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“When does the 1940 census come out?”

The federal government will release the 1940 census to the public on April 2nd, 2012. Ancestry.com will start posting images and working on creating an index right away. These records will be free to search until the end of 2013.

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“Why are you called the Barefoot Genealogist?”

Look at my feet. No shoes. If I can get away with it, even in the Ancestry.com booth at a major genealogy conference, I don’t wear shoes. This works really well around the office, not so well when traipsing through cemeteries.

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“Why can’t I find my ancestor online?”

Their name might not be spelled consistently across all records. You might be limiting your searches too much with the search filters. Oh, and not all genealogy records are online or even publicly available. Let’s figure out where we might find them and then check the Card Catalog to see if we’ve got the records you need. You might also want to check online Family Trees and see if anyone else is researching the same family.

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This past weekend I was able to attend RootsTech 2012. This particular conference, only in its 2nd year, is held in Utah, home to the world famous Family History Library, Ancestry.com, and yours truly. There were dozens of sessions to chose from and over 4200 people in attendance. So, as you can imagine, there was a lot to take in every day of the three day conference.

If you were there, tell me, “What was your favorite thing about the conference?”

If you’ve never attended a genealogy conference I would encourage you to check out the recorded video streams from each of the three days of RootsTech. Maybe, take a look at the schedule to see what kinds of classes are being taught. Then let me know, “If you could attend a class on any genealogy related subject, what would it be?”

Next year RootsTech will be held March 21-23 in Salt Lake City. Between now and then Ancestry.com will be at several other genealogy conferences around the country. Will I finally get to meet you? And, if I do, don’t ask me why I’m called the Barefoot Genealogist. Just admire my great pedicure and my cute toes! Then let’s get busy looking for your ancestors.

Until next time – Have fun climbing your family tree…

Also, watch two presentations below for free that were streamed last week @ RootsTech 2012:

As interesting as it was, if you think about it, it’s shouldn’t be too surprising that branches of your family tree occasionally cross before they connect. In my own files, I have a newspaper clipping about the wedding of a Brooklyn, New York, politician’s daughter. The clipping not only describes the wedding in great detail but also lists all of the guests—and this was no small affair. The guest list was rife with politicians, including ex-president Grover Cleveland and his wife, the governor, a senator, and several congressmen. The father of the bride was no slouch either; he was well-known in political circles as the “Boss” of Brooklyn.

Two of my relatives were also there, and some thirty years later, their grandchildren would marry. While it’s no bombshell like the one dropped on Martin Sheen, it’s a good reminder that your ancestors were part of a community in which their lives intertwined. My two relatives at that wedding were both on the police force, one the ex-commissioner, and the other a patrolman who had worked his way up to become a captain. So they may easily have known each other through their work and shared some mutual friends.

Learning about the people your ancestor interacted with can really bring your family history to life.
Start a list of your ancestor’s associates—people whose names appear as sponsors, in-laws, witnesses, business partners, members of a religious community, or even just neighbors. Then hop on Ancestry.com and see what you can turn up on them. Check census records, directories, and historical newspapers for mentions.

As you learn more about them, you’ll get to know your ancestor’s community. If that’s not enough inspiration, keep in mind that immigrants and families often traveled and settled with people they knew. Tracing the origins of your ancestor’s friends and neighbors may lead you to your own ancestor’s roots.

And of course, don’t overlook a direct ancestor’s siblings. Martin Sheen uncovered two compelling stories about two different uncles who shared some of the same political passion. You never know what stories are waiting just off your direct line.

So, now you’ve heard my story. What’s yours? Have you found a connection in your family tree that had you raising an eyebrow or shouting for someone to come take a look at this? Or maybe an inspiring story about your ancestor’s sibling? Please share it in the comments, or email it to me at stories@ancestry.com.

February 3, 2012

8:30 – 9:30 am
Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities
Josh Coates

9:45 – 10:45 am
Publish Your Genealogy Online
Laura Prescott

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines
Robert Gardner

1:45 – 2:45 pm
Genealogists “Go Mobile”
Sandra Crowley

3:00 – 4:00 pm
Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy
David Barney

February 4, 2012

8:30 – 9:30 am
Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry Tim Sullivan

9:45 – 10:45 am
Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101
Lisa Louise Cooke

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Future of FamilySearch Family Tree
Ron Tanner

1:45 – 2:45 pm
Privacy in a Collaborative Environment
Noah Tutak

At RootsTech, family historians of all skill levels will learn technology-based solutions to accelerate their research. Take a look at what you’ll experience at this year’s conference:

Discover how new and emerging technologies can simplify your research:

• Learn from world leaders in genealogy and technology
• Help leading-edge technology providers better understand your needs
• Get a sneak peek at new products and services
• Participate in hands-on workshops
• Contribute to interactive presentations and panels
• Take part in impromptu discussions with many of our sponsors

RootsTech is sponsored by Ancestry.com, Microsoft, Dell, FamilySearch, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, brightsolid, Archives.com, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists and Brigham Young University.

