The recording of today's webinar, "Michigan: An Upper Midwest Researchers Dream" by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

 

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About the presenter

Paula considers herself fortunate to be an internationally recognized genealogical educator, researcher and consultant focusing on unusual resources, manuscripts, methodology, and analyzing records. She also specializes in Native American research. She loves to interact with her clients and audiences. She is a long-time course coordinator and instructor for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and an instructor for Ancestry Academy. Her lecturing experience includes the Federation of Genealogical Societies and National Genealogical Society conferences and seminars in many states and Canada. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS), and is a former officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and is the Past President of the Northland Chapter of APG. She initiated the MGS education committee and classes and was one of the founding members of the MGS Library. She co-chaired the FGS 2001, 2011, and 2013 conferences. Her ancestors came to the U.S. from eight ancestral countries. She has researched onsite from coast to coast at and has written for, FGS FORUM, NGS Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, New England Ancestors, Minnesota Genealogist, findmypast.com, was editor of the former FGS Conference News Blog and currently has her own educational website and blog at http://genealogybypaula.com.

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, September 14, 2022 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. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. 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.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

It’s a frequent topic of magazine and blog articles, downsizing. Whether you need to downsize to move to a smaller house, to make more room in your current home, or just to be better organized, chances are downsizing is something that has crossed your mind.

It’s also crossed mine as I’m currently in the middle of a large downsizing project. In my opinion, those countless articles about downsizing aren't as applicable to genealogists. I think downsizing is different for the keepers of the family history “stuff." Why? Because our homes are family archives with original documents, photographs, and irreplaceable heirlooms. It’s not about whether we should toss out clothes we haven’t worn in a year. We are talking about our personal belongings plus items that document our family history. For the genealogy-related items, we must carefully consider how to organize these items and what needs to happen to them, such as digitizing and preserving, storage, donating, or gifting to other family members. There’s also the mass of digital files we collect. It can be overwhelming.

One of the most important reasons to downsize and organize our genealogy is so that we can leave it to family members who will appreciate it and not be overwhelmed by the mass of foreign-to-them papers that make little to no sense. Downsizing can mean organizing and keeping what is necessary but not every scrap of paper we ever wrote on (yes, I fall into that category).

When I teach, I talk about genealogists as “information hoarders.” We think every piece of paper or information we ever found will be needed “one day.” (This is something I am especially guilty of). And because of this, we tend to have piles of photocopies and articles that we will never see that “one day” because we can’t find what we need!

That gets me back to the topic of downsizing. What should you consider when facing a long-term or short-term downsizing or organizing project?

Items of Sentimental Value

I’m not a professional organizer, so I reached out to someone who is. Janine Adams writes about organizing your family history on her Organize Your Family History website. As I sat stymied by items with a sentimental attachment, I asked her what I should consider as I start to “downsize.”

"When it comes to sentimental items, the more you keep of any one category, the less special any of it is. Less really can be more when you’re deciding what to take to your new home. Genealogists can have a tougher time letting go of family-history-related items because so much of it feels so special. I encourage you to start with the low-hanging fruit, the genealogy documents you’re storing on paper. If you have time during the downsizing process, you could scan your genealogy papers, so that they take up less space in your new home. Be sure and create a file-naming protocol and folder structure so you’ll be able to find the documents. For non-paper heirlooms, keep those that are really important to you and perhaps find new homes for the others with cousins or other relatives.

It can be hard to let go of stuff, but the key to being able to enjoy your new home is to get in touch with what’s important to you and keep only those items that support that. Making the tough decisions now will help you enjoy your new home more quickly."

I like what Janine said about the more you keep, the less special something is. That struck home with me as I looked at my adult son’s collection of toy trains and realized that I didn’t need to keep all of them to remember his childhood. The same is true for the boxes of genealogy photocopies I have from a cousin’s research, most of which is now online.

So with Janine’s words of wisdom and thinking about my downsizing project, I realized that I needed to start with that “low-hanging” fruit and then go from there. Janine has more tips about going digital with your genealogy on her website.

Now It’s Your Turn

What are your downsizing/organizing problems? What do you need to do with your genealogy so that it can be inherited or gifted to a family member or archive? How have you tackled this problem?

For more details on organizing see the more than 15 webinars on organization in the Legacy Library.

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, "mtDNA and YDNA in 2022" by Diahan Southard is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

 

Test Your Webinar Connection

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

Can't make it to the live event?

