Deb's Delvings in Genealogy

1940 census presentation and indexing startup

2012-05-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Monday night I gave a presentation on accessing and using the 1940 census to a local society - Angelina County Genealogical Society in Lufkin, Texas. As part of the discussion I encourage everyone to help with the community indexing project sponsored by the U.S. National Archives, FamilySearch, Archives.com, ProQuest, and FindMyPast.com. See https://the1940census.com/ for information on the project and these sponsoring companies.

For those who are interested in indexing, there are videos to explain the process. Go to the website, hover over "Getting Started," then click on the popup for "Video Training." These videos will walk you through the account signup and getting started process:

1. Download FamilySearch Indexing software - This video guide will walk you through downloading the Indexing software.

2. Create a FamilySearch Account - This video guide will show you how to create a FamilySearch Account, which is needed to index.

3. How to Index the 1940 Census - This video guide will provide you with an overview of how to index the 1940 US Census. This video is recommended for all indexing volunteers.

4. Associate yourself with a Group (Society) - This video guide will show you how to associate yourself with a group when you first log in.

I joined the Texas State Genealogical Society indexing project so my work gets counted for Texas. I always select the 1940 Texas census project to work on when I start the indexing program. There are lots of indexing projects for things other than the 1940 census and you have to view the entire list and scroll down to find 1940 census for Texas.

While searching online I found another useful set of step-by-step instructions written for a Buncombe County, North Carolina group. These instructions are also helpful in a general way, but some items are specific to the project this group is working.

Texas is 27% indexed. We need more indexers so we can search the census sooner instead of only being able to browse.

By the way, on my 1940 U.S. Census Tips and Finding Aids page I include all of the links to documents and websites discussed in my 1940 census presentation. You can use the links and save a lot of typing of URLs.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

DNA presentation in Round Rock, June 21

2012-05-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, June 21, I will be doing a presentation on DNA at the Williamson County Genealogical Society in Round Rock, Texas. The topic will be "GATA GACC! DNA and Genetic Genealogy Today." This session covers basics of Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA tests for genealogical purposes.

I only have a few slides covering the biology of DNA. I spend most of the time using simple examples to help newbies understand how each type of DNA is inherited and from whom. We need to understand this so we can determine who should be tested to contribute the most to our genealogical research goals. The rest of the time is used to demonstrate how you can organize DNA test results to learn as much as possible. I hate to hear someone spent hundreds of dollars getting a DNA test and then just shoved the certificate into a drawer. It isn't difficult to learn how to analyze the DNA data, but it does take an investment of time to make it worthwhile.

The Williamson County Genealogical Society (WCGS) is a vibrant and active group. The have an award winning website at http://www.williamsontxgenealogy.org/?page_id=177. It is clean and simple and easy to navigate. Check it out. They have an annual seminar in the spring with a nationally known speaker. In 2012 it was D. Joshua Taylor. In 2013 it will be John Philip Colletta. WCGS has a large pool of knowledgeable members to call on for presentations. Teri Flack will be discussing "Probate Records" in July.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, Genealogy Seminars

2012-05-08T11:48:00.001-05:00

I did an all-day seminar on April 21st at Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Hosts were the Village Genealogical Society and the Akansa Chapter NSDAR. Hot Springs Village may be off the beaten path for some, but anyone who is invited to speak there should jump at the chance. These groups go all out to make a speaker feel welcome, prevent problems, and take care of anything that does come up. They even apologized for the poor (read non-existent) Wi-Fi service the hotel had.

There is obviously a very active genealogical community in the heart of Arkansas. They come from all over the U.S. to retire here and are interested in records from all localities, not just Arkansas. All experience levels were represented. We had attendees from Little Rock and other cities an hour or so distant. I feel like I made several new friends. The attendees were attentive, interested, and asked good questions.

We covered a variety of topics:

Using the Website of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management - General Land Office
This was one of the favorite sessions. Some didn't know about ordering the Land Entry Case files from the National Archives after finding initial information on this website. Some really liked seeing a rectangular survey map overlaid on a USGS topographical map to show the terrain as it surrounded an ancestor's home. We forget sometimes how the terrain probably influenced where records are recorded and where associates can be found.

Online Research: Basics and Beyond
This was a potpourri of useful sites and tips on using them. This was the first exposure of some to Steve Morse's fantastic One-Step Webpages with tools to help genealogists locate records more easily than can be done on many commercial and non-profit sites. Learning more about Google Books and Internet Archive also seemed to be popular.

Ours and Theirs: Tax and Land Laws
Introducing researchers to tax records is always fun. New researchers don't realize how much you can learn about an ancestor from tax rolls. I hope experienced researchers learned a few new tricks, too, about using tax laws to help interpret the records.

The 1940 U.S. Federal Census and Finding Aids
This was my first chance to present a session on the 1940 census which had only been available for nineteen days. I loved this session—it gave me an excuse to work on my ancestors in the 1940 census even while I was preparing for the seminar. Even new researchers understand how important it is to know the guidelines given to the enumerators so we can better understand the records.

Once I returned home I put most of the links covered in the presentations on my website so researchers can click a link instead of typing in a long URL. Check out http://debbiewayne.com/lectures.php if you think the links may help you, too.

To cite this post:
Debbie Parker Wayne, "Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, Genealogy Seminars," Deb's Delvings in Genealogy, blog, posted 8 May 2012 (http://debsdelvings.blogspot.com/2012/05/hot-springs-village-arkansas-genealogy.html : accessed [access date]).

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Finding History

2012-05-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

Not only have I been pressed for time to blog myself, I haven't been able to keep up reading other's blogs recently. I took some time this morning to check out a few good ones.

Harold Henderson's Midwestern Microhistory has always been a favorite. His latest post on history book reviews is "History books of potential interest to genealogists."¹ If you click on "books" in his right navbar you can see all of his posts related to books. One of the great things about blog labels is that you can easily go back and find things posted years ago on a related topic.

I have learned of quite a few history books that focus on issues, large and small, important to family history and to the history of women from Harold's posts. Check out:

Harold Henderson, “She fought the law, and sometimes won,” Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 29 July 2009 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com/2009/07/she-fought-law-and-sometimes-won.html : accessed 8 May 2012).

Harold Henderson, “4 new books from Chicago,” Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 14 May 2009 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com/2009/05/4-new-books-from-chicago.html : accessed 8 May 2012).

Harold Henderson, “Learning about divorce,” Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 12 January 2009 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com/2009/01/learning-about-divorce.html : accessed 8 May 2012).

You'll find what interests you if you follow the links on his blog.

Notes:
1. Harold Henderson, “History books of potential interest to genealogists” Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, posted 3 May 2012 (http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/history-books-of-potential-interest-to.html : accessed 8 May 2012).

