We are into Genes and Genealogy
Back to CW and his family…
CW has a One Name Study already on the go on WikiTree. Which has come in so very handy. He has it structured in part by early W’s – everywhere he had already found them.
To further my own research of his brickwall I have to study ALL of the early W’s in Maine. I Continue reading “Cluster Genealogy Part 3 – I have Maine on My Wall.”
Life is such an annoying thing, the way it always gets in the way of enjoying genealogy – my/our primary purpose in life, right? I have so many real life things to do today but instead I am here posting a blog about a speaking engagement I have for tomorrow on one of my favorite subjects…you guessed it, GENEALOGY!
Shameless plug:
I know I am the only one who does this.
I am the only genealogist who has a sense of family, who feels an ancestor’s pain when I type a date into my Genealogy program of choice (WikiTree). I am the only one who, when reading about some horrific event in an ancestors life, feel it in the pit of my stomach. I am the only one who feels pride when I read that someone was mentioned in the hallowed halls of Congress upon her death.
I know I am the only one. Continue reading “I know I am the only one who does this.”
Wow! Going to a Genealogy Conference sure does make ones furnace burn bright with the fires of impetus, drive and determination!
Grandma’s Genes is at the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2016 in Toronto this weekend (June 2016). We participated in a workshop on running a genealogy business where we learned great strategies for moving Grandma’s Genes into the stratosphere of our niche market (Genetic Genealogy – General, Adoption and First Nations Peoples). It’s Amazing to have this kind of a workshop available to us this weekend and furthers our desire to offer insights and resources to our clients and to the genealogical community as a whole. Continue reading “OGS 2016 Toronto”
I just had a great chuckle. I downloaded the Ontario Genealogical Society 2016 Conference App. from Google Play. Listed underneath the application, as the top download also downloaded by others who downloaded the OGS Conference 2016 App? Addiction Biology.
Oh I have seen all the comics about how we Genealogists/Family Historians are up to all hours hunched over our computer keyboards, how we are neglectful of our significant others, how our homes fall down around us from that same neglect…it goes on and on. We do have a singular passion. We are almost driven to find the answers to all our Family mysteries. But is it really an addiction? Continue reading “Down The Rabbit Hole Again”
Recently on WikiTree someone asked me ‘Dumb question, What are Haplogroups?’
Thinking it was not a dumb question at all I gave the following answer.
A haplogroup is a grouping of common patrilineal or matrilineal lines who share a common ancestor. The main haplogroups are divided by letter, and smaller sub-divisions by letter and number. For example H is a very large group, H1 is a subgroup of H, H1a is a subgroup of H1, and so on. The further you narrow it down the closer in years the common ancestor is. Continue reading “Haplogroups Most Recent Common Ancestor”
CW, as stated in the first post about Cluster Genealogy, has had every possible DNA test one could have. So one of the first things I did was look at his surname DNA project and his results as compared to others who match him closely.
For those who need a little help to find DNA projects, simply type the Surname you are interested in into a search engine, “Smith DNA Project”, and if there is a DNA project for the surname it will pop up. Oh! What we did before the internet! Editorial comments aside, it’s pretty easy to find. One note of caution, do not copy and post information directly from the DNA project to anywhere public. Continue reading “Cluster Genealogy – 2 DNA & Geography”
Using cluster genealogy I am working with CW on a Paternal line brickwall – SW (Samuel). To help break down this brick wall CW has taken DNA tests – all of them. The Autosomal DNA Results information is a good place to look at relationships back to any of his 64, 4th great grandparents (we all have 64, 4th Great grands).
Using WikiTree’s Relationship Finder gives us CW’s relationship Trail to his brickwall: Continue reading “Cluster Genealogy – 1 – Geography”
Not on a grand scale, but certainly a day trip in our own city. Marc (yes he is a Grandma too) and I headed out at 9am to meet and talk with Librarians and Archivists in Ottawa. A little too early as the first one on our list didn’t open until ten. We ended up sipping our Bridgehead coffees, chatting and watching the neighborhood kids play near the door of the Rosemont Branch (18 Rosemount Ave.) of the OPL (Ottawa Public Library). Amazing how a bike stand can turn into a jungle gym for anyone 3 or younger! We introduced ourselves to the Librarians and chatted briefly with them. This is not one of the OPL designated Genealogy Centers, but still has local information and of course access to online Genealogy programs like WikiTree, Ancestry and others. Continue reading “Grandma(s) On Tour!”
My Travel? Good, despite a rough start of sitting through prolonged de-icing and a missed connection (and lunch with an old friend) to Los Angeles. Re-routed through San Francisco, I eventually arrived 16 hours after I started.
The start was great at breakfast on Thursday morning with the WikiTree Gang and bonus guests in Randy Seavers (http://www.geneamusings.com/) and his delightful wife. There, that’s it – the conference surely can’t top having breakfast with genea-guru and WikiTreer Randy Seavers, right?!
Au contraire! I visited the Genealogy Bloggers Mosh Pit with all of it’s various, colorful bloggers, hermetically connected to the net by Wire. “WE ARE BLOG you WILL be educated”. Oh they are individuals, but you can’t help but imagine they might be sharing thought through that umbilical. Took in a presentation at Find My Past (http://www.findmypast.com/) and chatted with the folks at HP who were touting the ability to scan images from your home HP printer straight to a Family History Center.
The Venders/Exhibiters were numerous – more numerous than last year. You could print a gigantic Fan Chart (the largest Family Tree Wall Chart was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records before our eyes!), scan your books and precious files, listen to vender centric lectures, buy tree jewelry, tree sculptures, and even find a place to stay for next year.
The Classes were full. Too full for some who were turned away after arriving late. I missed a class as I was flying around the United States. I did get in to see Kitty Munson Copper’s (http://www.kittycooper.com/ and yes she is a WikiTreer) class on DNA triangulation which was packed with eager genealogists hoping to learn how to prove their paper trails. Aside from some technical difficulties, the class was well presented, with WikiTree’s Kitty Cooper Smith offering a helping hand.
I met too many people to count and gave too many hugs to remember. I joined the Surname Society (http://surname-society.org/) and Ancestor Cloud (http://ancestorcloud.com/#/). I ate Mexican. I watched presentations. I got my picture taken in Orange.
I was attacked by an over-sized stuffed bear.
I Created a McElmoyle DNA Project on FamilyTree DNA (thanks Jim – https://www.familytreedna.com/projects.aspx). I met new friends/cousins. I ran into old friends/cousins that I met last year, who came by the WikiTree booth to see me (always fun) again. AND? I went to my hotel room exhausted after dinner every night.
It was only right that I would finish my time at Roots Tech the way I had begun it – Breakfast with Randy Seavers and his wife.
My Take away? It was fun, informative and exhausting. I have a year to rest – can’t wait til next year!
Photo’s courtesy of Michelle Hartley and Julie Ricketts.