The Year Ahead – December 23

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 23 – Compare the five major historical newspaper websites www.familytreemagazine.com/records/newspapers/historical-newspaper-websites-compared

The five major sites listed in this article are: Fulton History, Genealogy Bank, Newspapers.com, NewspapersArchive, and Chronicling America. This is a premium article, thus you might not be able to view it.  

I mostly use Newspapers.com since I have a subscription. I do believe Fulton History and Chronicling America are free sites. I have tried Genealogy Bank; however, I find Newspapers.com has more newspapers for the areas of my research. Always check out their holdings before subscribing to any website. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 22

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 22 – Write in your research journal about the most extreme thing you’ve done while researching your roots. (Took a pillow to the library to nap in a carrel? Walked a cemetery in a blizzard?)

The only extreme thing I can remember is trying to get to a cemetery and finding a grave I was looking for before the storm I saw in the distance arrived. I did manage to beat the storm, but I had to drive home in a horrible rain storm.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 21

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 21 – Search online telephone directories such as www.whitepages.com for the surnames and places you’re researching – you might come up with a cousin.

When you do this, it will list relatives. Keep in mind, you won’t know their exact relationship, for example, my Brother-in-Law shows up on my name search. It also listed an address in a state I have never lived.

I like using tax records to see if a person still lives in the area that they say. For example, it gives my current address and my former addresses, and thus I can look up the tax records to see if someone is still at the address. Perhaps you want to reach out to them and send them a letter. The phone numbers they listed for me are no longer in service, thus I wouldn’t recommend calling someone out of the blue.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 20

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 20 – Select a few unidentified pictures and make copies to share with relatives at holiday gatherings.

You may want to bring some of the pictures that you have identified and see if your relatives come up with the same person. I was once given a family portrait from the late 1800’s/early 1900’s and was told it was my 3^rd great grandfather, his wife and children. However, I could not match up the individuals in my tree to the people in the picture. Later I found out from a distant cousin, that it was actually her 3^rd great grandparents, the sister and brother-in-law of my 3^rd great grandfather. Plus the individuals in the picture fit what I knew about them in my tree.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 19

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 19 – Update the list of surnames you’re researching and tuck it into your binder.

I like my list to include my direct line surnames. I used to have this information on the backside of my business card, but now I like using my Notes app on my phone to record this information. 

I usually always have my phone with me, but I might not have my research binder with me. I have run into people who have questions when I am out and about. 

However, the printed list is great when visiting courthouses, because some of them, won't allow your phone into the records room. They don't want you taking snapshots of certificates. Does your genealogy software package allow you to print such a custom report?

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – December 18

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 18 – Visit Evidence Explained www.evidenceexplained.com to get the latest tips on source citations.

Even though I might not do my source citations exactly properly in my own research. I do look to see what information I should be capturing in my sources. This comes in handy when I need to share my research with others, and I need proper source citations.

My advice: If you haven’t done any source citations, start today. Be consistent and double check to see if you can find that source again with the information in your source citations. 

When I first started, I didn’t record where I found stuff and it cost me lots of research time, because I had to go back and see where that information came from. This is very important when  you find conflicting information, because you need to evaluate the sources that your information came from and decide which source is more reliable.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 17

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 17 – Learn more about professional genealogy through its two major credentialing bodies: www.icapgen.org and www.bcgcertification.org

Even though I do not have any formal credentials, I have an upmost respect for those who go through the process. These people have demonstrated their competence in research, analysis, kinship determination and reporting skills. Each organization has its own exact requirements, but the skills do overlap. Even if you don’t plan on getting your credentials (like me), you can learn many skills that can help you in your research goals. Plus, you may feel more comfortable if you ever want to hire a professional.

My advice: Check out the book "Professional Genealogy - Preparation, Practice and Standards" by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 16

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 16 – Study a new-to-you US state using our research guides store.familytreemagazine.com/genealogy-research-state-guides or the FamilySearch Wiki

I subscribe to Family Tree Magazine and each issue comes with a state. Check out your local library and see if they have past issues that you could reference.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – December 15

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 15 – Get to know your Jewish ancestors with the resources at Avotaynu www.avotaynu.com.

