Category Archives: RootsTech

Leave No Stone Unturned, No Ancestor Behind: 10 Easy Steps to Capture DNA Clues

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There’s a lot, a whole lot that DNA testing can tell you. Not just your own tests, but the genetic information carried by your relatives that you do not.

Recently, I’ve been reviewing my brick walls, which led me to realize there are several ancestors who are missing their mitochondrial DNA and/or Y-DNA  results. I need these to learn more about my ancestors that can’t be revealed any other way – and to break down those pesky brick walls.

I’ve solved two mysteries recently, one thanks to a Big Y-700 test, and a second very unexpectedly thanks to mitochondrial DNA – both thanks to cousins who tested. These revelations were very encouraging, especially since there’s no way other than DNA for me to break through these brick walls. The mitochondrial test had been sitting there, waiting for what seemed like forever until just the right other person tested.

I am in the process of unlocking several brick-walled ancestors by providing testing scholarships to people who are appropriately descended from known ancestors in those lines.

Don’t leave information on the table. If I were to tell you there even MIGHT be a book available about your family, you’d overturn Heaven and Earth to find it – but you don’t need to do that. All you need to do is order DNA tests for cousins.

All cousins can provide useful autosomal DNA results, but you do need to find appropriate cousins for Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA testing.

I’m sharing the steps for how I accomplish this! You’ll be amazed at what’s out there – and someone may already have tested!

Take Advantage of the Holidays

I’m sharing NOW because it’s the holidays and you’re likely to gather with people you don’t see any other time – and because the best sale of the year for both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA lasts from now through the end of the year.

These two factors combined mean strike while the iron is hot.

Prices for new tests and bundles are at an all-time low.

If you or your relatives have already taken a lower-level test, now is the time to upgrade to either the Big Y-700 or the mtFull Sequence test.

Step 1 – Test Yourself and Your Known Family

If you’re a male, order both the Big Y-700 test and mitochondrial DNA tests.

Be sure to click on “See More” for more useful tools.

When you receive your results, be sure to click on all of the tabs in your results, and do the same by clicking through to Discover from your account. Discover has 13 more goodies for you to help with your genealogy.

Both your personal page and Discover are essentially chapters of your own personal book about your DNA results. 25 very interesting chapters, to be precise, that are uniquely you.

I’ve written about understanding Y-DNA results here, and mitochondrial results here. My book, Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA, covers both along with Discover.

Discover provides robust information for Y-DNA haplogroups. If you’ve taken a Big Y-700 test, you’ll want to click through from your page to receive additional, personalized and more robust information than is available through the free public Discover tool. That said, the public version of Discover is an amazing tool for everyone.

After the new Mitotree is released for mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial haplogroups will be available in Discover too.

I can’t even begin to stress how important these tools are – in particular the Time Tree, the Group Time Tree for members of group projects, and the Match Time Tree for your own matches.

Who Can Test For What?

Once you’ve tested yourself, you will want to take a look in your pedigree chart at branches further up your tree to see who can be tested to represent specific ancestors.

Let’s begin with my father’s side.

A mother contributes her mitochondrial DNA to all of her children, so your father carries the mitochondrial DNA of his mother.

If you’re a female, and your father is available to test, you’ll want to test BOTH his mitochondrial DNA and Y-DNA, because there’s no way for you to obtain that information from your own test. Females don’t have a Y chromosome, and men don’t pass on their mitochondrial DNA.

If you’re a male, you can test your own mitochondrial DNA and Y-DNA, but you’ll need to test your father’s mitochondrial DNA to obtain his mother’s. You might still want to test your father’s Y-DNA, however, because you may discover a personal family haplogroup. How cool is that??!! Your own tiny branch on the tree of mankind!

Your father’s mitochondrial DNA provides you with mitochondrial matches and haplogroup information for your paternal grandmother – in this case, Ollie Bolton.

If your father and his siblings can’t test, then all of the children of your paternal aunts carry your paternal grandmother’s mitochondrial DNA.

If they have no children or they can’t test, then the children of Ollie Bolton’s mother, Margaret Claxton/Clarkson all carry her mitochondrial DNA, and the children of Ollie’s sisters continue the line of descent through all daughters to the current generation.

The male children of Joseph “Dode” Bolton and Margaret Claxton carry his Y-DNA. Fortunately, that’s not one of our missing haplogroups.

Yes, you may have to climb up your tree and climb down various branches to find a testing candidate.

One of the reasons I’m using this example is because, while I have a high-level haplogroup for my grandmother, Ollie Bolton, we need a full sequence tester – and I’m offering a mitochondrial DNA testing scholarship for anyone descending from Margaret Claxton (or her direct female ancestors) through all females to the current generation, which can be male.

Ok, now let’s switch to the maternal side of your tree.

On the other side of your tree, your maternal grandfather or your mother’s brothers will provide the Y-DNA of your mother’s father’s line. Your mother’s uncles or their sons will provide your grandfather’s Y-DNA line, too. In this case, that’s John Whitney Ferverda, who carries the Y-DNA of his father, Hiram Bauke Ferverda/Ferwerda.

Your maternal grandfather or his siblings will provide the mitochondrial DNA of their mother, Evaline Louise Miller.

If they are deceased or can’t test, for mitochondrial DNA, look to the children of Evaline Miller’s daughters or their descendants through all females to the current generation, which can be male.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I do need Evaline Miller’s mitochondrial line too and am offering a scholarship.

You might have noticed that I’ve been inching my way up my tree. All of my immediate relatives have passed over already, so I’m now looking for testers that I don’t know but who I’m related to.

If you’re seeing family members anytime soon, figure out if their Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, or autosomal DNA would be useful for your common genealogy. Take advantage of the opportunity.

Next, you’ll want to figure out which ancestors need haplogroups and locate appropriate cousins.

Step 2 – Identify Ancestors Who Need Haplogroups

Peruse your tree to determine which of your ancestors you need haplogroup information for. To make it easy, on my computer, but never in a public tree anyplace, I store the haplogroup of my ancestor as a “middle name” so I can easily see which ones I have and which ones I need. Sometimes, I have a high-level haplogroup and either need a new tester or someone to upgrade.

Sometimes, I have one tester from a line but need a second for confirmation.

In this example, I’m not missing confirmation on any Y-DNA haplogroups (although I am further upstream on different lines,) but I do need four different mitochondrial DNA lineages.

For easy reference, make a list of all of the lines you can’t confirm with two testers from different children of the same ancestor.

You just might get lucky and discover that someone has already tested!

Step 3 – Check FamilyTreeDNA Projects

Check FamilyTreeDNA Projects to see if someone has already tested to represent those ancestors on your list.

Click here for the Group Project Search. It’s located at the very bottom of the main FamilyTreeDNA page in the footer.

I’m going to use Estes as an example since I’m the volunteer administrator of that project and am very familiar with the lineages.

I’m searching for projects that include the surname Estes.

The projects displayed on the list are projects where the volunteer administrators listed Estes as a possible surname of interest. It doesn’t mean those projects will be of interest to everyone or every line with that surname, but evaluate each project listed.

You probably want the surname project, but if there’s not a surname project for your surname, try alternate spellings or consider checking other projects.

You can see at the bottom that 384 people of both sexes by the surname of Estes have tested at FamilyTreeDNA.

Now, let’s look at the Estes project. Note that not everyone with the Estes surname has joined the Estes project.

I’ve clicked on the “Estes” link which takes me to an additional information page where I can read a description and click to view the project.

For the Estes project, you do not have to join to view the results. Nor does your surname have to be Estes. All Estes descendants of any line are welcome. Everyone can benefit from the Advanced Matching within project feature to see who else you match within the project by selecting a wide range of individual and combined filters.

Click on the Project Website link shown in the search results.

If you’re searching for a male Estes ancestor, you’ll want to review the project’s Y-DNA Results and the Group Time Tree, for sure, and possibly the Map as well.

Let’s pretend I’m trying to determine if anyone has tested who descends from my ancestor, Abraham Estes, the founding Estes ancestor in Virginia who arrived in the mid-1600s.

In the Estes project, the volunteer administrator has divided the Estes male participants by sons of Abraham, the immigrant. Only three are shown here, but there are several.

Some of the participants have completed their Earliest Known Ancestor information, in the red box. Sometimes people don’t think to update these when they make breakthroughs.

If you descend from Abraham’s son, Sylvester, three men have taken the Big Y-700. That’s the test results you need.

If you descend from Abraham’s son, Abraham, no project participants have taken the Big-Y test to represent that line, although six people have tested, so that’s great news. Maybe you can offer an upgrade scholarship to one or some of those men.

In other words, to establish the haplogroup for that lineage, at least two men need to test or upgrade to the Big Y-700, preferably through two different sons of the common ancestor. A new, more defining haplogroup is often formed every two or three generations for Y-DNA.

Your genetic pedigree chart looks a lot like your genealogy pedigree chart.

Click any image to enlarge

The project Group Time Tree shows selected groups of men who have taken Big Y tests, along with their Earliest Known Ancestor, if they’ve provided the information. This is one of the reasons why the Big Y-700 is so critically important to genealogy. The time granularity is amazing and can answer the question of whether men by the same surname descend from the same common ancestor – and when.

If you’ve taken a Family Finder autosomal test at FamilyTreeDNA, or uploaded an autosomal file from another vendor, you may match one of these men or another male that descends from the Estes line if they, too, have taken an autosomal test.

This same process applies to mitochondrial DNA, but generally surname projects aren’t (as) relevant for mitochondrial DNA since the surname changes every generation. However, sometimes other projects, such as the Acadian AmerIndian Project are quite beneficial if you have Acadian ancestry, or a geographic or regional project like the French Heritage Project, or something like the American Indian Project.

Another great way to find testers is by utilizing your Family Finder test.

Step 4 – Family Finder at FamilyTreeDNA

The next step is to see if you match anyone with the surname you’re searching for by using your autosomal test results, so select your Family Finder Matches.

At FamilyTreeDNA you’ll want to search your matches by the surname you seek. This surname search lists any tester who has that surname, or anyone who has entered that surname in their surname list. Please note that this search does NOT read ancestors in your matches’ trees. You’ll still need to view trees.

Reviewing the 32 Estes Family Finder matches reveals several men, but one man with the Estes surname has already taken a Y-DNA 25-marker test, so he would be an excellent candidate to offer a Big Y-700 upgrade scholarship. If he’s not interested or doesn’t respond, there are several more men to contact.

Click on your match’s name to display the profile card, along with the Earliest Known Ancestors, both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups if they have tested, and the assigned haplogroup based on their testing level.

Craft an email and offer a testing scholarship. This will help both of you. I’ll provide a sample email at the end of this article.

If you match a female with an Estes surname, her father, brother, uncle or cousin may either have already tested or be willing.

If you match someone who has a different surname, that means they have an Estes surname in their surname list and may know a potential tester. If your match has a tree, click to check.

I’ve found that matching through a company where you’ve both tested is the easiest way to encourage someone to take an additional test, but certainly, it’s not the only way.

Step 5 – WikiTree

WikiTree is a quick and easy way to see if anyone has taken a Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA test that should reflect a particular ancestor’s Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA.

I just googled “Moses Estes 1711-1787 WikiTree” and clicked to view.

Each ancestor includes both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA information, in addition to people who descend from that ancestor through only autosomal lines.

In this case, two men have provided their Y-DNA results that pertain to Moses Estes. They have tested at different levels, which is why they have different haplogroups. That doesn’t mean either is “wrong,” one is just more refined than the other. You can correlate their kit number with the Estes surname project. People often don’t update their haplogroup information at WikiTree when it’s updated at FamilyTreeDNA.

