Key in a door; public domain. Courtesy of Picryl. In genealogy and family history, context is "the examination of individual lives within the framework of a broader history" [1]. Context is Key Context is key because  context unlocks meaning in the records we uncover , and leads us to more (and better) records and collections. For instance, finding a land description and platting it is step one, then when the plat is on a map along with the neighbors, we can see who the ancestor knew, worked alongside, attended church with, and who the singles might have married. Learning the geology of the area leads to understanding what crops were grown, and so how the land shaped the daily lives of those living and working on it. Life on the Great Plains is very different from the hollers of Kentucky or the coastal plains of the East. People often migrated in groups, and in general chose to move to an area where their skills and knowledge would be useful.  Context for land acquisitio...

Courtesy OpenClipArt,  CC0 1.0 Universal The introduction of DNA testing for genealogy was revolutionary. The Sorensen Foundation, NatGeo and other non-profit efforts, along with scientific research yielded books such as Bryan Sykes'  The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry   back in 2001.  But until Family Tree DNA began offering Y and mitochondrial (mt) DNA kits for sale, there was only the crudest information available.  Thanks to Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA, who persisted in finding a way for this important data to be available to genealogists, we now have these wonderful record sets. He and other citizen scientists have persisted; the more we test, the more we know about shared relatives and our deep ancestral history.  The  Human Genome Project helped immensely and scientists of all types continue to deepen our knowledge of not just Y and mitochondrial (mt) DNA, but also autosomal and the more-rare...

Photo by genibee,  CC BY-NC 2.0 Have you ever had an old memory surface at the oddest time? I was in the dental chair having an implant screwed into my jaw, and there was so much pressure! When they were doing something else, I said, this feels just like the first time I ever put on a girdle. I was giggling about it, and nudged the assistant, and said, you know what I'm talking about! She was giggling too, and then she said to the doctor, you do NOT know, but ask your wife! The silliest thing about it was that I was in seventh grade! Who needs a girdle ever, much less in seventh grade? It was not about the boys; they never looked at us then. And really, we all thought the other girls were noticing, but I think all of us just wanted to fit in. For the record, let me just say that while I can't recall the last time I squeezed myself into a girdle, I do not miss that pressure one bit! Why mention this weird old memory? Well, it paints a picture of adolescent life before pantyhos...

Connecting people. Image courtesy of Dreamstime Doing Genealogy When we first start "doing genealogy" we're finding records, noting what we find, and trying to make sense of it all. As time goes on, we may turn into hobbyists, and begin using forms, consulting books, online repositories, and perhaps, building a tree on our computers, online, or both.  Eventually, it grows so much we don't know what we have, or where! This is where all those "genealogy do-over" or "filing Fridays" projects start. Both of those might be useful in your situation, but here is the ruling principle that can bring quality into your work and peace into your heart: genealogy projects using the Genealogical Proof Standard , the GPS . This principle is what professional genealogists use, but it is not for pros only. Fortunately, it's not a secret; it is the key to effective and efficient work for researchers all around the world.  Genealogical Proof Standard GPS Shapes a...

Generated with AI Bing Image Creator 10 April 202, 8:46 PM If you have been thinking about using DNA in your family history research, but are not sure how useful it could be, or how to go about it, parts of this post may help.  If you have been using DNA a little, but are not finding it helpful, perhaps this post will change your mind.  Or  you have been using it, but are having trouble applying findings to the rest of your research, read on.  If you don't understand how to use the dot system to help you in your research goals, watch this Youtube (under 7 minutes):  AncestryDNA Dot System: How to Use It!   Large-size DNA Mystery Match? Don't give up hope! You have a solid foundation of research if you have: Tested on AncestryDNA, and connected yourself on your tree to your test ,  Built much of your line of interest from ancestors down to the living generation, and  Applied the dot system to all matches down to  ~25-30cM. Gold Ring Proce...

Responsibility, Creative Commons Icon courtesy of TheNounProject “Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are those who say: This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.” — Studs Terkel [1] I see the quote above from a few people in a project list for Wikitree. Why do we continue to do this work we call genealogy research? Is it for the money? I don't know any wealthy genealogists, do you? At least none who earned their riches through their findings, articles or book sales. Perhaps Alex Haley or a few other researcher stars such as Dr. Henry Louis Gates have created a good living for themselves by sales of their books, films and related work. But nobody goes into this work for the money or even fame. Service Instead, what I find is people who want to serve their families and communities by finding the records of their family, locating them in their place and time, and finding and telling their stories. Some end up creating works of art,...

Courtesy PublicDomainImages.net "Car Burning Rubber" Deadlines I used to dread writing reports, from grade school on. Deadlines caused dread, and there was no pleasure (or learning) from scrabbling together all the sources into something readable. When I began doing genealogy research, writing reports of my findings never entered my mind! Not even when I found massive help from various books and articles. I never saw myself then as a contributor to the body of knowledge; only as a consumer.  From Consumer to Contributor https://www.wikitree.com/ Two things changed my viewpoint. The first was finding Wikitree, where I took responsibility for the linked profiles for many of the family members I had found through my years of research. The Wikitree focus on sourcing, collaboration and narrative, not just a bare skein of facts, began to change that "consumer" stance, into becoming a contributor.  Focus and Collaboration The other event that taught me how to contribute be...

publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Blacksmith-sketch/63288 The advice "strike while the iron is hot" comes from blacksmiths, who would pull a piece of red-hot iron out of the coals with tongs and begin hammering into shape the horseshoe or hook or whatever the customer had ordered. If he waited until the iron cooled, it would be nearly impossible to shape and have to be moved into the fire again.  Research Log I wrote before about my new favorite tool Airtable , and its older cousin, the spreadsheet. Now I'm using Airtable for my newest favorite, the research log . I've read about why to keep them, but have always chosen to trust my memory instead. This did not work very well! There are tools such as Goldie May which promise to automate the process, but after watching it in action, I don't think it would work for me. Begin with the GPS In the Research Like A Pro study group South King County GS is running for members, one of the necessary steps is a comprehe...