The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 8 – Check libraries and historical societies for ancestral town anniversary booklets or newspapers accounts of centennial celebrations.

Yesterday I mentioned how I used to volunteer at my local genealogical society library. That Society actively sells a pamphlet on one of the founding fathers of Lake Havasu City, Arizona - Robert McCulloch. For a small fee you can learn about him and the city.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 7 – Purchase an orphaned family Bible or photo from a flea market and track down its rightful owner using websites such as DeadFred.

It always makes me sad when I see old photos or bible being sold at flea markets or 2nd hand stores. However, I guess that is better than all the old photos and bibles that probably been tossed in the garbage after someone passes on. 

In 2014, when I use to volunteer at my local genealogical society library, we came in possession of some bible pages. I did a little research on the family that appeared in the bible pages and did a five-part blog post about the pages and people as a way to preserve it for future generations. The first Part can be read here.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 6 – Explore the digital collections on Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center www.yadvashem.org/collections.html

I have been watching a holocaust series on Hulu titled “We Were the Lucky Ones”. It’s about the Kruc family and how they will do anything to get back to their loved ones and keep their family lineage alive. I have been finding that I enjoy watching movies based on true historical facts. I learn things that weren’t taught in school. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 5 – Celebrate both Cinco De Mayo and Orthodox Easter by studying FamilySearch’s Mexican and Orthodox records www.familysearch.org/search

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 4 – Horse-racing fans flock to Churchill Downs today for the 150th Kentucky Derby. Find state-specific genealogy resources at www.familytreemagazine.com/explore-by-state

My mother said her maternal grandfather was a horse buggy racer. However, looking at old newspapers, I was unable to substantiate those claims. This doesn't mean it's not true, it just means I haven't found anything to support her claims. Thus, this is still considered family lore.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 3 – Join the hundreds of thousands of worldwide volunteers on BillionGraves www.billiongraves.com and head to your local cemetery to snap and upload cemetery pics.

BillionGraves is the world’s largest resource for searchable GPS cemetery data. Their home page has links to getting started taking photos, how to transcribe photos and they even have a free index for family and link records to your favorite family tree resources since they partnered with great companies like, FamilySearch, MyHeritage and FindmyPast.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 2 – Maybe your ancestors isn’t in US passenger lists because he first immigrated to Canada. Look for information on border-crossing records. 

Also, when did your ancestor arrive in the US? Did they arrive before 1820? If they did, it might be harder to find US passenger list for them. Have you found US Citizenship forms? Do you know they sometimes list the ship name and date that the passenger arrived. Keep in mind, your ancestor might have reported this years later and may not have remember the facts accurately.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

 

LibraryThing Mobile App

I didn’t feel much like researching today.  I decided to see what I have recorded in my account under LibraryThing.

I realized pretty quickly, that I was missing many of the books I own that pertain to genealogy. Thus, I decided to add my books. Since LibraryThing has become more popular since I first started using it back in 2017, I found adding books was a breeze.

I used the desktop version and all I had to do was click Add Books then input the ISBN number and search. The book will display on the right side of the screen and I click Add Book to add it to my collection. I get a red warning “This is a Duplicate Entry” if I already entered the book.

I decided to see if I could print out a list and when Googling for instructions, it stated to click the More option on the top tool bar. That is when I saw LibraryThing Mobile Apps for iPhones and Android. This is better than trying to print out a list.

I can search my catalog and it shows I have 59 books; it states I have 7 Collections. The Collections consist of Your library, Wishlist, currently reading, to read, read by unowned and Favorites. I basically only use Your Library.

My Library consists of 42 authors, and I can view my alphabetically sorted list. It will show how many books by that author our in my collection. I have a few that have three books and a few more that have authored 2 books, however most are only one book each. Caution, when I click on one of my authors who displayed he authored one book, I click on his name and it showed two books. The second book shown was one he co-authored. Thus, it only gives credit in the Author list for the main author of the book.

In the app, to add a book, it gives an option to scan the bar code. How convenient this will be when I purchase more books. I have several saved on my Amazon Wish List that I wish to purchase. I like purchasing books during the winter months, when I am more housebound due to the weather and have more time to read them.

If you haven’t checkout our LibraryThing and you have a large genealogy book collection, I recommend you to check them out. In years past, I had a habit of buying the book more than once, and this has helped me see what I already have.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – May 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.

