Free Download Episode 1, Season 4 of Who Do You Think You Are

Good news! The new season of Who Do You Think You Are starts on July 23, 2013 on The Learning Channel.

 Ancestry.com has partnered with TLC to bring us the following celebrities

Christina Applegate

Kelly Clarkson

Cindy Crawford

Zooey Deschanel

Chelsea Handler

Chris O’Donnell

Jim Parsons

Trisha Yearwood

Episode 1 with Kelly Clarkson is available for download FREE on iTunes. I watched it yesterday and it's very compelling. Kelly searches for details on her Civil War ancestor Isiah Rose. What she finds moves her to tears.

Olive Tree Genealogy Makes it to TV Again!

Imagine my surprise when CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) contacted me yesterday afternoon for my opinion on a story they were working on about 6 generations alive in Toronto.

They wanted to come up from Toronto to film me but realized I lived too far away for them to drive up, film me, drive back and get the tape edited before the news.

They asked if I was by any chance coming down to Toronto that day but that was out of the question so we settled on doing a Skype video interview which they would record. It was a very intriguing story since 6 generations living is pretty rare. I've only encountered two 5-generation living, one being my own daughter-in-law whose great grandmother is still alive, and never a 6 generation even though I've been a genealogist for over 40 years.

When you think about it, having 6 generations living with the oldest member only 86 (as in this family) means each mother had to be about 17 when she had her child. And the general rule of thumb in genealogy research is 25 years for each generation. Even taking 20 years as the generational rule of thumb means that even if the oldest person was 100 you would only have a 4 or 5 generation line living.

Anyway the interview was fun and I guess I offered something worthwhile as I didn't end up completely cut and on the editing room floor! They kept a few seconds of my interview. Here is the story online called 6 generations of same family living in Ontario and here is a link to the video clip which aired on The National on CBC last night. I appear about halfway through the video and yes, it's fun to be on TV but unsettling at the same time!

Oh and in case some of my readers are wondering about the use of the word "again" in the title of this blog post, I've been on CBC news previously when I helped research a soldier whose WW 1 letters were found in an attic in a Toronto home. See Olive Tree Genealogy CBC Interview Segment Tonight!

So Many Clues You Can Follow to Find an Ancestor's Immigration in USA or Canada

Olive Tree Genealogy received a request from a reader (Hillary M.) of my AskOliveTree blog.

Because my answer covers so many generic research suggestions I thought it might be helpful to post it here. I have edited the query as follows:

Dear Olive Tree,

I need assistance locating immigration/migration records for my gr-gr-grandfather Henry Arthur Bolton and my gr-gr-grandmother Emily Meyrick.

The problem is, I don't know exactly when Henry immigrated to Canada from England, or when he migrated from Canada to the United States.  In the US census records his immigration date changes; 1900 census states 1875, 1910 census states 1871, 1920 census states 1872.

What I do know is he married Emily Jane Meyrick on October 14 1886 is Worcester Massachusetts.  His marriage record states his parents names as George and Elizabeth.  At the time of his marriage his age is listed as 25. 

He died in Massachusetts May 14, 1942 (My grandmother was 19 years old)

Hello Hillary - The first thing that jumps out at me in your query is that immigration date for Henry. That date does not likely refer to his immigration to Canada but rather into the USA. So if he was first in Canada for a period of time, the year he crossed the border to USA is almost certainly what is being referred to. (immigration years 1871, 1872, 1875)

It is not unusual to have a mis-remembered immigration year. I always advise researchers to allow a  few years on either side of a date given. So I would be searching from 1870 to 1877 or so. Unfortunately Border Crossing records did not exist before 1895 so you are out of luck there.

Also I note that on his marriage record he is recorded as "Arthur H." so you will have to remember to look under both names - Henry and Arthur. As well, you may not be aware that Harry is a common nickname for Henry. I would search under all three names - Henry, Arthur and Harry.