To cite this post:
Debbie Parker Wayne, "Finding History," Deb's Delvings in Genealogy, blog, posted 8 May 2012 (http://debsdelvings.blogspot.com/2012/05/finding-history.html : accessed [access date]).

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Ancestry.com Acquires Archives.com

2012-04-25T16:37:00.001-05:00

Ancestry.com Acquires Archives.com in a move that sure surprised me today.

If my calculations are right Archives.com lasted a little more than two years as a separate company before Ancestry.com bought them. That's less than the three-plus years Footnote.com lasted before Ancestry.com bought it. I'm starting to wonder how many of these companies really plan to be around for a while and how many just want to get big enough so Ancestry offers to buy them.

I wouldn't really mind Ancestry owning so many genealogical resources if they invested some of their millions into making the research experience better. A better user experience would make me stay with Ancestry happily instead of looking for an alternative and hoping that alternative becomes a true rival. To me, better does not mean more hits that do not match my search criteria. It doesn't have anything to do with little shaking leaves because I would never put my family tree on a commercial site. It means honoring the search criteria I specify. It means giving me the option to specify reasonable wildcards and extensions of the exact names, dates, and places I enter and HONORING those. I am much happier getting a few pertinent hits than 10,000 that barely come close to what I asked for.

Make the search experience better. Show me the same records every time I enter the same search criteria.

Then I will tell people how much I love the company instead of telling them about a love-hate relationship. While I am glad Ancestry has made the improvements they have made over the last few years, this is an area still needing more work. How about building up the technical departments and offer a better product customers can't do without?

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

International DNA Day and the GET Conference

2012-04-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_day), April 25 has been declared DNA Day by several groups. It has been celebrated on other dates in April in other years. On 25 April 1953, Nature published the famous Watson and Crick article based on their work on DNA.¹ And let us not forget the contributions of Wilkins, Stokes, Wilson,² and Rosalind Franklin and Gosling.³ I never heard the name Rosalind Franklin when I was in biology class (decades ago when the women mentioned in history and science classes were few and far between), but I learned about her a few years ago on a PBS special about the discovery of the double helix shape of DNA.

And on DNA Day 2012 the GET Conference is being held - Genomes, Environments, Traits. Live webcasts can be seen at http://www.getconference.org/GET2012/webcast.html. Tweets about the session can be seen at http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23GET2012.

The information covered is not related only to genetic genealogy. It is important for us as genealogists to understand more than the bare bones we need to compare DNA marker values. Every genealogist who uses DNA, especially those offering DNA analysis to clients, needs to understand what is going on in the regulatory world, in medical uses of genetics, in the Personal Genome Project, and in many other areas where new discoveries are made every day.

We can't read only the articles on DNA in genealogy magazines. We have to know what is happening in other areas if we want to be taken seriously.

1.
J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick, "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid," Nature 171 (April 1953, 4356): 737–738; online archives, Nature.com (http://www.nature.com/nature/dna50/watsoncrick.pdf : accessed 25 April 2012).

2.
M. H. F. Wilkins, A. R. Stokes, and H. R. Wilson "Molecular Structure of Deoxypentose Nucleic Acids," Nature 171 (April 1953): 738-740; online archives, Nature.com ( http://www.nature.com/nature/dna50/wilkins.pdf : accessed 25 April 2012).

3.
Rosalind E. Franklin and R. G. Gosling, "Molecular Configuration in Sodium Thymonucleate," Nature 171 (April 1953): 740–741; online archives, Nature.com ( http://www.nature.com/nature/dna50/franklingosling.pdf : accessed 25 April 2012).

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

DNA and Central Texas GS, Waco, March 26

2012-04-18T14:04:00.000-05:00

On March 26 I did a DNA presentation for the Central Texas Genealogical Society (CTGS, http://ctgs.org/) in Waco, Texas. I was pleased to see so many in attendance — several who traveled some distance to hear the presentation. The growing interest in using DNA for genealogical purposes pleases me. Our knowledge of DNA has grown so much in the last ten to twelve years, but there is still so much more we can learn. Serious genealogists have embraced this technology. We are contributing to the knowledge base in so many ways. The first thing I say when giving a lecture on DNA is "test as much as you can afford, as soon as you can."

The "as soon as you can" part is because none of us know how much time we have in this life. Accidents or sudden illness can swoop in and take that person who holds the key to a genealogical problem. It is so much easier to ask a living person to provide a DNA sample and directions on how it can be used than it is to figure out how to handle this after someone is deceased. The family members who would need to give permission have to deal with grief and more pressing concerns than genealogy. (By the way, have you specified in your will how your DNA sample can be used after your death or who can make those decisions? You should.)

The "as much as you can afford" part is because not everyone can afford the most extensive DNA tests. While prices are much lower than twelve years ago, it is still a significant investment for many genealogists. If you can afford to test sixty-seven markers at one time it will be more economical than testing twenty-five, then twelve more, then thirty more in increments. But if you can only afford to test twenty-five markers, do it now and test more as finances allow. What we learn may not solve your genealogical problem immediately, but your grandkids may learn more from the test than what you learn today.

This was my initial message to CTGS, too. This is one of the best genealogical societies I have been involved with. They are a vibrant and active society, growing at a time when many other societies are struggling to survive. Two things this group does that keep their members active and interested are supporting their local library, the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center (http://www.waco-texas.com/cms-library/page.aspx?id=9), and getting members involved in small interest groups.

During the March 26 meeting formation of a DNA Interest Group was announced. I haven't heard yet how many are in the group, but there seemed to be a lot of interest in the announcement. I can't wait to hear how it goes and visit the group again. It made me sorry I don't live closer to Waco to be able to attend more often.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Free Webinars from APG on Story-writing and Project Management

2012-03-01T12:28:00.002-06:00

The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) is offering free webinars that will be of interest to all genealogists, not just those who offer professional services. Whether we do our own research or do research for others we need to know how to manage our projects efficiently; the more efficient we are, the more research we can accomplish. And don't we all need to get better at story-telling so we can entice our families with something beyond the begats?