Please note that if the genealogy is wrong, either at WikiTree or individually, the haplogroup may not reflect the appropriate lineage for the ancestor. Check to be sure that there’s no conflict showing between two testers for the same ancestor. For example, the same ancestor clearly can’t have two different base haplogroups, like E and R. The Discover Compare tool can help you evaluate if two haplogroups are in the same part of the Y-DNA tree.

When possible, it’s always best to test a close family member to represent your lineage even if someone else has already tested.

Scan down the list of autosomal testers for that ancestor to see if there’s someone with the Estes surname.

WikiTree provides additional tools to find descendants.

Sign in to WikiTree. You’ll see the ID of the profile you’re viewing – in this case – Estes-167. Click the down arrow and select “Descendants.”

This view shows all descendants through five generations, but you can click on DNA Descendants to see only Y-DNA descendants, X-DNA, or mitochondrial DNA descendants for female ancestors.

You may find people who are living and have added themselves who you can contact to offer a DNA testing scholarship.

Step 6 – MyHeritage

At MyHeritage, you can also search your DNA matches by surname.

Click on “Review DNA Match” to view more detail, including locations. Look to see if you have a Theory of Family Relativity Match which suggests how you may be related. That’s golden!

There’s no Y-DNA information at MyHeritage, BUT, you can search by surname and view DNA matches that either carry that surname or have that surname in their tree as an ancestor.

I have a total of 75 “Estes” matches, and other than the kits that I manage, searching through my matches shows:

  • Two Estes men connected to the same small tree, but that’s OK, I’m a genealogist!

  • One Estes male match with a Theory of Family Relativity. My lucky day!

You can contact your match easily through the MyHeritage messaging system and offer a DNA testing scholarship at FamilyTreeDNA. You may also want to share your email address.

MyHeritage customers may not be familiar with Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA testing, so you might want to share this article about the 4 Kinds of DNA for Genealogy.

MyHeritage testers can also upload their DNA file to FamilyTreeDNA for free to receive autosomal matches plus a complimentary mid-range Y-DNA haplogroup. This free haplogroup is not even close to the detailed resolution of a Big Y-700 test, but it’s something, and it may well be an enticing first step for people who are only familiar with autosomal testing.

Step 7 – At Ancestry

At Ancestry, select DNA Matches and then search by surname.

You can search by the surname of the tester, which is very useful, or by people who have Estes in their trees.

I started with the surname Estes, because it’s the most straightforward and I may find a perfect male candidate for Y-DNA. If someone’s “screen name” doesn’t show as Estes, they won’t appear in the results of this search. In other words, if your Ancestry screen name is “robertaestes” you won’t show in this search, but “Roberta Estes” will.

For mitochondrial DNA, you would want to search for the surname in your matches’ trees. Unfortunately, you cannot search for the specific ancestor in someone’s tree, at least not directly.

Of my 19 Estes surname matches, ten are males, and of them:

  • Three have unlinked trees
  • Three have very small linked trees, but I can work on extending those if need be
  • Three have public linked trees AND a common ancestor, which means ThruLines

I can review which ancestor we share by clicking on my match’s name

The Estes side of this man’s tree has only one person and is marked “private,” but Ancestry has suggested common ancestors based on other people’s trees. (Yes, I know trees are dicey, but bear with me.)

It’s also worth mentioning that you can be related through multiple lines. I share surnames from Acadian lines with this man, but that really doesn’t matter here because I’m only using autosomal matching to find an Estes male.

Click on “View Relationship” to see our common Estes ancestor’s ThruLine.

The ThruLine shows how Ancestry thinks we’re related on the Estes line.

I can also click on “View ThruLines” to see all Thrulines for John R. Estes, which shows four additional males, some of which did NOT appear in the Estes surname search, and some of which don’t appear further up the tree. In other words, check all Estes ThruLine ancestor generations.

Don’t rely solely on Ancestry’s surname search.

Go directly to your ThruLines on the DNA menu.

Ancestry only reaches back seven generations, which for me is Moses Estes and Luremia Combs. Moses has 95 matches, but he has been given some incorrect children. Again, for this purpose, it doesn’t matter. Within all ThruLine matches, I found three Estes males who all descend through John R. Estes. Check every generation.

However, Luremia Combs shows promise for mitochondrial DNA descendants. Unfortunately, only two of her daughters are represented in ThruLines, and both of their descendants descend through Luremia’s grandsons. That’s too bad, because I need Luremia’s mitochondrial DNA line.

It’s easy to message your Ancestry matches. You may want to mention that they can upload their DNA file to FamilyTreeDNA for free where they will receive more matches and males will receive a complimentary mid-level Y-DNA haplogroup.

Please note that, in general, ThruLines need to be evaluated very carefully and are prone to errors, especially if you accept Ancestry’s suggestions of ancestors instead of carefully building out your own tree. Regardless, you can still find Estes cousin matches in your match list and by using ThruLines to find people that do not show up in an “Estes” match search.

Step 8 – At 23andMe

At 23andMe, you can search for anyone who either has the Estes surname or has included that surname in their “Family surnames” list. Keep in mind that your matches at 23andMe are restricted to either 1500 if you don’t have a subscripition, or about 4500 if you do have a subscription.

On my match list, I have two males with the Estes surname.

23andMe provides a mid-level Y-DNA haplogroup. You can’t use this to confirm the lineage when comparing with FamilyTreeDNA, especially given that 23andMe provides no genealogy or user-provided tree, but it is a clue.

Both Estes men at 23andMe have Y-DNA haplogroup R-CTS241. You could use this in some cases to potentially eliminate these matches at 23andMe. For example, if men in your lineage in the Estes project are in haplogroup R and your 23andMe matches are showing as haplogroup E, or any other base haplogroup, their common ancestor is tens of thousands of years ago.

Comparing the 23andMe haplogroup, which in this case is about 4500 years old, to contemporary testers who have taken the Big Y-700, which reaches within a few generations, isn’t terribly useful. These matches are extremely useful to identify individuals to reach out to for further information and potentially offer a Y-DNA testing scholarship at FamilyTreeDNA.

Remember, this also applies to females who have included Estes in their family surnames, given that they may have Estes male relatives.

By clicking to view your match, you can see if they have provided Family Background information, including a link to a family tree someplace.

Sometimes, there’s great information here, and other times, nothing.

You can’t verify this lineage without genealogy information.

I suggest leaving a genealogy-focused message, including where they can see your tree in addition to your Estes connection. Also include your e-mail.

You may want to say that if they descend appropriately, you have a Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA testing scholarship, or you may want to wait to see how they descend. You can also ask if they have already taken a Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA test at FamilyTreeDNA.

Step 9 – FamilySearch and Relatives at RootsTech

We’re getting ready for RootsTech 2025 which takes place in March. In the month or so before the last two RootsTechs, FamilySearch provided an absolutely wonderful tool called “Relatives at RootsTech.”

I’ve written about this several times, but essentially, you can see, by ancestor, other people who are registered both in-person and virtually for RootsTech, and how they descend.

Here’s an example.

In both years, I’ve found several people who descended from common ancestors AND were very willing to take the relevant DNA test. That’s a huge win-win for everyone.

The best part is that because these people have freshly registered for RootsTech, the reply rate is almost 100%.

I’ll write about this as soon as RootsTech makes it available this year. Fingers crossed that they do!

Step 10 – Social Media

Social media wouldn’t be my first choice to find DNA testers, but I have found perfectly willing cousins this way. You may be less successful on Facebook or other social media platforms, but if you’re striking out elsewhere, there’s absolutely no downside to trying.

You can enter a surname and search on Facebook, but I prefer to do a Google search like “Estes genealogy on Facebook” or even just “Estes genealogy,” which will produce far more widespread information, some of which may be irrelevant.

That Facebook Google search provided the names of two groups. People join groups because they have an interest, and I’ve had good luck in Facebook genealogy groups.

A Search of “Estes” on Facebook itself, then selecting “people” provided a list of Estes Facebook users.

I’ve had far better luck by joining a group that is focused on Estes genealogy, or even a county genealogy group that includes Estes families, than individuals. People who join any Estes group or project likely have an interest in that surname.

If you have a common surname, or there’s a park named after your surname, like Estes Park, you’ll probably want to focus by using Google searches for Estes genealogy.

The Descendants of Abraham Estes Facebook group has 222 members, of whom at least 31 are males with the Estes surname. Facebook just might be an underestimated resource.

If there isn’t a genealogy-focused group for your surname, you might want to consider starting one and encouraging people to join.

It can’t hurt, and it just might help. Before you start reaching out to random people on Facebook, please do a privacy checkup – I wrote about how, here.

Sale Prices

Remember, the sale prices at FamilyTreeDNA for new tests and upgrades last through year-end.

In my experience, it’s best to test as soon as someone agrees. You never know what will happen otherwise. I’ve had people pass away before they could swab. And yes, we’ve done funeral home swabs, too.

There’s no one-size-fits-all, but here’s a rough draft contact letter.

Potential Contact Letter

You’ll want to include several critical pieces of information.

Essentially:

  • Introduce yourself
  • Say their full name on their test AND the testing company in the title of an email. I manage many tests and if I receive an email that says, “Hi, can you tell me how we match” without telling me which person they match, I can’t even begin to answer.
  • Explain your genealogy connection
  • State your purpose in writing
  • Explain how a specific test will help them too
  • Offer to answer questions

Be sure to modify this letter to reflect your own voice and circumstances. You don’t want this to read like a form letter.

Dear cousin (insert their full name here,)

It was so nice to find our DNA match at <company name> (or we share a common ancestor, or appropriate circumstance.) (If you are managing someone else’s kit, say the name of who they match and explain that you manage their DNA kit.)

I descend from (ancestor plus birth and death date) who lived in Halifax County, Virginia and was married to (spouse.) You can view my tree at (insert link that does not require a subscription for viewing unless you match them on that platform. I use MyHeritage because everyone can view their trees)

I would very much like to confirm that our line descends from Abraham Estes (or relevant information meaning your reason for wanting them to test.)

Given that my surname is x (or I’m a female), we need to test the Y-DNA of a male who is descended from (ancestor) through all males to the current generation. (Or mitochondrial DNA descended through females to the current generation which can be male.)

FamilyTreeDNA provides this testing and shows who you match on that specific line using the Y chromosome (mitochondrial DNA).

This testing may connect us with earlier ancestors. Genetics can be used to determine when we share common Estes ancestors with others who test, where we come from overseas, and when. Even if we match ancient DNA samples that may tell us where our ancestors lived before surnames. In other words, where did we come from?

(Include a nice paragraph, but not a book about your ancestral lineage here.)

I have a DNA testing scholarship for someone from this line and you are the perfect candidate. I would like to take advantage of the current sales. If you’re interested, I only need two things from you.

First, permission so that I can order (or upgrade) and pay for the test, and second, an address where to send the test (unless it’s an upgrade). (If it’s an upgrade at FamilyTreeDNA, they can use a stored sample or will sent them a new kit if there’s not enough DNA.)

If you have any questions, please let me know. I’m very excited that we may be able to learn more about our heritage.

Please email me at xxx or call me at xxx if you have questions.

Your name

I know one person who offers to review results over Zoom. Someone else stresses that the tester’s email is attached to their test and they are always in control of their results. Another person asks them to join a project they manage to assure that they can follow their matches over time.

Customize this communication in your own voice and to fit the circumstances of each match.

It’s just me, but since I’m ordering while the tests are on sale, unless the person uploads their DNA file from another vendor, I add on a Family Finder test too and explain why. You never know if they will match you or another cousin, and they may have that match that eventually breaks down the next brick wall. Shared matches are powerful evidence and it’s a lot easier to add that test on now than try to contact them again later.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Which ancestors do you need Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA results for? Methodically check each line.

