Greetings!
I know many of you are staying home due to our world's heath issues. At least, I hope very many of you are home so we can slow this virus and give the medical facilities the ability to handle those in need.
However, I do know that many of you may be a bit bored. Of course, you can get out into your yards or on the sidewalks as long as you do not come in contact with others. A daily walk is good for you, as well as breathing that fresh air. BUT, that means many hours inside. What to do!!!
I have many ideas, especially since those of you reading this are genealogists!
1. In your search engine, put a topic of interest on genealogy or genetic genealogy and then add: YouTube. There will be many, many free webinars that could interest you.
2. Other free webinars:
Family Tree DNA has them on all their tests. Scroll to the bottom of the home page and click on LEARNING CENTER and put WEBINAR in the search box.
Legacy Family Tree has many on both genealogy and genetic genealogy. They are also available a week after they are presented. You do not get the handouts, however. Go to: https://familytreewebinars.com/
3. Check Facebook for many, many genealogy and genetic genealogy groups. Your questions are welcomed and many people are ready to answer them.
4. Test your DNA if you have not and test cousins and other relatives. Companies have sales rather often. Check their websites. If you have tested, at AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, transfer to Family Tree DNA and pay the $19 to get all the bells and whistles. MyHeritage takes transfers, also, but costs a bit more.
5. Read genetic genealogy blogs. These are some of my favorites:
DNAeXplained by Roberta J. Estes
The Genetic Genealogist by Blaine Bettinger
Kitty Cooper's Blog
6. If you have an adoption in your family or a recent line which is unknown, DNAAdoption.org may help. Get involved with the discussions and download the free handout entitled A Methodology to Indentify Relatives with autosomal DNA Test Data.
7. Enhance your pedigree chart. The more detailed it is, the easier to find the common ancestors you share with your matches. Not only use the subscriptions you have, use your browser to search various counties and libraries for additional information. Be creative with your searches.
8. Carefully go through your pedigree in your genealogy software to locate errors to correct. Often you can find duplication of names that need merging. Spelling errors from quick typing seem to be my issue!
9. Write a bio for some of your family members or ancestors. Your descendants will appreciate your compiling names, dates, and places into a narrative. These can be short vignettes. I teach a class on writing one's childhood memories and family stories and find several of my members compile these stories and give them as a Christmas gift. You have time to do this now.
10. Do not forget to write about your own life. No matter how boring you may think it will be, it is not. AND, write about the times in which we live now. Your experiences are very much more important than those of our collective society or what the historians write. If you need help or ideas, see my blog: Writing Your Memories. My booklet "Memoing" My Memories provides 130 topics, and for each topic you can write many more than a single story or two. You can only order it directly from me. The beginning of the blog has many tips and suggestions on writing; later are some wonderful stories written by my class members...some are so funny; some just cannot be explained; some are a bit scary! Just browse through them all.
11. Search Google Books and other free ebooks on your topic or location of interest. You can even save them to review later.
12. Read the books you have on genetic genealogy or order more from Amazon.
13. Check-in with your matches and other researchers you know to collaborate on your lines and to share this list.
14. So by now, in needing a break from our all-consuming hobby, clean out those closets...or like me, clean off my desk (One would think I was a CPA in the middle of tax season!) Do those awful household chores and get some exercise even if it is only in they house or yard.
15. Check on friends and family via the phone, email, etc. If you have a surplus of items that someone who is sheltering in place may need, offer to share. Just drop off the items at the front door so not to expose anyone. I have already done this. We must support each other.
Above all, stay safe and be well.
Hugs to you all.
Emily
I know many of you are staying home due to our world's heath issues. At least, I hope very many of you are home so we can slow this virus and give the medical facilities the ability to handle those in need.
However, I do know that many of you may be a bit bored. Of course, you can get out into your yards or on the sidewalks as long as you do not come in contact with others. A daily walk is good for you, as well as breathing that fresh air. BUT, that means many hours inside. What to do!!!
I have many ideas, especially since those of you reading this are genealogists!
1. In your search engine, put a topic of interest on genealogy or genetic genealogy and then add: YouTube. There will be many, many free webinars that could interest you.
2. Other free webinars:
Family Tree DNA has them on all their tests. Scroll to the bottom of the home page and click on LEARNING CENTER and put WEBINAR in the search box.
Legacy Family Tree has many on both genealogy and genetic genealogy. They are also available a week after they are presented. You do not get the handouts, however. Go to: https://familytreewebinars.com/
3. Check Facebook for many, many genealogy and genetic genealogy groups. Your questions are welcomed and many people are ready to answer them.
4. Test your DNA if you have not and test cousins and other relatives. Companies have sales rather often. Check their websites. If you have tested, at AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, transfer to Family Tree DNA and pay the $19 to get all the bells and whistles. MyHeritage takes transfers, also, but costs a bit more.
5. Read genetic genealogy blogs. These are some of my favorites:
DNAeXplained by Roberta J. Estes
The Genetic Genealogist by Blaine Bettinger
Kitty Cooper's Blog
6. If you have an adoption in your family or a recent line which is unknown, DNAAdoption.org may help. Get involved with the discussions and download the free handout entitled A Methodology to Indentify Relatives with autosomal DNA Test Data.
7. Enhance your pedigree chart. The more detailed it is, the easier to find the common ancestors you share with your matches. Not only use the subscriptions you have, use your browser to search various counties and libraries for additional information. Be creative with your searches.
8. Carefully go through your pedigree in your genealogy software to locate errors to correct. Often you can find duplication of names that need merging. Spelling errors from quick typing seem to be my issue!
9. Write a bio for some of your family members or ancestors. Your descendants will appreciate your compiling names, dates, and places into a narrative. These can be short vignettes. I teach a class on writing one's childhood memories and family stories and find several of my members compile these stories and give them as a Christmas gift. You have time to do this now.
10. Do not forget to write about your own life. No matter how boring you may think it will be, it is not. AND, write about the times in which we live now. Your experiences are very much more important than those of our collective society or what the historians write. If you need help or ideas, see my blog: Writing Your Memories. My booklet "Memoing" My Memories provides 130 topics, and for each topic you can write many more than a single story or two. You can only order it directly from me. The beginning of the blog has many tips and suggestions on writing; later are some wonderful stories written by my class members...some are so funny; some just cannot be explained; some are a bit scary! Just browse through them all.
11. Search Google Books and other free ebooks on your topic or location of interest. You can even save them to review later.
12. Read the books you have on genetic genealogy or order more from Amazon.
13. Check-in with your matches and other researchers you know to collaborate on your lines and to share this list.
14. So by now, in needing a break from our all-consuming hobby, clean out those closets...or like me, clean off my desk (One would think I was a CPA in the middle of tax season!) Do those awful household chores and get some exercise even if it is only in they house or yard.
15. Check on friends and family via the phone, email, etc. If you have a surplus of items that someone who is sheltering in place may need, offer to share. Just drop off the items at the front door so not to expose anyone. I have already done this. We must support each other.
Above all, stay safe and be well.
Hugs to you all.
Emily
