November/December 2023

Family Tree

The Leading Family History Magazine

Family Tree1 min read
Family Tree
Editor Andrew Koch Art Director Julie Barnett Digital Editor Melina Papadopoulos New Media Editor Rachel Christian eLearning Producer Amanda Epperson Contributing Editors Lisa A. Alzo, Rick Crume, David A. Fryxell, Nancy Hendrickson, Sunny Jane Morto
Family Tree1 min read
Out On A Limb
My daughter isn’t quite old enough to articulate that request, but she will be soon. When she does, what stories will I share? There’s the standard fare: “The Princess and the Pea,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” or “Little Red Riding Hood.” But genealogy
Family Tree3 min read
5 QUESTIONS with:
TWENTY YEARS AGO, Nathan Dylan Goodwin sat in Hastings Library, skimming through WWII newspapers for references to his grandmother’s family. But it was the town itself, famous as the namesake of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, that captured his atten
Family Tree1 min read
Ancestry.com Updates: Fans, Dogs and DNA
MEGAWEBSITE ANCESTRY.COM made three notable changes to its offerings in September: • Fan chart: Ancestry.com added this highly-anticipated view to its online trees. Colors represent different ancestral lines, and (like in other vie
Family Tree2 min read
Tree Talk
We asked about which ancestor whose story you’d want to turn into a novel. Here’s how you responded. MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER Emma Bauer, who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany with absolutely nothing, raised six kids to adulthood in Ridgewood, Qu
Family Tree1 min read
New Project: 10 Million Names
American Ancestors announced the 10 Million Names project , which seeks to document the estimated 10 million African Americans who were enslaved in what is now the United States between the 1500s and 1865. With help from partn
Family Tree1 min readInternet & Web
Myheritage Photodater
After teasing it at RootsTech earlier this year, MyHeritage released an innovative PhotoDater tool in August. Using artificial intelligence, PhotoDater automatically provides an estimate for when an undated photo was taken. The t
Family Tree2 min read
Remembrances
World War I ended in 1918 on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when an armistice between the Allied nations and the Central Powers went into effect. In recognition of that day—Veterans Day—this year, I’m focusing on ensuring that the s
Family Tree2 min read
DNA and Privacy
INVESTIGATIVE GENETIC GENEALOGY has made headlines in recent years for solving cold cases using DNA, notably that of the Golden State Killer in 2018. But the use of test takers’ data by law enforcement raises flags for many genealogists, prompting a
Family Tree3 min read
Dancing Doppelgangers
A woman discovers a striking resemblance to an icon of theatre and dance. Many people imagine what their ancestors’ lives were like. Some try to re-create their experiences by visiting ancestral places, learning local history or eating traditional fo
Family Tree8 min read
Fine Print
Family tree displays can make thoughtful gifts for loved ones—or bait for luring curious relatives to genealogy. They are also valuable research tools: summing up your progress, identifying any gaps, and providing an at-aglance reference. More than t
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Types of Family Trees
Descendant/family chart: The tree is organized vertically, with younger generations below and older generations above. This allows for a greater amount of flexibility, as it can include multiple generations and relatives of any type. Some software pr
Family Tree6 min read
Stories Worth Telling
Say you’ve located a precious family document. Of course, you want to preserve, protect and share your find with loved ones. You might also want to edit it before passing along to others. That might seem counter-intuitive: Why would you want to chang
Family Tree1 min read
Editing Methods
You have several options for how to re-produce a family journal or letter, ranging from copying as-is to extensive editing. Below are some different options, organized from least-to most-involved. These are not mutually exclusive, and you could selec
Family Tree1 min read
Making Text More Approachable
First impressions matter as readers skim a book or document. (Have you ever thumbed through a book, then quickly put it down due to dense text, small fonts, or a cluttered layout?) Making a page of text more visually appealing not only draws readers
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The Ethics of Editing Family Narratives
Editorial decisions aren’t always straightforward. Though genealogy standards encourage us to protect living people, we face more of a quandary when we think about protecting our ancestors. Perhaps a letter from one sister to another mentions her hus
Family Tree10 min read
Stronger Together
