Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i Family Tree

Family History on Display If you enjoy quilting or needlework, why not make yourself a genealogy-themed Christmas stocking? Gather copies of digitized photos of your ancestors, then crop them using your desktop software program and print. Select fabric remnants to suit the desired color scheme, then use T-shirt iron-on transfers (available at office supply stores) to apply the images to the fabric. Stitch together in a crazy-quilting design and embellish with collected buttons and baubles. Sew together with lining and backing fabric, and they’re ready for Santa to arrive! I’ve got a two-part step-by-step video tutorial on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel <www.tinyurl.com/y6k4ss7s>. On My Bookshelf Downsizing is no easy task, and yet one we all face at some point in our lives. Whether you’re assisting a loved one or…

Arnell Warren Scott of Beachwood, Ohio, is researching her grandfather’s life and finding that lessons he taught still reverberate through the generations. “My grandfather lived in Mississippi,” she says. “As a child, he went to live with a white family. They taught him to read and write. That put him a step ahead of other black children. He did as well as he could for himself, under the circumstances. He always stressed to us that we should get an education and work hard.” Scott was also born in Mississippi. “Life there was not what I would call great. We grew up in a very segregated time,” she recalls. “We had to use the back doors of stores and restaurants. The water fountains and seating on the buses were separate. That’s…

Family Tree Magazine’s newly redesigned website <www.familytreemagazine.com> makes it easier than ever to find the best resources for your ancestor’s home state. From the main menu, hover over Explore by Place, then click United States. From there, you can select your ancestor’s home state from a clickable map of the United States. Click on a state, and you’ll be taken to a landing page that lists important facts about it: • when the territory or colony was settled• when the state was admitted to the union• what (if any) state censuses or similar enumerations were taken• when the area was first enumerated by a federal US census• whether or not the state is public-land• when state-level birth, marriage and death recordkeeping began• whom and where to contact for vital records…

Google Search Tips 1 Save Time. Type search terms into your web browser’s URL field, instead of going to Google’s home page. 2 Punctuation isn’t important. Google ignores symbols such as ?,!,.,%,^,*,(),[],\ when searching, so feel free to leave them off your search. 3 Neither is capitalization. No need to capitalize names of people and places. Except for the OR search operator, capitalization doesn’t matter when searching. 4 Don’t stress spelling. Google automatically uses the most common spelling of a word, even if you spell it incorrectly. If you do want that spelling, add quotation marks around they word. 5 Put the most important search terms first. Google gives greater weight to earlier search terms. 6 Go advanced. Skip search operators by using Google’s Advanced search <google.com/advanced_search>, which includes options…

For more on researching Jewish ancestors, check out Dan Ruby's guide < www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/ashkenazi-jewish-genealogy/…

As the days get shorter, you’ll likely find yourself with less to do outside—and more hours to kill indoors. But this time on the couch or in your comfy armchair don’t need to be lost! Many genealogy resources are now online, bringing billions of digitized records to your tablet or smartphone. (This year’s collection of the 75 Best State Websites on page 18 will get you started.) But research is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Make the most of your shut-in time with these six easy genealogy projects that will keep you cozy, further your research goals and complement your favorite warm beverage. 1 WRITE DOWN YOUR MEMORIES Remember that one ancestor who left nothing behind and is a total mystery to you? Congrats: You’re that ancestor for…

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING to know before starting your North Dakota family research is that two states have “Dakota” in their name. Folks in the upper Great Plains hate it when newscasters refer to “the Dakotas,” as if it’s one big state—perhaps because this area spent many pre-statehood years being fobbed off from one territory to another. (But it’s true that North Dakota legislators have considered renaming the state simply “Dakota,” forever consigning their southern neighbor to add-on status.) When North Dakota first became part of the United States, it was part of one big chunk of land—the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France, which included the southwestern half of today’s state. French explorers arrived in 1738, but permanent white settlement didn’t start until 1812, when Scottish pioneers from Canada settled…

Think of all the friends, neighbors and coworkers you see every day. How many of them will show up on your family tree one day? Probably just a few, if any. But you’re part of a wider community that shapes who you are and the decisions you make just as much as (and sometimes more than) your blood relatives. This was even truer for your ancestors, who often lived, worked and even immigrated in groups. Taking the extra time to study the individuals who were part of your ancestor’s social network can lead you to surprising clues about your ancestors themselves. More importantly, having this wider view of your ancestor’s relationships will enrich your research and breathe life into your ancestor’s community. It takes a village to raise a child—and,…