When I visited this website, there is a notice that the editors and production team have retired after 37 years. Thus, don’t be surprise if you can access all the parts of this website.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 14

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 14 – Read regional histories to learn about mass migrations that may have affected your ancestors.

The regional histories could be for the destination as much as the previous home location. For example, I have many Wisconsin relatives who went to Nebraska. I did a google search and found out that the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered free land in the western territories, was attracting farmers seeking more land to cultivate. Especially since land in Wisconsin because increasingly occupied and expensive. Nebraska’s flat plains and rich soil were ideal for large scale farming, especially grain production, which aligned well with the agricultural practices of many Wisconsin farmers.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 13

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 13 – Take a virtual tool of an ancestral hometown with GoogleEarth earth.google.com.

I like using GoogleEarth on cemeteries. You can get a nice view of a cemetery. I can use it as a map as I am looking at the cemetery. I could also use it to mark the gravesites of my relatives.  

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 12

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 12 – Pick five online record collections you haven’t searched in a while. Try a new technique or search for different name variations.

I still find myself having to think outside of the box and try different methods for searching record collections. My motto, less is more. So start out with less information and if the results are too many, then slowly add a new piece of information to search and repeat until you have a manageable list of results.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 11

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 11 – Consider how you ancestors were affected by the Civil War. Letters from the era can help.

I requested two of my ancestor’s Civil War Pension files and found out a little of their personal lives. One was for my 3^rd great grandfather and the other for his father-in-law. I found out that my 3^rd great grandfather became ill during the war and returned home to recuperate. He ends up have lasting effects and most likely PTSD because he and his wife separated. I haven’t found any formal divorce but since his wife remarried during his lifetime, I sure hope they were divorced.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – December 10

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 10 – Delve into the 300,00 links on Cyndi’s List www.cyndislist.com. View the categories that cover your research interests.

This website is a great place to start when you are at your ropes end and don’t know where to turn to next. Perhaps, some of the websites are you acquainted with, but many will probably be new avenues for you to check out. So visit Cyndi’s List and make sure to save it on your bookmarks so that it will display on your main browser screen.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 9

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 9 – Debunk heraldry myths – and see if you really have a “family crest” – at www.familytreemagazine.com/heraldry/coat-of-arms-history-resources.

When I used to volunteer for a Genealogy Library, I remember one patron who came into the library saying how his family has a coat of arms that he purchased it from a store. I tried explaining how Coat of Arms really work, but he was having nothing of it.

Thus, if your ancestor had a coat of arms, and you are the proper heir to those arms, congratulations. As for the rest of us, if we are lucky, we might find a coat of arms for a person who shares a surname with us.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 8

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 8 – Find censuses and census substitutes (such as tax lists) for Colonial ancestors by running a keyword search of the FamilySearch Catalog www.familysearch.org/search/catalog.

Using the catalog can open up many databases that you might not have thought about. Especially the databases that haven’t been indexed yet. If the images are available, you might have to scroll through the images, similar to using a micro-film reader to find the record you want. Don’t let a little extra work, keep you from finding the elusive record or relative.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 7

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 7 – Remember the attack on Pearl Harbor today by watching Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous speech at www.ushistory.org/documents/infamy.htm.

The number of World War II veterans are rapidly dwindling with only about 119,000 as of late 2023. However, I am sure many of their descendants are still living. It’s up to us to remember their sacrifices.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 6

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 6 – Looking for last-minute deductions off your 2024 taxes? Consider a charitable donation to your favorite genealogical library, society or archive.

Since I am the one that does the taxes, I can report that sadly, itemizing deductions has become something I no longer do because of the raise in the standard deduction. I don’t let that stop me from still giving. Many of these organizations can not survive on memberships alone and rely heavily on donations. If you just don’t have the funds this year, please plan for next year. Throw your loose change in a jar, I still use cash and have plenty of loose change. Then at the end of the year; donate that amount. Or how about just taking a dollar or more a week and set it aside. Just give up one weekly latte that you buy from the local coffee shop and save that for a year end donation. Are there any material items you could donate that they need? A small sacrifice can mean a lot to one of these organizations.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 5

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 5 – Plan your family’s holiday letter. Add some old photographs for a hint of nostalgia.

