Ancestry's Announcement About Software Compatibility Changes

In early December, Ancestry made the announcement that they were retiring the sales of FamilyTree Maker Software. Mass panic ensued. The issue, of course, was not so much the retiring of the software as it was that the trees could no longer be synchronized with the online trees on Ancestry.

Last week, at RootsTech the announcement was made that FamilyTree Maker is alive and well once again, having been bought out by MacKiev. The company assures new functionality features. Simultaneous to that announcement came news that RootsMagic was now the software to have, since Ancestry will allow synchronization between RootsMagic and their online trees. 

Bad timing!

While I understand that major events like RootsTech are prime places for genealogy related companies to make major announcements, the unfortunate piece is that Christmas occurred in between the announcement from Ancestry that FamilyTree Maker was out and RootsTech where we learned that RootsMagic was in. 

In a panic, after the initial announcement, people turned to the genealogy bloggers and gurus and then added genealogy software to their Christmas lists. Bad news for the Ancestry users who didn't ask Santa for RootsMagic! 

Of course, for those of us who don't care about the synchronization or who can work around it with other software, there really is no issue. But Ancestry isn't catering to us. They are catering to the people who only know to click, click, click. And have likely caused even more anxiety by waiting to announce the transition. 

Think twice before making big announcements, Ancestry. It all comes down to customer satisfaction and you have truly missed the mark on this one. 

Has Ancestry Dot Com Made Us Lazy As Researchers?

In the last two weeks I have heard so many stories about incorrect information on public family trees and that because the information gets shared exponentially, it makes the  mistakes that much more widespread.

In the past week, I have also held two online webinar/workshops to assist people to become more efficient at Using the ScotlandsPeople website. It takes a completely different tack to use this website because it is NOT a subscription website. However, it is also the only website where you can view original images of the Scottish registers and see all of the information that was gathered at the time of the event. And Scottish documents are some of, if not THE best for providing genealogical data.

It occurs to me that part of the issue that ties these two things together is that subscription sites like Ancestry Dot Com have created a slew of lazy genealogy researchers. Part of the joy in genealogy is the thrill of the hunt. We tune into, hone and cultivate our inner detective. But the subscription websites like Ancestry Dot Com take the need for these skills away. We upload a tree. Shaky leaf appears. Click. New document. Click and attach. No thought, no detective skills. It doesn't even matter that this might not be YOUR ancestor. The website has become more of a computer game than a tool to enhance our genealogical skills. And that, in turn, leads to all sorts of false information being spread all over the 'net.

I see a leaf, click. Oh, this tree says my gt gt grandfather died in Ohio. If I haven't learned to hone my inner detective, I might take this with a "thank you for all of the work you have saved me" and incorporate this information into MY tree. Except my gt gt grandfather never left Scotland. In fact two couples and one single man were the only ancestors I have that emigrated to the US. No matter how many shaky leaves I get, that fact is not going to change. My personal frustration with Ancestry is that despite the fact that my tree details that my ancestors were all in Scotland, I get matched with records that are 5000 miles from the land of my ancestors. My professional frustration with Ancestry is that it requires no detective skills, and is raising a generation of lazy genealogy researchers.

Let's look at what skills are REALLY needed to be able to be successful as a genealogist. You will note that neither clicking a mouse nor copy and pasting make the list.

Know how to find information

Yes, Ancestry Dot Com is a rich database. They host a wealth of records. I can remember how hard genealogy research was before Ancestry Dot Com made records from other states and other countries available. They have enriched our experience as researchers and our opportunities to access the information we crave. Use them as a database and be grateful that your subscription gives you unlimited access to the records they hold.

Other online databases are also fantastic resources. As are libraries, local, state, provincial or county archives, genealogy societies and family history centres. Don't limit yourself to just one point of research.

Cultivate an eye for detail

Look at every piece of information on that document. Look again. Put it aside for a day or two and then look at it again. You will be surprised at what you see that you didn't see the first time. Remember those posters that have words written backwards, numbers interspersed with letters and yet we can read what the poster says? Our brains read without paying attention to details. But to be a good genealogist, we need to pay attention to the details on the documents. To do that, we need to look at every detail. Put the document aside and then look at it with fresh eyes a few days later.

Develop your reasoning skills

Being able to think through a problem without making illogical leaps will help you resolve conflicting information. And it will help you to understand what caused the conflict in the first place.

