, ordered and picked up their food or they stayed in their car where they ordered and received their food via a  carhop. The first drive-thru was Red’s Giant Hamburg located on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri which offered the service in 1947.

National Drive-Thru Day

However, the second drive-thru still serves customers today. That drive-thru is operated by California based In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out Burger which opened their drive-thru in 1948 in Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County) where it still continues today. [1] In-N-Out Burger with its distinctive red and yellow sign  has served the same menu of hamburgers, fries, and sodas for over 70 years. According to their company website, it was in 1948 that the founder Harry Snyder worked on his vision of helping customers order meals from their cars. He invented a two-way speaker box that allowed customers and employees to talk to each other, all without leaving their car or the kitchen.[2]

When we talk about fast food there's one restaurant that comes to mind so you may be surprised that McDonald's didn't have one of the earliest drive-thrus. McDonald’s started out serving customers with a walk-up service but they got a late start in the drive-thru business. Their first drive-thru wasn’t opened until 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, By  that time they had locations worldwide, all serving customers without a drive-thru.[3]

There’s no doubt that the food and beverage drive-thrus have changed the way we purchase and consume our meals. Our cars now come equipped with cup holders, some drive-thrus feature screens that display what you’ve ordered so you can confirm that it’s correct, and some have even implemented  time saving features including double lanes and two windows, one to pay and the other to pick-up your food. Drive-thrus have evolved to meet the needs of a world that has found drive-thus, easy, fast, and sometimes a necessity while traveling or on long busy days.

What are your first or most notable memories of going through a drive-thru? Who went with you? This would make a great story to either share in the comments below or write a paragraph you can add to your blog or to your profile in Legacy Family Tree software. Memories are important! Write them down.

 

[1] “10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Fast Food Drive-Thru,” Money (http://money.com/money/3478752/drive-thru-fast-food-fast-casual/: accessed 17 June 2019)

[2] “1948 Introduced Speaker System, In-N-Out (http://www.in-n-out.com/history.aspx: accessed: 17 June 2019).

[3] “10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Fast Food Drive-Thru,” Time (http://money.com/money/3478752/drive-thru-fast-food-fast-casual/: accessed 17 June 2019)

 

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

 


Introducing the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry Test - free webinar now online

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The recording of today's webinar, "Introducing the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry Test” by MyHeritage's Ofer Karp is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

Discover how your genes affect your health and explore the valuable insights you can gain from this latest addition to our DNA product line. The MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test gives you dozens of personalized health reports that explain your genetic risk for developing certain conditions, and tell you whether you're a carrier for hereditary conditions that can potentially be passed on to your children.
 
View the Recording at FamilyTreeWebinars.com

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 59 minute recording of "Introducing the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry Test" is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. 

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Should You Take the Hint? Automatic Record Hinting on the Giant Genealogy 7/24/2019

Sunny Morton

Census Hurdles: How to Jump Over or Go Around 7/26/2019

Cari Taplin, CG

Google Photos: one photo app to rule them all 7/31/2019

Devin Ashby

Finding Families in New Zealand 8/6/2019

Fiona Brooker

Ten Tools for Genealogical Writing 8/20/2019

Harold Henderson, CG

Are you Lost? Using Maps, Gazetteers and Directories for British Isles Research 9/3/2019

Paul Milner

Civil Law Concepts and Genealogy 9/17/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

The Stories Behind the Segments 10/1/2019

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.

Civil Law Records in Genealogical Research: Notarial Records 10/15/2019

Claire Bettag, CG

Trove: An Australian and Beyond Genealogical Treasure 11/5/2019

Helen Smith

Native American Research: Things You May Not Know 11/19/2019

Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Buried Treasures: What's in the English Parish Chest 12/3/2019

Paul Milner

Marriages Here, There, and Nowhere: Finding Gretna Greens and Borders 12/17/2019

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

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