Canadian Census & Ships Passenger Lists
You may find that Henry missed any Canadian census records which were taken every 10 years. You could look for him in 1871 census in Canada but that will probably be your only hope. Also, ships passenger lists to Canada did not have to be kept before 1865. So if Henry arrived from 1869 on you may find him in the online ships manifests found at Ancestry.com

For ships arriving in Canada before 1865 please see Filling in the Gaps which has a complete list of all substitute lists such as shipping agent records, immigration agent records and so on. Each list is linked to the actual records and most can be searched online. 

Naturalization Records
Since Henry was born in England and thus was a British subject, you may find that he naturalized in the USA. In fact I had a look in his census records to see what information they gave re his naturalization status. You didn't mention that in your query so perhaps you were not aware that each census from 1900 to 1930 gives details as to whether or not a foreign-born individual had naturalized (shown as NA on the census page), had applied for his first papers (PA on the census page) or had not naturalized (AL on the census page) 

Henry's 1900 and 1910 census show he had his first papers. The 1920 census states he was a naturalized citizen. You now have a timeline of 1910-1920 to search for his naturalization papers. You could also search pre 1900 for his application to naturalize. Please see NaturalizationRecords.com for information and links to online naturalization databases.  You can also search Fold3 for naturalization records.

Obituaries and Newspaper Records
Have you searched for an obit for Henry? You may want to try Ancestry.com and GenealogyBank for newspaper records.

English Records

You might try looking in United Kingdom census records for Henry/Arthur/Harry and his parents. I'd try 1861 and 1871.

Have you searched Free BMD for a possible birth record for Henry? If you find a possiblity there and wish to order the full record, please see my blog post Ordering English Certificates of Birth, Marriage or Death online for instructions on how to do this.  In fact  I found a very good possibility for your Henry Arthur being registered in the 3rd quarter of 1861 (between July and September) in Maidstone, which fits with your Henry giving his month and year of birth in the 1900 census as August 1861. You will have to get the details re volume and page number from the Free BMD website.

Search Children's Records

One last idea for you is to search all his children. Look for death records and obituaries in particular. You never know when one child's record may provide amazing genealogical details that you cannot find elsewhere.

Orphaned Kirby Photo Album Goes Home to a Descendant in England

I am very pleased to share with my readers that the orphaned Kirby photo album I found and rescued from an antique store has arrived safe and sound in England.

Gordon Wake, the descendant who I contacted after finding his Family Tree on Ancestry.com, was thrilled to receive the photos. Postal mail from Canada to England didn't take that long and Gordon and his wife wasted no time once the package arrived.

Gordon tells me he is overjoyed to finally see a photo of his grandfather! And I am equally pleased that these photos have now found a new home to be treasured and shared with other descendants.

Even as I write this blog post, Gordon is happily scanning the photos to share with two descendants here in Canada.

I also included in the package several pages of the hand-written notes I made while my husband and I studied and analyzed clues in each photo.

Gordon requested I send those as they might help him to identify more of the individuals who appear in the photos.

This was such a happy ending story for me and I was privileged to be part of it! I'm so glad I didn't pass that album by which I admit I almost did as it was rather expensive. But I kept returning to it in the store and I knew I had to have it.

Credits: Images courtesy of Gordon Wake

1870 Census of Manitoba Available

This just in from Library and Archives Canada (LAC):

 Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that Canadians can now access the Census of Manitoba, 1870 online. This census was taken shortly after Manitoba joined Confederation.

This census provides the names of more than 12,200 individuals living in Manitoba at that time and contains information such as age, marital status, place of birth, religion, race and name of the father.

Civil War Photo Album Rescued

 Another Civil War Photo Album has been rescued. That's right, I couldn't pass this one by. Almost every page in the album has writing which identifies who is in each photo.

There are 38 photos, either tintypes or CDVs (Cartes de Visite) and they are from the early 1860s to about 1890.

The album is in good shape but the pages are stained. The photographs are also in decent shape which is surprising considering the rough life I think this photo album had.