Anyone can register for the live webinars offered by APG. The recorded versions of the webinars will be placed on the Members Only area of the APG website. This works out well for me as I have meeting commitments during both of the live presentations. This is the announcement from APG:

Don’t Neglect the Stories: Add Story-writing to Your Professional Services
Saturday, March 3, 2012 — 2:00p.m. Eastern
Presented by Mary Penner

You’ve finished the client’s research and written a concise, fact-based report. Case closed, right? Not so fast. What about the stories you uncovered? What about those tantalizing tidbits that point to colorful characters and unusual events? Your clients may not ask for a written story, but, often, that’s what they really want from your diligent research efforts. They want to embrace the stories that their ancestors neglected to pass down to them. Join APG member Mary Penner as she offers tips on developing a writer’s instinct for story. She’ll address the differences between a genealogical narrative and a genealogical story, how to spot story-worthy events and characters, how to research a story, how to write a lively story, and how to earn additional income from story-writing.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/313600945

Juggling Complex Projects While Staying on Track
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 — 8:30p.m. Eastern
Presented by J. Mark Lowe, CG

Learn to manage multiple projects without derailing the research in this engaging presentation by professional genealogist J. Mark Lowe. Discover the techniques & skills needed by every professional to keep your clients on board. This will include time planning, scheduling, and decision-making tools.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/699959320

System Requirements:
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees:
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

DNA Presentation at Van Zandt County GS - Saturday, Feb. 25

2012-02-24T08:33:00.002-06:00

I'll be giving a presentation on DNA this Saturday, February 25, 2:00 p.m. in Canton, Texas, at the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society meeting. Stop by and visit if you are in the area. Van Zandt is a very active genealogical society with a great library and a lot of useful publications for those with ancestors from the area.

Here's the information from their flyer with my bio section removed:

VAN ZANDT COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

February 25, 2012, 2:00 pm regular meeting

Van Zandt County Public Library
in the Buchanan meeting room
317 First Monday Lane, Canton TX 75103

featuring
Debbie Parker Wayne, CG

Topic: GATA GACC! DNA and Genetic Genealogy Today

This is a general introduction to using DNA testing for genealogy and where
we are today. It covers Y-DNA for the direct paternal line, mitochondrial
DNA for the direct maternal line, and autosomal DNA for the other ancestral
lines. You will learn how to use the test results to maximize the
contribution to genealogical research goals, what DNA testing is and how to
obtain the tests, and which tests can be used for ethnic studies based on
the current technology.

...

Genealogy Library (903) 567-5012
e-mail: vanzandtgensoc@etcable.net

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

"Marriage on the Margins: Free Wives, Enslaved Husbands, and the Law in Early Virginia" by Terri L. Snyder

2012-02-15T09:47:00.000-06:00

The February 2012 issue of Law and History Review, published by Cambridge University Press, has an article that may be of interest to genealogists researching Virginia and African American families. The citation and abstract are included below.

Snyder, Terri L. "Marriage on the Margins: Free Wives, Enslaved Husbands, and the Law in Early Virginia." Law and History Review 30 (February 2012): 141-171.

In 1725, Jane Webb, a free woman of color, sued Thomas Savage, a slave owner and middling planter, in Northampton County Court, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Webb v. Savage was an unusual lawsuit, the culmination of over twenty years of legal wrangling between two parties who had an uncommon and intimate connection. The case originated in a 1703 contract between the pair, and at the time it was written, its terms, assumedly, were clear and mutually agreed upon. Two decades later, however, a tangled skein of circumstances obscured the stipulations of that original agreement. Over the course of those same years, the legal meaning of freedom for individuals like Jane Webb had fundamentally changed. Both fraught interpersonal relations and the evolution of race-based law mattered to the 1725 chancery case for one simple reason: Thomas Savage owned Jane Webb's husband. Despite the fact that Webb's spouse, named only in the records as Left, was enslaved, their marriage was legally recognized, and the seven children born to the couple, following the legal doctrine partus sequitur ventrum, took their free status as well as their surname from their mother.

Back in November this blog discussed the special issue of Law and History Review devoted to "Law, Slavery, and Justice." There are some great articles in that issue, too.

Hat tip to Legal History Blog for the abstract and the list of articles and abstracts for the February 2012 issue.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Advocacy and Collaboration article at MINDS@UW

2012-02-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

I stumbled across a "new to me" useful archive at the University of Wisconsin today. The MINDS@UW site has archived many interesting articles, some with ideas pertinent to the current records access issues facing genealogists.

Check out "Genealogists and Records: Preservation, Advocacy, and Politics" by Aprille Cooke McKay in Archival Issues, Vol. 27, No. 1, 2002. She discusses advocacy and collaboration by genealogists and archivists while acknowledging the sometimes adversarial relationship between the two groups. We all need to work to eliminate the adversarial and encourage the collaborative aspects of the relationship.

Many of us are reaching out on Facebook and genealogy mail lists for help in Saving the SSDI. How many of us have contacted the state archivists and librarians that we have helped when states are considering cutting their budgets?

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Save SSDI and Stop ID Theft NOW!

2012-02-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

How would you feel if the government restricted your access to records that name your ancestors? How far would you have progressed in your genealogical research without access to birth, death, and marriage records? What if you lost access to those and other records used to establish kinship links and our family histories? Even worse, what if your relative was unidentified and unclaimed in a coroner's office far from home and those trying to identify the deceased lost access to the very records that would allow them to find you? Or your military serviceman's body could only be identified if a living family member can be found to provide a reference DNA sample for comparison?

Several years ago a group of genealogical organizations formed an advocacy committee — RPAC — Records Preservation and Access Committee. The group has been much more visible in the last few months and is leading the charge to preserve access to records we use every day. An important blog entry on recent efforts can be found at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/2012/02/07/rpac-launches-stop-identity-theft-now-petition/. The main RPAC website is at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/.

As many genealogists now know, the U.S. House of Representatives, Ways and Means Committee, held a hearing on February 2nd to consider closing access to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI, based on the Death Master File / DMF). Only those in favor of closing the records were allowed to speak at the hearing. See http://www.ntis.gov/products/ssa-dmf.aspx for more information on the DMF and SSDI.

Many of us believe our elected officials are trying to enact legislation to make Americans feel better and safer, but that will actually have the opposite effect. Some of those violated by identity theft believe their social security numbers (SSN) were stolen from online SSDI databases. Ironically, the DMF /SSDI was created to prevent SSNs of deceased persons from being used fraudulently. And in this computerized age, how can the government justify ignoring data they spend so many of our tax dollars collecting? Legislators on both sides of the aisle are pushing to close records. But how can we allow the party that scorns government regulation to champion so many actions that regulate those who aren't able to make million dollar donations?

How can you help?

Understand the issue by reading the RPAC Talking Points on Why Genealogists Need the
Social Security Death Index (SSDI) at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/talking-points-on-why-genealogists-need-social-security-death-index-final.pdf.

Sign the online petition at http://wh.gov/khE. Step-by-step instructions for creating an account on whitehouse.gov and for ensuring your petition signature is counted can be found at http://fgs.org/pdf/rpac_petition.pdf.

FAX a letter to your congresspersons and senators. FAXing is better than writing; postal deliveries to the capital are delayed due to screening after anthrax-laced letters were sent via mail shortly after 9-11. Sample letter suggestions can be found at http://www.iajgs.org/pramc/Latest_Alert.doc. Legislators can often be persuaded by letters and FAXes that indicate constituents can support a bill if certain specified changes are implemented. This can sometimes be better than a bald statement that you are against a bill.

