Tag: genealogy

Review:  Methods Used To Organize DNA Matches

Alora

Picture this:   You’ve got over 10,000 DNA matches on one parent’s side of the family.  Only a couple really stand out as ones you know while the rest are a mystery.  How do you sort these matches out?  How do you organize them?

I realized there are different ways to organize or cluster them into groups, manually and using automation.  To summarize best what these ways are, I refer you to this blog post I found on Family Locket.  

Not mentioned in the Family Locket blog post is the AncestryDNA dot system which I learned about in the DNA Skills workshop (link here).  This blog post by Your DNA Guide should give you an idea of how that works.  While the AncestryDNA dot system does help identify clusters of matches sharing a common ancestor or ancestral couple, visualizing them is limited to just the DNA testing company’s website.  

I tried the Leeds Method and was excited about being able to create a Google Sheets spreadsheet that could be incorporated with the rest of my Google Drive genealogy content.  I liked the idea that I could also use the method using Ancestry’s Colored Dots but found this visually confusing when DNA matches sharing DNA with more than one color group created what is called overlap.  

Looking at the automated clustering options described in the Family Locket blog post, I didn’t care for visualizing DNA connections in a matrix within a chart.  It was too much, too fast, especially when I really enjoy the process of manually separating DNA matches into clusters.

After considering all of the above methods, I decided to start with using Ancestry’s Colored Dots to sort DNA matches into groups or clusters sharing a common ancestor couple.  I then worked on figuring out how I could create a DNA research log for DNA matches.  

Although I liked Family Locket’s Airtable approach to organizing and managing DNA matches, I admit I’m not a big fan of Airtable.  I’m more into Google Sheets.  So, I created Google Sheets spreadsheet templates, one for paternal DNA matches and one for maternal DNA matches, taking only the aspects I liked from Family Locket’s Airtable approach but making them more to my liking.  

My templates are a different way of logging DNA match research.  I name them DNA Ancestry Match Paternal Grandparent Groups Template and DNA Ancestry Match Maternal Grandparent Groups Template.  Each template has these key features:

  1. Tabs created for each grandparent:  Grandparent couples are separated into different tabs such that you can see which common ancestors specifically are shared amongst your DNA matches.
  2. Colors used are tied in with colors chosen for Ancestry’s Colored Dot groups or clusters.
  3. First column is frozen for ease of navigating the spreadsheet.

In summary. . .

There are different methods used to organize DNA matches.  Like managing genealogy research in general, you have to determine what works best for you and fits in with your workflow. 

How Does Ancestry Compare To ForeverⓇ?

Alora

I realize that Ancestry allows you to add files to a Gallery for a person on your Ancestry tree.  You can store those files there.  But, the Gallery isn’t a reliable place for storage.  If something happens to your Ancestry tree, then what you have in the Gallery may be lost.

You know I’ve mentioned ForeverⓇ as part of my system to manage my genealogy research.  You may wonder if ForeverⓇ can be used to store a family tree.  First of all I want to make it clear that ForeverⓇ is not a family tree builder.  

For example, you can’t store your GEDCOM there.  But, you can convert it to a PDF format that can be uploaded and stored in a ForeverⓇ digital storage account.  Forever is all about preserving your genealogy- or family history-related digital images and documents, not building your family tree. 

Another thing about Ancestry is that access to your Ancestry account is not forever.  It’s one of those “until death do us part” situations.  As long as you pay for the account subscription, you have access to it.  

Also, video isn’t allowed for storage in your Ancestry account.  Plus, storage is limited.  Photos are compressed.  This means when they’re downloaded from Ancestry, you shouldn’t expect them to be as large in size as you anticipate.

Ancestry access dies when you do.  Access stops when payment stops.  They don’t allow video.  They have limited storage.  They compress photos to take up less space.  As a result, when you download them, photo quality and size are altered.

As for ForeverⓇ, your account is literally forever.  You can store videos in your account and download them to play later.  If you go the premium video storage route, you can play them from your account directly.  You can even share videos with anybody by giving them a link which they don’t have to download. 

As for photo storage, photos aren’t compressed.  When you download photos from your ForeverⓇ account, you can expect full resolution quality.  They’re not compressed.  The size is what you expect. 

One last important fact about ForeverⓇ is you can get 2 gigabytes of free photo storage to start out.  Depending on your photo or image file size, that’s about 400 to 800 photos. 