I will be documenting and archiving the photographs over the next few months but here are a few of the camera photos I took as my first step.

For those who haven't followed me before when I rescue and preserve these old albums, my first step is always to photograph each album page with the photos intact.

Only after that is completed do I attempt to carefully remove the photographs to see what is on the back and to scan them properly.

 This was one of the few photos (a tintype) that did not have writing on the album page itself. Instead it had a penciled name "Mandy (or Maudy) L. McFadden" on the front. On the back (verso) it had a sad note "Eleven mos old. Died September 15th 1878"

This is an example of the inside photo album pages and the gorgeous Civil War era photos inside! The surnames I have spotted already are Chidester, McKay, Deyo, Tharp, Strong, McFadden, Duncan, Bush, Perry, Pittenger. The locations of photographers are Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska.

I will continue to update with scans and details of individuals as I remove the photos from the album and as I spend some time researching the names. Those interested will be able to follow along by clicking on the tag "Chidester Photo Album Archive" in the right hand nav bar on this blog.

Ancestor Birth Record Finder - Alternate Ways to Find Birth Information

Does this sound familiar? 

You've completed your family Pedigree Chart and Group Sheet. You've hunted for ancestor death and burial records.

You looked for marriage records and now are ready to hunt for births or baptisms of your ancestors.  

Birth Registrations or Church Baptismal Records often contain the following genealogical information:

• Names of parents of the child, including maiden name of mother
• Ages of parents
• Place and exact date of birth of child
• Occupation of father
• Information regarding legal status of marriage

Sadly you have not been able to find a record of your ancestor's birth and you aren't sure where to look next. Ancestor Birth Record Finder: Tips on Finding a Birth Record When You've Hit a Brick Wall is available on Amazon as  an E-Book for only $1.15

Also be sure you trace all siblings of your ancestor. This will help you later when you reach that brick wall and don't know where to turn next. Remember, one sibling's birth or baptism record might have full information on his parents. This is very helpful if your ancestor's was in the church that lost its records in a fire. 


Information: Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Article previously published on Olive Tree Genealogy in "New to Genealogy - Help for Beginners. Start Your Journey to Find Your Family Tree. Step 6: Find Birth or Baptism Records " at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/beginner/step6.shtml

Froggy Boogie - A Fun Game for Children

Recently Blue Orange Games wrote and asked me if I would try their new game, Froggy Boogie, and review it on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog.

Having ten grandchildren, I'm always happy to try a new game and this one looked like fun.  I've found that there's no better way to bond with my grandchildren than to play games with them. This fun time together also lets me brainwash talk to them about their ancestors.

The game arrived and my initial impressions were good. The game is attractively boxed with lots of bright colours and graphics.  The inside is beautifully packaged with each game piece individual wrapped in tissue paper.

Basically Froggy Boogie is a memory game. You place two different eyes in each frog (one with a stamp of a baby frog on the bottom, one without) then you place the frogs in the middle of the lily pads.

Choose your own game piece (a frog of course!), throw the dice and see what colours the dice display. That corresponds to the frog you have chosen. Lift one eye and if there is a baby frog on the bottom, the adult frog has seen you so you stay where you are. If there is no stamp, move ahead one lily pad. Put the eye back and the next player takes his/her turn.

The memory part comes in with every player trying to remember which eye on each frog has a stamp and which does not. Believe me it's not easy!

Frogs are in the middle of the lily pads and we are ready to play

This is some serious concentration between my 5 year old and 8 year old grandsons

Checking the eye of the frog. Stamp or no stamp?

My grandsons loved this game and we played it over and over one night. Even Grandpa got in on the action and agreed to play. We laughed, we talked and we shared lots of ancestor stories. Best of all my 8 year old grandson invented new ways to play after we played following the rules.

All in all I thought this game was a terrific one for the family to play together or for children to enjoy without any adult supervision. It's a good memory game as well as tons of fun. And I have to admit I loved the bright colours and cute frogs.

