November - December 2020

Family Tree

The Leading Family History Magazine

Family Tree2 min read
Out On A Limb
My favorite holiday special has always been Charlie Brown—but not the famous Christmas episode, or even the Halloween episode and its Great Pumpkin. No, my favorite is the Thanksgiving special: Good old Chuck frantically preparing to host his friends
Family Tree1 min read
Family Tree
Editor Andrew Koch Art Director Katharine Van Itallie Photo Editor Heather Marcus Digital Editor Courtney Henderson New Media Editor Rachel Fountain eLearning Specialist Amanda Epperson Contributing Editors Lisa A. Alzo, Rick Crume, David A. Fryxell,
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Tree Talk
I NOTICED A LOCAL DECEASED RELATIVE’S collection of family photos ended up in the hands of a person who was adding them to her tree on Ancestry.com. I emailed her through the site and thanked her for posting them so they were accessible. She replied
Family Tree1 min read
Everything’srelative
“SMALL CHEER AND GREAT WELCOME MAKES A MERRY FEAST.” William Shakespeare’s Balthasar reminds his compatriots to appreciate even the humblest gathering of friends and family in A Comedy of Errors. If you can’t be with all your family this holiday seas
Family Tree1 min read
RootsTech 2021 Goes Virtual
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST genealogy event, RootsTech , which usually takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be an all-online event for 2021. The conference, called “RootsTech Connect,” will offer classes and keynote speeches in multip
Family Tree1 min readMedical
Spanish Flu Deaths Database
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a halt, but it’s not the first disease to disrupt daily life. A new database uses genealogical records and trees to build a better picture of one such pandemic (the 1918 “Spanish flu” outbreak) for healt
Family Tree1 min readBiology
Ancestrydna Updates
AncestryDNA (now with 18 million kits in its database) has updated its user experience. Testers can now see the size of the longest segment of DNA shared with individual matches, which helps distinguish matches who share recent com
Family Tree1 min readBiology
DNA Reveals Slave Trade Stories
Researchers at 23andMe have published genetic evidence related to the forced paths of enslaved Africans to North and South America. Some findings are in line with documentary evidence, but others are surprising, such as larger-than-
Family Tree1 min readSecurity
Data Breaches: A PSA For User Security
RECENT DATA BREACHES at genealogy websites, such as those reported by GEDmatch and MyHeritage in July 2020, serve as a reminder about the importance of privacy and user security. Though responsibility for safeg
Family Tree2 min readTechnology & Engineering
Echoes Of The Past
Rocklin Manufacturing in Sioux City, Iowa, has used its building as a canvas to tell the company and family’s story. Founder I.J. Rocklin purchased the building (originally built in 1912) in 1942, and his company went on to receive the Ordnance Award
Family Tree3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Curds and Whey
WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD CHOICES, we love to say “cheese.” From pizzas to grilled-cheese sandwiches to cheeseburgers, Americans annually consume roughly 40 pounds of cheese per capita. Our earliest ancestors would approve: The oldest evidence of cheesem
Family Tree2 min read
Preserving Stuffed Animals
1 Keep stuffed animals clean and dry, and don’t trust “washable” labels. Cherished animals were likely squeezed, cuddled, and loved to excess (maybe even literally dragged through the mud). But a modern washing machine might damage an animal’s outer
Family Tree2 min readSocial Science
Reconcilable Differences
Eric Jensen of Mesa, Ariz., celebrated the Fourth of July this year by indexing records at FamilySearch . An 1872 divorce record appeared on his screen, and he did a double-take: The defendant was William Golakher Ostle
Family Tree1 min read
Branchingout
“BEING THUS ARRIVED IN A GOOD HARBOR, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set t
Family Tree12 min read
National Treasures
Americans take great pride in our national park system. Yellowstone, founded in 1872, was the first national park in the country and (according to many) in the world. Today, the US National Park System’s more than 400 sites across the country draw mi
Family Tree6 min read
Making a List
Finding gifts for the avid family historian (or even making a wish list for yourself) can be a challenge. DNA test kit? Got it. Records access memberships? Been there, done that. But don’t sigh and settle for that “I Seek Dead People” bumper sticker
Family Tree5 min read
State Guide louisiana
THE FRENCH QUARTER. Jazz and blues. Mardi Gras. Cajun cuisine. From scenic bayous to historic French Creole architecture, Louisiana has drawn tourists from around the world with its unique flavors, sights and sounds Indeed, Louisiana has always been
Family Tree1 min read
Timeline
Spaniard Panfilo de Narváez leads the first Europeans to the region when he locates the mouth of the Mississippi Frenchman René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle claims Louisiana for France, naming it after King Louis XIV Modern Louisiana trades hands from
Family Tree1 min read
Toolkit
Acadian-Cajun Genealogy & History Cyndi’s List: Louisiana FamilySearch Research Wiki: Louisiana LAGenWeb Louisiana
Family Tree5 min read
State Guide washington
WASHINGTONIANS’ TENACIOUS SPIRIT began with the pioneers who braved the journey across the Oregon Trail, and it lives on in the state’s newsmaking technology companies. And though Evergreen Staters have a history of hunting for elusive things—the Nor
Family Tree1 min read
Timeline