You can get free ForeverⓇ storage along with a $20 coupon when you open up a new ForeverⓇ account at Forever.com.

Utilizing The 3-2-1 Backup Method For Genealogy

Alora

Ever hear of the 3-2-1 backup method for photos? Well, the same backup method can be applied to genealogy!

Just in case you haven’t heard of the 3-2-1 backup method, here are the basics:  You should have a total of 3 types of back-up. 

  • You should have photos and documents backed up on at least 2 types of media and/or in another format.  
  • The third type (the 1 in 3-2-1) should be kept off site, physically and/or in a digital cloud.

The general idea is that if for some reason one type gets damaged, destroyed or stolen, you have another one available.  This results in being reassured that the fruits of your research labor are preserved.

In case you’re wondering about how I’ve approached this backup method, here’s what that looks like:

  1. Flash drive or a USB drive.  I actually have two 16-GB flash drives–one for photos and one for family history book project documents and images related to those documents.
  2. External hard drive.  I use a Seagate photo drive.
  3. The off site backup – ForeverⓇ.  I have two accounts–one for regular photos and one for genealogy or family history book project images that are either scanned or photographed.  File types up to 4GB in size supported include .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tiff, .tif and .webp for images and .pdf documents.  So far, I have 12GB which so far has held a lot, but if I need more space, I know I can get it.  

If you want to know more about ForeverⓇ storage, go to Forever.com. You can get 2 GB free to try out with a $20 coupon thrown in.  

Track Your Ancestors: Import Census Records into Spreadsheets

Alora

While I was doing brick wall ancestor research, I discovered a neat trick for keeping track of census data for direct-line ancestors and non-direct relatives alike.  I wanted to log census findings such that I could find them quickly for future reference when I needed them.

A Google search resulted in finding this gem:  A step-by-step guide on how to import census data into a spreadsheet.  Though this guide is created for Microsoft Excel, it can be applied to Google Sheets as well.  

I found the guide on YouTube and couldn’t wait to try it out.  After a few attempts at creating spreadsheets for census data with Google Sheets, it wasn’t that difficult.  I discovered that it was a lot easier to read the imported data than looking at the census itself for analysis.

The process I use now is creating a Google Sheets document and naming it with this format:  Year Country Census Surname Direct-Line Relative Couple.  This would look like this:  1910 US Census Doe/Smith

I then follow the steps to importing census data, creating separate tabs for each page.  I name the tabs Year PG # which would look like this 1910 PG 10.  

This spreadsheet gets saved in the folder containing research logs and other documents pertaining to the ancestor I’m researching in a subfolder titled Census.  If I want to retrieve it later, I know where it is in Google Drive.  If I don’t remember where it is in Google Drive, I can always do a search by typing in the keywords “surname census.”  

When I use census records for collateral research, instead of creating a separate spreadsheet for a non-direct relative, I may just add the data to a direct-line ancestor’s spreadsheet if they happen to live in the same area or location.  I just add a separate tab and name it Year PG # non-direct relative full name, which would look like this 1910 PG 8 John Buck.  

If you’d like to view the step-by-step guide on importing census data that I found on my Google search, click here for the YouTube video by Genealogy TV (Constance H. Knox) https://youtu.be/E2SJsANQ6zo?si=wuwwSF_7Zu8Mo7zb  Though it’s called “Extract U.S. Census Data into Excel to Find Your Ancestors in Your Family History Fast” the same method can be used for Google Sheets.  You can also purchase the handout at https://genealogytv.org/product/handout-for-extracting-census-into-spreadsheets-to-find-your-ancestors/  

Creating Effective Location Folders for Genealogy Research

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During my brick wall research coaching project with the ForeverⓇ professional genealogist, one of the first assignments was to create location folders for the birthplaces of my ancestor and his wife.  Besides wanting to know who his parents were, I was also curious about how he met his wife.

Creating a locality research reference guide first helps to better understand what events occurred in these locations at a given time.  This also provides some idea of where ancestor families were living geographically.  

Furthermore, locality research provided guidance in finding vital records.  Defining locations and the history behind them gave direction as to where to find these records both online and offline.

I created location folders in both digital format within my Google Drive and paper format in a binder dedicated to collecting locality research findings.  I would build a research reference guide to support documents such as Google Docs and Sheets in Google Drive and printouts of important information discovered along the way.

I also began a collection of information about the language spoken in the locations researched.  The birthplaces being researched had more than one language associated with them.  Political events resulted in my ancestors becoming subjects under rule of nearby countries over time.  

