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Tag: genealogyresources

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Errors in Collaborative Family Trees Can Be Fixed! Tree Sweeper and the FamilySearch Family Tree

Placing genealogy research online has become more and more popular over the years. Most people stick to just having their own standalone tree on their website, or on one of the subscription database sites (where they can also pick up record hints to help with their research). However, there are also several sites where people contribute their research to one enormous tree. Examples include FamilySearch Family Tree, Geni and WikiTree.

collaborating family tree
It’s not a competition for ancestors, we’re all in the same boat. But how can we reduce the risk of errors? Credit: Martin Canma on Scopio

So what stops people from participating in this? The biggest factor seems to be concern over errors in collaborative family trees. They worry that they will upload the precious research that they have nurtured, then others will sloppily attach the wrong families to theirs. This is a fair concern. It happens. Not everyone is an experienced, organised or careful genealogist.

I am a great believer in collaboration between researchers. As you can imagine, I was quite excited to find out about a tool that can be used to clean up FamilySearch Family Tree. This tool is called Tree Sweeper. Tools such as this could make errors in collaborative family trees a thing of the past if enough people find out about and use them!

How does Tree Sweeper work to reduce errors in collaborative family trees?

This tool is blissfully simple. Just login using your FamilySearch account.

Tree Sweeper front page
Tree Sweeper Home Page

Once you are logged in, there is a simple ‘options’ screen. You decide which person in the tree you wish to start with. I would suggest for your first sweep that you choose ‘Current User’, i.e. yourself. Be aware that the tool sweeps ancestors rather than descendants. Therefore, it will always be working backwards from your chosen starting point.

You can specify how many generations (up to 7) you would like to check for errors. You can also decide what kinds of errors to look for – definite errors, possible errors, or ‘research opportunities’ (which includes finding duplicates). Or you can just check everything.

Tree Sweeper options page
Defining which errors you are seeking to correct, and in which part of the tree…

In the example below I chose to check 5 generations back from myself for definite errors. Tree Sweeper found five errors, and I can see already someone has been playing around in the tree. I have never heard of Edith Mary Bland! The red flag next to each of these listed people shows the number of impossibilities in the information currently listed for them. You can download the full list as a PDF via the big green ‘Download Results’ button.

Tree Sweeper errors in collaborative family tree
Results of the defined Tree Sweep

Click on the dropdown arrow next to Edith’s name to reveal details of the error. According to the tree, she was christened before she was born. If I click on the green button below her ID number, I will be taken to her page and be able to assess and fix the problem.

Tree Sweeper errors in collaborative family tree detailed
The dropdown to the right of Edith’s name shows the exact problem

Once errors have been fixed, it is then a great idea to click the ‘watch’ star on the person’s page. This means that if anyone comes along and alters anything to do with this person you will be notified. This will give you the chance to assess what they have done, and potentially collaborate with a fellow researcher who is quite possibly a relative. It also gives you the chance to change things back if you are sure what they have done is not correct!

Does Tree Sweeper do the trick?

Tree Sweeper is a fantastic tool for peace of mind. You can monitor your family line and make sure it stays correct. This is a great benefit for you, the wider research community and the memory of your ancestors. If this tool persuades just a few more people to take part in a collaborative family tree without fear of pervasive errors taking over, that is a great thing for the genealogical community!

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Free Genealogy Online Resources During The Covid-19 Pandemic

These are challenging times indeed. The novel coronavirus and the consequent outbreak of Covid-19 has made its mark on our world in an indelible way already, at a level unimagined since the Spanish Flu a century ago.

free genealogy online resources
Use your time safe at home to explore more of your genealogy

No matter how dark the times are, there is always something positive to focus on. For the past couple of generations, people have become more and more isolated and individualistic. The concept of community has become sidelined. During our enforced physical isolation we are now seeing people reaching out to one another. This is often aided by technology – virtual parties, sing-songs, games, and Skype chats. There have been some truly heartwarming stories shared.