Robert Gray becomes the first non-Indian to sail “Wimahl,” which he renames the Columbia River Lewis and Clark cross into what’s now Washington The Beaver, Puget Sound’s first steamship, sails from Fort Vancouver Michael T. Simmons and George Bush es
Family Tree1 min read
Toolkit
Cyndi’s List: Washington FamilySearch Research Wiki: Washington University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections Washing
Family Tree8 min read
Pilgrims’ pride
The Pilgrims’ “voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia,” as the Mayflower Compact called it, didn’t turn out quite as planned. For one thing, the party landed not in “northern Virginia” (present-day New York), but in modern
Family Tree1 min read
Patriarchs and Matriarchs
John Alden Isaac Allerton Mary Allerton Mary (Norris) Allerton Remember Allerton John Billington Elinor Billington Francis Billington William Bradford Love Brewster Mary Brewster William Brewster Peter Browne James Chilton Mrs. James Chilton Mary Chi
Family Tree9 min read
Social Affairs
If your genealogy research is stuck or you’ve “lost” your ancestor, stop actually looking for that particular ancestor. Instead, turn your attention to the events happening around them and the social issues that could have been influencing their life
Family Tree8 min readTelecommunications
Going the Distance
We’ve had to take stock of our lives in ways we haven’t before. We’re thinking about what really matters. And important things we once put off—like sharing and saving our family stories—have now become a priority. But, because of COVID-19, we’re ofte
Family Tree1 min read
Treetips
PHOTO GIFTS ARE PERFECT FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Even better—you can use images that you’ve turned up as part of your research. But which family photos should you use? Contributing Editor Sunny Jane Morton suggests prioritizing images that are th
Family Tree1 min read
The Missing Mrs.
Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Family Photo Detective (Family Tree Books). ■
Family Tree1 min read
Yearbooks
George G. Morgan is a genealogy speaker and author. He also cohosts the Genealogy Guys podcast with Drew Smith . MyHeritage and Ancestry.com have digitized many yearbooks from schools, al
Family Tree3 min read
Treetips NOW WHAT?
Q I found broken or damaged tombstones. I would like to replicate the stones rather than try to repair, as pieces are missing and/or deteriorated. Do you know of any businesses that can do this? A You might be surprised by how well even seriously dam
Family Tree1 min readFashion
ROUNDUP Photo Gift Services
Mixbook’s creative photo book themes (Photo Books>Family) might inspire your next family history album: milestones, family reunions, grandparents, cooking, adoptions, military heroes, and tributes to mom or dad. Family tree layouts
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
WEBSITE RootsWeb
A Search for ancestors’ names in user-submitted family trees (or share your tree) through The WorldConnect portal. B The Wiki is mostly comprised of two books once published by Ancestry: The Source (on record types and strategies) and Red Book (a loc
Family Tree5 min read
Shared Matches: Related or Not?
Q Is it possible some of the shared matches in my list aren’t really related to each other? A First of all: What are shared matches? The shared matches tool is offered by all testing companies, and lets you view a list of all DNA matches who share DN
Family Tree3 min read
2020 Family Tree Magazine Index
AncestryHealth Sep/Oct, 45 comparison to other “Big Four” sites Mar/Apr, 18 free records on Mar/Apr, 41 researching censuses on Mar/Apr, 58 ThruLines tutorial Mar/Apr, 68 and American Indian heritage Nov/Dec, 66 comparison guide: DNA health tests Sep
Family Tree1 min read
Familysearch
Launched: 1999 Names in Records: 7.2 billion Registered Users: More than 1 million Names in Family Tree: 1.2 billion • 1790–1940 federal censuses• Various state censuses • Birth, marriage and death indexes for various cities and states, including New
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
The Familysearch Family Tree
With more than 1.2 billion names, the FamilySearch Family Tree is an excellent resource for genealogists around the world. Unlike other online tree websites wherein each user has his own family tree (such as Ancestry.com and MyHeri
Family Tree2 min readInternet & Web
Searching For Records
The main search form allows you to search all of FamilySearch’s indexed records at once. This can be a blessing and a curse. With too broad of a search, you’ll have to sort through millions of results (many of them irrel
Family Tree1 min readComputers
Viewing Search Results
Change your search terms by adding/removing options or modifying fields, then click Update. Click a name to open a new window that has details about the matching record. You’ll also have the option of adding the record to a Family Tree profile or (fo
Family Tree2 min readInternet & Web
Browsing Records: Step By Step
Step 1: Choose a collection. Though FamilySearch and its army of volunteers are indexing records every day, you may occasionally need to access collections that are still browse-only. Navigate to the collection using the instructions under “Searching
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Using The Familysearch Research Wiki
The FamilySearch Research Wiki is an excellent resource to learn more about the ancestors you’re researching, as well as the places and time periods in which they lived. With more than 90,000 articles, the Wik
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Visiting Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are local branches of Salt Lake City’s Family History Library. At an FHC, you can find a bevy of records and resources (often about and from the local area), as well as trained staff who can help you find and interpret d

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