May 1 – Happy May Day, the point roughly halfway between the first day of spring and the summer solstice. Review the goals you set in January and what progress you’ve made.

I had five goals for this year. 

1.) Keep up the “The Year Ahead” blog posts. – I am doing this so that is good. 

2.) Continue to participate in “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” Blog post for those themes that move me. – I am doing this too, so that is good. To see these posts, go to my other blog, “My Simple Genealogy Research Blog”. 

3.) Finish the Jones book – I am so happy that one is off my list. I finished that in late February, actually Feb 22 is when I ordered myself a copy of that book. I learned so much from that project. Copies of this book, along with two other's I published can be ordered through LuLu, from my Author's Website. 

4.) I will spend at least one day a week researching the Goodwin Family. - I have been doing pretty good with this one too. I have been averaging about two days a week except the week my sister ended up in the Hospital. 

5.) I will spend my first hour of each research day with cleaning up my paper files. – Nope, haven’t been doing that. The first day I did this, I realize that it involves doing some research to see what I should do with the papers. It distracts me from my Goodwin research. Thus, I am rethinking if I want to continue this goal. I know it needs to be done, but perhaps not on the same day as my Goodwin research day. Perhaps on a different day.

Therefore, I am very pleased with my goals, I have completed one, and am actively working on the three of them and I need to reevaluate the fifth one.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 30 – As Passover ends today at sunset, explore the excellent Jewish genealogy databases and resources at JewishGen www.jewishgen.org

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 29 – Share your discoveries. Have you identified a mystery photo, or found your great-great grandfather’s military record. Send a copy to a relative.

There are many creative ways to share your discoveries. I created a FaceBook page for one of my ancestors, my DAR Patriot ancestor. I have discovered many distant relatives when they liked the page and post their own stuff to the page. Keep in mind, that anyone can view a “page” and thus keep the personal information off of this page. 

I also created a private group for my Hilts/Hiltz lineage. We use to communicate via MyFamily a website that was operated by Ancestry. However, when they decided to discontinue the website, I decided to try a private group. One has to be accepted into the group and you must be in the group to see posts. 

I also have blogs for sharing my discoveries. I find that sometimes, my blog is the only “person” who wants to listen to my discoveries. You don’t have to do a daily, weekly or even monthly blog. You don’t even have to be a writer; I clearly am not. Just bite the bullet and do it. My blogs are a way for me to share my discoveries to future generations who might not even been born.  Check out my website. You know what they say about the internet, “Once you put something on the internet it’s there forever!” 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 28 – Organize any printed obituaries and funeral cards in your collection. Sort them by family, alphabetize them, and place them in clear sheet protectors.

In this digital age, you might want to organize your digital copies too. I have a genealogy folder in My Documents folder. Then I have a records subfolder in my Documents folder. In my records subfolder, I have subfolders that match my tree names. I have three main trees, my family, my half-siblings father’s family and my husband’s family. Under the tree folder, I have subfolders for document types, such as obituaries. Then in the obituaries folder, my obituaries are filed by the surname, first name and for females their maiden name, and their death date as DD Mon YYYY. This helps if people happen to have the same name.

So, as you are filing your printed obituaries and funeral cards, take a few moments and scan them first.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 27 – Consider talking to family, friends or neighbors. Or write down your own reflections about a favorite family member.

I write down my own reflections or my research findings as part of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Each week subscribers receive emails with a theme prompt for writing about one of our Ancestors or any relative we choose.

For example, this week’s theme is War and next week’s theme is Health. What I like about these prompts, is that is makes me review my previous research. Plus, since I post these on my personal blogs, my distant relatives might find them and reach out to connect to me. How exciting is that?

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 26 – Not your brick walls. Writing them down can help you think through steps for smashing them to bits.

If you have exhausted all the traditional methods of research and you’re looking for a 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th great grandparent, perhaps DNA will help you solve the problem. Check out “YourDNA Guide” by Diahan Southard. Her book, workbook, website, webinars and videos might be exactly what you need to break down your brick walls.

Don’t get discourage if DNA is complicated and you don’t understand everything. I didn’t either at first and I still am trying to figure it all out. However, each time I watch one of her videos, I learn a little bit more and get a little bit further with analyzing my DNA matches.