The genealogical world is no different. As I write, I am intrigued by a virtual genealogy webinar featuring genealogists displaying their non-genealogical talents for our entertainment in a two-hour show. I am currently witnessing an origami demonstration!

This week, I’d like to share with you some of the free genealogy online resources that are now being made available by libraries, archives and other database providers. This is their generous response to our self-isolation/quarantine/lockdown situations across the globe. Have a look and see if any of these might help you with your research while you have more ‘inside time’!

Additional Free Genealogy Online Resources – Libraries

Most library buildings are now physically closed. Holders of library cards are probably aware that their library offers online access to various databases. The content varies from library to library so check the web site of yours. In addition to the regular database access from home options, many libraries are also currently offering access to databases you can usually only reach when inside the library. For example, you will likely find you can now access Ancestry Library Edition free of charge from your couch! Some libraries are also offering remote access to FindMyPast while the library buildings are shut (Tasmanian readers, you’re in luck!).

You should be able to access many newspapers and journals too. Look for JSTOR additional access, you will be thrilled at what you can find! Remember to check all your library memberships; your local library, state library and national library, as what is not available at one may be available at another.

free genealogy online resources unlocked
Access to more data is temporarily unlocked!

Additional Free Genealogy Online Resources -Archives

The Internet Archive has also made additional items available under the name ‘National Emergency Library’. It should probably be called the ‘International Emergency Library’ since it is globally available! This collection consists of over 1.4M texts not usually available due to copyright restrictions, many of them useful for genealogy research and all of them interesting!

The US National Archives has some useful free genealogy online resources available. You can also source around 300 of their collections via Ancestry (search for ‘NARA’ in the Card Catalog).

Additional Free Genealogy Online Resources – Other Sources

MyHeritage recently launched a photo colourisation service. Normally you would have to be a subscriber to use it for more than just a few images, but for now, they’ve made it completely free of charge to colourise an unlimited number of photos. It’s amazing to see them come to life!

Do you have any South African ancestors or collateral lines that emigrated there? You can now get free access until 17th April to the databases at Ancestors South Africa!

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society has been offering free webinars. I have attended several already and can vouch for their quality.

I’m sure there are many more also becoming available, these are just the ones I have heard about in the past few days. If your favourite sites aren’t mentioned here, go take a look at their page. They may be offering something extra at the moment.

Also, remember, the above resources are ‘extras’. They are over and above their usual offerings in the online space. Your usual access to some of the amazing free resources such as FamilySearch Digital Library, Catalog, and Historical Images is all still there too. After all these years I could still lose myself at FamilySearch for days on end! Go check Cyndi’s List and see if you can find some new links you’ve never tried before for an area of your tree you want to expand upon.

free genealogy online resources

I hope these suggestions help fill a little time for you. Now that we’ve moved from simple social distancing to something that is looking much more intense and long term, we need all the distraction we can get. Stay busy, look out for one another and above all, stay well!

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Choosing A Professional Genealogist – Getting Bang For Your Buck

Last week we talked about why you might want to consider hiring a genealogist. This week, let’s look at some of the things you should take into account when choosing a professional genealogist to work with.

choosing a professional genealogist

Get the Right Person For You

There are several factors to take into consideration when choosing a professional genealogist.

First and foremost must be their ability to demonstrate a high standard of genealogical research skill. If you’re paying good money, you want the results to be accurate and reliable. Anyone can call themselves a professional genealogist, it is not a phrase restricted to people who have sat a special exam.

Look for some qualifications (such as a related degree or diploma) or credentials. Credentials are often specific to a particular area of the world, which means the genealogist has to be a super specialist in that area! Your genealogist should be familiar with the Genealogical Proof Standard and be willing and able to provide research that meets this standard.

