Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar members a new short ten minute or less TechZone video just for them! This Friday enjoy "How to Set the Download Folder of Your Choice" by Marian Pierre-Louis.

How to Set the Download Folder of Your Choice

Are you tired of your downloads automatically saving to the download folder? In this video you'll learn how to save downloads to the folder of your choice.

About the Presenter

Successful genealogy research requires familiarity with records and the information they contain. There are several ways to learn more about original records as you pursue your genealogical education. My suggestions include focusing on education opportunities and spending some time perusing the FamilySearch Catalog. One way to learn more also provides a volunteer opportunity. Take a look at online transcription projects.

Transcribing Opportunities

I remember 20+ years ago learning more about genealogy records via the FamilySearch extraction program. Extraction volunteers would receive photocopies of microfilmed records and then we would transcribe the records into a software program. The benefit to me was I was able to learn more about the genealogy records and the information they contained.

Today you can still help FamilySearch index records. The current process is so much easier now and the bonus is you are helping your fellow researchers to discover their family history.

But FamilySearch isn’t the only repository that needs transcribers. Libraries, archives, and museums around the world have historical records, images, interview recordings, and diaries that need transcribing and indexing. The benefit to the larger community is access to records. The benefit to you is exposure to records, information, and learning more about what could possibly exist for your own ancestors.

If you don’t have the time to volunteer, you should still consider looking into these projects. Many of them allow you to explore documents already transcribed. I find this especially valuable as I learn about records and life in a different time and place.

The following are just a few projects I found online and is in no way meant to be an exhaustive list.

Smithsonian Transcription Project, is probably best known currently for their project transcribing the anthropology notebooks of Ann Dunham, Barack Obama’s mother, but other historical projects might also be of interest including the Behind the Apron Project which looks at African American oyster and clam workers in Southern Maryland. Freedmen's Bureau records from the Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Georgia, Series 3: Letters Received speaks to the experiences of the formerly enslaved in Georgia. 

University of Pacific’s Gold Rush Life transcription project includes letters and diaries from the California Gold Rush. 

DIY History is a project of the University of Iowa’s Digital Library.  Here you can transcribe materials focusing on Iowa pioneers or dairies and letters from the American Civil War to World War II.

The Royal BC Museum Transcribe project includes historical materials of the Chinese Canadian community to diaries and soldier letters.

Library of Congress’ By The People volunteers have transcribed papers relating to Clara Barton, George Washington, and Mary Church Terrell. Volunteers transcribe, review, and tag digitized images of manuscripts and typed materials from the Library’s collections.

The US National Archives’ Citizen Archivists assist with the tagging and transcribing of materials in the NARA catalog. 

North Carolina Genealogy Society has projects that might be of interest to those with North Carolina ancestors. The website recommends contacting them for their current needs but previous projects included:

• Edgecombe Coroners Inquest 1750
• Moore 1815 Tax List
• Edgecombe Road Records 1820s
• Edgecombe Stock Marks
• Halifax 1789 Petition
• Lenoir County Yadkin Baptist Church
• Mecklenburg 1760’s lists of JPs
• Onslow Insolvent Debtors 1850s

There’s So Much More To Do

Looking for other opportunities? Make sure to check with your local library, archive, or museum. The website Conference Keeper has a volunteer opportunity page with transcribing and indexing projects. You can find the current list here.

Transcribing projects benefit all researchers by providing access to records and indexes. But they also provide us the unique opportunity to learn more about historical materials and provide ideas for what might help us in our own research.

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.

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

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 32 minute recording of "Researching a Loyalist Soldier" is now available to view in our webinar library for free. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,326 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 5,212 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

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2020 webinar brochure here.

The recording of today's webinar by Lisa Louise Cooke, "Fabulous Photo Discoveries™ at MyHeritage" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free.

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 3 minute recording of "Fabulous Photo Discoveries™ at MyHeritage" is now available to view in our webinar library for free. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,325 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 5,212 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

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2020 webinar brochure here.

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

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 29, 2020 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 obituary I requested on Friday showed up in my email on Monday. Thanks Ask A Librarian!

Friday I told you about a genealogy competition we held with the kids. Surprisingly it was my 11-year-old, Kaitlyn, that found the most about our McCall family. Since one of the McCall children she found lived here in Boise, I wanted to take Kaitlyn to the public library, teach her how to use the microfilm reader, and locate the obituary. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the library was closed. But, their website had the Ask A Librarian service where I could request the obituary for a small fee.

I was reminded of the Ask a Librarian service in last week's webinar, 50 More Websites Every Genealogist Should Know. This webinar was one for the ages!

So, I requested the obituary, added a checkmark in the "do you agree to pay the $5 service fee" box, and submitted the request.

Just minutes ago I received an email from the City of Boise which read, "The obituary for Hazel Dotson is attached! There is no charge for this since I was able to get it from our NewsBank Idaho Statesman database." Sure enough, the obituary was attached and listed the whereabouts of all the siblings at the time of the obituary's publication which was exactly what I was hoping for.