Another method of sorting your matches is using the Leeds Method by Dana Leeds. You start with your known 2nd cousins and by known, it doesn't mean you personally know them. You just know they are your 2nd cousins and thus, you don't share grandparents, like your first cousins or their children.

AncestryDNA has tried to sort a lot of your matches by parent. You then let Ancestry know which one belongs to your father’s side (Paternal) of the family and which is your mother’s side (Maternal). This is where first cousins come in handy. Your mother’s nieces and nephews would be related to you on your mom’s side while your father’s nieces and nephews are related to you on your dad’s side. Unless of course you happen to have a double first cousin, which is a cousin who shares all four grandparents. This happens when a sibling of your mom marries a sibling of your father and they have children. In this case, they might appear in the “both sides” column. Some of your matches, Ancestry just could not determine and left them in the Unassigned.

Keep in mind, this is new technology and it might not have all your matches sorted exactly correctly. For example, I noticed a “both side” match, who has surnames I find in my father’s side of the family, however this person matches two maternal side matches. Thus, it might be someone related to me on both sides of my family, a distant descendant of one of my father’s ancestors might have married a distant descendant of one of my mother’s ancestors. It will just require more research.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 25 – For National DNA Day, score the major testing companies’ websites for sales on testing kits.

Keep in mind, that some testing companies allow you to transfer the results from one company to theirs. However, AncestryDNA and 23andMe do not. Also, think about asking siblings, parents, grandparents (if you still have them) and your oldest generation of relatives to test. These older people will be closer to your ancestors and will have inherited more DNA from them.

I tested my siblings because my parents are not longer living. My siblings match distant relatives I don’t and I match relatives they don’t. Think about your 1^st cousins, your parents’ nieces and nephews. Those cousins might match distant relatives that you and your siblings don’t. We can’t all inherit everything from our ancestors.

Think of it this way, if your grandparents were given 100 marbles each, and they just grabbed at random 50 to give to their child, such as one of your parents. Then they started over and gave 50 to your aunt or uncle. Now if both of your parents then grabbed 50 each to give you and then grabbed 50 each to give to your siblings. You can see how you won’t get the same 100 marbles as your siblings. Your Dad and his brother won’t get the same 50 from each parent and thus are giving each of their children different 50 marbles. Thus, your cousin might get a marble that your dad never got. Therefore, the more test results you have access to, might help discover who your 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th great grandparents are.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 24 – See what research tips and digital images the University of Minnesota’s Immigration history Research Center has for you  https://cla.umn.edu/ihrc .

Sadly, immigration has become a hot political topic. As a genealogist, I know my ancestors were immigrates, and some experienced the same biases that many today are feeling. Let’s put our political views aside and understand why our ancestors fled their native countries. Some were fleeing oppression, others war, some even famine. I notice this is still the reason people are fleeing their home lands.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 23 – Time to create or review your genealogy reading list. Library Thing www.librarything.com is a great app for this task.

I found Library Thing many years ago. I created a personal library of all the genealogy books I own. I had found that when I was at a book store, I was buying the same book more than once. Not so much a problem anymore, since most bookstores have very little genealogy sections. I buy my books on line. However, if I am reading a blog and they recommend a book, I might not be in my office to see my book collection, Library Thing is access via the internet and then I can see what books I have.

If you like buying books through Amazon, it will remember your past purchases, however I like adding books to my wish list and then when I know I have time to read a new book, I can find it quickly to buy.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 22 – Celebrate Earth Day by finding ways to cut back on paper in your research.

If like me, you started genealogy before personal computers were a thing, you might find it hard to not print out everything. However, since I have a computer background, I took the leap to saving digitally many moons ago. However, there are some things that I still like to have paper for. To-do-list are one. I like writing down what my goals are, the steps to achieve the goals and then crossing off the items.

Error reports are handy to print out and then cross off the name as errors are fixed.