I'm sure you will think of many ways to incorporate genealogy and ancestors into the time you share while playing this game but here's something I did - I asked my grandsons if they liked the game. Then I asked them if they thought great grandmother xxx had any games like Froggy Boogie when she was a child. I reminded them when she was born and where. The 5 year old didn't really "get" it, but the 8 year old did and the conversation evolved. I also showed them some examples of toys that children in the 1800s had. All in all, a great lead-in to a genealogy teaching moment.

It is rated for 2 to 6 players ages 4 and up. The pieces are all good quality and made of wood. 

Disclosure: I received a free game for review purposes but my opinions are my own and I was not told what to say

Special! DNA-me 15% Off Coupon Code for Olive Tree Genealogy Readers

Recently a new DNA company called DNA-me wrote to OliveTreeGenealogy offering a free DNA kit so that I could try their service. I was delighted to accept!

Readers of my blog know that I have had my DNA tested through Family Tree DNA and 23andMe.com but it's always a good idea to test through different companies.

Each has their own algorithm they run for the results and each tests to different degrees. So while your overall results such as your Haplogroup should be identical, your detailed results will vary slightly and you will gain a better understanding of your ancestral origins. 

DNA-me also asked very nicely if I might consider writing a review after I tried their service and I happily agreed. Perhaps best of all they have offered a 15% discount to my blog readers! See below for the coupon code for this great discount. 

UPDATE: As of Sept. 29th the company has not changed the status on my kit from "Pending". No tests have been done after more than 2 months and now their Facebook and Twitter pages have apparently been taken down. I do not want my readers to use the coupon code until we have it straight as to what is happening. See comment section for another user's complaints.

Here is a bit of information from DNA-me about their services.

I'm writing to you today on behalf of DNA-me, a newly formed DNA testing service that allows keen genealogists to discover more than just their immediate family tree, and go back to the roots of their very existence for just $85. The newly-launched DNA-me service tells those people looking to know more about their background beyond their recent history, where in the world their ancestor originated, the journeys they made across the globe, the clan they were a member of and how they contributed to the global evolution of man thousands of years ago

DNA-me not only provide a DNA testing service, but want to be viewed as a hub of information. We regularly add new articles to our website (www.dna-me.co), with these articles covering a wide range of subjects from the complex science behind the genetic genealogy test, to the story of how humans came to migrate various continents around the world. As a result, we are continually building our knowledge of genealogy and DNA.

Friday my kit arrived from Virginia! I was too busy with my annual Family Fun Day on Saturday to scrape the inside of my cheeks but I plan to do that today and mail the kit back tomorrow. The return address is in Massachusetts so it shouldn't take long to get there.

I'm quite excited about seeing my results and will be posting here on my blog as soon as they are in.

Here is the coupon code you need so you can start your DNA journey:

We'd love to offer your followers a special discount of 15%. Provide them with the voucher code (CODE DELETED) and they'll be able to take advantage of that offer and begin the journey of their ancestors with DNA-me.

So stay tuned and as soon as I have results I'll post them here and you can follow me on my own DNA journey

Personal Opinion About Copyright and Plagiarism Online

Today I want to point my readers to two blog posts which discuss what to me is a very important topic - copyright and plagiarism on the internet.

This is an issue that hits home as I have had many instances of my work being copied without my permission and published online. I always fight it. I will not allow anyone to get away with violating my copyright. It is my right to publish original works online and to have them respected.

The most recent episode that happened to me involved a well-known and highly placed member of a North American Genealogical Society. This person also wrote a genealogy column for a large American newspaper. I have never talked about it on this blog, and do not intend to give names  but briefly I will share with you the relevant points.

An article I had written and published on my website Olive Tree Genealogy, was copied verbatim and published in an online American newspaper *and* in print - with my name removed as author and replaced with the columnist's name. No attempt had been made to contact me to ask permission and I certainly would not have agreed to someone else's name being put on my original writing. Had the columnist asked my permission to publish my article with my name attached as the author and a link back to my site, I would have agreed. That's called attribution and is the proper ethical way to behave.

