by Lisa Cooke | Feb 4, 2015 | 01 What's New, Ancestry, RootsTech, Technology
Ancestry.com has spent a year preparing a new website based on a ton of user feedback. They’re just about ready to introduce it! According to a media rep, the “new and improved Ancestry experience…makes it easier for anyone to discover and tell the rich, unique story of their family.”
According to Ancestry, features on the new site include:
- “A new LifeStory view to transform your ancestors’ facts and events into engaging, unique stories;
- A new, intuitive, modern look to streamline your work flows and make your family story the focus;
- Historical Insights to discover significant historical events that your ancestors may have experienced;
- A new Facts View to make it easier to validate facts with sources, and edit and review facts contextually;
- A new Media Gallery where you can consolidate all your media in one place.”
“Ancestry beta” (a test version of the new site) will be showcased at RootsTech next weekend, Feb. 12-14. If you visit the Ancestry booth, you will be able to opt in to participate in the site. Not going to RootsTech? Click here to added to a waiting list (they will add people over the next few months). You can use Ancestry beta in the latest version of Chrome, Firefox and IE11.
Here’s what the new LifeStory view looks like for my husband’s ancestor, Harry R. Cooke. What do you think? Tell us on Facebook!
by Lisa Cooke | Feb 4, 2015 | 01 What's New, Ancestry, Book Club, DNA, Genealogy Gems Podcast, Genealogy TV, Google, Italian, Who Do You Think You Are?
Are you ready for a hearty dose of genealogy edu-tainment? It’s all there in the newest episode of the free Genealogy Gems podcast: a genealogy television celebrity, a best-seller for our new Genealogy Gems Book Club title and an industry insider peek at Ancestry’s DNA products.
Since it’s the beginning of the year, a lot of television shows are ramping back up (like WDYTYA in March). Genealogy Roadshow on PBS will it be back with new episodes and a new addition to the panel of hosts: professional genealogist Mary Tedesco. She joins Lisa in this episode to talk about her experience on the show and about Italian research, her specialty.
Did you hear about our new featured book for Genealogy Gems Book Club? It’s the internationally best-selling novel Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline! Tune in to the episodes or click to the show notes to learn more about the book and why I chose it for our virtual book club. And don’t forget the best part of our book club: the author will join us for an exclusive interview! The interviews are fun even if you haven’t read the book, and fantastic if you have. That interview is coming up in May.
DNA Guide Diahan Southard also makes an appearance on the January Genealogy Gems podcast episodes. She offers a frank insider’s opinion of what’s going on with AncestryDNA and Ancestry.com’s DNA Circles feature. Stay up-to-date in this fast-moving and fascinating aspect of genealogy with Your DNA Guide on Genealogy Gems!
Finally, you’ll hear about Lisa’s newest project. Available by popular demand is the revised and updated 2nd edition of The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox!
by Lisa Cooke | Feb 3, 2015 | 01 What's New, British, Genealogy TV, United States, Who Do You Think You Are?
According to TLC the new season of Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA) will launch on Sunday, March 10, 2015 instead of in February as originally announced.
Need a genealogy tv fix until WDYTYA 2015? Watch several U.K. episodes on YouTube for free:
- a preview special episode
- Tamzin Outhwaite
- Sheridan Smith
- Reggie Yates
- Mary Berry
- Billy Connolly
- Twiggy
- Julie Walters
- Brian Blessed
- Martin Shaw
- Brendan O’Carroll
Check out this YouTube channel with 13 full U.S. episodes (purchase per episode ($1.99/$2.99 HD) or buy the season for $14.99 (in HD)):
- Kelsey Grammar
- Valerie Bertinelli
- Rachel McAdams and her sister Kayleen
- Jesse Tyler Ferguston
- Christina Applegate
- Chris O’Donnell
- Kelly Clarkson and
- Cindy Crawford.
Browse YouTube for additional past episodes.
Wondering about the WDYTYA 2015 season lineup? The announcement of the delay didn’t indicate whether the celebrity guest list had changed: the four previously announced are Bill Paxton, Julie Chen, Angie Harmon and Sean Hayes.
by Lisa Cooke | Feb 1, 2015 | 01 What's New, Apps, FamilySearch, iPad, Mobile, Photographs, Technology, Trees
Do you ever wonder whether you’re missing something when you browse iTunes or Google Play for genealogy apps? Well, FamilySearch has created a 
space JUST for family history apps: The FamilySearch App Gallery.