I also use a scrap piece of paper to leave myself a note of where I left off on my research. I could use the task area of my genealogy program, but I find paper so much easier. I am currently researching all the descendants of one of my 3^rd great grandparents. I like to research the descendants similar to an outline descendant report, where I find all the children of a couple, then move to the oldest and find all their children, and move down until I get to the present-day descendants. I try to find all the vital information about each person. I repeat this up and down process until I have found all the children of the present-day descendants before moving to a sibling and repeating the process. Thus, my scrap piece of paper lets me know what person I am on.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 21 – Go back to the One-Step Webpages site www.stevemorse.org  to explore tools for immigration databases, the Social Security Death Index, vital-records indexes and more.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 20 – Thank the volunteers at your local genealogical or history society. (Better yet, why not volunteer yourself?)

Not sure if you know enough to volunteer yourself? Volunteering is a great way to expand your own genealogical knowledge. Helping newbies can help yourself to return to the basics. Watch other volunteers as they help patrons and you might pick up a new skill or too.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 19 – Not successful with your Ellis Island searches so? Try the Ellis Island Search Forms on One-Step Webpages https://stevemorse.org/index.html

This site contains tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications. Some of these tools fetch data from other websites but do so in more versatile ways.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 18 – A major earthquake struck San Francisco on this day in 1906. Peruse historical newspapers to find out more about this and other disasters your ancestors lived through. 

Did you know that an earthquake caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards and changed the path of the river.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck on February 7, 1812. It was strong enough to create new depressions in the land and reverse the flow of the Mississippi River. In addition to destroying settlements, the earthquake also changed the natural landscape. The earthquake caused parts of the land to sink by at least 5 to 20 feet and created a new body of water in northeast Tennessee and another in eastern Arkansas. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 17 – Observe Ellis Island Family History Day by searching for immigrant ancestors at https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger

To view images, you will need to create a free account. Be Patient, it might look like they just want to sell you things, but you can view the actual manifest page for free.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 16 – You’re perfectly law-abiding, of course, but an ancestor may have done some jail time. Get hints on researching court and institutional records at Blacksheep Ancestors www.blacksheepancestors.com. 

I am amazed what a person can find even on living people in the court records of your state or county in the United States. I could not remember when my daughter’s divorce was granted and I found it in the county court records. I just type in a last name, and everyone with that last name that had a court case shows up. I even found the traffic accident I was in and was sued over in the list looking for her divorce date.

Does someone seem to disappear, see if perhaps they died and you might find their probate record. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 15 – The Titanic sunk in the early hours of 15 April 192. Research this shipwreck and others at the Ships List www.theshipslist.com

Dr. William Minahan and Lillian	Their home: 156 E 4th St, Fond du Lac, WI

From my hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Dr William, Lillian (his wife) and Daisy (his sister) Minahan were abroad. Early in 1912 the trio returned to Ireland to visit their ancestral homeland. They boarded the Titanic in Queenstown, the last stop before heading out across the Atlantic. As the ship sank, William helped his wife and sister into Boat 14 and told them to ‘be brave” as he stayed behind. The Minahan women were rescued by the Carpathia and made their way back to Wisconsin

When Dr. Minahan’s body was recovered a few days after the sinking by the Mackay Bennet, he was identified as No. 230 and described as such: Estimated age 60. Hair – Grey. Clothing – Black suit and overcoat. Effects – pocketbook, papers, gold watch, keys, knife, fountain pen among other things – a man’s final effects, small testimony to a life lost. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 14 – Let’s hope your tax return is well on its way to Uncle Sam! Your ancestor’s tax records make good substitutes for missing censuses. Use the links at www.cyndislist.com/taxes to start searching.

CyndisList is a must save in your bookmarks for your computer, tablet or phone. She has taken many painstaking hours to compile and organize these links. She spends additional hours verifying that they still work. Check out her site if you haven’t already done so, you won’t be disappointed.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 13 – Make sure you’re subscribed to Family Tree’s free email newsletter for genealogy news and research tips www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletters. You’ll get some great downloads tools.

Looking back at the newsletter I received on Friday, April 5, I could have obtained a free Cousin Chart. The articles are quick reads and can expand your genealogy knowledge base. You can receive them daily or weekly. Plus get other offers. I recommend at least subscribing to the weekly news.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 12 – The Civil War began at Fort Sumter 163 years ago. Search the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm 

Try searching for Ancestor’s who would have been alive during the Civil War to see if they fought. 