Find your senator at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. Most senators have their Washington, D.C., FAX number on their senate page. Often the Web page for a senator is http://_surname_.senate.gov, for example, hutchinson.senate.gov for Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

Find your congress-person at http://www.house.gov/. Often the Web page for a congressman is http://_surname_.house.gov, for example, gohmert.house.gov for Texas Representative Louis Gohmert.

Don't they deserve to hear from you after all the robocalls you have received from them during the dinner hour?

The DMF / SSDI is only ONE of the record sets facing restrictive access regulations. Access to social security SS-5 information and vital records in many states are under attack by those who do not understand these records are not contributing significantly to identity theft. If we enforced the laws already on the books and made proper use of the information available now, we wouldn't need "feel good" laws that sound good but don't accomplish the intended goal.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Unexpected use of DNA

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-06:00

Note: Personal opinions follow.

There is a heated discussion going on right now in the genetic genealogy community. After a story was aired on a local television station, Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter carried the story to genealogists.The discussion spilled over into the general public after CNN and London’s Daily Mail carried the story.

Police asked for assistance from a well-known forensic and genetic genealogist in analyzing a DNA sample from a 1991, King County, Washington, case where a sixteen year old girl was murdered. Some of the information, as reported, is incorrect. Other blog articles and comments in the online stories above are correcting some of those errors. No matter how carefully a knowledgeable person tries to phrase probabilities with DNA results, those explanations are difficult for the less-experienced to understand. Even if a reporter gets it right, editors make changes without truly understanding how the meaning of the words were changed, headline writers are trying to catch your attention with the most sensational phrasing. And readers can get something different than either the expert, the reporter, or the editor meant to convey.

Genealogy DNA project administrators are worried relatives will resist testing for genealogical purposes if they think their DNA results will be used by the police when the DNA tester is not remotely related to a crime.

Some see this as another incidence of government agencies trampling our rights to privacy and freedom from unwarranted search and seizure.

Here are some facts to consider:

For the most part, people making comments online have no detailed information about what was actually done — how many markers were tested, how closely did they match, exactly what was done. Without understanding these undisclosed facts of the investigation no real evaluation of the process can be made.

We don't know enough about the DNA markers used for genealogy and exactly what matches mean. Some projects have testers who match exactly on 67 or more markers when we know they don't have a common ancestor within the last several hundred years. That same project can also include testers showing two mutations likely occurred between a father and a son. One DNA project administrator reported three mutations between a father-son pair that tested.

Genealogical DNA databases are NOT representative of the population at large. DNA databases include only those who have self-selected themselves for testing.

Those self-selectors can provide any information they want about names and ancestors. Many provide no information at all. Some may have provided alias information just because they wanted to protect themselves from possible misuse of their DNA results. I'm not recommending this. If more people do this the databases will become useless for genealogical purposes. But this severely impacts any conclusions drawn by law enforcement based on self-provided, unverified data in genealogical databases.

Ever since Dolly was cloned, even before, there have been discussions about how science and technology have moved far beyond our laws. We do need to update our laws and define what is legal and what is not. Recent laws like GINA and the California SB 559 are a start. We need more. Some of us have been worried about and fighting to keep the government from restricting our right to access our own DNA test results without unnecessary regulation and interference by those who think they know better than we do. This current controversy could exacerbate the regulation situation — or make it irrelevant if no one tests anymore because they worry about the police getting their DNA data.

Why is it we never seem to be proactive in solving issues instead of panicking and being reactive? There will always be those who will violate the accepted rules, but we should document the rules to provide guidance for those who want to know what is right and what is wrong.

My personal opinion is that I have no problem with police doing any DNA tests they want on convicted felons or on someone they have REASONABLY concluded is a suspect. I am against blanket DNA testing to try to narrow down an investigation to possible suspects. I am against using medical and genealogical databases for criminal investigations. I suspect my relatives and friends who are involved with police work might disagree with me.

When and if we ever learn enough about DNA so that we can be sure the guilty person is the only one who will be caught in a net, I might change my mind. Today there are too many unknowns to put what we have learned about relationships from genealogical DNA testing to use nabbing suspected criminals.

Note: I did not include links to DNA projects or mail-lists to document my statements above. In this paranoid environment that does not seem prudent. And I'll leave it to the mathematicians to post the supporting statistics now under discussion by genetic genealogists.

Related Stories:

Does DNA Link 1991 Killing to Colonial Era Family? by Blaine Bettinger of The Genetic Genealogist offers a commmon sense way of looking at this issue. He may convince me that it is acceptable to use medical and genealogical databases for criminal investigations.

Added 12 January 2012:

Using Public Y-DNA Profiles to Track Down Criminals: Would You? by CeCe Moore of Your Genetic Genealogist asks "If one of your loved ones was murdered and you believed that you could identify the guilty party using the same resources that we use for our hobby...wouldn't you?" and offers supporting arguments.

Added 14 January 2012:

"The Mayflower criminal registry," by John Hawks of John Hawks weblog brings up issues we should discuss as affordable whole-genome research becomes a reality.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Courthouse Love - or Not

2012-01-10T11:48:00.001-06:00

Many genealogists say they love old courthouses. See Betty Lou Malesky's "Genealogy Today: My romance with courthouses" article in the Green Valley (Arizona) News. Or Nancy Hendrickson's "Courthouse Genealogy" post on her Ancestor News blog.

Am I the only one who hates visiting the sweltering (or freezing, it's always one or the other), moldy, dusty, dirty, crowded (almost every Texas courthouse is crowded with researchers looking for the owners of mineral rights), sometimes unorganized storage places we relegate our most historical documents to?

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the records. I LOVE the information I get from those records. I LOVE analyzing the information and correlating it with other information to solve kinship problems. I'm learning to love writing it all up, trying to achieve a "soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion"¹ that others can agree with. Or straighten me out if they think I am wrong.

I'm grateful courthouses still exist and allow me to access the records that have never been microfilmed or digitized. That is how I found proof of a marriage between my third-great-grandparents in my Parker line even though the marriage records were lost in a courthouse fire in 1874² and they never appeared together on a census record where a relationship was directly stated. The Commissioner's Court records, unfilmed, undigitized, unindexed, requiring a page-by-page reading of old, faded handwriting, allowed me to find proof of a marriage (details to be documented in a forthcoming publication).

Many new researchers only know about records available online. Good researchers soon learn about records they can borrow on microfilm. Better researchers learn about records only available locally in courthouses, libraries, and archives. I HAVE to go to the courthouse and local facilities because I know information I need is only available there. But I don't love it.

I understand the thrill of holding the actual piece of paper my ancestor held in her hands when she signed it. I understand the thrill of finding evidence supporting a conclusion for which there is no document explicitly stating the relationship. But I also remember the lady who told me she spent months and months being treated for a fungal infection she got in her hands and forearms while she was going through some moldy, old documents in a Catholic archive in Mexico. Ugh.

