Education Everywhere I am an education junkie. What better addiction for a genealogist? I read books, mostly non- fiction, attend lectures and multi-session classes, listen to podcasts, and watch webinars. I  watch lots of webinars. During a recent week I had the privilege of watching three hour-long  video programs on genealogy topics. Descendancy Research The first was a presentation on Descendancy Research delivered to our own South King County  Genealogical Society by a professional genealogist located in Utah. Descendancy research is a  new topic for me. I remember attending a presentation on the topic when I was just beginning  genealogy, but it did not mean much to me then. Now I can see that it may hold the answer to  some problems in my family tree. I began watching in a vacation spot on Maui, but was soon  interrupted by a fire alarm emergency in the building. No problem: I was able to watch the full  recording of the presentatio...

A suggested topic for this blog was A Favorite Tool for Research We received a couple of replies which have spurred conversations from our editors.  We hope more of you will submit your favorite tools. From Deborah Wigen-Noble:    My “tool” right now is webinars. The speaker/presenter, the chat (gleaning all kinds of ideas and suggestions from others watching), and the opportunity to ask and have my questions answered - this often leads to more questions . -  Debbi From Annette Weiss:  DNA is my tool ... can't beat the accuracy! I've been able to connect with a long-lost branch of my daily tree, adding over 100 descendants in the past 2 years. - Annette From Kathleen Hanzeli:  This probably sounds silly, but last week, when I was in Boston, I chose to travel light, meaning I left my big camera at home.  I did take my Magic Wand Scanner but it never came out of my bag. Instead, I used my iPhone to scan (the scanning app associated with Evernote) an...

Fish in all the DNA ponds We've heard this advice; do we use it? Most often it is given about DNA testing. No matter what company you choose to test with first, download your raw DNA results and then upload to all the sites which allow uploads that fit your research goals. If you have the funds, test at both Ancestry and 23andMe . Neither allow uploads, and they have the largest databases. If you are using DNA testing for genealogy research, your goal is the most matches possible, and "fishing in all the ponds" accomplishes that goal. You can download your results from either Ancestry or 23andMe or both, and upload to: FamiyTreeDNA  - the earliest DNA testing company, and most often used by researchers. The only choice for Y and mitochondrial testing. Upload is free. MyHeritage  - most used by Europeans and is the top choice by those who do not want law enforcement to have access to their DNA results and matches. Upload is free . LivingDNA  - the newc...

By Barbara Mattoon  Last week I discussed learning opportunities available through your local society, and Structured Learning opportunities available through academic institutions and Institutes.  This week I’ll explore Conferences and Seminars, Research Trips and Self-Guided Learning. Conferences and Seminars A myriad of conferences and seminars are available.  One of the largest is the National Genealogical Society Annual Family History Conference.  It features a different theme each year and is in a different location.  The 2019 Conference will be held 8 – 11 May in St. Charles, Missouri.  The Conference theme is “Journey of Discovery”, charting the course of American pioneers as they migrated to the Louisiana Purchase and the Northwest Territory.  It will feature 150 lectures and there will be opportunities to visit more than 80 exhibitors in the exhibit hall.  Hotel reservations opened August 15 and conference registration ope...