The Genealogy Guys Podcast #359

03/20/19 • 61 min

The Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection

The Genealogy Guys are using their new sound mixer beginning with this episode. Visit our blog for details about the new equipment. Sincere thanks go out to our sponsors and generous Patreon supporters for making this improvement possible.

The Guys discuss their great experiences at the 2019 Podfest Multimedia Expo.

News You Can Use

MyHeritage has added 7.1 million records of Norwegian Censuses in four collections.
The Canadian Research Knowledge Network has made more than 60 million pages of digitized Canadian heritage documents accessible.
Findmypast has added 23 million new U.S. marriages to its site for searching.
Drew recaps free FamilySearch record additions.

Blaine T. Bettinger and the DNA segment

This week’s discussion between Blaine and Drew focuses on recent announcements from MyHeritage regarding their new DNA tools: AutoCluster and the Theory of Family Relativity.

Our Listeners Talk to Us

Listener response to a call for how you use spreadsheets in your research has been strong.
Another Laura tells us she uses spreadsheets when extracting from indexes; to compile each year’s data when doing city directory research; and to create a combination timeline/family group sheet/timeline.
Sherry paid for a DNA test for a cousin who has since died. Are there legal questions she should be aware of if she wants to submit the data to GEDmatch?
Bill reports that he has had problems with Ancestry tree data disappearing from RootsMagic. He believes it is an API problem. George heard from another friend on Sunday who has experienced the same problem.
Tom reports that the new Ancestry beta color coding tag system has rendered a Google extension inoperable. Drew tells how to opt out of the Ancestry beta.
Spencer shares two important topics:
- Masonic records include applications to join and these can contain much genealogical information.
- The librarian at the Webster Memorial Library in Decatur, Van Buren County, Michigan, plans to break up the collections placed there by the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society. Some materials would be moved to a basement and would no longer be accessible by researchers. Email to the Van Buren Library Board of Directors Chairman, Bruce Cutting, at [email protected] to complain about this situation is welcome. The Guys make suggestions about written agreements that should be created and signed to clarify such situations.

Visit The Genealogy Guys Blog at http://blog.genealogyguys.com for more news! And send questions or comments to the podcast at [email protected].

The Guys discuss their great experiences at the 2019 Podfest Multimedia Expo.

News You Can Use

MyHeritage has added 7.1 million records of Norwegian Censuses in four collections.
The Canadian Research Knowledge Network has made more than 60 million pages of digitized Canadian heritage documents accessible.
Findmypast has added 23 million new U.S. marriages to its site for searching.
Drew recaps free FamilySearch record additions.

Blaine T. Bettinger and the DNA segment

This week’s discussion between Blaine and Drew focuses on recent announcements from MyHeritage regarding their new DNA tools: AutoCluster and the Theory of Family Relativity.

Our Listeners Talk to Us

Listener response to a call for how you use spreadsheets in your research has been strong.
Another Laura tells us she uses spreadsheets when extracting from indexes; to compile each year’s data when doing city directory research; and to create a combination timeline/family group sheet/timeline.
Sherry paid for a DNA test for a cousin who has since died. Are there legal questions she should be aware of if she wants to submit the data to GEDmatch?
Bill reports that he has had problems with Ancestry tree data disappearing from RootsMagic. He believes it is an API problem. George heard from another friend on Sunday who has experienced the same problem.
Tom reports that the new Ancestry beta color coding tag system has rendered a Google extension inoperable. Drew tells how to opt out of the Ancestry beta.
Spencer shares two important topics:
- Masonic records include applications to join and these can contain much genealogical information.
- The librarian at the Webster Memorial Library in Decatur, Van Buren County, Michigan, plans to break up the collections placed there by the Van Buren Regional Genealogical Society. Some materials would be moved to a basement and would no longer be accessible by researchers. Email to the Van Buren Library Board of Directors Chairman, Bruce Cutting, at [email protected] to complain about this situation is welcome. The Guys make suggestions about written agreements that should be created and signed to clarify such situations.

Visit The Genealogy Guys Blog at http://blog.genealogyguys.com for more news! And send questions or comments to the podcast at [email protected].

Previous Episode

The Genealogy Guys Podcast #358

The Genealogy Guys Podcast and Vivid-Pix announced the first winners of the Unsung Heroes Awards at RootsTech 2019. Visit the blog for details about the winners.

Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., joins us for discussions with Drew about DNA topics on episodes of The Genealogy Guys Podcast starting this week.

The News

MyHeritage made a number of announcements at RootsTech 2019:
- Database has doubled since RootsTech 2018.
- 5 million MyHeritage DNA kits have been sold, the most sales in Europe.
- New AutoClusters tool has been introduced to MyHeritage DNA.
- Theory of Family Relativity DNA tool has been introduced to MyHeritage DNA to facilitate matching.
- MyHeritage has completed digitizing of all of Israel’s cemeteries, searchable online with images, locations, and fully transcribed records.
- MyHeritage has extended their DNA Quest pro bono initiative to reunite adoptees through free genetic testing.
Ancestry announced 94 new and updated communities for people of African American and Afro-Caribbean descent.
Ancestry announced several new DNA tools, and Blaine and Drew will discuss them later.
Stephen and Tabitha King have donated $1.25 million to the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
Findmypast added over 23 million new U.S. marriage records to their collection.
Findmypast also added Yorkshire Baptisms, Marriage Banns, Marriages, and Burials, and an update to the 1939 Register.
Findmypast has acquired RootsFinder, Inc, a free family tree builder.
Findmypast announced a project to digitize and publish the 1921 Census of England and Wales.
The Archives of Manitoba, Canada, is digitizing over 1,000 reels of microfilm for the Hudson’s Bay Company (1670-1870) and placing the records online.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated $2 million to the International African American Museum being built in Charleston, South Carolina.
RootsTech London will take place on 24-26 October 2019.
Drew recaps the highlights of the January 2019 record additions and a look at what’s coming this year.

A Discussion with Blaine T. Bettinger

This week’s discussion between Blaine and Drew focuses on Ancestry.com’s newly announced DNA tools. They include a new tool called ThruLines, and a new tool for working with and marking matches (in beta mode), and a Tree Tagging tool (also in beta mode).

Listener Email

Listeners Barb and Vicki also responded to Laura’s inquiry in Episode #357 about uses for spreadsheets in genealogy.
Bill reported he had a loss of data between RootsMagic and Ancestry. George referred him ASAP to RootsMagic’s Customer Support, and also described how he backs up his RootsMagic data on his computer, on Dropbox, and at an offline storage service.
Tom advises Jewish researchers not to ignore German Catholic records as he has made discoveries of Jewish families’ information in those collections.
Tom advises us that he has acquired very old photo albums, and that he in one case reunited it with the descendants. But what about the other one?

The Guys would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Patreon supporters. Your financial contributions are an investment in our ability to provide our services to the genealogical community for free since 5 September 2005.

Next Episode

Genealogy Connection #052 - Margaret Cheney, Ohio Genealogical Society President

Margaret Cheney is the current president of the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS), and has served in many roles at the state organization level and as part of her local OGS chapter. She talks about how she first became involved with her local society, about the upcoming OGS conference, about lineage societies, and about why it is important for society members to volunteer.