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About the presenter

Diahan Southard is a leading voice for consumer DNA testing from her position as Founder of Your DNA Guide. Diahan teaches internationally, consults with leading testing companies and forensics experts. Southard’s company, Your DNA Guide (YourDNAGuide.com), deploys a team of scientists who provide one-on-one genetic genealogy education and research services. She recently published Your DNA Guide-the Book, that takes you on a step-by-step journey with your DNA in order to find answers to your genealogy questions. You will walk away from an interaction with her enlightened and motivated as she has a passion for genetic genealogy, a genuine love for people, and a gift for making the technical understandable.

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, September 7, 2022 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. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. 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.
7. 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, "Shackles, shekels and shrapnel: the exodus to the Southern seas" by Michelle Patient is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

 

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

Michelle Patient is a genealogist, computer geek, and DNA enthusiast, with qualifications in Chemistry and Geology. She grew up with a grandmother whose family stories, photographs, and memorabilia sparked her life-long interest in genealogy. In 1989 Michelle began searching for her English half-sister, and in 2005 she reconnected her mother with her birth family. With ancestry ranging from early Australian military and convicts, and Australian & New Zealand early colonists, through to post-WWII Royal Naval Support, her personal research covers a wide range of British Isles diasporas and early Down Under research. She has separated facts from fiction, uncovering stories of will disputes, adoptions, children being given away, bankruptcies, and murder-suicides. Adding DNA research to her genealogy tool kit has increased the range of Michelle’s methods, revealing skeletons, and breaking down many brick walls. Michelle volunteers for several genealogical societies and is one of the DNA consultants behind the Australian SBS TV series Every Family has a Secret.

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, September 6, 2022 at:

• 10pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 9pm Central
• 8pm Mountain
• 7pm Pacific

which, in Sydney is Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at:

• noon

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. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. 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.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Our first day of Webtember is in the books, and what a marvelous day it was! More than 6,800 of you from 68 countries registered for today's live event. Here's just a few of my favorite comments from viewers:

"They opened my mind to new possibilities in my research, and that's a good thing." - Kathy Maher

"This was a fantastic presentation that has opened my mind to new avenues and ways of approaching my family history research." - Graham Lowe

"I have been waiting for this webinar in particular and was thrilled to get some longstanding questions answered and a wealth of resources to help me complete this research project. Wonderful, accessible and informative speakers. Thank you so much!" - Dana Stripling

Watch the Replays

The replays are available to view, for free, through the end of September. Webinar members also have access to today's 23 pages of supplemental syllabus materials.

Click here for the replays.

Here's the list of today's classes:

• 10 Best Self-Publishing Tips for Family Historians by Lisa Alzo
• Changing Places, Changing Borders: Overcoming geographic challenges by Dave Obee
• Tracing migrating ancestors: Who, what, where, when, why and how by Myko Clelland
• Descendants of the Enslaved and Enslavers – Working Together to Discover Family by Cheri Hudson Passey and Sharon Batiste Gillins
• What You Can Learn from Lineage Societies… Without Being a Member! by Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal
• Italian Civil Marriage Supplements by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG

Become a webinar member

Join for 20% off with this coupon code: webtember20 and get these benefits:

• Unlimited, on-demand access to all webinars (more than 1,800 of them now)
• New webinars every week
• Access to chat logs and speakers’ handouts
• Advanced navigation of videos with playlists and chapters
• Exclusive section for all webinars you’ve registered for
• Option to bookmark your favorites
• Chance to win door prizes during live webinars
• 5% off anything in the shop

Click here to join.

Webtember schedule

Join us on Fridays in September. Register here.

We've tallied the numbers and made a list of the Top 10 FamilyTreeWebinars.com classes for August 2022! Are your favorite topics or instructors among the list? Need something new to learn? Use the list to get inspired!

Each month thousands of Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers head for the library to learn new skills and techniques to help improve their genealogy research. Among the now-1,824 genealogy classes in the members-only library, these were the most frequently played during the month of August 2022.  They aren't necessarily the newest classes but rather the topics that were sought out by our members.

Have you seen any of these classes? Are these among your favorites too? Some of these classes (and topics) might be new to you! Get inspired to learn more and make your genealogy journey more fun!