Preserving our history and heritage is important. We shouldn't have to search for it in dungeons or dig it out of dumpsters after a court clerk's office has decided all those old documents aren't needed anymore.³ And it shouldn't require exposure to fungal infections or sneezing attacks to learn about our history.

1. Christine Rose, Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case, 3d ed. (San Jose, California: CR Publications, 2009), 3.

See also: Christine Rose, Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures (San Jose, California: CR Publications, 2004).

2. Imogene Kinard Kennedy and J. Leon Kennedy, Genealogical Records in Texas, (Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield/GPC, 1987), 136; record destruction confirmed during my own visits to the county clerk's office between 2005 and 2010.

3. Erin, McKeon, "200-year-old documents come to light," (Nacogdoches, Texas) Daily Sentinel, 5 March 2010, p. 1A; DailySentinel.com (http://dailysentinel.com/news/article_b160f492-2808-11df-9f63-001cc4c03286.html : subscription required for access, 10 January 2011).

Disclosure: Links in the citations above go to Heritage Books. I have no vested interest in Heritage Books and receive no favors or compensation for providing these links. I like to support those in the genealogical community whenever I can. Craig R. Scott, CG, owner of Heritage Books, is a friend who publishes new genealogical book titles and sells books in addition to those he publishes.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

How to Save Your Raw DNA Data at 23andMe

2012-01-08T18:09:00.001-06:00

I just went through the process to download all of my family's data from 23andMe to be sure I have the most current information saved on my computer.

Here are the steps you need to perform to download your data. You may also want to print some or all of these pages for future reference. Using an image grabbing tool like TechSmith's SnagIt can also be useful for capturing some of these pages. SnagIt can grab an entire Web page including parts that require scrolling to view on the screen.

1. Login to your 23andMe account.

2. Click "Account > Browse Raw Data" in the top navbar.

3. Click "Download raw data."

4. Click the "See a log of updates and changes to the raw data download" link in the center of the page. Save the revision history as your current raw data file is likely different than one you saved earlier. Then go back to the "Download Raw Data" page.

5. Enter both your password and your secret answer. If your account is used for multiple tests, select one tester in the "Profile." Select "All DNA" as the Data set. Navigate to the folder where you wish to save the file, rename the file if desired, click "Save."

7. Click "Relative Finder" in the left navbar. Scroll to the end of the displayed list and click "Download Results." Navigate to the folder where you wish to save the file, rename the file if desired, click "Save."

Note: This saves all of your matches, not just the ones currently displayed on the page. One problem with using this data later is that many of the 23andMe testers have no name listed. You also won't have any way to contact these matches if you no longer have a 23andMe account. See prior post with links to 23andMe position statements to decide if you need a lifetime subscription to 23andMe.

8. Click "Ancestry Labs" in the left navbar then "Ancestry Finder" on the next page.

Scroll to the end of the displayed list and click "Download [name]'s Ancestry Finder matches (csv)." Navigate to the folder where you wish to save the file, rename the file if desired, click "Save." This saves all of your matches, not just the ones currently displayed on the page. The note in step seven applies here, too.

9. While logged in, save a consolidated health report by entering the URL https://www.23andme.com/you/health/printable/ into your browser and saving the resulting PDF file. Navigate to the folder where you wish to save the file, rename the file if desired, click "Save."

10. Check your inbox for all messages. Some of these may be from cousins you haven't met yet that you'd like to correspond with while you still have a 23andMe account.

11. Browse the other pages available to you and print or capture any data you may be interested in.

Note: repeat the process above for each profile if you have tested multiple people on one account.

Hat tip to Ann Turner, co-author of Trace Your Roots with DNA (Rodale Press, 2004) for her post to the ISOGG group list reminding users to save the Ancestry and Relative Finder data and consolidated health report. Ann also let everyone know the monthly subscription fees being discussed during this recent controversy apply only to those who tested with the V3 chip when the new terms of service were introduced. A 23andMe press release indicates

Customers who purchase the 23andMe Personal Genome Service™ on or after Wednesday, November 24th will have their DNA tested on the new version of the array.

23andMe has combined Illumina's HumanOmniExpress [V3] array with significant customization to create a more comprehensive testing platform.

So if you tested before November 24, 2010, you tested on the V2 version of the Illumina chip. You probably already have a lifetime subscription and much of the current controversy does not apply to you.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

Speaking on DNA - 9 Jan 2012, Newton, Texas

2012-01-08T13:11:00.001-06:00

I will be presenting an introduction to using DNA testing for genealogy at the Deep East Texas Archaeological Society meeting.

Date: Monday, January 9, at 7:00 p.m., The society serves refreshment at 6:30 p.m. before the meeting starts

Place: Newton County Museum History Center and Genealogical Library, 213 E. Court St., Newton, Texas

This 30-minute session is a basic introduction to how to use Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA testing for genealogical research purposes.

I gave this shortened version of the presentation at the Texas General Land Office, Save Texas History seminar last October. I was able to do the full 90-minute version at the Texas State Genealogical Society conference in November. Last July I was able to present an all-day seminar at the North Texas Genealogical Society in Wichita Falls. There is so much information to convey on how to use DNA for genealogy that you can fill up an entire week if everyone could make that much time to listen and learn. Check out my website for more information on the different DNA sessions and reference information on how to use your own DNA results.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

23andMe Policy Updates and DNA Testing Company Recommendations

2012-01-08T10:50:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I wrote on 23andMe's service changes — DNA Access Policy Changes Bad for Genealogists. There has been a discussion in the 23andMe forums, on most of the DNA mail lists, and a petition was created by well-known genetic genealogist Larry Vick to allow consumers of 23andMe's product to voice opinions and needs.

Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, responded today. Each customer will need to determine if the current policy will meet your needs or not. 23andMe tried to make significant changes with no discernible consideration of customer needs. Because of this I am not yet ready to give whole-hearted recommendations to genetic genealogists to test there unless you really want the medical and health data provided by 23andMe.

Until this controversy I was a happy customer of both 23andMe and Family Tree DNA. For the time being, I will continue to recommend Family Tree DNA for those interested in DNA testing for genealogical purposes. The founders of Family Tree DNA are genealogists and have the same passion we do. I trust them more to do what will work for genealogists. Not to say I agree with every decision made by Family Tree DNA either, but their business decisions have been more along the lines of prioritizing where to put resources (Ysearch updates or X chromosome browser) as opposed to eliminating access to customers.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, All Rights Reserved

RootsTech 2012 - Be sure you check the right schedule to avoid disappointment

2012-01-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

Wow. After reviewing the schedule posted by several bloggers yesterday, I just wrote and was about to post a scathing post on what seemed to be the less technical nature of the RootsTech 2012 conference. I was so disappointed I couldn't go to RootsTech in 2011 that I made sure I could attend the 2012 conference. After checking the schedule of presentations linked by one blogger I was disappointed in the 2012 offerings. Then I discovered there are multiple schedules.

