If you are looking for a way to organize all of your family tree information on your computer, Family Tree Maker 2010 can make it easy for you. Imagine having a program in which you can record the names, stories and dates of your relatives, as well as have pictures, video and audio clips on them. Updating is so simple with the Family Tree Maker, all you do is open it up and find the section where you want to place your new information and save it.
Automatically Searches for New Information
Family Tree Maker 2010 works with your Internet connection to check for new information about your ancestors. It’s connected to Ancestry.com, which is one of the most popular and complete resources for genealogy.
Other Features of Family Tree Maker
- Categorize your pictures.
- Create a timeline.
- Easily record where you find information so you can go back to it if you need more information.
- Remind yourself of special days such as birthdays and anniversaries by recording them on the calendar.
- View migration of generation.
- Make slideshows.
- Understand the relationship between two people with the relationship calculator.
- Create a family book for printing.
Great for First Timers
The Family Tree Maker is great for seasoned or first time genealogists. The program’s features are self explanatory but if you need help, you can always ask forums members on Ancestory.com or use the help section. Those who have been working on their family history, may have to spend some time getting all the information into the program but the time is well worth it because once it’s there, it’s there and you can just continue to build on it as you go.
Price and Location for Purchase
You can find Family Tree Maker 2010 on the Family Tree Maker website. It will cost you $39.95. You can also find it in some stores that carry similar programs.
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August 19th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you know that you have relatives that immigrated to the United States via Ellis Island/Port of New York, you can search the records free on The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc website.
Simply provide a first name and/or a last name of the passenger, the approximate year of birth and the gender to see if your relative was on one of the ships. If you don’t know if a relative came to the U.S. via this route, you can do a much broader search by just entering your family’s last name, choosing different years and leaving the gender as ‘any’. Then you can browse through the results to find leads.
The site also gives you the opportunity to search by ship, in case you don’t know any other information that makes the passenger search viable for you.
The site doesn’t just offer free searches, you can also purchase collector’s items to add to your genealogy project. You can also add your ancestors to memorials kept at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum by adding their face to The American Flag of Faces. You can also have your ancestor’s name inscribes on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor, located at Ellis Island. If you haven’t made your way over to the site, do so now, you may find another piece of your family history puzzle.
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August 14th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you are searching for relatives in 1930, you will be interested in this offer. Footnote is offering a free search of the 1930 census for the month of August. That means you only have 28 days left! You don’t need to provide a credit card, just register with the site and you’ll have access.
When you research genealogy, a census can provide you with a lot of great information. Finding people on the 1930 census can tell you who their parents were, where they were born and if they were married. You also find out if they owned or rented a home and if they lived on farm. Information about schooling and whether they were able to read and write.
This is especially useful for people who may have immigrated ancestors. It will tell you where they lived before coming to the US, what language they spoke, if they could speak English and whether they were naturalized. If your roots are in the Native American ancestry, it will tell you what tribe they were affiliated with and they were full blood Native American or mixed.
You’ll find a lot of other useful information on the Footnote site to help when researching genealogy. When you find someone in your family, you can click on a box that says you are related. This tells other people who happen to come across the same person and is related to see you are too. You can also write down stories about family members as you find them.
To research genealogy, Footnote provides you another great place to find people and learn about their life! Check them out!
(PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astros/2657766359/)
August 3rd, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Genetic Roots | Comments (0)
If you are looking for somewhere to meet people who are researching their family tree and learn more about how to research your own, you should attend the Family History Expo.
During this weekend genealogy getaway, you will be able to listen to presenters such as professional genealogists, technological experts and historians. They will be able to help you boost your research by showing you some new techniques and tools.
You can also walk through the exhibits they have available. You’ll be able to see some projects others have done for ideas for your own and learn how they were able to retrieve the information they did on their family. All the while, you’ll meet people who have the same passion as you do for researching genealogy and ask them questions.
If you are looking for something a bit more interactive, join in on the classes and workshops! You’ll be able to work on your genealogy project and get help from the experts. There is a cost for this but it isn’t much.
If you’re interested in learning more about the expo, visit the Family History Expo 2009 website. You’ll be able to find out where it will be held, read expo news, and the blog with additional information.
(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artberri/3473178128/)
July 31st, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Geneology Projects | Comments (0)
While using the social networking site, Twitter, I discovered a wealth of genealogy resources on the site. Many genealogists are tweeting about their genealogy research, adventures and the latest resources they found. Not only that, many write articles and have blogs documenting their genealogy research efforts, which means even more information for you.
If you haven’t signed up for a Twitter account yet, it’s really easy. Once you sign up, you can search for people or topics. I did a search for genealogy and found hundreds of people discussing the topic. The first two that I recommend following are @FamilyTree101 and @geneabloggers. Both of these tweeters blog about genealogy research and tweet regularly about the things they find.
If you already have a personal Twitter account, it may be helpful to set up a different one specifically for genealogy research. Since there is no much activity on the subject, you’ll want it to be separate so you can allot time when you are interested in reading up on the subject.
Remember, Twitter is a social site. Feel free to tweet about your progress and make some genealogy friends. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. If you have a question ask, if you find someone with a question, answer it. Before you know it, you’ll have created a nice support system to help you through your very own genealogy research adventures.
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July 27th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
A Widow's Peak is a dominant trait!