There’s so much to learn. Don’t leave information on the table by virtue of omission.

Leave no stone unturned!

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Who’s waiting out there for you?

____________________________________________________________

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Thank you so much.

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RootsTech 2024 Synopsis – Plus the MyHeritage Keynote is Online Now

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RootsTech isn’t entirely over yet.

  1. Many vendor videos remain available
  2. FamilyTreeDNA show pricing specials are still in effect until March 29th. Don’t miss out.
  3. Relatives at RootsTech is still available through March 29th
  4. Recorded RootsTech speaker videos are available and will remain available indefinitely.
  5. Gilad Japhet is the founder and CEO of MyHeritage, and his wonderful keynote has only become available in the last day or so. I always attend his keynote, but unfortunately, I was presenting a session at exactly the same time, so I couldn’t this year. Gilad revealed an incredible discovery that every genealogist will both understand and enjoy. You can watch, here.

Relatives at RootsTech

People have continued to sign up to view the free sessions, so don’t neglect to check back. Here’s the link.

Don’t forget that Relatives at RootsTech is the perfect avenue to connect with cousins who descend from specific ancestors. Seldom do you know which ancestor you share before you know if you are a DNA match – so take advantage of this opportunity and ask your relatives if they have tested their DNA and, if so, at which company or companies. Then, take a look at that company, see if they match, and paint your segments at DNAPainter.

Relatives at RootsTech is also particularly useful for finding candidates for both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA candidates since you can tell immediately if your cousin descends from your common ancestor through all females (mitochondrial DNA) or if they are a male and descend from a male ancestor through all males. Generally, the surname tells that story.

Close cousins may well have photos, stories, or other information that didn’t make their way down to you, so do reach out.

I write about Relatives at RootsTech, including instructions, in the article Relatives at RootsTech Returns!!! Don’t forget to take advantage of this while you still can.

The RootsTech Travel Journal Articles

I really had no idea how many people look forward to travel journal stories, for lack of another description. I know not everyone can attend, and I really wanted to give you a true flavor, like you were walking along with me.

For those of you who would like to be sure you read all of the RootsTech 2024 articles, or if you simply want to read them in order or check out the comments, here they are:

RootsTech 2025

I always say I don’t know if I have another one in me. RootsTech, the presentation prep, planning, leadup, travel itself, the incredible show, and then returning home are both exhilarating and exhausting. I feel like I need to sleep for a week!

I tell my friends and my husband to remind me of this about mid-summer when I’ve forgotten the pain of childbirth, er, I mean RootsTech, and think this is a wonderful idea again.

They do, and then I sign up anyway.

Now they just roll their eyes at me. I don’t blame them one bit.

Did I mention that I don’t know if I have another one in me? 😊

I will say that RootsTech would be a WHOLE LOT MORE tempting if it didn’t take place in the winter.

I keep suggesting that FamilySearch purchase the hotel around the corner from the FamilySearch Library and rent rooms to researchers and conference attendees.

I sure hope you’ve enjoyed attending RootsTech with me this year!

_____________________________________________________________

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You’re always welcome to forward articles or links to friends and share on social media.

If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Uploads

Genealogy Products and Services

My Book

Genealogy Books

Genealogy Research

RootsTech 2024: DNA Academy and Ancestry Announcements

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March the 1st. Remember that old saying about March? If it enters like a lamb, it will leave like a lion, and vice versa.

Look what greeted us on the morning of the second day of RootsTech.

Whoo boy.

The good news, if there was any, was that this was Friday’s forecast for Saturday, and of course, it might, just might, be wrong. Fingers crossed!

The second day of RootsTech was jam-packed, as you can see in the MyHeritage booth below. I wondered if one reason for the extra-large Friday crowd was the weather forecast for Saturday.

I had just finished my booth talk for MyHeritage titled “Leveraging Triangulation – From 3 to Many” and stepped aside to take a picture.

This half-hour presentation defined triangulation as a three-legged stool and discussed when and how to use triangulation at MyHeritage.

I covered:

  • How to use close relatives, including parents, to determine which side your matches are on.
  • Why you can’t use immediate family members for triangulation.
  • How to use triangulation with Shared Matches and the Chromosome Browser
  • How to use and verify Theories of Family Relativity with triangulation
  • AutoClusters as a triangulation roadmap
  • Using AutoClusters and triangulation to determine which DNA descends from whom
  • Bonus hints

Maybe I should turn this presentation into a blog article. What do you think?

DNA Academy aka An Afternoon in the Life of a Presenter

I only had about 45 minutes between the end of the MyHeritage session and the beginning of my class, “DNA Academy: Pulling it All Together – Tests, Vendors, Tools & You.”

I’m very grateful that RootsTech provided the opportunity for this experimental full-afternoon session, which provided the underpinnings for other DNA classes and sessions.

I had practiced and practiced to ensure the slide and topic pacing was fast enough to get through all the slides but not so fast that I would lose people.

Losing someone in a class of this duration means that they miss everything thereafter – and that could be a lot more than your normal 45 to 50-minute class.

Therefore, I needed to be prepared to take questions during the class. That’s always a bit risky because some questions are more like a short story, and you don’t want to run out of time at the end for your slides.

So, yes, I was a bit nervous. I was also concerned about technology gremlins named Murphy that seem to be ever-present. I absolutely did NOT need gremlins attending too.

There was no time between sessions for any kind of a proper lunch. No time to stand in line for food. However, I had to eat since I would have no break until after the class ended at 4, and then only after all of the attendees had left. On Sunday, I had purchased Lunchables at the local grocery store, so I bought a container of fruit and a bag of Doritos at one of those quick grab-it places on the way to my classroom and had a picnic in the back of the room as attendees began filtering in.

I headed for the front of the room with my laptop bag just as the tech person arrived to assist with setup. RootsTech encourages speakers to use RootsTech-provided equipment since they know it’s set up correctly to work with the AV equipment. That makes sense, but I always bring mine, just in case.

RootsTech also generously provided a stool so I wouldn’t have to stand for the entire afternoon.

Our first challenge was that the audio wasn’t working correctly, and never really did. We worked on it until the session started, and I even sent for the tech after the session began.

Eventually, after much fiddling around, I gave up and took the lavalier off. I held it near my mouth for the entire afternoon after finding that “sweet spot” with the assistance of everyone in attendance. We needed to find the mic position where people in the back of the room could hear me, it wasn’t so close it sounded like I was spitting, and we weren’t getting feedback. That seemed to be about a quarter-inch window. It was not ideal, but it worked, and I was very grateful for the audience’s help and patience. Teamwork!

The second challenge was that the RootsTech laptop defaulted to “Presenter View,” which means that your Powerpoint slide is in the upper left quadrant of the laptop screen, the next slide is shown at right, and “speaker notes,” if you’ve created any, appear at the bottom.

I don’t use speaker notes because I don’t want to sound like I’m reading aloud. Therefore, I never use Presenter View. I use the slides to remind me of what to say, and I know what’s coming next.

I initially thought, “Fine, so long as the slide advance works.” It wasn’t until after I began, and after the AV tech was long gone that I realized how small the RootsTech laptop screen was, meaning how SMALL my current slide was. To my horror, I realized that I couldn’t clearly see some portions of my slides.

OH NO!!!

I couldn’t exactly take my glasses off, lean over the podium, and squint. No, that would never do. I also couldn’t move the laptop closer without disrupting the setup and cables.

I also couldn’t see the movie screen to my left that attendees were viewing because I was positioned directly beside the screen and only slightly forward. I could see that the image was showing on the screen, but I couldn’t read anything on the image from that angle.

Crumb!

Therefore, I really had no good or detailed view of my own presentation – for 2.5 hours.

All I can say is that it’s a VERY good thing that I obsessively practice ahead of time, because that’s the ONLY thing that got me through.

I asked for the tech again to assist with the audio issues after trying multiple ways to adjust things myself, and he sent a message back to just move the lavalier up on my clothing. It was already as high as it could be placed, so not helpful.

Why am I telling you this? Often, people often don’t realize how much is beyond the speakers’ control and how much we just roll with the punches as best we can. Attendees are acutely aware of their experience, especially when it’s sub-optimum, and often blame the speaker.

One attendee asked if I could raise the image projection on the screen towards the top. I couldn’t control the image location at all. I knew that if one person couldn’t see because the image was too low on the screen, other people probably couldn’t either, and I felt awful.

Speakers are used to overcoming challenges, but no one wants to attempt to simultaneously overcome and compensate for several issues in the same presentation.

I wound up apologizing more than once to the class. These people had been kind enough to choose this long class and I wanted their experience to be the best possible.

I was very grateful for the people who said something positive afterward and for this person who left feedback on my blog.

A number of people were unhappy because the session wasn’t either live-streamed or recorded. Speakers have no way of knowing or influencing which sessions RootsTech selects for broader consumption. I’m sure they want to livestream a mixture of topics that would interest a variety of people.

I’ve reached out to Legacy Family Tree Webinars to see if they are interested in this class, although I would need to divide it into thirds. I want to leverage this effort and make it available to others who can benefit.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars are free to everyone for the first week, then available in the subscription library.

Does this sound like a good idea?

Ancestry Announcements

After DNA Academy ended, I headed back to the show floor. The second day of RootsTech is always the “late night” with activities until about 7:30. They close earlier, around 5, on the first day, and at 3 on the final day.

I was interested in Ancestry’s announcements and if I had missed anything from the earlier recorded session.

Of course, Ancestry was selling DNA tests. At RootsTech, Ancestry announced that it now has 25 million testers in its database.

Sitting inside the booth, I saw Crista Cowan, the Barefoot Genealogist who is also Ancestry’s corporate genealogist. I noticed the cast on her wrist and felt terrible for her, trying to navigate RootsTech and minor other activities, like, say, eating and presenting and the basic activities of daily living. Been there, done that, and it’s no fun. Crista said that she had discovered that one cannot create PowerPoint slides in a cast, especially when it’s your dominant hand. And I thought I had challenges.

Like I was saying about speakers compensating and making it happen, one way or another…

I’m not going to steal Crista’s thunder about how she became “The Barefoot Genealogist,” but if you don’t know, you can watch her RootsTech presentation here.

So, what else is in Crista’s presentation? What has Ancestry announced?

  • Family Groups. Ancestry announced the ability to create a group of people in a family who are working on a common goal, facilitating collaboration.
  • The Family Groups feature will be available to all accounts, LDS, paid, free, library, whatever.
  • You will be able to assign tasks to people in the group. For example, Mom could be assigned to scan the family photos, upload them, note who they are and other relevant information
  • A “Memories” feature will support either recording or uploading audio which can tell the story of a picture.
  • A new Family Plan, currently only available in the US, allows you to pay for one subscription and add four people. I have seen pricing, but Ancestry has many different plans, and I’m unclear what is and is not included in the Family Plan. So if you’re interested, I’d suggest reaching out to Ancestry.
  • Ancestry continues to add historical records at a rapid pace.

  • Ancestry was indexing 2-3 million records per day. With the launch of the 1950 census, which utilized handwriting recognition and AI, they are now indexing millions more each month, according to Crista’s slide.
  • Ancestry is re-imaging Newspapers.com pages using the same technology, which provides much more than OCR, which is plagued by issues such as image quality and lack of intelligence.
  • One example of new features is that previously, some people were mentioned only by association, such as Mrs. John Doe. Now, Mrs. John Doe can potentially be recognized as Susan Doe or even Susan Jones Doe, based on other articles and information.
  • Ancestry has created a new Stories and Events Index, which indexes the records by category, such as marriages or law and order.
  • However, and this is important, these new re-imaged records are NOT found when you do a global search through Ancestry because, in layman’s terms, there are so many that they crash the system.
  • Ancestry added 16 billion records from newspaper collections last year. You can find a hint or go directly to the newspaper database. Check the specific collection because you may not find the information searching generally.

