The end of another month has arrived, so it’s time for another batch of ‘Inspiring Genealogy Blogs’ posts that I’ve come across during the month.
In this edition we have posts that cover: DNA from old letters, ethics (yes again!), original copies of records, archives and museums, the GDPR, digitising your old photos, contacting genetic relatives, the value of reexamining every record you have, climate change, and more …
So grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee, get comfy, and enjoy some great reads.
As I mention every time, I find that reading blog posts helps me keep up with the latest news, products as well as what’s happening in general in the world of genealogy. And if you happen to already follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and to some extent Google+, you already know that I like to share with you the interesting things I read.
How to Preserve and Test Old Letters for Grandma’s DNA
We all LOVE old letters, finding out snippets of information not located anywhere else. Now those old letters could be useful in another way. DNA testing. Yes truly. Denise Levenick of The Family Curator blog writes that “DNA testing of old postage stamps, envelope flaps, and other personal artifacts will soon become readily available to the average consumer. Now is the time to locate potential specimens, preserve items in archival storage, and plan a testing strategy”. Read the full article …
The Top Things that Make Genealogy a Fun, Fascinating Hobby
We all know that genealogy is fun (along with frustrating sometimes, but mostly fun), Will from the Ancestral Findings blog has come up with a number of reasons WHY it is so fun, not to mention fascinating. Read the full article …
Do the “Write” Thing for Genealogy: Be Honest, Be Ethical
Marian Wood begins by saying “As family historians, how can we write about ancestors in a way that is both honest and ethical?” It is something we need to keep in mind when writing the history of our ancestors. Have a read of what she has to say about it all. Read the full article …
Why You Should Stop Your Research and Reexamine Every Single Genealogy Record You Have
Have you ever relooked at a record, and discovered that it has details on there you hadn’t noticed before? I’m sure you have. The fact is, “the passage of time changes our perspective and we see things differently”. In this article Barb urges everyone to take the time to reexamine EVERY record you have, as it “can easily pay dividends for years to come”. Read the full article …
How to Protect Rare Books and Manuscripts From the Ravages of Climate Change
Everyone who works in an archive or society really needs to read this one. “Centuries of written history are at risk of being damaged by climate change. Yet archivists, the stewards of this history, have sometimes been slow to wake up to the danger.” Read the full article …
Reaching Out to Close Genetic Relatives
Earlier this year MyHeritage launched DNAQuest, which was an offer of a free DNA kit to 15,000 adoptees. So with thousands more DNA records due online soon, if you are an adoptee you may find a birth parent or sibling. On the other hand, if you or someone in your family once gave up a child to adoption, you may find that child as a grown-up adult. But now what? Before you rush into making contact, you need to prepare yourself for a wide range of possibilities, and this article has some wise advice. Read the full article …
Six Steps to Digitizing Your Family Photos
We all have photos filed in albums or piled up in shoeboxes – and if you don’t, just wait a few years as you more than likely will inherit some. So what do you do with them all? Simple answer …digitise them! And this article takes you step-by-step on how to do that. Read the full article …
How will GDPR impact historical records?
Anybody who has spent time online (particularly on social media) in the past week, will have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). And more than likely you probably don’t really understand most of it, while at the same time being ‘totally over it’. I hear you! I think everyone agrees. Anyway it is a big deal, one that will affect more than we realise. In fact in relation to the new regulations, we’ve already seen a number of websites choose to close down. In this article Free UK Genealogy answers the question as to how will the GDPR impact genealogical records – which is obviously a very important question. So take a read of the full article …
Archives and Museums: the merging of Heritage roles?
I have to thank Shauna Hicks for Tweeting this link, as I picked it up from there, and found it a fascinating read. The writer starts off by saying “Once upon a time the role of an archivist was very clear, to preserve records for future generations to access”. This continues “there appears to be a move away from the traditional archivist protector of records and preserver of history with a set of core skills which stood them apart from the museum curator…” I suggest taking a moment to read the full article … as it really is interesting.
Clean Copy
Michelle writes on the Legacy Family Tree blog … “If you are presented with bad copy of a document don’t immediately throw your hands up in despair. Try and get a clean copy and many times you will be rewarded.” With billions of records appearing online now, just remember that not all images are scans from the ‘original’ documents themselves. Instead, they might be copies, or even copies of copies – each of which diminishes the ability to read the original record clearly. Read the full article …
Is Ancestry LLC the Devil? Or Just his Little Brother?
“Ancestry LLC wants your trust, but does it deserve it?” this was the front page headline on the Tacoma News Tribune (a newspaper from Washington, USA). Leland Meitzler, the man behind Family Roots Publishing, and well known in the genealogy-world, has his say in response to this story. Read the full article …
Happy reading!
