August already … yes the year is flying. I hope during your isolating you’ve managed to get some research done. I know for many the extra time at home has provided more time to research and read. So to add to your list of things to do, here’s a few articles I’ve found to be good reads, that I wanted to share with you.
In this edition of Inspiring Genealogy Blogs we cover: documenting YOUR life, guides books, judging history, online tree websites, genealogy sins, DNA matches, other people’s old photos … and more. So find a comfy chair, and enjoy some great reading.
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 and Twitter, you already know that I like to share with you the interesting things I read.
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How Will You Document Your Life?
This is an important one, but one that gets overlooked, or put aside as it’s ”too hard”. But Gena reminds ups why documenting our own life is important. “As family historians, we are passionate about the past. But for future genealogists, we need to leave something about our own lives. Letters and diaries provide historians a look at what everyday life was like generations ago. It provides important historical context no matter who is leaving that legacy of personal writings. I always hear people lament that their ancestor didn’t leave a journal behind so why wouldn’t we? Don’t we want that for the family historians of the future?” Read the full article here…
Read a Book, For God’s Sake!
When was the last time you read a genealogy research guide book? I don’t mean how-to’s on s website, I mean an actual research guide book? According to Irish blogger, Paul Gorry, not enough people do. These in depth guides are written by knowledgeable people and yet people forget about them, or think that a book is too hard or too old. But as he says “If you’re a beginner in Irish family history you would be advised to think beyond names in a database and learn about context. As the headline says – read a book, for God’s sake!” Read the full article …
The Problem of Family Not Wanting Your Genealogy Research
Lorine writes about something that numerous of us face. The fact that no-one in the family wants your genealogy. She says … “Several years ago I came to the realization that no one in my immediate family wants my 40 plus years of research on our genealogy. A few are mildly interested in hearing the more exciting stories of blacksheep ancestors or famous relatives or an intriguing mystery. No one but me does actual research into our ancestors. That means that my binders and file folders full of documents and charts are not something anyone is going to take and preserve when I’m gone. I’m sure many of you are facing the same problem. So…what to do?” Read the full article here …
Is It Fair How We Judge History?
Paul Chiddicks begins this post with … “I would like to open this up for debate, the fact that we judge history and those that made history, today, with the benefit of hindsight? Is that fair?” Trust me, this is a really interesting read. Read the full article here…
Top 10 Sins of a Genealogist
Here’s another article by Paul Chiddicks, and this is one I’m sure we can all relate to, but it always a good reminder – the “Sins of a Genealogist”. Paul starts off by saying … “So let’s begin with looking at all the pitfalls and mistakes that most of us will have made at least once in our research and look at ways in which we can avoid making those same mistakes again.” Read the full article here…
10 Best Websites for Storing and Sharing Genealogy Research
What’s the best website to put my family tree on? This is a question we get asked fairly often, and as always “it depends”. But to help you, Family Tree Magazine (US) have come up with their list of the 10 best websites for storing and sharing genealogy research. Some are pay sites, and some are free. But it’s worth a read. Read the full article …
Losing Distant Matches at AncestryDNA
If you’ve heard (or not) about AncestryDNA changing their algorithm, which is like to reduce the estimated number of distant matches you have. Blaine Bettinger, aka The Genetic Genealogist goes through the changes in detail and what it means for you if you’ve done a test with AncestryDNA. Read the full article here …
Why Was the Information Removed from Online?
Have you ever found a record online, only to find it’s not there next time you go back to look? Yes, it does happen, and there are good reasons why it does. Well-known US genealogy blogger, Dick Eastman has had the question put to him on numerous occasions, so he’s responded by putting the answer in a blog post. Read the full article …
The Strange Lure of Other People’s Photos
Bill Shapiro is like a growing number of people who are interested in finding, and collecting, old photos, even though they have no connection to his family. He writes … “These pictures, taken by average people with average cameras, are among the thousand or so that I’ve picked up at flea markets, junk shops, garage sales and, once in a while, on eBay. I started noticing these “found” photos (the fancy name is “vernacular photography”) maybe a decade ago. Noticing turned to looking turned to hunting. Have a read of the full article to see why he finds these photos so fascinating. Read the full article here …
Happy reading!