The Top 10 for August 2022

1. Finding Fayette’s Father: Autosomal DNA Reveals Misattributed Parentage by Jennifer Zinck, CG

2. FamilySearch.org - 5 More Links You Have to Try by Devin Ashby

3. What’s New at DNA Painter by Jonny Perl

4. Irish Emigration to North America: Before during and after Famine by Paul Milner FUGA, MDiv

5. U.S. Revolutionary War: A Case Study Approach by Craig R. Scott, MA, CG, FUGA

6. Need help with grammar and punctuation? There's a tool for that! by Cathie Sherwood

7. Documents + DNA + Method + a little bit of Luck: Combining Tools to Find Biological Family by Elizabeth Williams Gomoll, CG

8. Changing New England Records in the 1800s by Diane MacLean Boumenot

9. Ancestor's Religions in the U.S. by Carolyn L. Whitton, CG

10. Researching Oklahoma Roots by Billie Stone Fogarty, M.Ed.

The Runner-Ups

11. Using DNA To Solve Interlinked Mysteries by Michelle Leonard

12. Negative Evidence: Making Something Out of Nothing by Denise E. Cross, MSLIS, CG

13. Quickly Organize Your DNA Matches with the Leeds Method by Dana Leeds

14. The Staff of the U.S. Census by Seema Kenney

15. An Introduction to DNA Painter by Jonny Perl

16. African Americans Heading West by Janice Lovelace, PhD

17. Top 10 Secrets to Using MyHeritage by Daniel Horowitz

18. The Draft and the Selective Service System by Michael L. Strauss, AG

19. Identifying Common Ancestors with DNA by Shahar Tenenbaum

20. Danish Research with Online Records at MyHeritage and Beyond by Mike Mansfield

The 2nd Runner-Ups

21. One hour to master your camera settings by Jared Hodges

22. Tracing Your Alberta Connections by Dave Obee

23. Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence by David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL

24. Researching Your Connecticut Ancestors by Marian Pierre-Louis

25. Understanding Massachusetts Vital Records by Marian Pierre-Louis

26. FamilySearch.org - 10 Links You Have to Try by Devin Ashby

27. 'What are the Odds?' An online tool that can help solve DNA puzzles by Jonny Perl

28. Rhode Island State Census for Genealogists by Diane MacLean Boumenot

29. Make your photos speak with DeepStory by Daniel Horowitz

30. A Terrible Malady: Disease and Epidemics in New England by Lori Lyn Price, MAS, MLA

Access to classes in the Legacy Family Tree Webinar library are available with an webinar membership. Not a member? Become one! Or watch one of our free classes here.

A few weeks ago, WorldCat displayed a home screen banner promising that a new website was coming. The wait is over and WorldCat has a new look and new features that you'll want to explore for your genealogy research, no matter where it takes you.

Keep in mind that WorldCat is a worldwide library catalog. According to the new website it features:

• 405 Million Books
• 440 Million Articles
• 25 Million Sound Recordings
• 10 Million Musical Scores
• 6 Million Maps
• 30 Million Theses/Dissertations

What this means for you is a large catalog of materials that can help you learn more about your ancestor.

Membership Has Privileges

Before we look at a WorldCat search, let me reiterate something I have discussed on Legacy Tech Zone videos in the past. You don't have to have a free WorldCat account to use it, but there are benefits to one. All you need is an email address and password. Your experience using WorldCat will be richer, and you will have access to more features.

If you already have a WorldCat account, you can transfer it to the new website. You will need to transfer it first before you sign-in. If you already have an account, do not start a new account because you will lose all your saved lists and libraries. Transferring allows you to retain everything you had saved on the old WorldCat website.

A WorldCat Search

Let me show you a search to get a sense of how WorldCat is improved. From the WorldCat home screen, I did a search for Snowflake, Arizona. The default search is Items (look to the left of the search box). But you can change that default search to Libraries or Lists if you have an account.

I received 1336 results for my keyword search, which I can narrow down with the tools on the far left. This is a feature that was present in the old WorldCat website and on most library and archive catalog websites.

Because I’m signed in to my account and I have designated some libraries as favorites (including the Family History Library) I can narrow my search to show just my favorites. This is great especially when I'm planning a research trip. Narrowing by the Family History Library took my list down to 77 results.

Here’s the card catalog view of one of my results. Notice that the list of libraries the book is found in has a makeover and on the right, I can also choose a place to buy the book.

Even though I narrowed this list to the Family History Library, WorldCat still shows me other libraries with this book. In that list of libraries, the Family History Library has a green star because it is one of my favorite libraries.

One of the benefits of WorldCat was some of the features it included like source citations. When you are looking at a result, under the book icon are three buttons. The first icon allows me to add the book to one of my WorldCat lists. This is where having a WorldCat account is critical. 

Next, the button with a set of quote marks allows me to copy and paste a source citation.

Finally, the last button is a share button for Facebook, Twitter, email, or a link.

Not Just a Book Catalog

Don’t forget that WorldCat has more than just books. I narrowed my original search to Archival Materials, which opens up some great genealogically relevant records not found on the usual familiar genealogy websites.

Now's the Time to use WorldCat

Have you used WorldCat? Now’s a good time to start. With new, improved features and an updated look, it’s a must-have catalog for the genealogist.

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.