My email (low-keyed and polite) to the columnist resulted in a very dismissive response from her. She told me that she "might consider" giving me credit for the IDEA behind her article. Wow. It was my article word for word except for a 3 or 4 words being changed to a similar word such as "suggestion" now being the word "tip". Even the layout was identical.

I don't deal with unreasonable people so my next step was to write to the newspaper editor. I provided the link to my article and the link to the article in his newspaper. His reaction was to immediately pull the online article while he investigated further. The newspaper ethics committee was called in and after much discussion back and forth with me and with the columnist, they agreed "her" article had been copied outright from mine.  She was then dismissed from her position with the newspaper.

The newspaper then printed an apology and retraction in their print version since it had gone to press and could not be stopped. It reached thousands of subscribers. All in all a somewhat happy ending since this person was held accountable by one segment of her genealogy world - the newspaper.

My opinion is we need accountability! We need to accept that there will be consequences to our actions. Unethical behaviour should not be tolerated. And guess what - copyright does exist on the internet! It is no different than if someone writes a book or a song - it is copyright to that individual the minute it is published online or offline. It's not there for the taking and we genealogists need to respect copyright and read the conditions attached to the website we are visiting.  Do they allow for copying for personal use? Do they not allow any reproduction? We must read the copyright policies and follow them.

 There is a lot of discussion among bloggers and webmasters  as to how to handle the rampant unethical behaviour that often occurs.  I urge you to read the following excellent pieces about unethical practices online.

"Copyright, plagiarism, and citing your sources" by Michael Hait at http://michaelhait.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/copyright/ is a must-read

Please also read Dear Myrt's blog post "Is there such a thing as ethical plagiarism?" at http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2013/07/is-there-such-thing-as-ethical.html

Update: Please also read other bloggers' posts about this important and disturbing issue

How Genealogy Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement Makes Everyone a Loser by Denise Levenick

Time to Name Names by Michele Simmons Lewis

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Family Fun Day!

 Today is our Annual Family Fun Day! I forget how long I've been hosting these, but at least 12 years.

We usually get about 30 family for it which isn't bad considering that every year we lose a few of the older generation. In fact, I am now part of  "the older generation"!

Today our youngest attendee will be my niece's one month old son, and our oldest will be my 90 year old aunt. I can't wait to get a photo of them together.

There's always tons of games and activities - both planned and free choice. Living on 100 acres allows us to put out lots of events that family can play or not as they choose. So we have things like archery, horseshoes, croquet, frisbee, football... some years we even have a golf driving range of sorts. (a few old clubs, a lot of golf balls, stand at the top of a small hill in one of our fields and you've got a driving range)

Every year I organize either a Scavenger Hunt (confined to two acres around the house) or an Amazing Race type event. These photos are from the Amazing Genealogy Race event we had a couple of years ago. That's right - I made sure every event was linked to an actual event that affected one of my ancestors

This year we're having an Eggsalent Adventure Scavenger Hunt with a couple of twists.

If you want to read about some of my former Family Fun Day ideas and activities, just click on Family Fun Day and Family Reunion

And now, I'm off to help hide those eggs!

The Flip-Pal mobile scanner Independence Day / Canada Day Sale!

Great News! Flip-Pal Scanner is having a Canada Day and July 4th (Independence) Day sale extending until tomorrow July 6.

Don't miss out on your chance to own one of these amazing scanners.

The following specials are valid until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time, Sunday, July 7, 2013 or while supplies last.