According to a FamilySearch press release, the gallery helps people “more easily find the right application from FamilySearch’s many partner applications, or services, to enhance their family history efforts. With just a few clicks, patrons can now begin to search partner apps to find those that meet their specific need.”
For example, you can search the App Gallery by:
- what the app does (family tree software, find ancestor, photos and stories, charts and tree views and tree analyzing);
- platform (web, windows, Mac OS, Android, iPhone/iPad and Windows phone);
- price (free for everyone, one-time payment, subscription, or free trial);
- language (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and more);
- and FamilySearch compatibility (reads from FS, updates into FS or FS account not required).
Remember, the nature of apps is usually very specific. The BillionGraves for Android (or iOS) app, for example, lets you image and index gravestones for the BillionGraves website. But you may not have ever come across some of these apps before–and may find them very useful for your current or future research. For example, Historic Journals lets you run your own indexing project with your own group. You can tag, index, share or archive historic documents in a public or private environment.
I’m pleased to report that the Genealogy Gems Podcast app for iOS and Android are in the FamilySearch App Gallery! In case you don’t already know about the Genealogy Gems Podcast app, it brings the free Genealogy Gems Podcast to your smart phone or tablet along with exclusive bonus material. And in January the app celebrated it’s 5th anniversary! In addition to getting access to the show, you’ll also receive access to special features like PDFs with tips and ideas from the show; Genealogy Gems wallpaper; bonus audio and video content; the ability to follow the show on Twitter; and call-in audio comment feature (iPhone only). (Not all features available for all episodes.)
While the FamilySearch App Gallery is a great resource, it isn’t a comprehensive home for ALL family history related apps. And a lot of genealogy-friendly apps aren’t categorized as such in Google Play or the App Store. Learn more about TONS of apps to further YOUR family history in Lisa’s book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse. This book introduces you to the tablet/iPad way of “thinking” (it’s different than how you use a computer). It gives you an in-depth look at over 65 genealogy-friendly apps, 32 fabulous tips and tricks and links to online videos where you can watch things for yourself. Got a tablet? No problem–apps available in Google Play are included, and the tips include clues about features to look for in your brand of tablet.
by Lisa Cooke | Jan 29, 2015 | 01 What's New, Census, Findmypast, Irish, Records & databases
Have you ever heard of the “Irish Reproductive Relief Fund?” That name made me wonder what it was all about (and I was totally wrong). It was actually a program ahead of its time, and its records can help you trace your hard-working, poverty-stricken Irish ancestors. The records are now online for the first time at Findmypast, along with a new, easier-to-search version of the 1911 Ireland census.
“The Irish Reproductive Loan Fund was a privately funded micro credit scheme set up in 1824 to provide small loans to the ‘industrious poor’ – those most affected by poverty and famine,” says a press release from Findmypast.
“This collection of almost 700,000 records, which span the period of the Irish Potato Famine, provides unique insight into the lives of those living in Ireland during one of the darkest periods in its history. The handwritten ledgers and account books reveal the changing fortunes of Irish ancestors and their subsequent movements in Ireland and across the world. Now anyone can go online and research individuals and families to find out more about where they lived, their financial situation, their social status and more besides.”
Brian Donovan, Head of Irish Data and Business Development for Findmypast, said, “These incredibly important records provide an exceptional insight into the lives of the poor across the west of Ireland from Sligo down to Cork. The people recorded are precisely those who were most likely to suffer the worst of the Famine or be forced to emigrate. These remarkable records allow us to chart what happened to 690,000 people like this from the 1820s to the 1850s, giving a glimpse of their often heart breaking accounts of survival and destitution, misery and starvation. We are very lucky to be able to tell their stories.”
These new records complement an expansive collection of Irish records at Findmypast, including Irish Petty Sessions, Irish Prison Registers, Irish newspapers, Irish Births 1864-1958 and over 800,000 Irish marriages dating back to 1619.. Another new online Irish record collection is the Clare Electoral Registers, which include early female voters.
Here’s a tip for Irish genealogy researchers from Findmypast: “The Ireland Census 1911 is an excellent starting point for anyone researching their Irish ancestors. Findmypast’s powerful search will for the first time allow family historians to search for more than one family member at the same time, helping to narrow down results, and by birth year and by spelling variations of a name – all making it easier than ever to trace Irish ancestors.”