I personally don’t do a family holiday letter. It reminds me of an episode of “The Big Bang Theory” where Penny and Leonard were trying to come up with stuff that happened in the past year. They were failing miserably. I feel as if that would be me. I do enjoy reading the one or two I get.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 4

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 4 – Find historical maps of your ancestor’s hometowns using Map History www.maphistory.info and the David Rumsey Map collection www.davidrumsey.com

The first link looks like it is a jumping point to other websites, however, the second link I found a plat map from 1890 for Fountain Prairie Township, Columbia County, Wisconsin and I found many relatives listed on this plat map.

When I looked for Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin I saw a cemetery on the map that wasn’t the church cemetery that I know many of my relatives are buried in. I remember a small cemetery in the town with a few people buried in it, and wonder if this is the cemetery that is on this old map.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 3

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 3 – Illinois became the 21^st state on this day in 1818. Search probate, military, vital and land records at the state archives www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/databases/home.html

This archive seems to have a lot of information. I decided to see if I could find marriage records for the surname of Filipiak, since I know my husband’s family came from Illinois. The search is only for an index, where it gives the groom and brides name, date, license number and county. I would have to do more research to see if the information is for his family. This could help open doors with names that I might not otherwise find.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 2

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 2 – Examine your data for missing source citations, then look up the sources and fill in all the blanks.

This is great advice. In my earlier days of research, I didn’t do source citations. I didn’t understand them. After reading up on subject and seeing how others were using source citations via blogs and YouTube Videos, I started creating source citations around 2000. If I was working on someone who had facts without sources, I would look for evidence to create a source citation. However, all new information had to have a source citation, or I wasn’t going to enter the information. I even created a citation called “Speculation”. This was used when I derived information and I wasn’t quite sure if this really was totally accurate. This is only supposed to be a short-lived citation, until I found something to support or disprove this speculation.

Currently I have two facts with this source citation. One is for a death of an individual of 1816 based on many Ancestry trees; however, I haven’t found anything to support it. Another was a marriage fact based on the birth of their first child. Thus, I see I should investigate these items first.

It's easy to create an Undocumented Facts report in Family Tree Maker. Go to Publish / Source Reports / Undocumented Facts. However, I noticed that I didn’t always put a source citation for their Name or their sex. I could not even exclude those fields from the report, and I ended up with 1307 pages. YIKES! When I quickly scroll through the report, I do see some other facts such as birth dates and marriages dates without source citations. I might need to put that on a to-do list for the new year. I know this is something I could easily do with my laptop while watching TV at night. Thus I created a Task in FTM and made it high priority with a due date of 12/31/2025.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – December 1

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

December 1 – Roman Catholics celebrate All Saints Day today. Use the FamilySearch Wiki https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Latin_Genealogical_Word_List to learn some Latin.

Many church documents for the Roman Catholics are written in Latin, especially the column headings. Bookmark the page, in case you need to refer to it again.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 30

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 30 – Today is Small Business Saturday. Support your fellow genealogy entrepreneurs with a purchase.

Genealogy Bargains is a great place to start. Or think about any genealogy blogger you follow; do they have any premium memberships that they offer or books or merchandise? Perhaps it’s time to check out their websites more. Many genealogy entrepreneurs have written books, just check out the many on Amazon.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 29

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 29 – Visit the Story Corps website www.storycorps.org/discover/the-great-thanksgiving-listen to participate in the “Great Listen” by recording a family story for future generations.

If you are like me, one of the oldest generations still living in your family, then it’s time to tell your story for future generations. Convince a younger member of your family to interview you. You could always prepare the questions for that person and/or see what story they want to hear about. Have fun with it.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 28

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 28 – Enjoy Thanksgiving Day with your living relatives or friends!

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, tied with the Fourth of July because it involves, family, friends and food. Even though cooking a big Thanksgiving meal is a lot of work, I have learned over the years, how to keep the stress down and give me the most time with my relatives and friends.