The RootsTech 2012 User Schedule shows the sessions of most interest to genealogists who are not developers or programmers.

The RootsTech 2012 Developer Schedule shows the sessions of most interest to developers, programmers, and hard-core techies.

The RootsTech 2012 Schedule shows all of the sessions.

The blog link I clicked on was the user schedule. I take back all of the bad thoughts I was thinking about the dumbing down (or tech-ing down) of RootsTech before I found the Developer Schedule. Be sure you are looking at the full schedule or the link for the topics you are most interested in.

I will say I really prefer the way the schedule pages worked yesterday. I could click on a title and a summary opened up on the same page. Clicking all of the titles got a schedule and summary of each topic all on one Web page. Now clicking any title takes you to a separate Web page just for that session. It gives a lot more information on the session and the speaker. But I liked seeing the summary on the schedule page as opposed just to speakers, titles, and times.

I am excited again and will post more about RootsTech after I attend the conference. I hope I am not disappointed and don't think I will be.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

Review: The Big Genealogy Blog Book by Amy Coffin

2012-01-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

A while back I purchased the PDF version of my colleague Amy Coffin's new e-book, The Big Genealogy Blog Book. Amy's recent post on her We Tree Genealogy Blog has links to several other formats and places to purchase the book which costs only $2.99.

The book consists of the following sections:
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Why Start a Genealogy Blog?
Chapter 2 – 6 Blogging Myths
Chapter 3 – Tips for Writing Good Blog Posts
Chapter 4 – How to Get More Blog Readers
Chapter 5 – How to Get More Blog Comments and Mentions
Chapter 6 – Quality Control: A Blogger’s Checklist
Chapter 7 – Jump Start Your Genealogy Blog: 52 Ideas, 52 Weeks
Chapter 8 – 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy
Chapter 9 – 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History
Chapter 10 – 25 Great Topics for Genealogy Society Blogs
Chapter 11 – 20 Blog Topics for Professional Genealogists
Parting Thoughts

I bought the book because I'd like to make by own blog better. I got a lot of good ideas and now just need to make time to implement those ideas. I also like to support someone who does a lot to help our genealogical community with technical blog posts as well as old-school research tips. Amy's blog was one of the first I started following regularly and still read. Her humor is contagious and comes through in every post.

Amy's book does not give step-by-step instructions on creating a blog, but gives you links to existing guidance based on the blogging platform you choose. She does explain things you should consider as you create your blog, determine which widgets and options to include, and post articles.

Most of the book discusses interesting topics to write about. Even if you don't plan to write a word, these ideas can be useful. Your research will benefit from trying out some of the suggestions given. No law says you have to write a blog post after you learn a new technique or tool. But these are great topics to write about if you do have a blog or if you write for a society newsletter. And if you follow "52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History" you'll have a wonderful personal history to hand off to your descendants. I'll bet there are some topics in Amy's list you would never think to include if you just sit down to write your own history.

My only disappointment is that some really technical things aren't covered like automatic links between a blog, Facebook, and Twitter. These topics don't actually fit the genealogy topic of the book. I was just hoping someone who already knows the ins and outs of this process would save me the time it will take to search for and learn this on my own. Maybe this would make a good blog post or a topic for a future book.

Disclosure: Amy and I are both members of the Lone Star Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. We've shared some good times at genealogy conferences and chapter events.

© 2012, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

Family Tree DNA Sale Ending January 7th

2012-01-02T12:07:00.001-06:00

Family Tree DNA's home page indicates a sale is now running through January 7th. I can't tell if all of the end-of-year-sale prices have been extended because the page displayed after clicking on "Learn more" still shows a 12/31 sale end date. But if you click on "Products" in the top navigation bar it looks like all of the sale prices have been extended.

If you didn't get your DNA test order placed by December 31st, check out the prices.

© 2011, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

Review: Debbie Kennett's DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the Twenty-first Century

2011-12-28T13:44:00.001-06:00

Book review:

Debbie Kennett, DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the Twenty-first Century (Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2011).

I highly recommend this book to all of my genealogy friends. This book will be available in print in the U.S. next spring. It is available now from History Press, Amazon UK (allow several weeks for U.S. delivery), and in a Kindle edition which is what I read. (My first reading of a Kindle book on my husband's Kindle 3. Because the Kindle edition does not include page numbers, the review below will refer to chapters only.)

Disclosure: I have not met Debbie Kennett in person although we have corresponded electronically a few times. I have learned from her postings on DNA mail lists we both subscribe to. I will refer to her formally using her surname "Kennett" so there will be no confusion over our shared given name. I like this book because it confirms many of the statements and opinions I express during presentations on using DNA for genealogical purposes. It's always nice to have recognized experts in the field support your opinions.

The most-used books on genetic genealogy were published over five years ago. During that time great advancements have been made in our knowledge of DNA. Those five year old books rarely even mention autosomal DNA (atDNA) testing, much less discuss how to use it. There are a lot of articles, websites, and blogs that discuss autosomal DNA and the advancements in Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), but no book I have seen has compiled current information into one print publication. Debbie Kennett's book fills that need for beginners and provides many links to additional information for more advanced genetic genealogists.

Combining DNA and social networking topics in one book may seem odd, but social networking sites have become a must-use tool for active genealogists. The social networking section of this book covers the basics of social media and gives tips on finding and approaching potential family members for the purpose of DNA testing or genealogy connections. For the non-techie genealogist, this book is a great introduction not only to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, but also covers blogs, Wikis, and other electronic means of communication. Even if you don't plan to use social media, this book will help you understand what is meant when others discuss these tools.

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable both on DNA and technology. I learned some things about both subjects as I read this book. While there is an understandable slight bias for the UK in the websites listed, most of this book will be indispensable to American and other genealogists as well. Major U.S. sites are covered as well as UK and Irish sites.

The foreword is by Chris Pomeroy who is the author of DNA and Family History (2004) and Family History in the Genes (2007), articles, podcasts, and blog posts, all linked from his DNA and Family History website. In the foreword Chris states:

Genetic testing increasingly looks set to become an integral part of everyday genealogical research in the years ahead. A decade ago, a DNA test was seen as something exotic and tangential to the main work of the genealogist, which was visiting archives and transcribing the data in them. Today it's possible to run a parallel DNA project and to use the DNA results to confirm we have identified the correct people within each line and tree.

In an easy to read and understand manner, Kennett leads the genealogist through the steps necessary to use DNA results to confirm our paper trail. She has been involved with genetic genealogy since 2006 when many genealogists did not yet know DNA could be used for genealogical purposes. Enough background is given to help the reader understand the current state of genealogical testing and how far we have come in a decade of genetic genealogy. Kennett divides the book into two sections that help the lay person understand the science of DNA for family history and the technical tools genealogists use today.