NGS and FGS Merge DURING THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) in August, FGS and the National Genealogical Society (NGS) announced their plans to consolidate as one group that will continue operations as the National Genealogical Society. According to a joint press release, the groups decided to merge in an attempt to better serve the genealogy community “by improving the support of both individual members and societies in the pursuit of genealogical excellence.” As part of the merger, NGS will take greater steps to support genealogical societies and family organizations, a task previously undertaken by FGS. Despite the changes, digitization projects (such as the War of 1812 pension project <www.fgs.org/community/preserve-the-pensions>) will continue. The merger is expected to be final no later than October 1, 2020. Until…

Q How can I use the migration groups/Communities at AncestryDNA? A Wrapped up in your ethnicity results at AncestryDNA <www.ancestry.com/dna> are two very different kinds of information. The first—broadly referred to as your ethnicity estimates—is similar to what you will find at other companies. But Communities, oftentimes nestled under a specific region (e.g., “Germany & the Midwestern United States” under “Germanic Europe”) and represented by the dotted lines in the map and table, are unique to AncestryDNA. There are four characteristics of these Communities (formerly called “Migrations”) that make them useful in your genealogy research: 1. Match-based: Communities are based on a different kind of genetic analysis than your ethnicity estimate. Your membership in a particular Community is based on your relationships with other test takers from a region, rather…

1 Determine what the piece is made of. Crystal and glass can be hard to distinguish, but a few clues will help you notice the difference. Crystal is heavier and often thinner than glass, and the two materials make a different sound when tapped. Gently tap a crystal class, and you’ll hear it ring; tap glass, and you will hear a clunk. In addition, glass will often show a join or seam from the mold, and crystal will show rainbows when you hold it up to the light. 2 Use the pieces! Don’t be afraid to bring out Grandma’s crystal at your family gatherings. Crystal and pressed glass are sturdier than they look and need only a little extra care to maintain their sparkling beauty. Yes, older crystal pieces may…

NEW YORK STATE and its largest city were the first stops for millions of immigrants in the 1800s and 1900s—but the Empire State has a full four centuries of settlement history for you to investigate. Your New York ancestors saw distinct stages of state history: early days under Dutch rule, an English Colonial era dominated by large landowners, a time as a pathway for people leaving New England, and finally, a period as home to the nation’s busiest port of entry. We’ll help you conquer each era’s created a vast empire of genealogical records. DUTCH (AND ENGLISH) TREAT In 1609, explorer Henry Hudson claimed the area around the river that now bears his name for the Dutch. Settlement began in earnest in the 1620s, as New Netherland residents jockeyed for…

MANY READILY IDENTIFIABLE products carry the name of Switzerland: Swiss cheese, the Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix and (of course) Swiss Army knives. But the Swiss people and their genealogy are a bit more difficult to define. Switzerland is a centuries-old confederation of people with different cultures and who speak different languages—including one spoken only there!—and draw from contrasting ethnicities. Just as there is no Swiss “ethnicity,” per se, Switzerland has equally been defined by what it didn’t want to be. The country has a proud independent streak, staving off powerful neighbors such as the Hapsburgs of Austria to the east and the French to the west. The result? An economically wealthy nation whose neutrality has been respected for more than two centuries. While only about a million people in…

1 Family History Crafts and Gifts <www.pinterest.com/familytreemag/family-history-crafts-and-gifts> Create new heirlooms or preserve your old ones! Get inspired by eye-catching displays, crafts and gifts that celebrate your heritage. Look here for ideas that can hook older relatives and younger generations alike. 2 Family Trees <www.pinterest.com/familytreemag/family-trees> These beautiful family trees move your research from the page to the wall with creativity and style. Get inspired by the clever, creative and sometimes visually stunning ways people have found to display their ancestry for all to see. 3 Genealogy Memes <www.pinterest.com/familytreemag/genealogy-memes> Look no further for funny visuals to promote your love of family history on your favorite social media site. (And for further validation that you are not alone in the quirky genealogy world!) 4 Old Fashioned Family Recipes <www.pinterest.com/genealogybank/old-fashioned-family-recipes> Good eating never gets…