You can find the Historical Newspapers Collection under the Search tab.

Crista was also being plagued by technical gremlins to this point. It’s obvious that she was well-practiced too, as she barely missed a beat.

Crista encourages people to use the Card Catalog to view the new newspaper record collections.

Here’s what’s showing in my Card Catalog Records Collection view.

  • Moving to DNA announcements, Crista stated that with 25 million people in the database, Ancestry has 88 ethnicity regions and now more than 2500 DNA Communities.

  • The 88 ethnicity regions represent ancestors 500-1000 years ago, while the 2500 communities are formed by a genetic network of people related within approximately 200 years.
  • Ancestry now has 120 million family trees that are mined for location information.
  • Ancestry introduced 203 Communities in Ireland this past year. Crista mentioned that this means that those communities are as granular as counties and that now she knows where to search for her Irish ancestor. I hope she has only one Irish ancestor, and he’s close enough in time. I’m also hoping that the granularity of Communities provides very specific hints.
  • Ancestry added 413 African American Communities in the southern US and Caribbean – some to within a 10-mile radius.
  • Ancestry added 352 Mexico Communities.
  • More Communities are planned to be released every 3-4 months or so during this next year. In other words, you’ll need to check from time to time, as there won’t be a specific large update for everyone.
  • Traits and Communities, by parent, will be added within SideView

If you recall, SideView features now require either a full subscription, or a Plus subscription for DNA features. You can read about that here and here.

Pro Tools

Crista shifted gears here to discuss Pro Tools, which she described as tools that aren’t necessarily for pros, but are new ways to view family history.

Pro Tools is NOT the same as the DNA SideView features that are behind the regular Ancestry subscription or the Plus paywall.

Pro Tools was recently introduced. Crista didn’t mention this in the video, but Pro Tools costs an ADDITIONAL $10 per month, regardless of whether or not you have a full, World, or Plus subscription. In other words, you’ll pay another $120 per year to access Pro Tools

There are two schools of thought about this.

  1. Some people are furious that Ancestry added an entirely new subscription instead of adding these functions to the full or Plus subscription level.
  2. Some people are glad that Ancestry didn’t raise the cost of the full subscription by $120 per year, allowing people NOT to subscribe to these new Pro-Tools features if they don’t want them.

New features will be added under Pro Tools soon.

New shared matches view:

  • The predicted relationship and how many cMs your shared matches share with any other shared match will be available in the first half of 2024.
  • If shared matches triangulate.

Future Enhancements

  • Ability to group shared matches into custom groups with one click using “select all”
  • Ability to sort by your matches’ closest matches
  • Highlight matches that have triangulated shared segments

Nope – No Chromosome Browser

People have been speculating for some time that Ancestry might have been going to add a Chromosome Browser. Nope, they didn’t.

Crista didn’t mention this, but discussion elsewhere revealed that the triangulated segment information will NOT include:

  • The number of triangulated segments
  • The size of triangulated segments
  • Segment location information
  • A chromosome browser

At this point, I have no plan to subscribe to Pro Tools. I feel like Ancestry is essentially teasing us. “Yes, you have a triangulated segment with two other people, but, sorry, we’re not going to tell you where it is.” It’s like they get us right up to the edge of something useful, within sight and sniffing distance, then, boom, dropped like a hot potato. To add insult to injury, we have to pay separately for the teaser, even with a full subscription. The best we could do, I think, is hope that one or some of the triangulated people have a tree so we can determine who the common ancestor or ancestral line might be. If we’re really lucky, there might be a ThruLine formed.

I’ll leave it at that, but I am not one bit happy about the features that are still excluded, and that the included features require yet another subscription.

I realize that after years of saying that segment information violates Ancestry’s perception of privacy, it would be difficult for Ancestry to reverse its position at this point.

Standing in the booth later, someone commented that they were surprised that Ancestry is going to provide estimated relationships between shared matches and shared cM amounts to each other. Crista said that Ancestry had needed to “work out some privacy stuff” first.

Perhaps this is the furthest Ancestry feels that they can move without entirely reversing their long-standing chromosome browser privacy position.

For those who want to work with segment information and a chromosome browser, you can upload your Ancestry DNA file to FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, and GEDmatch. You’ll find step-by-step instructions here.

After visiting the Ancestry booth, I moved on to other vendors on the show floor.

Goldie May

I hadn’t heard of Goldie May until Drew Smith introduced me recently. Thanks Drew!

You can take a look at their genealogy organizational tools, but their best feature for genealogists who give presentations is the ability to blur names in screenshots.

This feature, available under Goldie May Pro for $24 per month, senses names and blurs them along with associated profile photos for you. The lack of blurring is one reason I never do anything live or make “how-to” videos.

Right now, this feature only works for Ancestry pages, but hopefully, it will soon work for pages of other DNA vendors and DNAPainter.

DNAPainter

Speaking of DNAPainter, they are one of my favorite third-party vendors. And just in case you’re wondering, I’m not related to Jonny, and I pay full price for my subscription, just like all of you.

I mention this only because DNAPainter appears in just about every presentation I create about autosomal DNA and matches, regardless of the vendor – except Ancestry, of course.

I saw Jonny sitting at a table, showing someone how to paint their matching segments.

One person who attended the conference agreed to a 10-minute DNAPainter lesson after dinner with a friend – only 10 minutes, though, because he was tired! Although his friend was long asleep, he was still painting at 4 AM  and had surpassed the 50% mark of his painted chromosomes assigned to known ancestors. I think we have a new convert!

You can find DNAPainter instructions here.

On the corner of the table was a shared cM relationship map, one of the free tools that Jonny offers in collaboration with others in the community.

I couldn’t resist taking this picture of Jonny in his very cool striped tennis shoes that look amazingly like painted chromosomes.

I remember the first time I saw Jonny in 2018, looking very nervous at RootsTech, standing by himself in a small booth the first year he introduced DNApainter. I had never heard of DNAPainter.

In 2018, Jonny was a candidate in the new tech innovation contest, which he won. This motivated me to try DNAPainter myself, leading to another award at the beginning of 2019.

How things have changed in six years. Now, EVERYONE knows Jonny Perl. He was included in the 25-year genetic genealogy celebration as someone who has shaped the industry, and he’s no longer standing nervously alone in his booth. Also, he has way cool shoes now!!

In fact, it’s hard to find Jonny alone at any time to take a picture.

I just love success stories!

More Friends on the Show Floor

I knew Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, was at RootsTech and presenting, but I hadn’t actually seen her yet. By now, I’m sure almost everyone has had the opportunity to hear Judy speak, but I’ve often said that if Judy were talking about dirt, I’d attend because it would be funny, witty, and educational.

I found Judy, in her second-generation signature pink jacket, hanging out with Janine Cloud in the FamilyTreeDNA booth.

Friday was the late evening at RootsTech. People were getting tired and hungry, and most attendees had already left by 7:30 when the Expo Hall officially closed.

In the center of the hall, near the front, FamilySearch had a “garden” or “park” area with park benches and fun games like chess.

As I was walking out, I noticed Bennett Greenspan, at left, playing park chess with Katherine Borges, Director of ISOGG, the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, at right.

I had a good chuckle as I realized that assembling the DNA of our ancestors and applying it meaningfully to our genealogy is like playing chess.

Warning

We had been hoping all day that the weather forecast would change for the better.

Maybe it wouldn’t snow at all.

Maybe it wouldn’t snow much.

Uh-oh!!

It was cold, and the wind was blowing hard as we exited the Salt Palace, whipping our hair into our faces and eyes.

Everything felt ominous. Even the locals were worried.

Attendees were heading home early, and even those who had to stay and work on Saturday were trying to change their flights to Saturday afternoon in the hope that they could escape before the brunt of the storm hit.

Airlines were contacting passengers with weather advisories, saying they could change their flights without charge. They were hoping to get people out ahead of the storm.

The various weather services showed different scenarios. One reported that it would be 33 degrees and rain until just after lunch, when it would turn to snow.

Another predicted that it would be 31 and blizzard conditions with 4-6 inches of snow and whiteout conditions by noon.

What? “Hurricane-force gusts”? You’re kidding, right? But they weren’t. This was no joke.

No one knew what to expect, and local people were bidding us adieu, saying they weren’t planning to be back on Saturday.

What would we wake up to on Saturday morning? What about flights? And hotel rooms? What would we be facing?

_____________________________________________________________

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RootsTech 2024: Paradigm Shift – FamilySearch Knocks It Out of the Ballpark With Full Text AI Search, Transcription & Indexing

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RootsTech 2024 kicked off on Leap Day, offering a wealth of sessions with remarkable depth and diversity.

All of the RootsTech keynotes and some of the sessions are available, here, for free. You’ll find them on the RootsTech YouTube channel as well.

This year’s RootsTech theme was “Remember.” I really encourage everyone to view Steve Rockwood’s keynote welcome, which, as always, is incredible and made me cry. Steve always makes me cry, but this time, he made himself cry too. Trust me when I tell you that, as a speaker, there’s nothing more difficult than trying to regain your composure on stage in front of thousands of people.

You’ll love this, though, so watch, please.

Well, now that you’re all blubbery, too, let’s move to tech.

FamilySearch Tech Forum

I was eagerly awaiting the FamilySearch Tech Forum, but I never expected what was in store. This knocked my socks off.

The panel discussed, among other topics, how they are utilizing generative AI, artificial intelligence, to preserve and reveal the records that we need to access.

Don’t let the word “AI” scare you. FamilySearch has been working on this project for more than a year and it’s working quite well in the way that they’ve implemented it.

They introduced us to the new technology roadmap and told us to buckle up for an innovative journey. I’m all strapped in and can hardly wait. Fortunately, we don’t have to.

The new FamilySearch AI tools provide more than a roadmap. It’s more like the galaxy just opened up.

The AI field is marked by explosive growth with the ability for Deep Learning. FamilySearch is harnessing this energy for genealogists.

FamilySearch has implemented a full-text search AND transcription capability in its lab sandbox. Additionally, every handwritten document that it transcribes is also indexed and, in some cases, translated.

They are using LLMs (large language models) and GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) systems to enable this technology.

In a nutshell, these AI systems are trained to recognize both words and script and to predict which words are most likely to come next.

This incredibly powerful mixture is only the beginning, though.

FamilySearch envisions creating family trees for entire cities and countries.

Be still my heart.

Can you imagine the power of a combination of probate records, wills, property records, census, vital records and the trees that can be created and verified FROM those records?

This technology will also facilitate comprehensive views of ancestry across entire regions with the capability of uniting people across the globe.

Holy COW.

I sat in stunned silence, unable to believe what I was hearing.

But they weren’t finished.

They’ve also built new search tools.

There are two types of searching. Let’s look at the second type first.

FamilySearch Helper

FamilySearch built a prototype, FamilySearch Helper, to help you. 

The new search tool includes the 100,000 FamilySearch wiki pages, the FamilySearch blog, and the resources at over 5000 Family History Centers.

To begin using the new tools, go to FamilySearch.org and sign in. Then scroll down until you see the FamilySearch Labs box on the right.

Click on “View Experiments,” and voila!

Next, click on the Find Help box.

This new search tool provides links across knowledge articles on multiple platforms.

Just type something in and try it.

I’m sure you noticed the other options. In fact, by now I’ve probably lost most of my readers because they clicked on that Full Text Search button.

Let’s go there next.

Full-Text Search

The Full-Text Search is a tool created for working with unindexed images, many of which are plagued by a variety of issues, including:

  • Poor quality image
  • Horrible handwriting
  • Lack of structure
  • Dense text
  • Just too many

Now, full text transcripts, searches and indexing are available with the click of a button. This is truly a genealogist’s dream come true. The results aren’t 100% yet, but WOW.