Where do genealogists gather for fun and learning? The answers have changed in the past few years. When the pandemic closed in-person events, many societies and conferences started meeting online. And communities that were already online—including th
Family Tree1 min read
Editing Example: A Travel Journal
Here is a 327-word excerpt from my mom’s journal of her 1997 trip with my dad to New Zealand. Since my sisters and my children don’t remember their grandparents, my editing goal was more about revealing personality than documenting travel locations.
Family Tree6 min read
Tennessee
MANY GENEALOGISTS HAVE CONNECTIONS TO THE State of Tennessee. Records from the Volunteer State vary from region to region and county to county, but are rich in genealogical and historical detail. To tap into that valuable information, you’ll need an
Family Tree6 min read
Colorado
IF COLORADO’S SPACIOUS SKIES, AMBER WAVES OF grain and purple mountain majesties inspired Katharine Lee Bates to pen the patriotic song, “America the Beautiful,” the same attracted tuberculosis victims to heal, homesteaders to stake land, and gold se
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Find Your U.S. Ancestors
Each state-by-state guide includes: Notes on how and when key documents were kept in the state, including vital records, state censuses and land records Narrative history with special emphasis on events that affected your ancestors, including year of
Family Tree6 min read
Season’s Readings
You might think of genealogy books only as old, dusty tomes sitting high up on a shelf. But the reality is that every year, authors who are passionate about genealogy publish new books useful for family historians of all experience levels. Here’s a r
Family Tree6 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
Smart Photos
Family photos are priceless treasures for anyone even remotely interested in family history. You’ll never forget the moment you see an ancestor’s face for the first time. Still, old photos come with their own set of challenges. They may fade or susta
Family Tree1 min read
Treetips
STUDY HOW TO USE YOUR FAVORITE TECH TOOLS. With so many websites, apps and other resources available, you might be tempted to learn only the basics of how to use each. But taking time to learn each tool or platform can reveal hidden features that mak
Family Tree1 min read
Accessibility Tools on Popular Platforms
Users of Apple’s devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc.) and browser (Safari) can improve genealogy conversations and web searches despite vision, mobility, hearing or cognitive disabilities. Ask voice assistant Siri f
Family Tree1 min read
The Tin Age
Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Family Photo Detective (Picture Perfect Press) > Have a photo mystery you’d like Maureen to investigate? Email FamilyTree@Yankeepub. about it (including links to online trees), and Photo Detective in the subject lin
Family Tree7 min read
Newspapers
It takes a unique kind of genealogical record to uncover the stories hovering in the shadows of your family history, waiting to be told. It takes a newspaper: a treasure chest brimming with ancestral backstory, and a great resource when vital and oth
Family Tree2 min read
Saving Family Papers
1 Make a to-go VIP box. Your family likely has VIPs—“very important papers.” These include birth certificates, Social Security cards, and home or auto papers. Genealogists also have other people’s vital records ordered from county or state archives,
Family Tree2 min read
Evaluating Matches with DNA Painter
1 Let’s start with Ancestral Trees, which you can build either manually or by uploading a GED-COM. You can use DNA Painter’s special filters to identify only relatives with whom you share DNA, or from whom you’ve inherited Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, a
Family Tree2 min readChemistry
DNA Q&A Ancestry SideView
Q What is AncestryDNA’s SideView? A In order to appreciate AncestryDNA’s SideView technology, you first need to understand some basic principles about your own biology. Namely, you have two sets of
Family Tree3 min read
Treetips NOW WHAT?
Q My great-great-grandfather (b. 1850 in Alabama) joined a local militia in 1865. I know that he received a pension, but I can’t find anything on his service. Any ideas? A Your ancestor’s pension (like all Confederate pensions) would have been issued
Family Tree1 min read
Genealogy Book Wish List
In each issue, Your Turn offers a form that’ll help you preserve your family’s unique stories and organize your research. Tear out and use the form or make a photocopy. ■
Family Tree6 min read
Scandinavian Genealogy
Despite popular belief, Vikings never wore horned helmets. Christians added horns to depictions of Vikings, considered pagans, to lend a barbarian look. Begin with the most-recent person about whom you have information, then work back to previous gen

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