Did you know that many Civil War Veterans also have pension files? Visit The National Archives on line https://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/resources, you can request the Military Pension Application for $80 and receive the file as a CD/DVD, electronic transfer or paper copy. I recommend getting it digitally. You can always print out pages if you need to. You will have to create a free account. I wasn’t disappointed with the two reports I sent for. One was in paper format, printed on legal size paper and over 100 pages long. The other arrived as a CD and I could print out pages as I deemed fit. I like the digital because I can zoom in and make the print larger to read.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 11 – Review your list of DNA matches for new possible relatives. New people are taking DNA tests all the time!

Do you know how to just find the new people? On Ancestry, when you are viewing your matches, you can filter to see all the unviewed matches, but if you really want to see the most recent, also sort the unviewed by newest to oldest date.

For 23andMe, when viewing your DNA Relatives, sort by: Newest Relatives.

For FTDNA, when using the Family Finder Matches, Sort by: Most Recent Matches.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 10 – It’s Siblings Day. Double-check your software or online tree for missing data about your ancestor’s brothers or sisters.

I know a lot of people who only want to trace their direct ancestors. This is great, however, I always suggested to at least add all their direct ancestors’ children/siblings. It was through a sibling that I found the names of my ancestor’s parents, (especially the mother’s maiden name). I could not find my ancestor’s marriage record, but I found the marriage record for the sibling of the wife, and it listed their shared parents’ names. Then I went to the marriage record for one of the siblings for the husband and found his parents. This allowed me to take my research back another generation.

Siblings’ obituaries might give you clues about not only their shared parents, but whether your ancestor was alive at their death and where they might be living. If they preceded their sibling, it might list when your ancestor died. Perhaps, your ancestor and their siblings are buried in the same cemetery. The more people you research, the more clues you can uncover in your genealogy journey.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 9 – File any stray digital photos that are on your hard drive or desktop.

Have you developed a filing system? It doesn’t have to be complicated. In your pictures folder, you could have a genealogy subfolder for genealogy related photos. Have photos from various trips? Create a trip subfolder in your pictures folder and then under that folder, create another folder for the trip. For example, I took a trip to Alaska in May of 2022. Thus under my trips folder, I have one called. Alaska 2022 or perhaps you want it sorted by year, then call it 2022 Alaska.

Have you given your digital photos meaningful names? If the picture is of your daughter in 3rd grade, then label the picture with your daughter's name, such as last name, first name 3rd grade school picture. Do you know the year, then add that to the name too. Taking the few seconds now will make it easier in the long run to find that picture you might want to print out, share with family or friends, or even to add it to your genealogy software program. 

Have you thought about creating photobooks from your photos? If they are organized, tackling such a project will be so much easier.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 8 – Browse the website of local genealogical or historical societies. Look for resources such as classes, webinars, publications and records and consider attending a meeting.

Not sure how to find your local genealogical or historical societies. I did a search for "genealogy sheboygan county".  Many links came up and I noticed the last one was for the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center. Once on their website, I saw classes and resources they offer.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 7 – April shows bring May folowes – and a chance to catch up on genealogy TV shows like “Find Your Roots” (PBS) and “Relative Race” (BYUtv).

I use my TV antenna to get my local channels including the PBS station, however when the weather is questionable, I don’t always have a signal strength to get the channel. PBS offer a free app available on most streaming devices and you can actually watch local live PBS with this app. You can also view past episodes too. Select your local PBS channel and you are good to go. You can also view from your computer.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 6 – Search for images of your ancestors’ gravestone at Find a Grave www.findagrave.com or Interment.net www.interment.net.

Photo added by Steve Seim

You could also try Billion Graves https://billiongraves.com/search too.

I love the clues you can find at Find A Grave. Not only an image of your ancestors’ gravestone, you might find pictures of them too. Some memorial pages even has their obituary included.

Keep in mind that the links to their parents, spouse, children and siblings are only hints. These are suggested by users and I have found some with errors. I recently found that a couple had two of their grandchildren attached as children. This is because mom’s name and grandma’s name were the same. I easy made a suggested edit, with a free account, and change the suggested link to grandma’s memorial to their mother’s memorial. Within 24-48 hours I received an email confirmation that the edit was approved.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 5 – Do you have an image of an unknown object or place? Try a search using Google Lens <https://lens.google/#cta-section>.