Section one describes "The Genetic Genealogy Revolution" with chapters:

The basic principles — covering the basics of DNA testing of all types, the limitations of using DNA, how to determine who to test, how to choose a testing company, and the mechanics of taking a DNA sample.
Surnames and the paternal line — covering Y-DNA tests and surname projects including a section on the possible reasons a mismatch may be seen when a DNA match was expected, geographical projects, adoptions, recommendations on how many markers to test, how to understand the test results using both tools from the testing companies and tools genetic genealogists have made freely available online, and public Y-DNA databases.
Before surnames: haplogroups and deep ancestry — covering the DNA tests and results that tell you about your ancestors before a genealogical timeframe, tens of thousands of years ago. Some of the tests described here may not help today with genealogy, but the information being discovered could contribute more than we realize to both genealogy and an understanding of the history of humans. Each researcher should understand these tests so she knows how the results can be used and the limitations.
The maternal line: mitochondrial DNA tests — covering how to use mtDNA for genealogical purposes, mtDNA projects, understanding your test results, deep ancestry of the maternal line, and public mtDNA databases.
Cousins reunited: autosomal DNA tests [my favorite section] — covering atDNA which can be used to research all of our ancestral lines, not just the paternal and maternal lines on our pedigree charts. This is one of the first books on how to use the atDNA test results for genealogy. Kennett also covers the X-chromosome in this section with simple charts showing the ancestors from whom a male and female child might have inherited an X chromosome. This understanding of DNA inheritance patterns is critical to using DNA results for genealogical purposes. Kennett uses examples from both companies that have been offering atDNA tests for some years: 23andMe and Family Tree DNA. She also explains the process each company uses to allow contact between DNA matches.
Setting up and running a DNA project — covering information a DNA project manager needs to know about starting, marketing, and managing a project.

Section two describes "The Social Networking Revolution" with intro and chapters:

Introduction — covering interesting statistics on the use of social media and subjects that should be considered by users of these tools.

Traditional genealogical networking methods — covering family history societies, mail lists, message boards, forums, and other tools most genealogists have probably used. The section on mail list etiquette should be periodically reviewed by all computer users to remind us of good e-manners and how to get the best responses to our queries.
Genealogy social networking web sites — covering the history and pros and cons of Genes Reunited, several online tree building sites, GenealogyWise, and Lost Cousins.
General social networking web sites — covering the history and pros and cons of non-genealogical networking sites such as Friends Reunited, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Bebo, and Google+.
Blogs — covering what a blog is, how to find one, RSS feeds to make blog reading easier, and writing your own blog. There is a long, useful list of interesting blogs and blog tools.
Wikis — covering how wikis work, Wikipedia, genealogy wikis, the International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOGG) Wiki, family tree wikis, and research wikis. Even tech-savvy genealogists may find a few links never before clicked on.
Multimedia — covering photographic and video sites, podcasts, webcasts, and webinars.
Collaborative tools — covering tools a genealogist can use for research and when communicating with other researchers.

End matter includes a glossary and bibliography and appendixes:

DNA websites — listing MANY links to sites to help a person understand genetic genealogy.
Testing companies — listing the DNA testing companies with brief descriptions.
DNA projects — listing several types of DNA projects.
Surname resources — listing links for surname resources.

Other reviews of this book can be found at:

CeCe Moore, "Debbie Kennett's 'DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the 21st Century', article, 8 November 2011 Your Genetic Genealogist blog (http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/2011/11/debbie-kennetts-dna-and-social.html : accessed 28 November 2011).

Emily Aulicino, "DNA and Social Networking by Debbie Kennett," article, 9 November 2011, dna - genealem's genetic genealogy blog (http://genealem-geneticgenealogy.blogspot.com/ : accessed 28 November 2011).

© 2011, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

Portal to Texas History News

2011-12-22T12:14:00.000-06:00

I just got my current copy of Beyond the Bytes, digital newsletter of the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas (UNT). You can read the entire newsletter online.

Highlights include digitization of:

the O. Henry Project in a collaboration of the Austin History Center, the Texas General Land Office, and the Texas State Preservation Board;
Gillespie County Historical Society photographs;
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary records;
addition of the Texas Jewish Post, Southern Mercury, and El Regidor to the newspaper archive collection; and
Civil War Papers.

DNA Access Policy Changes Bad for Genealogists

2011-12-22T11:21:00.000-06:00

Warning: Personal opinions included below.

CeCe Moore's Your Genetic Genealogist is one of my must-read DNA blogs. Yesterday she wrote "23andMe changes terms for expired PGS subscription customers." If you have tested at 23andMe this is a must-read for you, too.

23andMe was formed to do DNA testing primarily to study medical issues. They discovered genealogists were also interested in the data. Two years ago 23andMe ran a good sale and many genealogists, myself included, had tests done. We were interested in autosomal DNA as well as Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests offered at that time by companies doing DNA testing for genealogical purposes.

After the sale 23andMe pricing was a little steep for many genealogists. The company then offered a low initial price with the addition of a monthly maintenance fee. You can see in CeCe's blog what the company told her about how a tester could retain access to their data even if they stopped paying the monthly fee. Apparently the policy of 23andMe is changing and may leave many customers in the lurch.

The section in my DNA presentations where I caution a potential tester to understand what they are paying for will certainly change to reflect these new problems. The section where I tell people to download their raw data will now be emphasized more.

I tell testers to download their raw DNA data as soon as it is available. This protects you somewhat from changing company policies and companies that go out of business. A person would still have to know how to interpret the raw data—or find someone who can do so. But at least you have a copy of the data no matter what changes there are in company policy afterwards. If a company adds data to your profile you may need to download an updated copy of the raw data. But always, always keep a copy of your current raw data in your possession.

Like others, I am no longer comfortable recommending 23andMe for DNA testing for genealogical purposes. I understand that sometimes changing environments and regulations can cause a company to change policies. But to make such drastic changes without first notifying customers is a customer relations no-no. And for some time now Family Tree DNA, a company formed for and by genealogists, has been offering an autosomal test to go along with the Y-DNA and mtDNA tests they pioneered.

Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has one of the best reputations in the field for customer service. The owners, Bennett Greenspan and Max Blankfield, cheerfully invite customers to contact them with any questions, suggestions, or comments. They listen to what their customers say and enhancements the project administrators ask for. As far as I know, no other genealogical testing company has the loyal following that FTDNA has. And the company invests heavily in scientists and equipment that allow new discoveries in the usefulness of DNA for genealogical purposes. Do a search for the "Walking the Y" project on the Family Tree DNA website to learn about one project they invest in.