Look for extensive experience, the more the better. A good proportion of that experience should be in the area/subject matter of your research question. Someone familiar with local geography, history, customs and culture will be much more efficient with their research. If your ancestors were pioneers of the early Port Philip district, it’s better to hire someone familiar with the place and the records than to hire someone in the US for example. If you come from a line of Birmingham gunmakers and you want to do an occupational history of your family, it would be great to find someone familiar with both the gunmaking trade and Birmingham to help you with your research.

Choose a professional genealogist with good reviews. Word of mouth is an excellent indicator of quality of work.

Find someone who is willing to meet with you before beginning the project to discuss your needs. No project should begin without a mutually agreed research plan based on your objectives. They should be upfront about their fees and any other potential associated costs. You should also feel comfortable with them. Sometimes they may uncover sensitive information about your family.

Prepare to share

Sharing information

The sure way to have your costs blow out is to just tell the genealogist to start from scratch. Reinventing the wheel takes time, especially with more recent generations where public records are less accessible. No matter how self-conscious you may feel about the quality or amount of work that has been done so far, share it with your genealogist. They will be able to assess it much more quickly than beginning from scratch, saving you a ton of money! The genealogist will love you for it, because there is nothing worse than slaving over hot documents and writing up copious research notes to be told, “Oh we already knew that”. And you don’t want to be charged for that scenario!

Provide the genealogist with:

Decide your budget

budget for professional genealogist

How big is your budget and how do you want to spend it? It’s important to remember that your family history is never finished. You need to have a very clear idea of what you need the professional genealogist to do for you. Otherwise, you could end up asking for a little more and a little more until you’ve way exceeded what you planned to spend. Set your budget before you begin and stick to it. Make sure your genealogist is aware of where the ceiling is. As that ceiling approaches, they should let you know what they have left to do, and ask what takes precedence if the well runs dry!

There are usually two things you pay for with genealogical research:

  • Their time, knowledge and experience
  • Costs, for example, documents and if required, travel

Remember the genealogist is a professional. Do not expect a good genealogist to work for minimum wage. Anyone can do the job badly for peanuts (just take a look at some of the family trees on Ancestry!). A good genealogist is worth paying a decent rate for quality work. They will work faster and more efficiently than you expect due to practice, knowledge of where to look, and the ability to use context to point them in the right direction.

If your genealogist charges an hourly rate, specify how many hours you want to pay for. They will let you know if this is likely to be adequate to meet your research objective. Also ask if they offer a discounted rate for pre-payment or partial pre-payment. Many genealogists will happily do so for the piece of mind of not having to chase people for payment after the job is handed over. For example, if someone prepays me, I will discount by 40% for full pre-payment, and 20% for half pre-payment (in blocks of 10 hours).

Your outcome…

professional genealogist chosen

By the end of this process:

  • you have chosen an experienced professional genealogist with relevant qualifications and/or credentials, good reviews, and who is knowledgeable about your research area
  • you’ve decided exactly what you want from them and prepare them accordingly
  • you have agreed on a research plan and how to allocate your budget together
  • they will provide you with their findings and evidence in a report, with regular progress reports/research logs provided along the way for larger projects or between payments.

May you find amazing and intriguing stories with the help of your professional genealogist that you could never have found alone!

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HELP! I’m Stuck In A Tree! When To Consider Getting Professional Help With Your Family History

Stuck? Professional genealogist
Stuck in your family tree? A professional genealogist can help you.

When might a professional genealogist be useful to you?

You’ve always wondered about where your family came from, you’ve watched every episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?‘ from every country that produces the show, and you’re a ‘Long Lost Family‘ junkie. You’re a potential family historian. You’ve made a start on your family tree…or you’d like to…but there are things standing in your way. Sometimes it’s worth considering involving a professional genealogist.

You have the interest, but not the time.

We all struggle to prioritise our time these days, and with all the competing demands our hobbies often fall to the bottom of the list and become neglected (or never get started).

No time? Professional genealogist.
Use someone else’s time when you have none spare yourself!

Genealogy is a time-intensive exercise, and the less experienced you are, the longer it takes to find your way to and through all the records.