Save $20 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner and Deluxe Carry Case Bundle!
(Regular Price: $179.98, Sale Price: $159.98)


Save $25 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner Rechargeable Bundle!
This bundle includes a Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case and an Eneloop AC Battery Charger with a 4-Pack of AA Rechargeable Batteries.
(Regular Price: $209.97, Sale Price: $184.97)


Save $30 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner Picture Keeper Bundle!
This bundle includes a Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case and a Picture Keeper PK 8.
(Regular Price: $229.97, Sale Price: $199.97)


Save $40 on the Really Big Bundle!
Do you want it all? This bundle includes a Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case, a Flip-Pal mobile scanner Sketch Kit, a Picture Keeper PK 8, an Eneloop AC Battery Charger with a 4-Pack of AA Rechargeable Batteries, a Flip-Pal mobile scanner Cleaning Cloth and a Flip-Pal Window Protector Sheets 3-pack.
(Regular Price: $288.93, Sale Price: $248.93)

Genealogy Roadshow Coming to PBS this September!

PBS ANNOUNCES ON-AIR TALENT AND HISTORIC VENUES FOR ITS FALL SERIES “GENEALOGY ROADSHOW” 

– New host, genealogy experts join production crew as season one begins filming this week in Austin –

ARLINGTON, VA; JUNE 21, 2013 – PBS announced today the host, on-air talent and filming locations for its new series GENEALOGY ROADSHOW, which premieres this fall.  Part detective story, part emotional journey, the show combines history and science to uncover the fascinating and surprising stories of diverse Americans from across the country.  The announcements come as GENEALOGY ROADSHOW begins production this weekend in Austin, Texas, the first of four U.S. cities it will visit.

On-Air Experts
Los Angeles-area broadcaster Emmett Miller has been named as the host of GENEALOGY ROADSHOW. As host, Miller introduces the show and each segment, guides viewers through the personal stories of the participants, and interacts with the participants throughout their journey.
ROADSHOW production company Krasnow Productions has also cast nationally known genealogical authors, lecturers and researchers Joshua Taylor and Kenyatta Berry as the show’s on-air experts.  Taylor and Berry will investigate participants’ questions and then, in front of a live audience, reveal the intriguing and surprising information they discover about the participants, their families and their communities.

Locations
GENEALOGY ROADSHOW begins production this week in Austin, Texas, the first of four cities the series will visit in its premiere season.  The shoot, which will capture six stories to be featured in the show, takes place June 23 at the historic The Driskill hotel.  The entertaining mix of stories includes surprising connections to iconic figures in Texas and American history, debunked histories, and an emotional story of one man’s amazing family.

Built in 1886 as the showplace of a cattle baron, The Driskill remains a landmark of legendary Texas hospitality and a symbol of the state’s resilience and historic pride.  Located on 6th Street in the heart of downtown Austin, the hotel was the site of many famous inaugural balls for Texas governors and was the first-date location for Lyndon Baines Johnson and his future wife Lady Bird.  The Driskill maintains its original opulence, from the magnificent columned lobby with marble floors and a stained-glass dome to the classic décor of its 189 guestrooms and suites.

After Austin, the production team travels to Nashville June 29 to film segments at the Belmont Mansion, the largest house museum in Tennessee and one of the few 19th-century homes whose history revolves around the life of a woman: Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham.

  GENEALOGY ROADSHOW then visits Detroit on July 14, and the first season’s filming wraps up July 21in San Francisco, at The Old Mint, an 1874 historic edifice that once was the most active mint in the United States, and that in the 1930s held one-third of the nation’s gold reserves.
“The stories of everyday people, told in some of America’s most extraordinary locations, will make GENEALOGY ROADSHOW the perfect destination for people who love history and real-life drama,” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. “GENEALOGY ROADSHOW is about anyone and everyone, proving that you don’t have to be famous to be remarkable.”

“Now that we’re on the ground and preparing to film, we are thrilled with all the aspects of this production, from the enthusiastic response to our call for stories to the extraordinary historic locations where we’re working, to the lively, fun and engaging on-air talent,” said executive producer Stuart Krasnow.

GENEALOGY ROADSHOW’s premiere season will feature participants who want to explore unverified genealogical claims, passed down through family history, which may (or may not) connect them to an event or a historical figure. Experts in genealogy, history and DNA use heirlooms, letters, pictures, historical documents and other clues to hunt down details. Producers enlist the help of local historians to add color and context to the investigations, ensuring every artifact and every name becomes a clue in solving the mystery. GENEALOGY ROADSHOW will air Mondays, September 23-October 14, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET.

