Ancestry.com Thoughts

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  Search Tricks & Tips,  Senger

    Another perspective on Ancestry hints

    I think that in the past almost all of my postings on Ancestry member hints have been negative.  Well in the interest of fairness and sharing, I think this posting is perhaps a bit past due.  I have to admit that as with most observations, there are many perspectives possible.  So here is a personal tidbit offering a counter-point to my earlier Ancestry Member Tree Hint observations. Like most genealogists, I make mistakes. I think it is safe to say that my mistakes are almost always simple accidents.  At least, I can not think of a single situation where I have made an error on purpose.  I don’t like admitting…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  German Genealogy Pointers,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers,  Search Tricks & Tips,  Technology & Tools

    Kick-starting your genealogy efforts

    I have put this little reminder checklist together to help me and others quickly examine our obvious options when we either are stuck or just getting started. This list is hardly exhaustive and if you try everything here without success you should not feel like you have to throw your hands up in despair, there are still many avenues to examine.  Hopefully though, using these tools will prove useful and productive and fun. Enjoy! Have you checked? For basic name searches try these out. Not all of these tools are genealogy focused but they are all quite robust and helpful. Google Mocavo FamilySearch Ancestry If the above hasn’t provided you…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  Tools

    Cleanup from Ancestry.com #2

    Ancestry files require a lot of clean-up before they are really useful or accurate.  As I noted earlier, the files themselves need to be scrubbed of duplicates, overlapping records and more. In order to accomplish these repairs, I use numerous tools to address the requisite tasks including: GRAMPS (a Linux Genealogical Toolset)- I like this tool a lot because it provides wonderful facilities for performing the following functions: Merging duplicate Sources Merging Duplicate Places Identifying and Merging duplicate People Database clean-up RootsMagic 4 provides nice facilities for: Pruning branches and limbs Problem analysis TNG (The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding): (Note: I no longer use TNG-  28 Jul 2010) Merging…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts

    Cleanup from Ancestry.com #1

    I don’t know how many of you, like me, use Ancestry.com as their data collection and ‘easy analysis’ site.  I suspect quite a few. As you may be aware I have been pouring through a significant section of my father’s family- the Deyos.  This research effort has generated a set of over 500 people.  Also because the research is about 90% in Quebec, that means there is a lot of overlap in that portion of my family tree.  People are cross-related numerous times over; in my case there are about 5 junctions.  This brings me to my point… Ancestry.com does not deal with overlapping, repeating family lines very well at…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts

    Ancestry Downloads

    Ancestry download issues?? Like the rest of you, I need to download my Ancestry work files.  Also like many of you, maybe all of you, I encounter problems. Here’s how things don’t work for me. To perform a download of a gedcom file is not difficult, although the function is pretty well hidden. To access the function you need to go to the Main page of a Family Tree (one of yours); select Tree Settings (in the nearly invisible tiny green font just on top of the Tree Settings Box- cleverly placed outside the Tree Settings box). Once you select that option, a new view will open and to the…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  Thoughts

    Ancestry Hints!

    Beware the hints! I know, I have said that before but the entire prospect of using poorly proofed Ancestry materials conerns me. As many of you may have noticed.  I just broke through a block in my family genealogy (the block of Joseph and Julia Deyo’s parentage and life before entering the US). Once my breakthrough occurred, a wealth of new resources became available for me to use and research. Naturally, I was pleased to begin my foray into new areas.  As names became available to my family tree, Ancestry began providing me with the hints.  You almost have to squint your eyes because some of the hints are that…

  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  Tips & Opinions

    Are you serious?

    Genealogical research always presents dilemmas. These dilemmas almost always have significant impact and represent important family history decisions. I will try to provide some examples. First every family historian or genealogist needs to decide their role and its potential impact: Are you simply trying to gather bunches of names and places -or- are you doing your best to identify the path of your family through history? Do you expect that others might wish to leverage off of your work -or- are you planning on keeping everything closely held and secret? Is this a serious effort -or- are you involved in a ‘flight of fancy’. Obviously I can’t answer these questions…