Pay attention

This isn't the same as cultivating an eye for detail. Pay attention to what the information is telling you. Is this really your gt gt grandfather? If you pay attention to dates of events, you will know that he can't possibly be because that would have made him 8 when your gt grandma was born. Same name. Same location. Same father's name. But the dates are terribly wrong. Therefore, he can't be YOUR gt gt grandfather. He may be your ancestor so don't discard the document. Just don't ignore the information that shows he isn't the ancestor you think he is.

Keep notes

Notes are important. Keep notes on who you have received information from. Where you have checked for documents. What you have learned and what you still need to find out. Notes will keep your research focused and will help you to make better sense of the documents you find and who the information should be attached to in order to be correct. It will also help you know who also knows a particular ancestor so that you can go back and re-visit what they know that you don't and vice versa.

Critical Thinking

Simply stated, use your noggin. Piece the parts of the puzzle together and know why the flat sided pieces don't fit in the middle of the picture.

Active Learning

As with any activity you are passionate about, keep learning. Listen to webinars. Go to conferences. Attend talks and workshops. Read blogs. It's important to keep up to date with what is new, what others find useful, new record sets that have been released. It will make you a better genealogy researcher and will really help you hone your inner detective. 

Season 4 of Who Do You Think You Are

TLC has taken over the production of WDYTYA after NBC failed to renew the program. And TLC has decided to run the series during the summer. Smart marketing on their part. This is guaranteed to take over the ratings wars during a time normally filled with reruns or occupied with repeating news stories.

 

I don’t think there has been a time since the original Dallas series (you remember, “who shot JR?”) that I have been so obsessed about a tv schedule. This season’s WDYTYA line-up was first touted by the genea-sphere as “mundane”, “cookie cutter”, “run of the mill” choices in celebrities. But the first two episodes have proven to be anything but.

 

The series started off with the southern sweetness of Kelly Clarkson. Her youth and celebrity stand to open up the world of genealogy research to a younger audience. Kelly was able to show young adults why knowing who your ancestors were is important. It’s not just dusty books, yellowing documents and old photos. It’s about knowing who you are and how some of your traits came to be. I loved that she hugged every archivist or genealogist that she came in contact with. And I loved her innocence, honesty and down-to-earth greeting with her 3x great grandfather at his grave “S’up?” Her pride in her true American Hero, her great-great-great grandpa was heart-warming. And the message that she was able to share with others is that her raw determination and gumption are inherited family traits.

 

And what could possibly top the Christina Applegate story? Christina’s initial quest was to bring peace and closure to her father who has lived his entire 70 years not knowing who his mother was. The truth was that Christina’s grandparents were young and immature. A truth faced by many. The outcome, was rather circuitous however, in that although custody of her father had been awarded to his mother, he ended up being raised by his paternal grandmother.

 

Two of the most emotional scenes were Christina’s father seeing a photo of his mom for the first time. Imagine being 70 years old and not knowing what your mother looked like. And then at the burial site. Hallowed ground. An unmarked grave. No indication of a life having been lived or worthy of being remembered. Thankfully, Christina’s father changed that. With those three heart-warming words on her tombstone:  “I found you, Mom”

 

I can’t wait until Tuesday night to see what the next episode brings. Chelsea Handler was raised in a Jewish neighbourhood by a Mormon mother of German descent. Wonder what stories she will uncover?

Free Access to Immigration Records from Ancestry

Ancestry is providing free access to some of their immigration records this week (August 29 - Sept 5). While you do not need to have a subscription, you will need an account (Username and Password) which you can create on the Ancestry site.

http://www.ancestry.ca

Happy Searching!

Perth Records Coming Soon to Ancestry UK

Chris Paton has shared that Ancestry will soon have Valuation Registers and Tax and Rent Records for Perth available. Click on the link to read Chris' post:

http://scottishancestry.blogspot.com/2011/08/perth-records-soon-from-ancestry.html

Do You Have Ancestors Who Were Miners?

A great resource for mining information, including accident reports, mine inspector reports, deaths and newspaper reports is Scottish Mining Website. This is a virtual treasure trove of information. You can search by surname, accident, year or parish.

Note that if your miner died as a result of a "roof fall" (the roof of the mine caving in) then it is unlikely that there will be a mine inspectors report. The reason being that roof falls were fairly commonplace and to inspect every accident would have been too time consuming for the limited number of inspectors. Two of my miners were killed together, father and son, in 1872 at Greenfield Colliery. At the time, I had been unable to locate the mine inspectors report, so contacted the website by e-mail. In return, I received not only the mine inspectors report but also newspaper articles relating to the accident. So, don't hesitate to ask for help if you are having difficulty finding information on your miner. Please note, however, that these wonderful volunteers are not able to do your research for you.

Happy Ancestor Hunting!