It may well be worth your while to outsource the family tree, or part of it, to a professional. This not only saves you time directly, but they are practised and efficient and likely to get the information and verify it in half the time of someone with less experience!

They can save you time by:

  • getting your tree started then providing you with recommendations on ‘where to go next’ with your research
  • analysing your work so far then providing you with recommendations on ‘where to go next’ with your research
  • if budget is no issue and you don’t mind missing out on the fun of doing any of it yourself, agree how far you want the tree to go and let them do it all!
  • finding your ancestor in a particular unindexed record you don’t have hours to trawl through
  • going to your family’s original hometown taking photographs of headstones and houses, and searching through all potential sources of information there.

You’ve hit a dead end

Dead End? Professional genealogist.
Can’t go any further? Someone can help you with that.

You’ve been working on your tree, and most lines are progressing well. But there’s just one branch that is messing with your head. Yes, it’s the ‘brick wall’ line. We all have (at least!) one. You’ve tried everything suggested here, but the wall remains firmly intact. Your other lines are getting neglected as a result.

What to do? Outsource the dead-end to a professional. A fresh pair of eyes who knows of sources you may not have tried, or who can at least eliminate some of the sources you haven’t had the time or resources to get to. You can get the wall knocked down AND be freed up to work on the rest of your tree!

A branch came from somewhere far away…

…and you don’t speak the language of the records, or don’t know what sources are available or how to get to them.

Immigrants? Professional genealogist
Galician immigrants, ca. 1911

This one is definitely a good reason to look for a local professional genealogist from that country. Even we professionals do this when we are outside our research comfort zones. My son has a family line from Germany. I have used Andrea Bentschneider‘s services when I need an expert in German resources local to Hamburg. It saves so much time and ultimately money (hey, I’d love to go to Germany to research but…)

You want to verify a family legend

Ever since you were a child, you’ve heard tales of how someone in your family tree was left on the steps of the local church as a foundling, or was transported as a convict, or ran off and joined the circus…can it be proved? Often, yes.

Family legend? Professional genealogist.
Get a professional to confirm Uncle Albert’s tall tales.

Getting a professional to dig into what may be some quite specialised record sets to find the answer can unearth some incredible stories. And even if the family legend isn’t quite right, usually there’s a germ of truth there. Often the real story is just as interesting.

Your DNA results are back…

…and you don’t have a clue what to do next! Analysing and using results from DNA tests uses quite different skill sets to traditional document-based genealogy and can be quite nerve-wracking for people at first, especially if they have no science background.

DNA results? Professional genealogist.
Have someone else unravel your DNA for you.

A professional genealogist with experience in genetic genealogy can be a great help in assisting you to unravel the match lists and find what you want to find.

You want to learn how to build your family tree

You may not actually want to hand over the fun of doing the tree to anyone else. You want to do it yourself but you’re not sure how to do it properly. Utilise the services of a professional to either assist you one-on-one, or you might find someone running group classes nearby (often in local libraries).

Want to learn how? Professional genealogist.
Learn from a professional so you can do it yourself.

They can help give you the research skills (including organising your research and citing your sources), point you to common resources (both general and local), advise on where to invest your genealogy subscription money for the best bang for your particular buck, and answer specific questions to may have. Then you can launch into your new hobby well-armed to build a strong and verified tree.

So there you have it. There are so many ways a professional genealogist may be able to help you kickstart, problem-solve or add depth to your family history. Can you think of any more? Comment below!

Next week, we’ll discuss what you should consider when selecting the right professional to work with, and how to get the best bang for your buck.

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Taking a Wrecking Ball to Your Genealogy Brick Wall

Wrecking ball smashing brick wall

Do You Have a Brick Wall Ancestor?

Assembling your family history is not always easy, despite some of the recent major advances in accessibility to a broad range of records online. Most family historians will inevitably run into an ancestral brick wall at some point. These are ancestors who seem to have somehow dodged every way of leaving a useful documentary footprint. We know they were born, we know they had at least one child, we know they died. That may be all we know. Somehow they resist our every effort to pinpoint where they came from.

