Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

I need an August 30 x 30 challenge!

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I try to space out my 30 x 30 challenges. The last one was only two months ago, but I find myself in dire need! Is there anyone out there who would like to join me?

June was a genealogy-rich month for me. I spent most of the month planning my research trip to Kentucky and then going on it. Upon my return in late June, I tried to process everything I’d learned on the trip, but real life kept getting in the way. I got some of it done, but not all of it. Then, on July 18, I drove to Indianapolis with my OYFH friend, Vickie, for the Midwestern Roots Family History and Genealogy Conference. It was great! (I encourage you to make plans to attend the next one, which will be held July 30-31, 2020.)

When Midwestern Roots was over, I took an obscenely early flight from Indianapolis to Seattle, where I started a five-day vacation. I met my husband there, along with four friends from St. Louis, and we drove four hours to Walla Walla, Washington, where I grew up. Walla Walla is now a wine destination, so we had a lovely time drinking wine and enjoying the quaint town. I returned obscenely late on Friday night and ever since I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things.

Each day since my return I’ve had “family history research” on my task list. And each day I’ve done none. That is why I need a 30 x 30 challenge. I know that if I pledge to you that I’ll do an average of 30 minutes of research a day for 30 straight days (notice how I snuck “an average of” into that description) then genealogy research will skyrocket to the top of my task list.

Is there anyone else who needs the accountability of a 30 x 30 challenge this month? You can, of course, adapt it to your needs. If you’re in, please let me know in the comments! In the middle of the month, I’ll post a progress report for my work and you can tell us all how it’s going for you.

Quick reminder: Watch Jamboree sessions by July 31!

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The Southern California Genealogy Society’s Genealogy Jamboree was held at the very end of May. As I posted then, they made recordings of twelve of the conference sessions available free of charge for those who registered by filling out the form on this website. The caveat was that those recordings would be available only until July 31.

It hit me this morning that I have one week to watch those recordings! And, as luck would have it, I’m on vacation this week in Washington state. I do hope I am able to make time to watch them before the end of the month.

I wanted to remind you about the deadline, in case you, too, had registered for the sessions but the forgotten about them. Even if you didn’t register back then, you can still register at the link above and watch them by the end of the month! I wasn’t expecting that when I checked and I’m glad to be able to share that info.

If you have registered, look in your email for a message with the subject line Login details from SCGS 2019 Jamboree Live Stream. The link to the video stream is there, along with your password.

Happy learning!

Amazon Prime Day sale on AncestryDNA test

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If you’ve been thinking about buying an AncestryDNA test for yourself or a relative–and you’re an Amazon Prime member–today might be the day to buy one.

As part of Amazon’s Prime Day sale, you can purchase an AncestryDNA genetic ethnicity test for $49. The price on Ancestry’s website is $99. Of course, since you’re by definition an Amazon Prime member if you’re taking advantage of the special, shipping is free.

Personally, I chose AncestryDNA’s autosomal test when I was looking to take a DNA test years ago. It has not opened any magical doors yet in my genealogy research, but I remain hopeful! I have exported my raw DNA data and uploaded it to Family Tree DNA and My Heritage, so I’ve received several ethnicity estimates. My understanding is that while the other services accept raw DNA, Ancestry does not. So if you want the benefit of testing with the largest service (where you’ll reach the most potential cousins), you have to an AncestryDNA test.

Today may be the day to do that! The Prime Day sale ends tonight (July 16) at midnight Pacific time.

Who’s going to Midwestern Roots?

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The Midwestern Roots Family History and Genealogy Conference, sponsored by the Indiana Historical Society, is being held next weekend (July 19-20) in Indianapolis. I’ll be there. Are any of you planning to attend? I’ll be driving with my friend Vickie, whom I met through this blog. I’m always thrilled to meet blog readers at conferences!

I attended the 2016 Midwestern Roots conference and thought it was terrific. It was very robust, with lots of great educational opportunities.

This year looks like it’s going to be equally good. I’m excited to hear Joshua Taylor speak, both as a keynote and in breakout sessions. I didn’t get the chance to hear him at the NGS conference because of competing priorities. (I’ll never forget the time I heard him speak at the Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois conference five years ago and discovered we were cousins. I told that story in this blog post.)

I’ve downloaded the syllabus and saved it to both Evernote and my hard drive. (If you’re registered, the password to access the syllabus was emailed to you on July 3 in a message with the subject line “Midwestern Roots 2019!”) I’ve also downloaded the app. I love conference apps, which are so much easier for me to look at than a printed schedule. I was glad to see that this conference has one. I love that I can select my sessions now and see a streamlined version of the agenda (as well as the full one) so I’m not making last-minute decisions or fumbling around trying to figure out where I’m going next.

If you’re attending, please let me know if you’d like to meet up. If you’re interested in registering, it looks like there are still spots available. The deadline for registration is Saturday, July 13. Go to the registration page for the conference to buy a ticket. If you’re not able to attend, you might consider following the hashtage #MRoots2019 to see what you’re missing!