Just type what you want to know. I typed, “Joel Cook in Russell County, Virginia” to see if there’s anything more about this ancestor.

Look at this awful image quality. On the right is part of the transcription. The AI tool did amazingly well, certainly enough for me to determine that this is indeed the Joel Cook for whom I was searching. These documents, especially in deeds, not only index the grantee and grantor, but every name in the document.

Game-changer is an understatement.

Their example utilized Thomas Colson.

You’ll be presented with options. The presenter knew that Thomas Colson was from Massachusetts, so she clicked on that deed, which was, in fact, her ancestor.

100 million records are now available for full-text search, and that number grows every single day.

Collections available to be indexed include:

  • US Land and Probate

  • Mexican Notarial records
  • Plantation Records

Plantation, land, and probate records often include the names and locations of enslaved individuals. I’m helping my cousin track his enslaved ancestors, and this is an incredible boon to that research. I think I’ve found his ancestors in a probate record.

FamilySearch will take every unindexed image and run it through their full-text search AI tool over the next several years. I hope they’ll do this with records that are only partially indexed as well.

This process pairs the power of human volunteers and AI. Humans still need to adjust things a bit, and you can volunteer to help with that as well.

Please click the feedback link and be helpful and KIND!!

Speaking of AI

I took a series of classes in the fall from Steve Little who is teaching AI through the National Genealogical Society.

You can watch one of Steve’s instructional videos in the NGS RootsTech booth, here.

I remember that he mentioned that if a transcript is available for a video, one could copy and paste the transcript into AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude and prompt the model for a bulletized summary.

I was disappointed that RootsTech did not provide transcriptions for their videos. Considering their announcement, I find that to be highly ironic, and it made me laugh.

How do you know if a transcript is available?

Here’s a great 1-minute video about how to find a transcript on a YouTube video. If a transcript were present, I could use AI to summarize and not have to watch the parts of videos that I don’t want/need. Of course, if you use the transcript tool, you’ll miss out on the accompanying slides, so beware. However, transcripts come with a timestamp, so you can scan the transcript and then view the slides at the time marker in the video.

The RootsTech videos don’t have an included transcript, but FamilySearch has posted the videos on YouTube too, so I have a second chance. I didn’t find any transcripts there either, so I asked Steve if I was missing something.

Indeed, I was. Steve provided a wonderful little summary for me showing how to generate a transcript if there isn’t one.

Normally, if transcripts exist, they will be found under the little three dots (…) at far right, beneath the image.

It never occurred to me to look for a generate transcript option under the video’s description. I think I clicked literally everywhere else hunting for this.

Thanks, Steve!

Steve follows AI passionately, and you can subscribe to Steve’s free blog, here.

I encourage everyone to take Steve’s AI classes.

Your Turn

If I haven’t lost you already to the FamilySearch full-text search feature, try it now. What fun things are you finding? This new tool is more than a game-changer; it’s a paradigm shift.

Which record types would you like to see next?

I’d like to see court record transcripts, which are almost never transcribed and indexed. There are nuggets of gold there, too. One of my ancestors’ probate and estate information is missing, but by reading every entry page by page, I found his death month and year in the court records. Soon, reading page by page will be like viewing census records on an old hand-cranked microfilm machine. I can hardly wait!

I’m planning to search for each of my ancestors’ names to see if they are mentioned in records that I don’t know about. So far, I’ve found unknown entries for every person I’ve entered. Maybe I can finally unravel some of those mystery wives. Maybe you can too!

_____________________________________________________________

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RootsTech 2024 Happy Dance – FamilySearch Library and RootsTech Setup

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Monday, February 26th, dawned in Salt Lake City with beautiful blue skies. I was excited to walk the couple blocks to the FamilySearch Library. Come along with me!

I was planning to chase a few ancestors and had created a research list.

The iconic “salt shaker” of the Salt Palace with its “Point of View” unity signs, which is a permanent art exhibit, greeted me as I exited the hotel.

Fittingly, the Art Museum is next door in an attached building.

It was chilly and windy, but we’ll term it “refreshing,” especially since it became much colder later in the week.

Five minutes or so later, I was outside of my home-away-from-home, genealogy Mecca, the FamilySearch Library. I love this place!

Library Research – A Strategy List Pays Off

I always create a research list using the FamilySearch wiki and catalog. I only include items I can’t access from home. I don’t want to waste valuable time in Salt Lake City working on things I can do elsewhere.

This time, I was planning to work on a few stragglers who have proven incredibly difficult, and then a line that I had hardly touched.

I quickly found the land grant survey of my Joel Cook in Russell County, Virginia, then moved on to the Hill line out of New Hampshire.

I know that my Joseph Hill was born in Barrington, Strafford County, New Hampshire on September 2, 1791. Of course, like many families, several people were named the same name and often lived at the same time in the same place. They have to be sorted, one from another.

Joseph’s father, John Hill, was born about 1737 in Durham, Strafford County, New Hampshire, and died in 1804 in Barrington, New Hampshire.

John’s father, Henry Hill, was born about 1700, in Black River, near Dover, also in Strafford County.

The line continued, at least ostensibly, through William and his father, William, in Durham and Dover, both in Strafford County.

Was there evidence of this?

I met my cousin, Audrey, at the library in the morning.

She had previously recruited two Hill men, and we ordered Big Y-700 DNA tests for them. Their results were back, so I explained how to use the Big Y-700 and Discover tools and what we could discern. Fortunately, we confirmed our lineage.

We have more work ahead of us, but we do have two English matches, in different locations in England. I’m hoping that additional research and perhaps upgrading these men to Big Y tests will provide us with a location in England that might yield birth or other records for our Hill line.

By this time, we were ready for lunch.

Audrey and I made our way to the main floor of the library from the third floor, where we had been working.

It was still three days before RootsTech, and the place was already packed.

It did my heart good to see all those genealogists working hard and helping each other. I noticed several young people too.

During Covid-time, the library renovated and installed a very nice lunch or break area with several tables and vending machines. Nice vending machines. There’s a selection of frozen and cold food items, plus a microwave and complimentary paper plates and silverware. They also provide a clean refrigerator so you can bring your own lunch.

There’s no place nearby to eat anymore, and it’s a cold walk anyplace.

Plus, you really have to pack everything up, including your laptop, which disrupts your research. It’s much better to just grab food in the convenient snack area and chat for a few minutes.

Back upstairs, I began sifting through books and other wonderful resources. However, what I initially thought was a book turned out to be the most exciting revelation of my research.

The great irony is that I almost bypassed this item because I didn’t think that “Dover Neck Village” was the right location for my families. Fortunately, I always at least take a cursory look at everything because I learned long ago that it’s better to waste a little time than miss something critical.

One resource available only in the library is a map of Dover Neck Village, which was reconstructed in 1912 (for some reason) by local officials. The map shows the locations of the landmarks and residences of citizens between 1623 and 1723.

The library has a special map room that is AMAZING!

You can take the map to scan various stations on other floors.

The challenge was that this map was huge – probably at least 18X36. I wish I had taken a picture of myself holding it.

None of the scan stations could accommodate a map of that size.

However, this lovely young man who is serving his mission at the library knew of a way to help me. I’m INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL.

Joseph Gongaware had just finished some advanced training in the library’s “Memory” area, where patrons can bring their family photos and other memorabilia to scan and preserve.

You can see the scanner behind him, with the map partially hanging off of one side.

Joseph scanned the map in portions and digitally stitched the pieces back together.

It took him several tries, but when he was finished, it was perfect – as in, you really can’t tell that it was “stitched” back together other than the slight color variation. The text and lines are perfect.

Click to enlarge map

I am over the moon ecstatic.

Of course, I wouldn’t be quite that happy if my ancestors weren’t on the map.

BOTH John Drew, the father of Hannah Drew, and William Roberts, the father of Hannah Roberts, are shown on this map. Oh, happy day!!!

There’s one more hint too.

William Hill’s father, John Hill, was reported to have died in Kittery, Maine. Could this be the right parent for William, who was clearly in Dover, NH, given that he married Hannah Roberts?

Look, the location of the ferry to “Old Kittery” is marked, so this does in fact make sense, even though they are two different states.

This map is a goldmine in so many ways. The old Quaker Meeting House is marked too, as are other landmarks my family would have frequented, like the tannery, the old road, the ox pasture, the sheep pasture, the physician, the training ground, the old log meeting house, and ultimately, the “Oldest buring (sic) ground.”.

I literally wanted to jump up and do the happy dance right there in the library.

And you know what, every single person would have understood.

If you have a thumb drive, you can save the files to the drive. If you don’t have a thumb drive, they give you one!!

Seriously!

You might notice that I didn’t know the identity of Hannah Roberts’ parents before this trip, but I do now.

I was super excited, but I was also tired after a day of research, and this seemed like a good stopping point.

On the way back to the hotel, I noticed that there was still ice on those poor Pansys that had been planted a bit too early.

The Nordstrom’s window made me laugh out loud. I do believe this is a Florida man.

The Blue Iguana

I dropped my laptop bag off at the hotel and decided to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, the legendary Blue Iguana.

I knew if I didn’t visit before RootsTech, we would never get in. It’s very popular because it’s close and has excellent food.

The Blue Iguana is about a block away and quite unique. The restaurant is down a flight of steep blue steps enclosed by glass. The great news is that there’s a sturdy banister. The bad news is that it’s not handicapped-friendly.

I took this photo from above, looking down into the patio.

Looking off the other side of the steps here. You can see their reflection in the window.

The flowers are plastic, of course, but they are bright and cheery.

Color always warms my heart and makes me happy.

The inside is warm and inviting.

And the food is AWESOME. Who would think you’d find great Tex-Mex in Utah, of all places? I think these are my second-favorite tacos ever – and the first place doesn’t exist anymore.

Audrey and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. It’s a lot of fun having a research partner who is also interested in genetic genealogy.

Fine-Tuning Presentations

Arriving back at the hotel, I saw something I’ve never seen before.

You’ve heard of that mythical money tree? This is a donut tree. The chocolate donuts were to die for. Unfortunately, there were no chocolate donuts for the rest of the week.

Beginning now, evenings would be consumed with fine-tuning my presentations.

I’ve never given a RootsTech session that’s 2.5 hours long before, and I wanted it to be perfect. Pacing 1 hour is hard enough. You want to move fast enough but not too fast.

Plus, vendors are well known to modify their products or webpages just before RootsTech – so I had to check everything.

And there’s always that elusive spelling error just lurking.

I fell into a fitful sleep, worrying about PowerPoints that didn’t work and hotel doors that wouldn’t open. I woke up at 4:25 a.m.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

At least as the sun came up, it was another beautiful blue-sky day!

Cold Tuesday 

Tuesday morning was downright cold and windy. Icy gusts swept through the valley.

I had to stop at the light, and I looked across the street to see someone riding one of those “lime” rental scooters.

I shivered thinking how cold they must be, then thought to myself that I’d surely fall off. Based on their bag, I surmised that they were probably a genealogist heading for the FamilySearch Library, which would be opening in a minute or two.

Wait!!!

Isn’t that Audrey???

It sure is! I’m impressed. She is one brave lady! She said she went about 3 blocks in 3 minutes and it cost her $3.

You pay via Paypal and just drop the scooter off out of the way when you’re finished.

On Tuesday, the library was jam-packed. In the front, the staff had set up folding tables and chairs in any open space.

Tuesday is always the day for broadcasts, podcasts, and, previously, the bloggers’ lunch.

However, the Blue Lemon, where we used to gather, closed, and the blogger group walked back to the mall. I was really torn. I was heads-down in New Hampshire, and I wanted to go to the lunch, but I didn’t want to go.