I never heard of this website, so I quickly decided to check them out. They have a scan box you can scan with your phone to get the app.

It basically opened up my Chrome on my phone and then I press the camera icon next to the search box and I pointed my phone towards my metal water bottle. It found some water bottle similar to it, same color and everything. I will have to try this when I am out a about in the world.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 4 – Collect five to then family history questions to ask a relative. Call or email to set up a time to talk.

Remember, the relative doesn’t have to be an older relative, especially if you are the oldest generation, as in my case. But cousins to find out exactly when their children were born, who are their grandchildren. Perhaps they have a favorite story of your shared grandparent.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 3 – Research DNA testing options ahead of DNA Day later this month. The advice on page 42 of the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine can help.

I have seen DNA experts recommend that if money is tight, to test at Ancestry first, since they are the biggest database, then upload your RAW DNA data to MyHeritage, FTDNA and LivingDNA. It may either be free or a very small fee. Then if you get a chance test with 23andMe. Why at all these DNA testing companies, because some people only have tested at one place. It was through a match on 23andMe that gave me a copy of my Ancestry for my previously unknown biological maternal grandfather. It was Ancestry that actually helped me figure out who he was.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 2 – The 1950 US census was related to the public two years ago today. Search it (and other censuses) for free at FamilySearch www.familysearch.org.

I have a subscription to Ancestry.com and I use it as my main lookup place. However, if I can’t find someone in a census, I sometimes go to FamilySearch to see if they might have indexed the name differently. Also, if Ancestry.com lists a FamilySearch film number, I sometimes go to their website and see if I can view an actual document.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – April 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.

April 1 – Celebrate April Fools’ Day by writing down a funny family story or Grandpa’s corniest joke.

I wish I knew my grandpas’ corniest joke, unfortunately, my maternal grandpa died before I was born and the other one died by the time I turned 5 and I have no memories of him.

However, my father had a funny or maybe not so funny story. He had deep scratch scars on one arm and I would ask how he got those. The story would change from fighting a bear, to a lion to a tiger. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that my aunt, his sister let the cat out of the bag. My dad had a motorcycle and someone ran him off the road and he end up driving next to a barbed-wired fence and left him bloody. He then went to his sister’s home and she tended to his wounds.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! 

The Year Ahead – March 31

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.

March 31 – Back up your family tree data, and print updated research logs and charts.

Happy Easter, print out those charts so that you can share them around the dinner table. Always have a backup plan for your family tree data. My plan consists of a nightly cloud service backup, that backups not only my genealogy data, but all my data found on my computer. Then once a month, I back up my folders to an external drive. 

Develop a plan and in my case, I pick the first Monday of each month to do my manual backup and it’s a recurring event on my calendar and thus I get a reminder on my phone.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – March 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.

March 30 – Did you inherit Grandma’s China or wedding ring? Catalog your family heirlooms with a free trial of Artifcts www.artifcts.com

Yes, this is the way they spell it. You will need to create your free account. Please don’t create the account from your Facebook, Google or Apple account, it’s best to sign up with email and then create an unique password. This way if somehow your Facebook, Google or Apple account get’s hacked, you won’t be locked out of your other accounts that use it to create the account.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – March 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.

March 29 – Easter is this weekend! Get hopping to learn more about your favorite family traditions.

If you still have older family members around and will be seeing them this Easter, take the time to ask them what Easter was like as a child. In my family, my mother would hide all the easter baskets for her nine children, no easy task. She made the mistake of putting one in the oven, and since it was a gas oven with a running pilot light, the small heat melted all the chocolate. 

I also hid my children’s easter baskets, making sure I made a good mental note where they were hidden. My youngest daughter was the worst searcher. I once place it under her bed and she never found it. After tears, I had to take her to room and tell her to look under her bed.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

The Year Ahead – March 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.

March 28 – Run searches at your favorite genealogy websites – even if you’ve already done so this year. New records may have been added or indexed.

I am amazed how much more information is available on-line today then just 10 years ago. I remember when sharing a story, I found about an ancestor to my brother, many years ago, he commented that it seemed I was finding more information in my genealogy. That is when I let him know that so much more is available on-line these days.

Plus, by re-running these searches, you will also be revisiting your previous research findings and notes. Maybe what you know today will make something in your previous research jump out and open a door for new research.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!