Something fun you might want to consider as part of your family genealogy is documenting genetic traits. Inheriting dominant and recessive traits can be interesting when you look at past generations. Just remember, dominant traits are much more easily passed down than recessive ones. Since you probably won’t be able to find out if a great grandfather had a specific trait unless you have a good clear picture, you can document your living relative’s traits for future generations.
The first thing you can do is look up genetic traits and whether they are dominant or recessive. Write down who has what. I found a great activity online that you can do to create a family tree of genetic traits. It’s The Tree of Genetic Traits. The instructions are included and seems like a fun thing to do with children.
While genetic traits don’t have much influence on health or anything of real importance, it’s still fun to see how some characteristics are passed down from generations and which side of the family you inherited which trait from. If you are looking for a list of genetic traits to start you off, read this blog post on Fun Genetic Traits.
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July 22nd, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Genetic Roots | Comments (0)
If you are looking for a way to recharge your genealogy research, Genealogy Wise is the place to be! This social networking site especially for genealogy researchers can help you jump start your searches by providing you tools, support and just a chance to take a break and meet friends who are interested in the same things you are.
Here are some of things you can expect when using Genealogy Wise:
Join in discussions about genealogy and other hobbies. You’ll be amazed at some of the research tools others have found that you can start using.
The Genealogy Wise blogs are great for information and learning about what the site offers as well as other ways to deal with dead ends in your research.
The field of genealogy is ever changing and it’s important to keep up with the latest advancements. Read about genealogy news right from the site’s homepage.
Are you wondering how someone did a particular project or how they researched something? Check out the videos!
Take a look at snapshots of what other members have found in their research and what they have done with their information.
You can chat instantly with other members who are listed as your friend.
Do you need specialized help from an expert? Read and ask questions of the site’s genealogy expert.
The site includes a genealogy store that you can purchase programs and other research tools.
Don’t bother leaving the site if you are looking for records! You can conveniently search right from the site’s homepage.
This site truly has everything you need in a community that helps you advance your genealogy research. Take a break from your search and head over to Genealogywise.com. You’ll have fun and learn so much!
(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/webchicken/1352009526/)
July 17th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
If you’ve decided to hire a professional genealogist, there are some qualities you should look for when making your final decision on whether or not you should hire the person.
Education and Training
Ask your potential genealogist what type of education and/or training he/or she has had that makes him/her the best candidate to research your family tree. You don’t want someone who has just figured out how to research genealogy because he/she may not know important factors in figuring out complex family trees. Furthermore, training provides the genealogist with information about valuable research tools.
Experience
Education isn’t everything. You don’t just want someone who knows how to do research on family trees, you want someone who has experience. Preferably, a few years experience would be best. You can also ask for references so you can confirm the time the person has been a genealogist.
Professionalism
When hiring a professional genealogist, you want someone you can work with. You will spend quite a bit of time communicating back and forth with the person so it’s wise that you find someone you can get along with professionally.
Portfolio
Request to see the person’s past work so you can see what he/she is capable of doing. You may like what you see or you may not, but it will be what will help you decide if you should hire him/her.
Specialties
If your family has lived in other parts of the world, you may need a professional genealogist who knows foreign languages.
Another specialty is a genealogist who exclusively works with special populations such as the military.
Can you think of any qualities a professional genealogist should have? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!
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July 14th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Geneology Companies | Comments (0)
If you want to research your family history, but are having a difficult time getting started or continuing, you may consider hiring a professional genealogist.
Here are some of the reasons why you should hire a professional genealogist to research your family tree:
- You don’t have the time to research and follow leads to find information about your family.
- You don’t have the resources to find family information.
- You don’t have the skills to do research to find detailed information. You may know that you need to start on the Internet but you don’t have the foggiest idea on where to go or what to do.
- You’re stuck with the research you’ve done and have exhausted all of your leads. A professional genealogist has many resources that you may not know about that can help get you further in your research.
- You need someone who will be able to speak a different language to discuss information about your family in another country. A translator may not be able to help you as much as because a genealogist knows the right questions to ask to gain leads and information.
- You don’t feel like researching but want the information. If you have the skill, time and resources, you may still not feel like doing it because it is a lot of work.
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July 8th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Geneology Companies | Comments (0)
Social networking sites are taking over the Internet. The three most popular ones right now are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These sites have thousands, if not millions, of members meeting people and reconnecting with people from their past.
Social networking sites can be a great resource for you when doing genealogy research. Since these sites have become so popular, so many people use them. This means you have a higher probability of finding a relative.
To use a social networking site for genealogy research, look up relatives’ name you would you like to search for. Gather information such as birth date and current location. Twitter doesn’t have as great of a search feature as Facebook and Myspace but you can still search for a name to see if your relative comes up. If not, turn to MySpace next. You can use their advanced search option to enter in name, birth date, location or any other information you may have. Then you will have to weed through the results of everyone that comes up with the information you provided. If you don’t find your relative, turn to Facebook next. The reason why you should start with MySpace first since it was much more popular before Facebook.
After finding whom you are looking for, send him/her a friend’s request and a message to let the person know who you are and what you are looking for. This could open up many more opportunities to find other relatives because one person can point you to many more.
(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes/563807635/)
July 3rd, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | Comments (0)
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