New Hampshire won, but I missed my friends.

Everyone loves those great MyHeritage bags. They are sturdy, lightweight and fold up easily for travel. This year’s bag didn’t have DNA on the outside.

Do you have any old discs with known or unknown files but no way to read them? Audrey brought these and the library retrieved the files off of the old, years-obsolete diskettes.

Keep that in mind!

Lunch took place in the snack room again, catching up with people I hadn’t seen in a least a year.

I wish I could share the energy with you. The utter joy at spotting someone you know.

And even if it isn’t “you,” just watching other people joyfully greet each other.

Once again, the library stayed open late, but I was at a good stopping place and decided to return to the hotel and finalize my presentations.

I noticed the signs had been placed on the sidewalk between the library and the Salt Palace. Early festivities began the following day, Wednesday. During RootsTech, FamilySearch provides a free shuttle golf cart between the facilities.

I had planned to go back to the library on Wednesday, but I never made it.

Walking back from the library, the wind had begun to blow, and snow was in the air. We were just hoping for not-too-much snow.

The new silver high-rise Hyatt dwarfs the salt shaker now. I wanted to stay there until I saw the $450 per night price. Wow!

Setup and Speaker’s Dinner

On Wednesday, I had lunch with a friend and then headed over to the Salt Palace to pick up my lanyard and nametag.

In the past, the registration lines have been hours long, and I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t stranded in a line with more than 200 speakers later that evening.

The staff was putting the final touches on the hall as the speakers arrived for the Speaker’s Dinner.

Steve Rockwood, the FamilySearch CEO, welcomed us and spoke briefly.

Seldom is one person skilled in both leadership and speaking, but Steve definitely is that person. He’s one of the most inspirational speakers I’ve had the privilege of hearing.

This year, his message was about RootsTECH, with TECH emphasized. He talked about the inspiration for a technology-focused conference. The first RootsTech was held in 2011, and has technology ever morphed since then.

Of course, genetic genealogy has become increasingly important and prevalent. It went from a novelty to a comprehensive and critical tool in the genealogist’s toolbox. Today, AI for genealogy is bursting onto the scenes, too, and holds incredible promise.

New technologies and new tools!

It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been to exactly half of the RootsTech conferences.

After the dinner concluded, I joined another speaker who had access to the Expo Hall which wouldn’t be open until RootsTech officially opened its doors the following morning, welcoming genealogists by the thousands from around the world.

My first commitment on Thursday morning was a book signing in the My Genealogy Books booth for my DNA for Native American Genealogy book.

Unfortunately, there were some glitches with the Expo Hall vendor map, and their booth was not shown, so I definitely wanted to be sure I knew where I was going ahead of time. I hoped other people could find it the next day, in spite of being omitted from the map.

The hall was eerily quiet.

The vendors’ booths were, for the most part, all ready for the crowds who would begin streaming in at 8 AM and fill the space with their excited, happy voices.

Final touches were being applied to some booths, and the Salt Palace staff was still rolling out the carpets that would attempt to soften the concrete floors. One of the FamilyTreeDNA staff told me that she walked 60 miles in three days last year. I didn’t walk nearly that far, but 20 wouldn’t surprise me, and I felt every step of it!

By morning, everything would be pristine.

I didn’t manage to get a photo of the many RootsTech helpers, but hundreds of FamilySearch volunteers made navigating this huge conference center much less confusing. Donning shirts that asked, “How can I help you?”, they directed many confounded genealogists in the direction they needed to go.

The RootsTech staff and volunteers really do go out of their way to help everyone and make RootsTech a world-class experience.

Tomorrow would be here before I knew it.

And yes, as all speakers do, I reviewed my slides – again.

I had two book signings, two presentations and two ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions on opening day. I also hoped to attend a couple of classes.

Was I nervous? Of course – this conference is huge. It’s the granddaddy of them all. No one wants to mess up or make a mistake, or, heaven forbid, have a technology issue.

And we know, for a fact, that Murphy takes up residence here during RootsTech week.

We also know that our fellow genealogists have our back.

We know that other speakers will help as much as possible. Every single one of us has been on both ends of that.

We know that the RootsTech staff and our room ushers are there for us. They are amazing!

We know that we can go to the Speaker Ready Room and have a moment if we need to, or take a Tylenol, grab a water, or a quick snack.

Most importantly, we know that everyone else at RootsTech is as excited as we are, and everything will be just fine. Just keep repeating that to yourself!

What no one does is sleep well the night before RootsTech opens. We are all just too excited!

_____________________________________________________________

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RootsTech 2024 – MyHeritage is ON FIRE with 13 Announcements

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I’ve got to tell you, MyHeritage has outdone themselves.

I had a hard time just keeping track of their announcements, which totaled 13 – a baker’s dozen.

You can watch the MyHeritage RootsTech keynote by Aaron Godfrey, here.

However, there are a few things not in the video, so let’s take a look at a quick summary of what’s new.

DNA Uploads with Free Advanced Tools Forever Extended Until March 10th

MyHeritage just extended their DNA upload that includes ALL ADVANCED TOOLS FOR FREE, forever, to March 10th so click here now to upload every kit you manage. This is a great deal. Hint – new ethnicity results are coming soon and you’ll be saving $29 on each kit you upload.

20+ Billion Records

MyHeritage has just passed the 20 billion record mark and is continuing to add. That’s billion, with a B. These records are available to customers with a MyHeritage subscription. If you don’t have a subscription, you can try a MyHeritage Subscription with a Free Trial, here.,

Additionally, right now, subscriptions are 50% off, but I don’t know how long that price lasts.

I love my MyHeritage subscription, and if you try it and don’t like yours, you can cancel and be charged nothing during the 14-day trial period.

I particularly like that the local newspaper where my grandparents lived is available on MyHeritage, and no place else. In addition, MyHeritage has integrated with FamilySearch, which is digitizing and indexing records like wildfire. That collaboration has provided me with information from European sources, including archives.

MyHeritage Wiki

MyHeritage has been working on their new Wiki, a community encyclopedia for genealogy and DNA, for almost a year now, although it was only recently released.

Photo courtesy of MyHeritage

I’ve been honored to write several articles for the newly announced MyHeritage Wiki, including the definition of DNA itself:

Take a look at the new Wiki, here.

You can filter in a number of ways, and you can even sign up to be a contributor.

Check out their blog article, here.

AI Record Finder

The AI Record Finder is the world’s first AI chat-based search engine for historical records.

I should probably tell you that, at this point in time, I do use AI, such as ChatGPT, very cautiously, and I’m inherently suspicious because AI tools sometimes hallucinate. It’s a new technology with lots of glitches and unknowns, so let’s see how MyHeritage is using this tool. It should be much more reliable since it’s in a controlled environment. I need to be convinced. 😊

The AI Record Finder is under the Research Menu. Just type your question about your ancestor.

I’m cheating and giving MyHeritage a tough one. I typed, “Please tell me about Solomon Ferwerda, who died in 1768 in Groningen, the Netherlands.”

MyHeritage returned three possibilities in their database, including their affiliated databases. One is a MyHeritage tree and two are records from FamilySearch.

Don’t limit yourself at this point.

I happen to know “my” Solomon is the first person, but I played around a bit before selecting the “right” Solomon. Why? Because there’s a lot that I don’t know about his life. It’s possible that the second and third records are ALSO the right person, so be sure to review everything.

Clicking on the middle or right record for Solomon shows that, indeed, this record from FamilySearch comes from the Dutch Archival Indexes, so it’s not “just someone’s tree.”

We do know the Ferwerda family is from Leeuwarden, but we don’t know when Solomon was born, nor if he was married twice. I only have the name of his second wife and one child, Jan, who was born the year he died.

The two FamilySearch Dutch archive records are from Leeuwarden, so maybe, just maybe, I’ve discovered something new about Solomon. How exciting!

I need to click through and check this out further.

I didn’t expect to like this tool, but so far, I really do. But wait – there’s more.

AI Ancestor Bio

You can click to have MyHeritage generate an AI bio of an ancestor for you.

The bio takes a few minutes to generate and will be available for download in the chat and will also be emailed to you. You can easily share with others. Getting other people interested in genealogy often encourages them to take a DNA test. DNA tests are still on sale for $39, here.

Solomon Ferwerda’s AI bio was completed quickly and arrived in pdf format. We know so little about him, I knew it would be short. I must say, I really enjoyed the “Historical Context” section that discussed the surrounding events that would have affected his life. That’s incredibly important and would have or could have influenced the decisions he made. Maybe the warfare and political unrest caused him to move from Leeuwarden to Groningen for some reason, where he died the year his son was born.

Here’s Solomon’s bio.

Here’s a link to the RootsTech lecture about the MyHeritage AI tools by Ran Snir, the VP of Product.

MyHeritage blog links for AI Record finder are here and here.

You can watch Telling Your Family’s Story with MyHeritage’s AI Features by Janna Helshtein at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, here.

I can’t wait to play with the MyHeritage AI tools more.

Updated Ethnicity Coming Soon

This is going to make a lot of people happy!

MyHeritage is in the process of updating their ethnicity results, increasing their regions from 42 to 80, with significantly optimized granularity in Europe. I initially misunderstood and thought the new results were available now, but they won’t arrive until summer.

I understand from talking to a Jewish friend involved in MyHeritage’s R&D effort that their own results are substantially improved and that they have now been placed in Armenia where their ancestors are from. They are no longer generically “Jewish.”

New Profile Pages with Hints

Daniel Horowitz said that everyone calls Smart Matches and Record Matches hints, so now MyHeritage has updated profile pages and is adding them to the profile page and officially calling them Hints.

You can still find Smart Matches and Record Matches listed separately under Discoveries, but on everyone’s profile, they are called Hints.

On Solomon’s profile page, scroll down to view his journey based on the information you’ve entered or accepted into your tree.

I did not yet add Leeuwarden, because I’m yet positive those records in Leewarden are his, but if I had, Leeuwarden would also be shown on his journey map. I’ll be incorporating these into my 52 Ancestors stories. I love maps! Maybe I can find old maps to include too,

You can read more about the new profiles and hints, here.

Tree Collaboration with FamilyTreeDNA

Aaron Godfrey announced tree collaboration with FamilyTreeDNA who pre-announced this at their conference in November.

I don’t have specific details about how it works, as this won’t happen for a few months yet, but FamilyTreeDNA customers will port their trees to MyHeritage which allows them to take advantage of MyHeritage’s record collections and such. Existing MyHeritage customers will simply connect their FamilyTreeDNA test to their MyHeritage tree.

FamilyTreeDNA has never been a “tree” company, so this means that users will have one less tree to maintain independently, and they can augment their research with records from MyHeritage.

I talked to Katy Rowe-Schurwanz, the Product Manager at FamilyTreeDNA to confirm that this is NOT a DNA transfer. FamilyTreeDNA matches still occur in the FamilyTreeDNA database, just like always, and MyHeritage matches still occur in the MyHeritage database. If you want matching in both databases, you still have to upload to or test at both. Only the trees are integrated, meaning when you click on a tree at  FamilyTreeDNA, you’ll see the tree displayed on MyHeritage.

The great news is that FamilyTreeDNA features such as Family Matching (bucketing) where you link your DNA matches at FamilyTreeDNA to their profile cards so that maternal/paternal bucketing occurs will still work the same way. The only difference will be that your tree will actually reside at MyHeritage and not at FamilyTreeDNA.

You’ll be able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

We will know more in a few months, and I’ll provide more details when I have them.