Woman Devotes 7 Years to Documenting Burials in Forgotten Cemetery

Charlotte Thompson has spent the last seven years identifying the inhabitants of 112 unmarked graves in Whitewood Cemetery, Meade County South Dakota. When Charlotte first became interested in the cemetery, she was told there were 400 graves but so far she has found over 1,100. That number does not include the unidentified graves.

To date Mrs. Thompson has identified 92 of the unmarked graves and there are more to be researched. Her love of history has helped her and she learned the origins of the cemetery

“The original story was a woman and her grandson died on their way through the Black Hills in a covered wagon, so they buried them on the hill east of Whitewood. Then people started having other burials there. The city ended up opening the cemetery on 10 acres there in 1897.”

Now Mrs. Thompson is asking for help. She needs volunteers to transcribe the file drawer full of the records she has compiled.

Continue reading Whitewood woman uncovers a cemetery's secrets

Old Search vs New Search - Your Chance to Submit Feedback

Olive Tree Genealogy was recently invited to participate in a Conference Call with Ancestry.com and a few other bloggers to discuss New Search. It was a very educational call and our input was listened to. We also were given the opportunity to participate in the Product Development Team's ideas for improvements in their Search Engine.

As many of you know there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth over Old Search being "replaced" by New Search. Users of Old Search have expressed their displeasure. In my opinion a lot of the complaints stem, not from logic, but from emotional responses to change.

Many of us dislike change. We often have a great deal of time invested in learning a certain way of doing something. When that changes the natural reaction is to be ticked - "all that time and I like how it works!" 

But change is often a GOOD thing! Change can mean we are getting something better or getting something that will ADD to the experience of the old.

I also noticed that many of those objecting to New Search have not given it a fair trial. In fact one user told me that it was the "perception" that New Search would not give the same results or be as "good" as Old Search that had her riled. But perception is not knowledge. By knowledge I mean the knowledge that comes with trying New Search for a period of time and comparing the results with those you obtained with Old Search. I urge those of my readers who are upset about New Search to give it a try, you might find you prefer it!

The Product Team at Ancestry.com also sent me this email which may help alleviate fears of Old Search users. It is important that we all submit feedback as Ancestry.com has requested. This is how we can help the product developers work WITH us for a top-notch experience when we research. 

In an effort to continually improve your experience on Ancestry.com, we are asking for feedback on our search function. Our plan is first to gather feedback from our core users. We will take all of that feedback into account when we are merging the functionality of Old Search and current search into a consolidated search experience.

You can take the survey here: http://ancestry.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8ubNXU8IiQcxqVD

Many of the recent concerns and comments have cited functionality that actually exists in current search, as well as in old search – specifically:

1. Our current search experience allows users to view search results as a list of ranked records or as a consolidated list of categories.
2. Our current search experience allows users to do “Exact Match” searches.
3. Our current search experience allows users to specify a “Collection Priority” to filter results by country.

Crista Cowan has a great educational video which demonstrates this functionality in the current search experience:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c423yU5Ccs0

We also have a helpful article which does a side-by-side explanation of how to achieve the same types of results with the current search as in Old Search: http://ancestry.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5569/kw/old

Thank you,

The Ancestry.com Product Team

You Know You Wanna Be Canadian

My friend and fellow blogger Kathyrn Lake Hogan of Looking4Ancestors posted this nice summary of Canadian Confederation on her Facebook page this morning: On 1 July 1867, the provinces of Canada (Canada East & Canada West), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined together under the term of Confederation to form the Dominion of Canada. 

Today is our celebration of Canada Day! What are Canadians like? We're polite, respectful, generous, easy-going and we have cute accents! Watch this video called "Canadian Please" and see if you can resist the temptation to be Canadian

Games for Our Annual Family Fun Day!