Watch the Livestream below:

Schedule includes:

February 2, 2011

Jack Reese – 3:45 pm EST (1:45 pm MST): Using Advanced Photographic Techniques to Recover Content from Damaged Documents
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/146596535454547/)

Kory Meyerink – 5:00 pm EST (2:00 pm MST): One Hour with Kory Meyerink from ProGenealogists
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/100719380051394/)

February 3, 2011

Crista Cowan & Anne Mitchell – 3:45 pm EST (1:45 pm MST): 5 New Things to Try at Ancestry.com
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/309048345800846/)

John Bacus – 5:00 pm EST (3:00 pm MST): What Does It Take to Get a Good Result? The Inner-workings of the Ancestry.com Search Engine
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/168275839943564/)

February 4, 2011

Tim Sullivan (CEO) – Ancestry.com Panel – 10:30 am EST (8:30 am MST): Tim Sullivan and an Ancestry.com Panel
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/198919100203740/)

Peter Drinkwater – 1:00 pm EST (11:00 am MST): Everything You Wanted to Know About Fold3
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/323066747727690/)

Kendall Hulet – 2:00 pm EST (12:00 pm MST): Ancestry.com Roundtable Discussion
(RSVP for this event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/302598429786131/)

At RootsTech, family historians of all skill levels will learn technology-based solutions to accelerate their research. Take a look at what you’ll experience at this year’s conference:

Discover how new and emerging technologies can simplify your research:

Learn from world leaders in genealogy and technology
Help leading-edge technology providers better understand your needs
Get a sneak peek at new products and services
Participate in hands-on workshops
Contribute to interactive presentations and panels
Take part in impromptu discussions with many of our sponsors

RootsTech is sponsored by Ancestry.com, Microsoft, Dell, FamilySearch, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, brightsolid, Archives.com, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists and Brigham Young University.

Where can you try it out?

This beta viewer is available for the following censuses:

• 1911 Channel Islands Census: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2355
• 1911 Wales Census: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2353
• 1911 Isle of Man Census: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2354

It will be available for the 1930 US Federal Census in the near future.

You can access the interactive image beta viewer from the record page by clicking on “View Interactive Image (BETA).”

How can you send feedback?

Please use the “Send comments” link at the top of the viewer.

What’s new?

Family Highlights

Highlights help you find people quickly by automatically highlighting the entire household.  This is most useful when there are multiple families on one image.

• Yellow highlight – Whether you selected someone from your tree or searched for someone new, that person is highlighted in yellow when viewing his or her record in the Interactive Image Viewer.
• Green highlight – If the person that is highlighted in yellow is in a household that has any other members, the other members of the household are highlighted in green.
• Orange highlight – An orange highlight is placed on any row that is not already highlighted in green or yellow when your mouse hovers over that row. This will only show up when there are multiple families in a household.

Informative Tips

By hovering over various cells, you can see a transcription of that cell and learn more about the facts in the record. Simply hover your mouse over an element of the record and a text tip appears.

Name Label Overlay
When you zoom in on an image, names labels will appear on the left side of the viewer so you can see exactly whose information you’re viewing.

Moving the image

The new image viewer has many features that are similar to the Advanced Image Viewer many of you are already using.  We’ve also added some new features.

• Click and Drag – Click anywhere on the image, hold down your mouse button, and drag your mouse in the direction that you wish to pan the image.
• Onscreen Controls – Use the arrow buttons to pan the image left, right, up, or down.  Additionally, you can use the magnifying glass buttons at the top of the onscreen controls or the slider at the bottom of the onscreen controls to zoom in or out of the image.
• Keyboard Controls – Use the arrow keys on your keyboard.  This will enable you to pan left, right, up, or down.  You may also use the “+” or “-” keys on your keyboard to zoom in or out.  Press the “Home” key to move your current view to the far left of the current image.  Press the “End” key to move your current view to the far right of the current image.  Press the “Page Up” key to move to the top of the current image.  Press the “Page Down” key to move to the bottom of the current image.
• Mouse Wheel Zoom – If your mouse has a mouse wheel, you can use it to zoom in or out of the image.