Knowing the language type at a given period of time was significant.  There was a strong possibility the vital records would be in one of three kinds of languages or a combination of them. 

I added information collected about these languages in both my Google Drive and my location binder.  In Google Drive, I created subfolders for each language.  In the binder, I created separate tabs for each country, placing the language information with the correct country. 

My ForeverⓇ professional genealogist provided me with lists for both cumulative research resources and cumulative methodology resources.  These included online links to websites providing information on geographical locations, specifically in Eastern Europe, and resources for locality research, methodologies and many other topics.  

Helpful links included:

As a result, I was able to visualize the why behind my ancestor’s family’s movement in Eastern Europe over a period of time.  This also helped fill in gaps in a timeline before and up to my ancestors’ births with migration maps.  I also was able to identify where vital records could be to assist with answering a brick wall research question.  Locality research made this possible.

Unlocking Family Histories: DNA Matches and Collateral Research Strategies

Alora

During my hunt for anything I could find regarding my ancestor Henry, I discovered a border crossing document from Canada to the U.S.  It revealed Henry in the brother-in-law role helping  his wife Julia’s sister’s husband John.  

This led to the thought that perhaps I could apply Diahan Southard’s Ask The Wife strategy to researching Henry’s wife Julia.  After reviewing Diahan’s Your DNA Guide The Book on this topic, I took another look at what DNA matches had connections with Julia.  Perhaps I could connect with descendants of Julia’s sister Amalia.  

This prompted me to evaluate the couple’s family further.  I happened to have a copy of a set of books that focused on biographies of families from the area where they lived.  Fortunately, there was a biography written up about them. It provided me with the names of their children including married surnames of the daughters of the family.  

This sparked my interest in pursuing some more collateral research.  Even though Amalia wasn’t a direct ancestor to me, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of gaining some information about Henry through her descendants.  Amalia is what you call a collateral relative, an in-law to my direct ancestor Henry.  

My next move was to check out my Ancestry DNA matches.  I entered surnames associated with Amalia and John in the search box for surnames in DNA match trees.  I found two matches whose direct descendants were Amalia and John as either grandparents or great-grandparents.

Before making any connection with the matches, it was time to “do the genealogy” first.  This meant following my usual process of checking out:

  • Vital records like birth, marriage, death
  • Censuses
  • Obituaries
  • Other records that could give some insight as to names of descendants and their families

I took the time to create spreadsheets and logs with my findings.  Then it was time to connect with Amalia and John’s living descendants.  

The DNA match profiles showed that they were not online in their Ancestry accounts for quite some time. I checked Facebook out after a Google search revealed that one of the matches had a Facebook account.  It looked like the match wasn’t that active on Facebook either.  

I checked the friends and identified some people who appeared to be family members.  Next, I reached out to one of them who graciously responded to a chat and identified how the matches were connected to Amalia and John.  I was also provided with a phone number of a good family source to speak with about the couple.  

Although I didn’t get that much more information about Henry with this research strategy through living descendants, I did find my research efforts paid off.  I was able after going back again to “do the genealogy” that one of Amalia’s children was born in the same location Henry was born.  This did provide me with some background as to how Henry and Julia probably met.

I’m not done pursuing collateral research in regard to Julia and her family, as while I worked with the ForeverⓇ professional genealogist some old records related to them were found.  These will help shape out Julia’s story when I get to that point in writing about Henry and Julia.  Who knows what else I will find?  Time will tell.

Accessing Social Security Records: A Guide for Genealogy Research

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Without knowing how to access a deceased individual’s Social Security Application and Claims Index record, you won’t be able to verify an ancestor’s place of birth, location of residence or parent names.  Instead, you’ll continue to wonder if that record can answer a genealogy research question or get you unstuck from a genealogy brick wall dilemma.

Here’s how you can get access to the record through a request known as a FOIA or Freedom of Information Act request.  It is ideal to have the deceased individual’s Social Security Number.  If you don’t, you still can go ahead with the request.

Step 1.  Online Go To https://www.ssa.gov/foia/ 

Step 2.  Click on Make A FOIA Request.

Step 3.  Click on Request a copy of Deceased Person’s Original Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5) or Numident Record.

This will bring up more information about the process.  The top paragraphs give options of getting what you need either online or by mail.  There is a fee for receiving a copy.

Step 4. Complete the request form and submit along with fee payment.  