Brick wall
Beyond this, there be ancestors…

Brick Wall Smashing Ideas

Start with what you KNOW.

I don’t mean what you think you know. Especially if you’ve been working on this ancestor for a while, you may have unwittingly gathered some assumptions that you are now working from. They may be leading you down the wrong path. Start from scratch. Relook at every piece of both evidence and hearsay with a critical fresh eye. If you have been well-organised and cited all your sources, it will be an easy task to gather everything in front of you and begin again. If not, rummage through it all till you have everything.

Reassess each piece of evidence one by one.

  • Are you sure each one pertains to your ancestor? Is there any chance that one or more of them refers to another person of a similar name? Eliminate any red herrings.
  • Do you have the primary source of that evidence? If what you have is a transcription or an extract from an index, or you have found it in someone else’s tree, or just heard it on the grapevine you need to find the actual document if possible. It may well contain more information and is less likely to contain errors.
  • Are there potential clues that you overlooked first time around? For example, witnesses and informants who may be related to or close friends of the brick wall ancestor, or causes of death which may lead you to a newspaper report of an accident.

Make a timeline

Now, construct a timeline of their life using your evidence to see what’s missing. You may find you have a reasonable picture of their later life but they seem to have popped up out of nowhere as an adult.

Focus

Looking at the information you have, decide what is the most critical question you need to answer about this person to move forward and focus on that with laser intensity. A scattergun approach will not serve you well. Don’t forget to document what you’ve checked as you go to prevent you from going over the same ground multiple times.

Where are the gaps?

For example, do you have a birth record or a baptism? Probably not, or they wouldn’t be a brick wall! What sources do you have that may give a clue to their approximate year and/or place of birth? Censuses, marriage records, death or burial records, obituaries, school records, military records, passport applications, electoral rolls, immigration records? Do they appear in any newspapers of the time? Find out what sources are available for the area that your ancestor was in at the time that might contain this information, and plunder them all mercilessly. If you’re pretty sure you know where your brick wall ancestor was probably baptised but they don’t appear in indexed searches, go to the parish register images and browse through every page in case they were missed or mistranscribed.

A rose by any other name…

Try every variant of the person’s name. There are often spelling variants for both given and surnames, especially before widespread literacy became the norm. Their given and middle names may be transposed in documents (they may have been known by their middle name in later life). Check for contractions or pet forms of their names, for example, Robert may be Bob or Rob or Bobby or Robbie. Sometimes they’re not so obvious – Mary Anns often became Polly!

Think big

What was happening in the local area at that point in history? If they didn’t originally come from there, what might have brought them to the area and where from? Look for local histories, newspapers etc that will give you a better idea of the broader social history that influenced their life. Check here for a good source of local histories.

Thinking big and wide

Think wide

‘FAN’ out! FAN stands for ‘Family, Associates and Neighbours’. By researching those around your brick wall ancestor, you may uncover clues to their origins. I will be dedicating an entire blog to the importance of FAN-ning, so stay tuned for that one!

Recheck periodically

If you do all these things and still don’t break the brick wall, put it aside for a few months and carry on researching a different part of your tree. It can be good to come back with fresh eyes, because you may see a pattern you didn’t notice the last time. Also, more and more records are becoming accessible every day. Therefore, what you can’t access now may well be easy to get to the next time you try.

Have you tried DNA?

If you haven’t already had your DNA done, consider it for this purpose. I’ve had a few brick walls smashed by utilizing information gained from matching with others and working out the common ancestor between us. Ethnicity estimates may also in some cases be a signpost to where to look, but are not specific or accurate enough yet to be taken as standalone evidence.