Ancestry.com is also offering DNA tests now. They have not been doing so long enough to build a reputation yet. In the opinion of many genetic genealogists, Ancestry misrepresents the number of markers they test by individually counting each section of multi-value markers. It takes a long time to build a DNA database, for it to be large enough to make meaningful comparisons, for a company to have knowledgeable customer service representatives to answer DNA questions, and to get a reputation that encourages others to recommend your company.

No other company has a larger database than Family Tree DNA. For genealogy the most important part of DNA testing is to be able to compare your results to many others to find potential family members. With facts like these it's difficult not to recommend Family Tree DNA over the others for genetic genealogy tests. But even at FTDNA, I download and save a copy of my raw data so I always have it on my computer. If you haven't saved your raw data after DNA testing, go do it now. There should be a link on your personal page at the DNA testing company that allows you to download raw data. If you can't find it contact customer service for help.

12-22-2011 afternoon update:

I just saw an update on CeCe's blog — 23andMe has created a place for customers to voice their concerns - see http://bit.ly/uk6xqk. The title on this Google Docs page linked to is "PGS Subscription Feedback." PGS stands for Personal Genome Service. If you go directly to this comment page there is no indication whatsoever this is for comments to 23andMe. You'd think 23andMe would make sure you know that is who the comments are going to in case you don't know what "PGS Subscription" stands for.

© 2011, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

TSLAC Genealogy After Dark - January 20, 2012

2011-12-20T18:00:00.000-06:00

The following announcement was received from Diana Houston, Assistant Director, Information Services, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC).

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission will host a Genealogy After Dark event on Friday, January 20, from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Registration is limited to 30 participants.

The State Library will close at 5:00 p.m. and open at 6:00 p.m. for Genealogy After Dark participants. The building will be locked at 7:00 p.m. and no participants will be admitted after that time.

Parking is usually available in the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 1201 San Jacinto, one block to the east of the Zavala Building. There is no charge for visitors who arrive after 5:00 p.m.

6:00 — Sign-in

6:15 — Countdown to April 2: Getting Ready for the 1940 Census Release! program

7:15 — Light refreshments

7:30 — Texas Family Heritage Research Center and the Reference and Information Center open for research; Orientation: Requesting and Using Materials in the Texas State Archives (required for anyone planning to use archival materials during the event)

7:45 — Texas State Archives open for research

9:45 — Microfilm and photocopy rooms close; Texas State Archives close

10:00 — Building secured

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at geninfo@tsl.state.tx.us or 512-463-5455.

I traveled to Austin from East Texas just to attend an earlier Genealogy After Dark program and highly recommend it. You have immediate access to enthusiastic archivists who are giving up their evening to assist you with your research and teach you about the records they preserve. Take advantage of this and tell your legislative representatives how important TSLAC is to historians and genealogists.

I couldn't locate the registration form online. Maybe they don't post it since the attendance is limited to 30. But you can call or contact them using the information above and find out if slots are still available.

You can find a list of their genealogical resources online here. Don't miss the old-fashioned card catalog in the Archives section if you attend. Many of the names in historic documents have been indexed in the card-catalog which is not available online. You may find an ancestor indexed in a document you never knew they were named in.

(Their new website is displayed off-center by Google chrome, but works. It displays properly in Firefox. I never use Internet explorer so can't tell you how it displays.)

© 2011, Debbie Parker Wayne, All Rights Reserved

Henry Everett Johnson (1871-1923) - East Texas Road Builder?

2011-12-20T10:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about the online exhibit on the construction of Texas highways at Texas State Library and Archives Commission. I mentioned my great-great-grandfather who built roads according to family stories my grandmother told me in the early 1990s.

... my grandmother told me her grandfather built roads in East Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and that he died while working on a road in Arkansas when a snake spooked his horse. Grandpa fell and was killed, perhaps from a broken neck, when the horse reared in panic. My grandmother was only seven when this happened so I am not sure how much she remembered or how often her memory may have been refreshed by discussions at family gatherings after she grew up. Her memories of getting soaked while traveling from Dallas to Smackover, Arkansas, in an open-top vehicle in a rain storm in August 1923 seemed pretty vivid.

I have an old 1910–1923 photograph of this great-great-grandfather with family and crew members standing in a wet, muddy, grassless area surrounded by trees. This looks like it could be a road building crew of the time or maybe they are just pulling felled trees to the railroad line for transport. It's hard to tell from the image.

The crewmen are each holding a team with yokes around their necks and ropes and chains leading to the ground where there are large squared-off timbers—maybe to grade a dirt road. I'd love to hear from anyone who knows the history of road building or logging who can identify what these rigs may have been used for. The squared off timber argues they are not pulling felled trees for transport.

Here's a closeup of great-great-grandpa Henry Everett Johnson (1871–1923) and his wife Emma Eugenia Ryan Johnson (1868–1950) cropped from the image above. It is so strange to see I am several years older than the 52 years of age Henry was when he died. We tend to think of our ancestors as being older than us and often forget they were once children themselves.

Henry's life span dates are documented on his tall Woodsmen of the World headstone at Ryan Chapel near Diboll, Angelina County, Texas. Emma's are documented on her Texas death certificate, number 6051 (1950), available from the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Austin, and now in several places online. Emma is buried next to Henry, but the only marker on her grave is a small, flat stone barely big enough for the initials "E. J." inscribed on it. If you visit the cemetery when the grass is high or when there is snow you'll miss her stone.

Emma is not named in the compiled list of persons buried in the cemetery; the list only includes those with names on stones. Maybe her tiny stone with initials was missed when the cemetery was surveyed or the compilers didn't list stones with initials only. Somehow cemetery records were lost or not carefully kept and when the cemetery association was formed in the 1960s apparently no one knew she was buried there. One of my remote cousins was active in the cemetery association for many years and she did not know where Emma was buried in the cemetery the cousin spent much of her life preserving.

The photograph of what I think is the road crew is in my possession since I saved it from the trash bin. After my grandmother's death my Mom and her sisters started to throw away about 200 of my grandmother's photos they couldn't identify.

Lessons learned:

Talk more about the family history to your relatives while they are still here on this earth. Once they are gone you can't get answer to your questions.
Tell everyone to ALWAYS give you any photos instead of throwing them out without you seeing them. In addition to the road crew photo I rescued, I have identified over half of the people in the other 200 photos my Mom and aunts were going to trash. Several were images of my great-grandmother as a child and other treasures.
Pay attention to every small detail in those old photos. They tell you things.
Just because someone isn't listed in the cemetery book or you can't find a headstone doesn't mean they aren't buried there. Look in all seasons and right after the cemetery has been mowed. Who knew "reasonably exhaustive" research might mean visiting the cemetery in winter when the grass is dead and there's no snow on the ground?
Consider the entire life of your ancestor—the childhood, the teenage years, young adulthood, and the middle and later years. Grandma and Grandpa weren't always the white-haired elders we most remember. What was their life like when they were young?