 I do some prep work starting Monday and working up to Thursday. I clean one room each day and prep for one dish. I make deviled eggs, so I will boil and peel the eggs one day. I will slice them in half, plate them and but the yolks in a bowl another day. I will make the filling and fill the eggs the morning of Thanksgiving. I make homemade cranberry sauce and thus I will cook the cranberries and refrigerate it one or two days prior to Thanksgiving. You can make pies one or two days before Turkey Day, I always buy my pumpkin pie, because sorry I don’t like pumpkin pie. This year I plan on making a roasted sweet potato dish, and thus I can peel and dice the sweet potatoes on Wednesday to prep. I even chop all the celery and onions for my stuffing ahead of time too. I don’t make the stuffing or stuff the Turkey until the morning of Thanksgiving. Once the turkey is in the oven, I pretty much have the rest of the day to relax. I take the Turkey out to cool slightly before slicing and serving about an hour before meal time, and I then cook my other dishes, mash potatoes, gravy, corn, sweet potatoes and biscuits during this hour.

Remember to have fun and (tomorrow) Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 27

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 27 – Black Friday sales often start early. Check the Genealogy Bargains website www.genealogybargains.com for deals.

Ancestry had a pre-black Friday sale of 30% off gift subscriptions. I wasn’t sure if this was the only sale they had plan on doing, so I purchased myself one to start after my current gift subscription ends. Looking at Genealogy Bargains website, he predicts they will offer a 50% off gift subscriptions after Thanksgiving. Last year they did, it was for one day, however you tell it what day to start within the next 90 days. If I goofed up and bought mine too soon, I will leave myself a note to wait next year.

Because Thanksgiving was later this year, less than 30 days before Christmas, I noticed a lot of places, were offering Black Friday sales well before Black Friday. So if you missed any this year, make a note of checking them earlier for next year.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 26

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 26 – You’ll be busy with the upcoming holiday, but take time to back-up your data. Tidy your paper file while you wait.

Great advice, especially if you are hosting the holidays. What if a family member wants to see what you have done recently in genealogy? Make your working area inviting and exciting for family to see. Make sure you know where to find any paper files you might have on your family.

Check out some automatic cloud backup systems that will automatically backup folders from your computer to the cloud. I purchased one service many years ago and it has saved me from tears, numerous times.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 25

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 25 – Trying to save money for the holidays? Compare the big genealogy subscription websites www.familytreemagazine.com/websites/genealogy-website-comparison.

I read in Facebook groups that some people get tired of getting all the same hints from their preferred website. Perhaps they do need to take a break and try out another website. I must admit, that I use Ancestry a lot. My back up site I use is Family Search which is free. When I say I use these websites, I use their record databases mainly. I do refer to other people’s tree, to see what record databases they have linked to facts to our common people. I might also use it to get a new prospective name, that I can try to research myself. However, this is getting off topic.

Like most genealogist, money is tight for our hobby. We need to be thrifty with our choices. Thus, research what is available on the sites. Keep your eye out for free weekends. If you do sign up for a free trial, make sure you read how you can cancel the free trial before charges are made against your account. I also recommend, you might want to only sign up for one at a time. Which means, whatever length of membership you chose, only have that one membership. Otherwise, you might fall back to your old habits and only use the one you always use, and not utilize the new membership fully.

Don’t forget, some libraries might have library editions to these sites and you might be able to see if they have the sources you want, or save money and use the library editions to save you money.

Finally, when creating new logins, please create an unique password for each site. I know it gets confusing trying to remember them all, but I have a password book that I write all my passwords in. I know they say don't write down your passwords, but seriously, we might have to. Just keep that book in a safe place.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 24

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 24 – Share a link to a helpful family history article you’ve read recently with a genealogy buddy. Ask her to do the same for you.

I am lucky to have such a genealogy buddy. Even though I don’t live in the same state as her anymore, we try to connect via Zoom on a regular basis.

This reminds me, I need to reach out to her and see when we can schedule another zoom meeting or two or three.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

 

The Year Ahead – November 23

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 23 – Pull out a few mystery photographs and examine the clothing with a magnifying glass. Compare the styles to those from historical eras.

How about bringing some of those mystery photographs to your family Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe someone there can help you identify the people or the era.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – November 22

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 yourbest research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 22 – Open AI Launched ChatGPT chat.openai.com in late November 2022. What genealogy-related questions have you asked it?

