Genealogical Gems

This week’s prompt is reviewing social media options, and building a research network. When I post an article, I immediately do a social media blitz.    I personally begin with Twitter, using TweetDeck so I can add a photo. TweetDeck also allows me to schedule tweets that I want to run at another time. Then I use Google+, Pinterest and Facebook. From time to time I also use LinkedIn.     My research networks can really be divided into three – often overlapping – circles. The first is other bloggers/genealogists who I follow. A full list is available on my Genealogical Gems . Click on “ Blogs I Follow .”   My Twitter network includes not just individual accounts but also the #genchat community, and the #AncestryHour community. The #genchat community , led by Jen Baldwin, meets virtually every other Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Friday, 27 March is the next session and the topic will be DNA. The # AncestryHour community , led by Susie Douglas, meets Tue...

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) launched NGS Monthly , this week. This new digital publication will feature articles on genealogical methodology, research techniques, sources, and the latest news from NGS. Blog posts worth reading: Michael John Neill does Genealogy Tip of the Day and his tip on Tuesday this week was awesome. His tip was about teachers and newspapers. If you have a teacher in your tree – I have several – this is a must read! Thank you, Michael! Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small, reinforced some great information about dying without a will in her 52 Ancestors post this week. If your ancestor died without a will, chances are that everyone got named in the court records following the division of the estate! I love Vera Miller’s blog, Find Lost Russian Family . This week she shared her latest find, a database – in English – that covers WWI soldiers.   My New Follows at Twitter: @gra...

Can’t find someone in the census or voting lists? Try the insane asylums! “ Everything Qualified You for Admission to an Insane Asylum 125 Years Ago ” reviews some of the almost-hilarious reasons why someone could be admitted.   The example provided in the article by Michael Palumbo lists “Reasons for Admissions 1864 to 1889.” Some of those reasons include: imaginary female trouble, masturbation for 30 years, nymphomania, dropsy, time of life, and grief.” Epileptic fits were also on the lists. I have an aunt who was admitted for this last reason. The article appears on RYOT.   Blog posts worth reading: Gail Dever, of Genealogy a la carte, posted “ The Forgotten Plague focuses on deadliest killer in human history, tuberculosis ” this week. It was actually a preview article for a PBS showing that aired Tuesday, 10 February. There is a preview video within her post. Death is something we all most likely chat about daily, or at least weekly...

The Tribune Star this past Sunday published a nice read by Tamie Dehler titled “ Genealogy: Steerage Act a boon for genealogists centuries later .” The article discusses the Steerage Act of 1819. Without that Act, we would not find ourselves browsing through passenger lists for information on our immigrant ancestors.   Blog posts worth reading:   Helen Spear Youngblood wrote her post for Worldwide Genealogy this week. She wrote a timeline of her own life. She pulled in events like meeting President Eisenhower and attending school in the Brown vs. Board of Education era and the Civil Rights Movement. I do timelines on family/ancestors to help put things in perspective but never thought to do one for myself. What a great idea!    It is through genealogy that I have learned so much history in general. Dana Stewart Leeds, in her 52 Ancestors’ post titled “ Henry Bennett: A Settler of Kansas Territory ,” offers a nice history concerning Kansas while she write...

Each week I try to read several other blogs. Miriam Robbins, of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors , writes “Friday Finds and Follows” each week and it is a great idea! So today I thought I would combine the GeneBloggers’ Follow Friday prompt with Twitter’s #FF with other finds via social media.   Blog posts worth reading: “ Eva Rosine Seehafer was one Tough woman: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks ” is a heart wrenching post about Lori Wenger’s 2x great grandmother. This poor woman had a tough maternal road. Lori’s blog is titled: The Buttermaker and the Midwife.   Lara’s Family Search did another great job with her post Monday titled “ Ancestor Deep Dive: Zlata Tzipra Sanshuck Supkoff ” about her great grandmother. I enjoy reading the resources others use to trace immigrants and those who they left behind.   “ A Bump On A Log - Genealogy Do-Over: Week 3 ” was great. It was like reading my own thoughts. I recognize how important research logs are but I have not...

  There are so many more immediate resources today than when I started tracing family histories. One of those resources is Facebook. There are so many groups of family historians, genealogists, and history buffs out there. Obviously one cannot – and should not – belong to all of them. So today, I have picked my Top 10 groups that I follow on Facebook and I encourage you to check them out. Also, if you have a suggestion, please do so by adding a comment to the site here after the article.   Top 10 Groups: These are groups (in alpha order) that I check daily. Ancestry.com – five administrators with 23,773 members Genchat friends – two administrators with 74 members GeneaBloggers – one administrator with 523 members Genealogy Bloggers – five administrators and 1,928 members Lancaster County – two administrators with 612 members Pennsylvania Genealogy Network – four administrators with 5,040 members Philadelphia PA G...

Today began shortly before midnight for me. The first few hours I spent organizing and cleaning my Facebook groups. Wow did I have a lot! The Facebook groups mostly center around genealogy or history in general. Some are serious. Some are fun - like Cemetery Scavenger Hunt ! The idea is each week a different theme is chosen (usually by vote from the week prior) and people submit photos from cemeteries with those themes in the photo. For example this week the theme is "Bicycles, Motorcycles, and ATVs" so a photo may be a tombstone in the shape of a bike or an image engraved in the stone. Some groups are location specific. For example, I joined the Schuylkill County Genealogy  page hoping to connect with any Walsh/Welsh or Keating families and descendants. There is a page for almost every location! One such group is Clearfield County PA Genealogy . I am researching the Novakosky family, specifically Ludwig Novakosky, so I added a note there: Looking for info pls on a Lud...

Provo, UT— Funium announced today the integration of its forthcoming Facebook game, Family Village, with FamilyLink’s We’re Related on Facebook, a top 300 social application. Still in limited alpha development, Family Village is the first free Facebook-based game to connect and unite real families as players explore their family trees while building an online FarmVille™ and CityVille™-like community. FamilyLink’s massive database provides Family Village players with access to billions of online records for a unique family discovery experience of their ancestors and living relatives. These genealogical and family history records contain information such as birth and death dates, birthplaces, and much more, and tie in with game characters providing users with a realistic and deep connection with their relatives. “Most computer games eventually lose their luster for players who reach some prescribed goal. Even FarmVille average usage is starting to shrink,” stated Jeff Wells, Funium CEO...