We have also added some new options under the “Image” menu (below the Save button).

• Rotate Clockwise and Rotate CounterClockwise – These menu items will rotate the image by 90 degrees in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
• Flip Horizontally and Flip Vertically – These menu items will flip the image.
• Invert Colors – This option will reverse the colors of the image (black becomes white, white becomes black).  In some cases, this will improve the readability of the image.
• Increase and Decrease Contrast – Use the increase or decrease contrast menu items to improve the contrast on the image.

Actions Menu

Use the Actions menu to print, view record source, remove highlighting, and more.  Please note that this interactive image viewer is still in beta and some of the features you may be used to seeing are not available yet.

Print – Print the image or the current view.

• View highlighting – By default, household highlights are displayed on the image.  Select this menu item to disable household highlights.
• View source – Select this menu item to open the source panel and learn which organization provided the image.

What features are coming soon?

• Index panel – See a transcription of the key fields underneath the image.
• Change locations by browsing – Change the focus of your browsing by selecting a new location directly from the image browse path.
• Improvements to save to tree – Saving to tree is available but the features which recognize whether you have come from a hint or if you have already saved this image are not implemented yet.
• Comments and corrections – We will add the ability to provide comments and corrections soon. We value all of your additions to our records.
• Sharing – Sharing the image via email, Facebook, or Twitter is coming soon.

Thank you for your input and suggestions on the beta version of the interactive image viewer.   We will be making many updates to this viewer in the upcoming weeks to add more new features and the other “coming soon” features listed above.

1. Some important improvements for syncing source citations, relationships, and accepted & rejected hints.
2. Resolution of some data issues that were causing sync to fail in some cases
3. Sync stability and performance improvements.

How to get this free update? As a Family Tree Maker 2012 for Windows owner simply open your software program and the update will be ready for download. If you need help with the upgrade (version 21.0.0.506), technical help is available by email or by phone: 1-800-ANCESTRY.

While this update provides some helpful improvements, there is one issue it can’t resolve: TreeSync has been so popular that on occasion it has temporarily overwhelmed our online system! During these times, your tree data has been safe, but syncing has been unavailable for a short time. It is very important to us that this popular feature is working for you at all times and we are working very hard towards improving the system to accommodate the huge and growing interest in this feature. But, if you should run into a problem with syncing, please wait a few hours and try again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

We’re excited to see so much interest in TreeSync, and we’re working hard to keep it available at all times of the day and night (whenever you want to use it). We hope you enjoy this free update.

Thank you for using Family Tree Maker 2012.

The Family Tree Maker Team

Over 1.5 million Jewish children, and tens of thousands of other children were murdered during the Holocaust. “We will never know what these children might have contributed to the world,” said the UN Secretary-General. But, we can make sure that they are not forgotten.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has collected over 170 million documents relating to victims and survivors of Nazi-era persecution. The World Memory Project community has, in just eight short months, indexed over a million of those records. But, there is still so much more we can do.

Please visit WorldMemoryProject.org to learn more about how you can help. Together we can make records pertaining to this dark time more readily accessible to those who are looking to restore the identities of people the Nazis tried to erase from history. Ancestry.com has committed to making all records keyed by this community available online for free to anyone who wishes to access them.

Please take 15 minutes to watch today’s Ancestry LIVE broadcast. Take a few moments today to remember those victims and survivors of Nazi-era persecution. Then, resolve to do what you can to help educate yourself and others so that we, as a worldwide society, can prevent future genocides.

Until next time…

I guess Pennsylvania records are pretty important to you!

Of course, this isn’t a surprise at all. Pennsylvania has been one of the most populous states in the Union since it became a state in 1787. So, chances are, if your family has been in the United States for longer than four or five generations, someone in your ancestry passed through Pennsylvania at some point in time.

You can learn more about Pennsylvania Family History Research in the Ancestry Wiki.

I hope you take the time to learn more.  I find that when I understand more about the places my ancestors lived, I understand more about them and their lives.  For me, that’s always more important than filling in blanks on a pedigree chart or seeing how far back I can trace my ancestry.

The database released on Ancestry.com this week contains over 7.5 million records obtained from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. You read that right… 7.5 million records. Read the database description (scroll down past the search box) so you know what’s included in this amazing collection.  Then, please, dive right in and start searching the Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985. I would bet many of you are going to find exactly what you’re looking for.  Some of you may even find things you didn’t know you were looking for. When you do, be sure to come back here and let me know about it. I love hearing your success stories.

Until next time – Have fun climbing your family tree…