That’s all you need to do.

If you need more information about the Freedom of Information Act, visit https://www.foia.gov/faq.html 

The Document That Helped Bust The Genealogy Brick Wall

Alora

For years the question lingered amongst paternal cousins regarding an ancestor I shall name Henry.  Who were Heinrich’s parents?

A record from the Social Security Application and Claims Index was found that had the possible answer to that question.  But, was this record for our Henry, we wondered.  Also, how would we access this record?

When I worked with the ForeverⓇ Family Research professional genealogist who worked as my genealogy project coach, I mentioned this Social Security Application and Claims Index record to her.  The information provided by the index did match Henry’s birth date and was perhaps a match to his birth place.  The Fred and Mary listed as his parents we weren’t clear about.

As a result, the research goal discussed during this coaching session was to confirm the parents of Henry presumably from a location that was once part of Russia but now is in Ukraine.  It was recommended that I build on location information utilizing the JewishGen.org Communities database, even though Henry wasn’t Jewish.  This website also offers extensive other information about regions of Eastern Europe.  

It was also recommended that I get access to the record listed on the Social Security Index.  I learned that a copy of the record can be ordered per the United States Freedom of Information Act.  I was also provided with links for ordering it and the FamilySearch wiki about this record.

The ForeverⓇ professional genealogist told me that it may take a month before I receive the record copy.  Perhaps this is so if the photocopy of the original Social Security Card application is sent by snail mail.

I discovered that opting for electronic access instead of the snail mail option sped up the delivery time.  Within a week’s time I was able to download the photocopy.

I was delighted to see that the photocopy was worth the $30.00 I spent to order it.  The record showed the Henry it named was the Henry I was researching.  The address for where he resided at the time was a match.  

What really sealed the deal was Henry’s signature.  It was identical to his signature on other documents I found.  

This was huge!  It gave me something to work with–I had the full names of Henry’s parents!  Of course, when I shared this with my cousins, they were excited too.

To learn more about how to request a Social Security Application and Claims Index record, click here.

ForeverⓇ Family Research Review:  An Expert-Based Research Solution

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This post expands further on how ForeverⓇ Family Research helped me when I needed professional genealogy help.  From my post When You Need To Hire A Pro Genealogist , I mentioned that the Coaching Project Plan was ideal for the type of genealogy research I was working on.  I wanted to do the research myself while having professional genealogy guidance.

Here’s how the ForeverⓇ Family Research 3-Month Coaching Project Plan worked for me:

  • The professional genealogist reached out to me by email to schedule a time to discuss where I was at with my brick wall project.  By email I summarized what the project was, what I did accomplish and what I was stuck on.  
  • We then met via Zoom face-to-face for an hour.  This involved screen sharing and discussion.  This counted as my first month’s coaching session.  By the time the session ended, we figured out how we could approach it.  
  • I was given “homework” with detailed instructions provided during and after the session. I already had a Forever storage account and was able to access that month’s coaching  session summary.  The summary included what we discussed and my homework that was due by next month’s coaching session.
  • The next month’s hour-long Zoom coaching session focused on what I accomplished with the homework that was given.  We examined the results I got from obtaining a digital document that helped answer a research question.  We also went over other documents found since we last met.  
  • Again, I was given homework based on new goals set during the coaching session.  That session’s coaching summary was then loaded into my Forever storage account to access later.  
  • By the third and last month’s hour-long Zoom coaching session, a lot more about my ancestor was revealed than I anticipated.  It amazed me that I was able to uncover more than my initial research goal with the ForeverⓇ professional genealogist’s coaching.  I was curious as to how much more could be revealed.
  • Rather than get a ForeverⓇ Coaching Project Plan extension, to save me time I proceeded with the Research Project Plan for 3 months.  I was able to keep working with the same trained professional genealogist.  
  • Rather than me working on the project, the professional genealogist created a plan to carry out the project, looking into other records further and even translating them into English.  
  • Each month we met for a 2-hour Zoom session, which covered what was found and next month’s research plan.  
  • I received a monthly written report with that and research findings saved directly into my ForeverⓇ storage account for me to access at any time.  

How Easy Was This Service To Use?

Working with a ForeverⓇ professional genealogist for both types of project plans was easy.  The coaching project plan homework assigned was realistic, and the step-by-step guidance was straightforward.  I was able to learn hands-on skills that I can carry forward into future projects on my own. 

What About Support?

