Women's Month Vectors by Vecteezy MaryLynn Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History  is the title of a book by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, written in 1976. Since that time the slogan has become bumper stickers, pins, placards, t-shirts, and many other memorabilia. It has become the cry of feminists and is a truism throughout history. When a woman, or group of women, affected society, it was usually by stepping outside the norm. I have not yet, but intend to read the book. Meanwhile, we would like to share some quotes from the book and how they have fit in with some of our own ancestors or women in history whom we admire.  Follow this link to quotes and see if you are inspired about someone in your history.   Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Quotes by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (goodreads.com) While you are at that page, click on the Open Preview  button to read some back story by the author.  I think you will find it very entertaining. Quotes: “Some history-making i...

  Image from Wikitree.com "Wikitree, Where genealogists collaborate" Why do you want to use Wikitree? Short answer is that it will make you a better genealogist, because you will be demonstrating  all the parts of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS). Each profile, ideally, will show your: 1. Reasonably exhaustive research. 2. Complete and accurate source citations. 3. Thorough analysis and correlation. 4. Resolution of conflicting evidence . 5. Soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence. 1 Wikitree is feature-rich - this is just a short introduction. See Wikitree.com for more information. There are excellent videos on youtube as well a new project: WikiTree Academy . There is even a Help page for Wikitree itself:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:How_to_Use_WikiTree as well as a wonderful forum, G2G (Genealogist to Genealogist). Wikitree Profiles The heart of Wikitree are the Profiles. Each profile is a final resting place for your research, stories...

One of the wonderful aspects of RootsTech each spring is the new features from many of the major genealogy and family history companies which they announce there, and of course the sales! Be sure to visit the Expo Hall to connect with the vendors and get those discounts, some of which last all month. One of the new features rolled out by MyHeritage is the cM Explainer™ which promises to "Predict Relationships Between DNA Matches With Greater Accuracy." Read about it in their blog .  The first session I watched this year was  What's New at FamilySearch in 2023 . ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From me! The feature I'm waiting for has not rolled out yet, but the new family groups tree views should cut down immensely on the proliferation of private still-living people in the FSFamily Tree. It will enhance collaboration with close family and more distant family as well, I hope. The first implementations are showing up now - see more at the new home page . In addition, they are adding more options...

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Its March already and once again, Women's History Month.  In the past we have featured women we had never known, noted for their contribution to history and heroic deeds.  We also requested stories from you, our readers, and you came through with stories of your ancestors  ranging from Colonial times to the 20th century. This month let's approach women's history from another angle--research!  Dust off your favorite genealogical tools and get ready to do an exhaustive research of a woman in your family tree or a woman about whom you would like to know more, even though she is not part of your family.   Image courtesy of Kat, on Flickr Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth... from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Perhaps your choice will be the wife of your ancestor's sibling, perhaps an a...

DNA Dot Reform Last night I removed all my AncestryDNA ®  dots.  And then, started over. This was years of work removed, but after watching Diahan Southard's " The 5 Steps to Organizing Your DNA in 2023 ," I had to do it.  After studying Research Like A Pro , I've reformed my research practices, and heading into Research Like a Pro With DNA , I want to do that with DNA too, because it is a  really valuable record source. I realized I had been using the dots only as labels, not as filters which Southard's simple how-to enables. I'm using Ancestry as an example; the techniques will work elsewhere of course. Dot Groups as Filters Once the dots were gone, I created four groups, one for each of my great grandparent couples. Here is the view of the near end of my pedigree. I've blurred all but my great-greats, and boxed each couple to show what Southard proposes: Valorie's great-grandparent couples So my first four groups are: Cowan-McPherson, Schell-Anders...

For years there has been periodic emphasis on "growth of our genealogical societies." While we always welcome new members, we must not overlook another important task--sustaining the function of our existing societies. Successful societies have established a mission such as that of SKCGS: Stimulate interest in genealogy and aid individual members in compiling their family records Seek genealogical and historical knowledge Preserve and perpetuate the records of our ancestors Promote the preservation of public and private genealogical materials While the mission may be tailored to fit the needs of its members by time and location, one thing remains constant--who is sustaining the operation of the society?  Does the society meet the needs of its members?  Who is working behind the scenes to to accomplish that goal?  How do leaders, members and newcomers contribute? SKCGS works toward our purpose through monthly meetings featuring knowledgeable speakers on a range of topics i...

Courtesy of Pixabay Let your family story sparkle! Tell the Story Why do we do all this family history research? My answer is, to tell the story. If we do good research, the family legends are supported by records we find, and we make the story interesting with maps, newspaper articles, photos and other artifacts, and whatever else we can find. While telling the story, we cite our sources in a way that helps other researchers retrace our steps, whether to a book, records in archives, or online site. DNA Evidence But what if there are no legends? And few records, or we're looking for an unknown ancestor? These challenges can often be overcome with the use of DNA testing and matching. It can be challenging to use this data in a way that is interesting and in a way that allows others to follow our footsteps.  Fortunately, there are some companies working hard to make DNA testing painless, and using the data much easier than it was years ago. There are also wonderful tools helping us i...