Invite Another MyHeritage User to View Your DNA Results

Aaron Godfrey said in the keynote that 2FA (two-factor authentication) at MyHeritage will become mandatory later this month, and with it, MyHeritage is adding the feature of being able to invite another MyHeritage user to view your DNA results. This allows people to collaborate more easily, especially if a different person is managing someone else’s DNA test.

Reimagine Multi-Photo Scanner App

This photo-scanning innovation is for your phone and allows you to scan photos and entire photo album pages – automatically separating and improving the photos. Then, of course, you just tag them to the proper person in your tree like any other photo.

Oh, and did I mention that Reimagine is free? I expected to have to pay when I downloaded the app, but I didn’t, probably because I have a full subscription.

Based on this article, Reimagine is not meant for other types of images, like pages of text or albums of clipped newspaper articles. But guess what? I downloaded the app, and it works just fine for those items! Hallelujah. How I wish I had this last week at the FamilySearch Library when I was finding pages in books I wanted to associate with a specific ancestor.

If you have album pages of photos to scan, this is golden and integrates with the profiles of people into your MyHeritage tree.

I really, really like the idea of having the ability to scan in the palm of my hand. That way if someone has a photo, you don’t have to try to take a photo of it. Gone are the days of literally dragging a laptop and scanner around with me when I’m traveling – just in case. Yes, I actually did and now I don’t have to anymore.

I cringe to think how many opportunities were lost to me before the days of laptops – but not now.

Thank you – THANK YOU, MyHeritage. What a great gift!

You can find the QR code to download the app, here.

OldNews is New News

MyHeritage has introduced a new website for old newspapers called OldNews which you can find here.

This addition doubles the number of newspapers previously available on MyHeritage.

Users can also subscribe separately to Old News for about $99/year.

MyHeritage customers use their normal credentials to sign in to either site, but accessing newspapers not previously integrated into MyHeritage will require an OldNews subscription too.

I had to try it. I entered my mother’s name.

Look, my Mom had a tonsillectomy. I never knew that. It was just a couple of months after she graduated from high school.

I didn’t know Mom spent the summer in Philadelphia, either. She was 19 at that time, and I had heard rumblings that she studied with a “prima ballerina” at the School of American Ballet. Guess where that is? Yep, Philly.

My Mom was a professional tap and ballet dancer before she became my Mom.

Understanding that Mom spent the summer of 1942 on the east coast sheds new light on this and a few other photos in Mom’s photo album, which I can now scan.

Ok, I can’t help myself. I have to enhance this photo at MyHeritage.

Much better. Another tiny piece of Mom’s life brought into focus.

I wonder what else is in OldNews that I don’t know about. Hmmmm…

You can read about OldNews here.

New All-Inclusive Omni Subscription

MyHeritage is launching a new Omni all-inclusive subscription plan that includes most of the MyHeritage products and tools, except for Filae, unless I’m missing something. Omni reportedly costs less than half the price if you were to subscribe to all of these individually. I’ve asked for a comparison chart which I don’t have yet, but I’m told will be coming soon.

Here’s what’s included:

Additionally, I asked MyHeritage about whether or not the advanced DNA tools are included with Omni, and they are. So, add advanced DNA tools to that list.

The following information about the Omni Plan is a screenshot from the MyHeritage blog article, here.

I have not been able to determine the price of an Omni subscription. At RootsTech, you were interested in the Omni plan, you submitted a Google form and a day or so later, you received this email.

I suspect MyHeritage needs to talk to you because how much it costs initially depends on your existing subscriptions, and how much time is left on those.

I reached out to MyHeritage and asked when Omni will be available to purchase, and the answer is “soon.” You can’t sign up just yet.

I have never subscribed to Legacy Family Tree Webinars, even though I’m a webinar presenter and have several webinars available there. My gift to myself is going to be Omni when it’s available because I want Legacy Family Tree Webinars, and I’d love a subscription to OldNews. I already have a full subscription to MyHeritage, and I’d probably use Geni more than I do as a casual user if I had the Omni subscription.

Artifact Testing – Maybe

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend CEO Gilad Japhet’s RootsTech session because his session and mine were at exactly the same time.

However, I asked Aaron Godfrey after Gilad’s session what I had missed that was not in Aaron’s keynote, other than Gilad’s wonderful stories.

Aaron and others told me that Gilad stated that he was personally submitting personal artifacts, such as stamps, to a third-party lab once again, to test the waters to see if DNA can now be extracted from artifacts successfully.

MyHeritage tried this a few years ago, ultimately unsuccessfully. Perhaps this time will be different, but I would not hold my breath, truthfully. Degraded DNA has quality issues, not to mention that the DNA extracted might not be the DNA of the person expected.

I would personally love this, but I am also skeptical at this point. Kudos to Gilad for trying again with his own personal items.

MyHeritage Online RootsTech Booth

MyHeritage has provided several educational videos in their online RootsTech booth, at this link. Be sure to take advantage of this free resource.

Whew, I’m finally done! I told you that MyHeritage had been very, very busy, and I wasn’t kidding. I hope I didn’t miss anything.

_____________________________________________________________

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RootsTech 2024 – Panic in the Cavern of Doom

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RootsTech is one of those events that speakers, vendors, RootsTech staff, and volunteers prepare for in an ever-increasing whirlwind for the 6 months before RootsTech actually takes place. I’m sure that the RootsTech staff starts next week for next year. At least, I sure hope they get a week or two of rest.

I can’t see behind the scenes of course, but I know that speakers begin submissions in about June and by the late fall, webinars have been recorded, syllabus documents are complete, and Powerpoint slides are well underway.

Vendors have been preparing for months too – planning their booths, videos and feature announcements.

RootsTech is the largest and most far-reaching genealogy conference in the world, offering hundreds of classes in a variety of formats. It’s one huge family reunion.

2024 was the best RootsTech ever. I think the years we missed in-person events due to Covid have made attendees incredibly grateful to see one another.

I know that not everyone can make the journey to Salt Lake City, so I’m going to take you along with me.

Including the misadventures😊

Sunday

The FamilySearch Library (FSL) is open Monday through Saturday with extended hours during RootsTech week. Many genealogists extend their RootsTech trip and visit the library! It’s like old-home week, with people hugging and then teaming up to collaborate.

That makes Sunday a travel day if you’re planning to research in the library on Monday through Wednesday. RootsTech opened on Thursday, February 29th, but for speakers, events began on Wednesday afternoon.

Saturday is packing day. Every single technology item needs to be checked and checked again. Trust me on this – Murphy LIVES at RootsTech, and he has been cloned because every speaker has some kind of issue that needs to be resolved.

The camaraderie is amazing as everyone helps everyone.

Kitters, one of our now-elderly rescue cats, wasn’t fond of me leaving and tried to pack herself in my suitcase. She missed slightly, but I clearly got the idea. She figured that if she didn’t look at me, I wouldn’t notice, and maybe she could go along!

I was excited and laid out my new chromosome leggings for the trip.

Jim made me a peanut butter English Muffin for breakfast on the way in the car. Trust me, I did not want to be awake.

My flight left hours before dawn, as in 5-something. I figured that my trip through the airport would be made at record speed. No one in their right mind would be there.

I still allowed almost 2 hours, as the airlines suggest – and guess what – I needed every minute of it.

I have never seen my home airport so jammed, with incredibly long lines both to check luggage and at the TSA. Everyone was grouchy, to say the least, passengers and staff alike.

I was afraid I’d miss my flight, but thankfully I didn’t. I even had five minutes or so to chat with another genealogist who was on the same flight.

I figured my “close call” for the week was over at this point.

Salt Lake City

I arrived in Salt Lake City and called an Uber. I’m not fond of snow, but snow on the mountains is beautiful, especially if it’s not in the city.

The ride from the airport into the city isn’t long – maybe 15-20 minutes.

Salt Lake City isn’t terribly large – tucked into a valley. You can see the mountains everyplace you look in SLC.

As we entered the city, I could see the familiar buildings on the left and right. The conference center is beside that tall silver building on the left.

I was getting excited!

It was only about 10 AM mountain time and I had been trying to arrange for early checking at the Marriott City Creek which is across the street from the convention center and a block or so away from the library where I would be spending the next two or three days.

I like that hotel because it has a Starbucks in the lobby, and the hotel’s location is super convenient, especially in inclement weather.

Because the RootsTech speaker rooms were reserved in a block, I could not change my reservation personally and had not actually been able to get ahold of a human who could alter my reservation – but I was lucky, and they did have a room that I could get into early.

I’ve developed a pattern, as have most repeat RootsTech attendees. Many of us walk to Harmons, the local grocery store, and grab snacks for the week. The food locally is quite expensive. The Salt Stone restaurant in the hotel is adequate, but I wanted snacks and something like Lunchables for the for the FSL. Nearby restaurants closed during Covid and never reopened. No one wants to take time away from research to walk to a restaurant for food.

It was cold and slightly windy, as it often is in SLC, but it was actually rather pleasant, considering that it’s still winter, so walking was no inconvenience.

I headed down the elevator and was looking forward to a sunny walk to the store.

Trapped in the Cavern of Doom

I stepped off the elevator and headed for the front doors of the hotel when I realized that this side exit would cut off about half a block each way. There was no need to walk to the front door to circle back again past this exit.

Wonderful!

Since all of SLC is built on the side of a mountain and in the valley, I wanted to check and be sure this actually did exit to the street.

Yes, indeed, I could see the street out the shutters and I was pleased for the shortcut.

I opened the door and stepped down the two steps to street level. The door automatically closed behind me.

I pushed on the outer door and it would not open. I tried again, thinking it was just sticky. Still wouldn’t budge, but it felt like it should.

The area looked very unkempt. Maybe it really wasn’t an exit? But lighted exit signs pointed the way. Right?

I thought that was strange since there was no sign on the door I had just come through saying anything like “emergency exit only,” and even if it had been an emergency exit, the door is still supposed to open.

I tried again, but the door simply would not open.

Ok, so I turned around to go back inside.

Only to see this.

There WAS NO WAY BACK INSIDE.

I swear, it looks like people have been scratching and digging at that that door.

And, there was no way to get outside.

I was trapped in a small concrete Cavern of Doom.

Did I mention that I’m claustrophobic?

I refuse to even consider an escape room, but suddenly, I’m in a very small one – alone – with no way out.

I could feel the anxiety surging through my blood.

I had to control this, because I had to be able to think.

There was no way to get my fingers in that gap to pry the door open. Nothing in my purse that might work either. So I decided to try to see if the outer door was just stuck. I threw my whole body weight against it.

Nothing.

The handle depressed, kind of askew, but the door would not open.

I remembered that the entire hallway was just conference rooms, so no one was going to be using them on a Sunday.

I decided to pound on the inner door, just in case someone could hear me.

Dead silence.

OK, what next?

I decided to call the front desk.

Yes, call the front desk. That’s it! Hopefully I would get a human and not that blasted “select this option” menu that I had kept getting when I was trying to modify my reservation.

The front desk would send someone to retrieve me.

I tried calling, but got the reservation center that is not the local number.

By now, I was shaking.

Thank Heavens I had my phone. I remembered that if you enter a location in a Google maps, they often give you the local phone number of the business you’re trying to reach.

I typed in Marriott, and the location popped up, with a local number.

THANK GOD!!!!

I called, and an actual human answered. What a relief!

I explained that I was trapped and explained exactly where.

“Enter the front door. The front desk is on your left. The Salt Stone Restaurant is straight ahead. The hallway by the restaurant is the elevators. Not that hallway. The hallway just before that – the only other hallway on that side. Turn right, the only way you can go, towards the street. Walk down the hallway towards the exit sign. Turn left. Double doors on the left. Not those. Exit door straight in front to the street. That door. Please come open it. I’m trapped.

Please hurry!”

The female who answered sounded confused.

I repeat myself again.