The ForeverⓇ professional genealogist was responsive and helpful with providing the research assistance I needed during Zoom sessions and brief emails between the sessions that I needed to send from time to time.  Monthly summaries were well written, making it easy to understand what was accomplished and what goals were set during the Zoom sessions.

Value For Money Spent

The project plan pricing is not that unrealistic were you to pursue hiring a professional genealogist and taking into consideration how much time and money you could waste trying to figure out brick wall issues alone.  Personally, I got a lot more than I expected out of both the coaching project plan and research project plan at just the 3-month increment for each.  

Overall, the ForeverⓇ Family Research genealogy plans are worthwhile purchasing to resolve genealogy research problems with professional guidance, quickly and effectively.  The results I received from the genealogy plans I purchased were beyond my expectations for each. 

When You Need To Hire A Pro Genealogist

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After I did as much as I could at the intermediate genealogist level with my great-grandfather’s parent brick wall, I realized it was time to make an important decision.  Should I hire a professional genealogist?  Or, should I just be satisfied that I ruled out who was not his parents?

It wasn’t that easy for me to just simply be satisfied and let this brick wall remain.  I simply had to do something about it!  Especially when a cousin pointed out to me that there was a record worth looking into that was listed in the Social Security Application and Claims Index.  I was aware of it, but we both didn’t know how to pursue it further.

What I Really Needed

What I really needed was a coach at the professional genealogist level.  I had a strong desire to still “do the genealogy” but with a guiding hand and fresh eyes looking at this brick wall.  

This need was met through a company I’m affiliated with through their service, ForeverⓇ Family Research.  The service helps genealogy buffs or family historians with full-service research support, coaching or a one-time consultation.  

Here are the genealogy plans that ForeverⓇ Family Research offers:

  • Research Project Plans
    • A trained professional genealogist creates a full-service plan customized based on your specific needs.
      • The professional genealogist works with you to clearly outline your goals.
      • You begin your personalized research plan looking into records while working out family details.
      • You get help with brick walls, DNA interpretation or foreign language research to get needed answers.
      • You get a monthly written report and a virtual face-to-face meeting with the professional genealogist to guide you through the research and documents located each month. 
      • Findings are saved directly into a ForeverⓇ storage account for you to access at any time.  
      • You may wish to have a personal private ForeverⓇ Family Tree or invite the professional genealogist to have access to a tree you already have created to review with you and add to as the research project progresses.
    • Research Project Plans are available at 12-month, 6-month and 3-month increments.
  • Coaching Project Plans
    • If you just need some guidance and want to do your own genealogy research, a trained professional genealogist can help. Your guidance includes training and resource recommendations to provide you with skills and resources to design and implement your own research journey.
      • The professional genealogist picks up on where you are with your research to provide you with monthly customized coaching sessions.  
      • You are assisted with staying on task and prioritizing your goals while you learn hands-on skills as you progress.
      • Coaching sessions are monthly for one hour face-to-face virtually to discuss research goals, provide you with guidance through research approaches and available resources and recommended next steps to meet goals.
      • You get a monthly coaching report outlining what was discussed and resource recommendations plus your research task assignments.  This is added to a ForeverⓇ storage account for you to access at any time.  
      • You use new skills and resources to finish research task assignments while you do your own genealogy research on your own time before the next coaching session.
    • Coaching Projects are available at 12-month, 6-month and 3-month increments.
  • One-Time Consultation
    • If you aren’t ready to pursue a research or coaching project but have questions related to genealogy research or need some direction to get started, you can book a 1-hour consultation with one of the ForeverⓇ trained professional genealogists.
      • The consultation is done via online video chat.  
      • Topics for discussion:
        • Specific genealogy records
        • Recommended research approaches to make progress on your own
        • Understanding the basics of DNA
        • Strategizing solutions for your own genealogy research needs

What I Opted For

The ForeverⓇ Coaching Plan was perfect for me.  I opted for the 3-month increment plan, which was just right.  Within that timeframe I was educated about the Social Security Application and Claims Index record my cousin and I wanted to explore further.  

Following the steps the ForeverⓇ professional genealogist provided me, I was able to access a digital copy of the document, which answered a brick wall question.  This indeed was a genealogy research victory that was not that hard to achieve once I knew what to do.

Want To Know More?

If you would like to know more about how ForeverⓇ Family Research can help you, go to Forever.com.

If you would like to know more about my own personal experience with ForeverⓇ Family Research, click here.