Consider professional help

If you are despairing of finding your brick wall ancestor’s origins, try a professional genealogist who has some experience of researching the country or area where your family’s history takes place (for British or Australian brick walls, in particular, you are welcome to contact me!). They often know of more obscure sources that may contain the information you need and will be able to contextualize the information you have to come up with some new ideas of how to find the information. Make sure you have logged everything you have already done and cited sources to minimise the time you will be paying for. Sometimes a professional can bring a breakthrough in just hours on a problem that has held you up for years!

Brick wall with door
Eventually there is a way through the brick wall.
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An underutilized free genealogy resource – FamilySearch Digital Library

Firstly, an apology for not posting last Friday. My intention was to do an Easter-themed blog, but instead we were dealing with a family emergency. Sometimes even the most tragically obsessed family historian needs to prioritise the here and now over those that are long departed. Normal service is now resumed…

FamilySearch

Most people who are constructing their family tree are aware of FamilySearch.org. As a totally free genealogy resource, it is invaluable and becoming more so every day. Those of you who have downloaded my free guide to my Top 10 favourite genealogy sites know I love this one! Many of the records on the site are indexes, and you really need to find and cite the original documents to verify the information. But even these are a great finding aid to help you on your way. In recent years, the team at FamilySearch have been adding many original documents to the site (just look for the camera icon to see the images).

It is common for people to focus on the top two items in the drop down menu under ‘Search’. That is, ‘Records’ and ‘Family Tree’. This is where you find the indexed records available to search, and the collaborative family tree that people contribute to respectively. But FamilySearch contains much more than just these two sections and I’d like to encourage you to explore beyond this. I spend a lot of time lurking in the ‘Catalog’ section, where so much more is available to see, though much is unindexed and you need to be quite focused in your search. I will talk a little more about the Catalog on another occasion, because today I want to let you know about the ‘Books’ section.

FamilySearch Home Page
Where to find FamilySearch Books

The FamilySearch Digital Library – a great free genealogical resource

FamilySearch Digital Library page
The portal to free book bliss!

‘Books’ (or more properly the ‘FamilySearch Digital Library’) has become a delightful treasure trove of easily accessible information that you may have otherwise had no access to. FamilySearch has been working hard to improve this section. Over 375000 books, journals, family histories and local histories are indexed here. Most of these are fully accessible. Even those that aren’t yet fully available due to copyright have generous snippets of content available and can be useful. The number of items available to search will dramatically increase as they are checking copyright status individually for each book and making them available as quickly as they can.

Checking it out…

The section has become much more intuitive to use and easy to search. Handy hint: if you are searching two or more terms, don’t just list them one after the other or you will get a cumulative number of hits. Make it a Boolean search to find items containing both terms. For example, Swinbourne AND Birmingham rather than Swinbourne Birmingham.

FamilySearch search results
Example of search results

I was delighted to find that a journal (‘Midland Ancestor‘) that I have subscribed to since 1985 appears to have its full run available on the site, which saves me trawling through back issues looking for occurrences of family names as I discover them. Even more usefully it gives me access to issues published before I took up my subscription. I found this journal popping up in the results for nearly every search I did.

I also managed to find a couple of published family histories covering potential branches of my tree, which I will be checking against documentation to verify; several historical tomes mentioning ancestors by name, some with illustrations of ancient documents that they signed, and some wills and probate inventories.

So, last night I made the mistake of quickly taking a look before I went to bed. Many hours later… you get the picture.

New Genealogy Resource Found
Credit: Wendell Washer

Take a look…

So if you haven’t checked out this section of FamilySearch recently, I highly recommend you find some time (not within a few hours of intending to sleep!) and go take a look. You can thank me later…

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Free genealogy giveaway to new subscribers!

If you’re just starting out on your genealogy research journey, you may feel overwhelmed when looking for resources. How do you know where to begin? There are so many genealogy websites out there, right?

I’ve put together a list and description of ten of my favourite sites that between them cover lots of ground, are simple to navigate and provide a great starting point for your online family history quest. When you subscribe to my newsletter, you will:

  • receive each blog post hot off the press
  • get a FREE PDF copy of this invaluable guide

How can you resist? Go on, you know you want to…