Here are some tips for using ChatGPT for genealogy:

• Be specific: Ask specific questions and include any relevant information in the prompt. 
• Analyze the response: Check the response for historical accuracy. 
• Treat suggestions as hints: Be ready to investigate the leads ChatGPT provides. 
• Remember previous input: ChatGPT remembers previous input in the same chat. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 21

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 21 – Plan to take your genealogy on your holiday travels. Load up on reading materials for the car, and grab printouts of any photos or research you want to share with relatives.

In this day an age of electronics, can you put any of those photos or printout on your iPad or Tablet if you have one. I use DropBox on my desktop and laptop to share files. Dd you know that the Basic (Free) plan allows up to 3 devices so you can connect your iPad or Tablet too.

If you plan on leaving the printouts, by all means print stuff out. However, I would still bring something to write new information. People may find errors and will want to correct them, or add to what you already have.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 20

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 yourbest research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 20 – Generate maps of your ancestor’s hometowns at MapQuest www.mapquest.com or Google Maps www.google.com/maps.

I do this with addresses I find on some vital records, such as birth, or from census records. Did family live near each other? It’s interesting to see that too. For example: I have a friend who purchased a home because it backed to her elderly father’s home. This way, it was easier to help him out.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 19

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 19 – Not great at small talk? Get 117 questions to ask your family at this year’s Thanksgiving gathering blog.myheritage.com/2017/03/questions-to-ask-your-family.

Okay, maybe you don’t want to ask all 117 questions, but what about making a game out of it. Place each question on a 3”x5” index card. Turn them face down and have each family member pick one and answer it. Of the 117 questions, are any in your top 10, 20 or 30? Use only those questions. Try using these 117 questions at all your family gatherings, remember, Christmas is just around the corner.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 18

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 18 – Don’t let ancestral nicknames – such as Beth, Bess, Betty, Liz or Lizbeth for Elizabeth – trip you up. Broaden your online searches to include nicknames or just a first initial.

Also think about abbreviated names such as Jas for James or Chas for Charles. Plus, I noticed some women in my family started using their middle name as an adult. For example, I have an Elizabeth as a young girl and Harriet Elizabeth as an adult.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 17

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 17 – Check in on your hardware. Are you due for an upgrade to a laptop or external hard drive? If so, research some options and add them to your holiday wish list.

I got a new laptop this spring and a new desktop, two years ago. How did I know I was due for an upgrade? For the desktop, it was running slow, would lock up when browsing and everything was taking longer than it needed to.  For my laptop, basically the same thing, but my built-in Wi-Fi adapter stopped working and that was the most frustrating thing to deal with. I did get a Wi-Fi external adapter and that sort of worked. However, it took up one of my precious few USB ports.

So, if you are looking to upgrade, I always recommend setting a budget. What do you want to spend? Then decide what you want in your computer. Some of the things I needed was a large hard drive, lots of RAM, lots of ports and I wanted to hook up more than one monitor. I wanted to hook up three, but my desktop only does two (I compromised). I wanted a small CPUS and an internal CD drive, but those are hard to find. I ended up buying an external one, for the rare times that I need it. I also wanted the best processor that I could buy with my budget. What are you willing to compromise on? Hard Drive size, RAM, price?

I started looking six months in advanced and happened to find a desktop I like at a Black Friday sale. Sadly, I struggled with some computer issues for the next year, but I think all those problems have been fixed (under warranty). The laptop I got; I didn’t directly buy. A local business has what they call Amazon Mystery Boxes, these are boxes that Amazon creates when they are clearing out warehouses of certain inventory. I have never purchased one of the boxes before, which cost $40. But on a whim, I purchased one and it had a laptop in it. Talk about lucky, right?

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 16

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 16 – Download a mobile app for genealogy that you’ve been meaning to try. Some popular options include Google PhotoScan www.google.com/photos/scan or an app for your favorite family tee-builder.

Scanning apps are very handy. You might think why do you need one, you can just take a picture of something, right? Well, yes you can, however, scanning apps can straighten out the image, often creating a PDF of the document where you can search for words, phrases and such. Things that are not possible with an image.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – November 15

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 15 – Consider donating to Reclaim the Records www.reclaimtherecords.org which has a goal of releasing records to the public.