The moral to this story: never miss Webinar Wednesday! You never know what you will learn. Thankfully I was reminded of this wonderful Ask A Librarian service.

Desperate for something new to do at home this afternoon, three of my four kids were excited when I announced a contest. I gave them each the same "puzzle" and promised a deluxe ice cream party if they could fill in the blanks. And then I left the room.

With my office door open, it was interesting and hilarious to hear what they were saying:

"...but he wasn't born in 1905..."

"Dad? Do you want her maiden name or the one she got when she married her husband?"

"I'm just going to guess."

"Evan, do you have any information about Irma?"

"Ancestry is stupid!"

"What ancestors are these to us?"

"Dad???"

"I won, suckers!"

I was astonished when my 11-year-old, Kaitlyn, asked "where am I in this tree Daddy?" She was at MyHeritage.com looking at our family tree. I helped her navigate up, over, and down the tree until we found this family. She clicked on each child, clicked on the "Research This Person" link, and I became a proud father once again. She found death certificates, tombstone images, census records, and more. We evaluated each record together so we would know if the record was for the right person. 

She even found the yearbook photographs of both Clarence and Irma! Thank you Kaitlyn and MyHeritage! This was way more than I expected to find.

One reason that the "contest" was so successful was due to one of my favorite features in my Legacy Family Tree software. I started by choosing the Descendant Book report:

Then I added check marks for the underlines:

This produced the report with blank lines for the unknown vital events. And it worked! They knew immediately what information was missing and the competition began.

Braden found Clarence's birth date (but he didn't cite his source so we talked about that):

Evan started enthusiastically, but then he disappeared. Probably to make another sandwich.

I looked at Kaitlyn's browser history and learned that her first step was a Google search, "Where did Zachariah N. McCall die?" I never thought to use a complete sentence at Google before.

The contest was successful, and I guess we'll be having an ice cream party tonight!

Our second webinar weekend in July starts this Friday with the Getting Started in Family History 12-class series by Cheri Hudson Passey. Six of these are existing classes from the library being made free for the entire weekend. And six of the classes are brand new being released for the first time. Each of these classes is 15-20 minutes long.

All the classes will be available from Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26, 2020 by going to FamilyTreeWebinars.com/beginners. This is your chance to learn how to uncover your family history! Already a genealogist? Share the link with your family and friends and help them catch the genealogy bug too!

Getting Started in Family History by Cheri Hudson Passey

Getting Started in Family History - 1 - Home Sources

The best way to get started in family history is to discover the items you already have in your house. This first class will teach you what to look for that you don't realize you already have.

Getting Started in Family History - 2 - Forms

Forms are one of the tools that help you keep track of your family information as your gather it. Learn what forms to use and best practices for filling them in.

Getting Started in Family History - 3 - Family Stories

One of the greatest sources of clues when getting started in family history is to draw on the stories passed down through your family. Learn how to find these stories and what to do with them.

Getting Started in Family History - 4 - Documents

In part 4 of our Getting Started in Family History series, we take a look at documents and how to find them.

Getting Started in Family History - 5 - Vital Records

In part 5 of our Getting Started in Family History series, we take a look at vital records and how to find them.

Getting Started in Family History - 6 - Census Records

In part 6 of our Getting Started in Family History series, we take a look at census records and how to use them.

Getting Started in Family History - 7 - Cemetery and Church Records

Learn how to make the most of church and cemetery records as you begin your genealogy search.

Getting Started in Family History - 8 - Online Research: Finding family on the Internet

Learn how to search digital records online to uncover your family history.

Getting Started in Family History - 9 - Researching On Location

Not everything is found online! Learn where to look for records that are kept locally or in special collections.

Getting Started in Family History - 10 - Research Plans and Logs

Learn what genealogy research plans and logs are and how they can help you keep track your research.

Getting Started in Family History - 11 - Staying Organized

The best way to ensure success in genealogy is to stay organized. Learn how to organize your paper files, computer files, books and much more!

Getting Started in Family History - 12 - Avoiding Mistakes

There are some common mistakes that beginners make when starting genealogy research. This webinar lists the most commone ones and how to overcome them.

View all of these classes July 24-26, 2020 for free at FamilyTreeWebinars.com/beginners.

The recording of today's webinar by Gena Philibert-Ortega, "50 More Websites Every Genealogist Should Know" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

Webinar Description

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 24 minute recording of "50 More Websites Every Genealogist Should Know" is now available to view in our webinar library for free. If you have a webinar membership, it is available anytime.

Webinar Memberships/Subscriptions

Webinar Members get:

• On-demand access to the entire webinar archives (now 1,315 classes of genealogy education)
• On-demand access to the instructor handouts (now 5,189 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

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

Print the 2020 webinar brochure here.