It's that time of year again. As many of my readers know, every year I plan and organize what I call a Family Fun Day. Friends and family are invited to join us for a day of activities, games and chit-chat.

Every year I have a different theme. Here's my genealogy theme that I incorporated in 2012. Games for Annual Family Fun Day

Here's some of my ideas for planning a Family Fun Day (aka Family Reunion) Planning a Family Fun Day aka Family Reunion 

And a few more ideas: Genealogy Games For a Family Reunion: Race Events & Eggs (Part 3)

This year, due to some health issues, I am going a bit more low key. I'm organizing a Scavenger Hunt with a couple of twists thrown in. We have various colours of take-apart plastic eggs and these will be hidden on the property.

The first thing family has to do is find their team partner. Sometimes I use pictures of animals and when the signal is given, each person has to find their matching animal. They can show their picture, yell out the name of their animal or start making that animal's sound.

I try to come up with a different way of finding team members each year and this year I've created math questions! Yep. I created simple math questions (2+2=?, 12/6=? etc) Each person has to solve their math question then look for another person whose answer to THEIR math question is the same! This should be amusing to watch.

As soon as each person finds their partner, they will race to where a line of hula hoops is laid out on the ground. I call this activity the Froggy Jump. Using one hula hoop, each person in turn tosses it ahead and jumps or steps into it. They must lift the hula hoop over their body and toss it ahead, then step into it and so on until they reach the finish line. At the finish line, my husband will be waiting to hand them the instructions for the scavenger hunt.

Teams of two have to find one of each colour PLUS one multi-coloured egg which I made by putting different coloured halves together. The multi-coloured eggs will contain instructions for one event which must be completed before teams race to the finish line with their eggs. The event that teams must complete is to head to the field where our pot-belly pigs are kept.

I have Canadian flags to put out to mark where teams are to go. Once there, they take one scoop of pig food and call our pigs, enticing them with the food. The goal is to count the pigs and believe me it's not an easy task as they don't exactly stand still to be counted! The next part of this event is memory based as teams must remember the total number of pigs until they have collected all their eggs and have run home.

I think this is going to be a lot of fun and plan to take lots of photos. Cross your fingers for sun that day because if it rains we will not be doing any of these fun things.

Woodville Victorian Photo Album Page 15

Woodville Victorian Photo Album

Here is  page 15 of the Victorian Photo Album called "The Army and Navy Album" with illustrations by R. Caton Woodville. To view all pages of this beautiful album as they are put online, please click on R. Caton Woodville

Sizzling Summer Sales at FamilyTreeDNA!

Join the Genealogy Revolution. Search for your surname in the largest DNA database of its kind! My Surname Begins with Equals Contains Ends with Sounds like

Summer is once again upon us and it is time for Family Tree DNA Sizzling Summer event! Our successful summers over the last two years have led us to offer you great values again this year.

We have been working with Illumina to offer our Family Finder autosomal test for only $99 during our summer event. In fact, if we receive enough orders at $99, Illumina may be able to help us keep it at this extremely low of rate of $99!

As you take advantage of our summer event, remember that the permanency of the $99 Family Finder test is actually in your hands!

Beginning on Thursday, June 27, 2013 and running until Friday, July 26, 2013, we will offer the following:
        

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• mtDNA Full Sequence    was $289    Now $189
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• Comprehensive Genome (Y-DNA67, FMS & FF)    was $666    Now $496

REMEMBER: ALL ORDERS FOR THIS Family Tree DNA SALE MUST BE PLACED AND PAID FOR BY 11:59pm CST, JULY 26, 2013, TO RECEIVE THESE SPECIAL PRICES.

1831 Census for Lower Canada now Online

Library and Archives Canada announced yesterday that the Census for Lower Canada, 1831 database is now available online. The Census for Lower Canada, 1831 is partly nominal and therefore only contains the names of heads of family, their occupation, and the number of residents for each family.

Searches can be done by names or by geographic location (district and sub-district)

Search other genealogy records for Quebec (formerly Lower Canada)