I have followed reclaimtherecords on X, formerly known as Twitter. I am amazed at what they get accomplished. However, it sometimes takes them years to get the records that are suppose to be available to the public, to actually be available to the public. So if you have a spare money, please consider donating to them.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – November 14

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 14 – Check in on your writing goals (NaNoWrMo or otherwise). If you’re behind, schedule a mini-marathon writing session in the next week to catch up.

My writing goals are simple, such as making sure I keep up this year with the daily blog posts. I use Blogger which allows me to schedule my posts to appear on the day and time I want. This feature is very useful for my daily blog posts, I do them once a week and just schedule them to appear on the proper day and time.

Did you know that FaceBook has this same feature for Groups or Pages? Create Holiday posts ahead of time and schedule them to appear on the proper day. This way you can set aside one day a week, or monthly to do all your posts for the week or month.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 13

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 13 – It’s World Kindness Day. Do a genealogy good deed: Look up information, translate a record, or read a draft of someone’s family history.

Another way to help is join some Facebook Groups and help out when someone as a question. Just remember to be careful because the written word sometimes can appear harsh. Or, if you belong to a Genealogy Group, suggest a help day, where people can come with a simple question and you try to help them.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – November 12

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 12 – Hunt down a Thanksgiving dish from yesteryear at HeritageRecipes.com www.heritagerecipes.com/Recipes.htm. Plan to serve it at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

I love sweet potatoes, and so does my family. I found a recipe that I will definitely be trying this year. I usually like to try at least one new recipe. Many years ago, I started making my own cranberry sauce, not the gel kind in a can. It is now one of my favorites.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 11

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 11 – This Veterans Day, add your ancestor to the WWII Memorial Registry www.wwiimemorial.com

I looked up my father-in-law and didn’t find him, so I added him to the WWII Memorial Registry. His name is Michael Filipiak from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 10

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 10 – Now that it’s designed, your family newsletter is ready to be sent! Give it one last proof, then hit Send.

In case you missed it, November 7^th’s suggestion was to design a family newsletter. Personally, this might be a little fast in getting one out. So, my suggestion, pick one ancestor or relative and dedicate the newsletter about them. If you want help on future newsletters, place a little notice about looking for co-editors/writers. Keeping the newsletters short, keeps interest high and perhaps the person will read it immediately - instead of leaving it in their inbox to be looked at later. Usually, those items are forgotten and might get deleted.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 9

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 9 – Create a wish list of software, books and subscriptions you’ve been coveting. Leave it in plain sight of anyone who might give you a holiday gift.

Also, if you know of any possible sales that usually occur, leave this in that information on your wish list. For example, Ancestry’s website has had a Black Friday sale for many years, where they offer gift subscriptions at half price. I always give myself one for the year.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 8

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 8 – Look beyond standard family tree software to add-ons that locate defunct towns and create pretty charts.

I have a family tree software add-on that can create pretty family charts, it is called Charting Companion. I must admit, I haven’t used it a while. 

The above chart was found on someone's Esty page for only $3.98 and the ad states: You will love this DIY family tree. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to have one professionally made you will be able to type in family names on your own using free Adobe Acrobat software you can download online.

You can find sites that let you order blank charts that you can fill out. Make sure to check the reviews before buying anything. If it sounds too good to be true, it might be. Also, if they don’t allow payment through a third-party vendor such as PayPal to keep your information secure, and you still want to try the company. Buy a pre-paid credit card to make your purchases and thus the store won’t have your bank information to steal.

NOTE: There is a neat trick to use up those some balances from your pre-paid cards on your Amazon account. Just Google for the answer.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – November 7

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

November 7 – Design a family newsletter. Find free templates at https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/newsletters

Newsletters were more popular during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, coinciding with a surge in general interest in genealogy that was sparked by the television miniseries “Roots”.

I still think Family Newsletters can be fun, you can email the finished PDF to your family members who could either print them out or just save the issues. You could do an annual, bi-annual or maybe quarterly issues. Do you know several distant relatives who are into genealogy? You could meet once a year and create a newsletter on the interesting stuff you discover, include current activities too.

How fun would it be to compile them into one big book to share for future generations?

Other ideas, create a family history blog and publish posts similar to articles you could had included in the newsletter. How about a Facebook Group for that family line. I have two such groups, one is private for a family line and another is public for my Revolutionary Ancestor. I try to post something about once a month.  

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!