She hesitantly says OK and hangs up.

I wait.

Nothing.

No footsteps.

No voice.

I’m pounding on the door and calling.

Silence.

I call the number again.

The same woman answers.

I ask, none too politely, where she is.

She tells me she’s confused.

I give her my phone number and tell her NOT TO HANG UP.

She says she won’t, but she can’t figure out where I am.

I explain this over again.

She says OK, she’s coming.

I implore her not to hang up.

Click – she hangs up.

I pound and call and wait again.

Nothing.

I’m increasingly panicked.

I tell myself there’s no reason to panic. It’s just a small space, and I will eventually get out.

I won’t freeze to death anytime soon.

I MUST MAINTAIN MY COMPOSURE to be able to get myself out of this.

I wish this were a nightmare, and I could just wake up. It feels like a night terror.

I call again. The woman says she has to get her manager.

This time, she laid the phone down.

I hear two women talking.

A different woman comes to the phone.

I’m explaining all over again.

She says she’s coming.

DO NOT HANG UP!!!

Click.

More pounding and yelling on the door so they will hear me.

Nothing.

Ok, T-H-I-N-K calmly. Plan D because so far plans A-C have not worked.

I am going to give this 5 more minutes of pounding, and then I’m going to call 911.

They WILL FIND ME, and THEY WILL RELEASE ME from this concrete hell.

Yes, it’s going to be incredibly embarrassing, especially if the door does work with jiggling it a bit or something like that. Maybe I’m just not strong enough.

  • One minute

How can minutes possibly be this long?

  • Two minutes

Try the outer door again. Repeatedly. Push everyplace.

  • Three minutes

Yell even more loudly. Maybe someone outside on the street will hear you and get help. The voices outside drift away.

  • Four minutes

Distantly, I hear two women’s voices in the hotel.

They are getting closer. Approaching in the hallway.

THANK GOD!!!

FINALLY!

This seemed like an eternity but had only actually been about 20 minutes.

What took them so long??

My heart was pounding its way out of my chest. Good thing I don’t have a heart condition. I think this counts as a stress test.

The door begins to open, and the landing is so small that the door pushes me down the two steps. I don’t care. To steady myself but mostly to be sure it doesn’t close again, leaving me trapped, I grab ahold of the edge of that open door and hold on for dear life.

Once inside, I angrily demanded of the two females what took them so long.

Where were they?

They both looked entirely stunned.

They just stared at me incredulously.

I said, “I called the front desk three times. You hung up. Where were you?”

They told me they were Starbucks employees who just happened to hear me and had nothing to do with the front desk. They were headed into the two double doors where the food supplies were stored.

I suddenly realized I was yelling at the wrong people. I apologized profusely and headed for the front desk.

A man was working the front desk.

I was furious.

I explained what had just happened, and he told me that there were no women working the front desk. He gave me what I term “the side-eye,” which essentially expressed disbelief.

On my phone, I showed him the number I had called. There’s another Marriott, the City Center, just a couple blocks away. Apparently that’s the number that popped up on my phone and I called their front desk. Still, they did not call me back. Someone was obviously in distress.

The man seemed to think the issue was resolved now that I had been freed, but it clearly was NOT.

I insisted that he come with me NOW so I could show him the problem. I did not want that to happen to anyone else.

I took him into the Cavern of Doom, while I stood with the door open into the hallway. Trust me, I was under no circumstances going back in there. He could not open the door either. He said that it appeared that a screw was loose. The handle depressed unevenly, and the screw certainly could have been loose.

I don’t care what was wrong. It should never have been in that dilapidated condition, and it needed to be fixed ASAP. He said he would put a sign on the door not to use it and notify engineering. What if someone did not have their phone and was trapped there overnight, or worse? You could freeze to death.

I was still shaking badly and could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body. I really, really needed that walk to Harmons.

I went into the Starbucks to apologize to the ladies, my rescuers, again, and they made me a cup of decaf coffee. Bless their hearts. They showed more compassion than anyone else other than the Fire Marshall’s office.

I left a message for the hotel general manager, and I called the Fire Marshall’s office on Monday morning. The Fire Marshall’s office was very concerned and compassionate. I had taken photos. I took two photos inside when I was trapped in the Cavern of Doom thinking I could send them to the front desk or the firefighters if I had to call 911 and it might be a clue as to where to find me. I went back and took pictures of the hallway with the exit signs for the Fire Marshall’s office.

I wanted them to see the exit signs directing the unsuspecting to said Cavern.

They requested the photos.

Furthermore, on my Facebook page, Sunday afternoon, another well-known genealogist told me that she had been trapped IN THAT EXACT SAME LOCATION IN THE SAME HOTEL 4 years prior. Yes, four years.

That infuriated me.

She said she would vouch for me, so I sent that screenshot to the Fire Marshall too.

This is not a new problem, and the general manager surely should have known about it, which made me even angrier.

This isn’t a neglected maintenance issue – it’s worse. It’s a huge, chronic, safety issue – potentially life and death in the event of an emergency.

There’s no excuse for management NOT to know about it.

If it’s repeatedly problematic, it should be checked daily. It should be permanently remedied.

What if someone froze to death in there?

What if there was a fire?

Or an earthquake that required evacuation? They had a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in 2021 that toppled Angel Moroni from the Salt Lake City Temple and the church buildings are still under repair/renovation with scaffolding and cranes visible across the skyline.

The fire Marshal visited on Monday, and I verified with the manager that the door worked after their visit. However, the handle still depressed unevenly, so will it continue to work? The entire handle/door needs to be replaced. Minimally, there needs to be an emergency phone or an emergency call button in the Cavern of Doom, just like in elevators.

I hope the hotel was cited and fined, and I hope the Fire Marshall inspected the other emergency egresses too.

I don’t know what the final resolution is/was, but the general manager said he would have engineering “remedy the situation” when I talked to him the following day.

The general manager was pleasant enough and acted professionally. I informed him very directly that the buck stops with him and that there is absolutely no excuse or justification.

Full stop.

None.

Nada.

He mentioned that there are a lot of doors in the hotel, and he can’t really check them all.

PLEASE!!!

In retrospect, this Marriott is in a prime location for the Salt Palace conference venue across the street, along with the FSL, and they don’t need to do better. They just need to be there.

I had an extremely difficult time sleeping. If that ground-floor exit, which would be used more often than other emergency exits, is in that condition and has been at least twice in four years, what do the rest of the egresses look like? For example, what about the stairs from the upper floors in case of a fire? Do those doors open?

This had/has disaster written all over it.

I will be following up with the local Fire Marshall’s office and probably with Marriott Corporate as well.

I know that the FamilySearch folks would never knowingly put their speakers and guests at risk, so I think I’m going to suggest that perhaps they could schedule a pair of their missionary elders to test this door episodically – one elder staying outside the door, of course.

Maybe not a bad idea for the Fire Marshall too.

I’m hoping that next year, perhaps the Hyatt that is attached to the Salt Palace can be the conference hotel and would be willing to match the Marriott pricing.

Harmons, Finally

Yes, I did make it to Harmons grocery store. After all that, Harmons seemed downright boring and anticlimactic, which is exactly what I needed.

I saw a beautiful display of orchids. My soul needed some calming peace, and if I had been at home, I would have purchased one.

Instead, I took a photo that soothed my frayed nerves with their beauty.

I purchased my goodies, including chocolate, and returned to the hotel to unpack. Inside my suitcase, I discovered a treasure. It seems that Kitters and my other cat kids, Chai and Mandy, had packed something in my suitcase since Kitters couldn’t pack herself.

Kitters is not doing well. This made me sob like a baby.

You have no idea how much I needed this. Not the Peeps, but the letter.

I smiled and settled in to prepare a research list for the FSL the next day.

Sunday was a VERY long day. I aged about a century and couldn’t help but think about my ancestor, the Reverend John Lothropp who was imprisoned in horrific conditions for two years. I feel you, John. I wonder how many other ancestors have experienced something similar or far worse than my brief entrapment.

I was sure Monday would be much better. After all, I was going to chase ancestors for the next two days.

I guarantee you, I avoided anything that even resembled a shortcut that might morph into a Cavern of Doom.

_____________________________________________________________

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FamilyTreeDNA RootsTech Pricing Lowest Ever & Still in Effect

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Yesterday, I wrote about how to find the RootsTech vendors’ online booths.

So, guess what I found in the online FamilyTreeDNA RootsTech booth – a list of their show prices AND the associated promo codes, which means you can take advantage of these low prices even if you didn’t attend or even sign up for RootsTech.

These prices, most of which are the lowest I’ve ever seen, remain in effect through March 29th.

Not only are new tests on sale, but so are upgrades if you’ve already taken one test and want to purchase a different type of test, or you want to upgrade an existing test.

Click to enlarge images

Upgrade pricing is shown below. Now is a great time to upgrade to the Big Y if you have only taken one of the 12-111 marker tests. There’s so much more to discover, pardon the pun.

Also, the new mitochondrial tree will be released soon with approximately 5 times as many haplogroups, and you’ll want the full sequence test to benefit from that new technology.

FamilyTreeDNA gave a sneak preview of the new MitoTree at RootsTech, and it’s AMAZING – both the haplogroups that reach into a genealogical timeframe and also the new MitoDiscover tool. (MitoTree and MitoDiscover are my names – FamilyTreeDNA might select something different.) I’ll write about this soon!

Click here to order a new test or sign on and upgrade!

Finding Cousins to Test

I talk in my sessions and in blog articles about the importance of testing someone from each of your ancestral lines for both their Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Essentially, you don’t know what you don’t know about your ancestors, and this is the only way to find out. I wrote about constructing a DNA Pedigree Chart, here.

Both Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA tests are useful for recent genealogy as well as before the adoption of surnames. Both can confirm or even disprove an ancestral lineage, not to mention breaking through brick walls. At these prices, there’s no better time to order tests for cousins who have the proper DNA to represent those ancestors and are willing to test.

Where might you find those cousins who carry the Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA of each of your ancestors?

  • Known cousins who descend appropriately from those ancestors
  • Your autosomal matches at any vendor – search matches by surname.
  • ThruLines at Ancestry
  • Theories of Family Relativity at MyHeritage
  • WikiTree descendants of each ancestral line and people contributing to each ancestor
  • Relatives at RootsTech (through the end of March only)
  • FamilySearch descendants of each ancestor
  • FamilyTreeDNA Projects for the surname in question
  • Facebook pages for surnames or even county genealogy society pages where your ancestors lived.
  • Facebook users by that surname, although if they are not involved in genealogy, they might think you are stalking them. I don’t reach out on Facebook unless I know the connection or they are in a genealogy-focused group.

Needless to say, always verify other people’s trees to be sure it’s the line of descent you need. I also test two people from each line, preferably through two separate children if possible, to make sure they match, confirming the lineage.

Anything Else?

Yes! You can upload your autosomal DNA file from either MyHeritage or Ancestry to FamilyTreeDNA for free. Uploads from 23andMe are currently paused and will resume soon.

Uploads receive free matching, shared matches and maternal/paternal side matching. Some of these features either aren’t available or require a subscription at other vendors.

Normally the one-time payment to unlock FamilyTreeDNA’s advanced tools, including the Chromosome Browser, myOrigins ethnicity, Chromosome Painter (including segment information), and Ancient Origins is $19, but right now, it’s only $9, and there’s no subscription required for anything.

This article provides DNA file upload and download instructions for each vendor.

Then, click here to get started at FamilyTreeDNA.

_____________________________________________________________

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I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

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RootsTech 2024 Online Vendor Booth Videos & Resources

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Maybe it’s just me, but I could not find the online booths, with their wonderful resources, on the desktop RootsTech website.

I found the list of vendors, but they had no links. I know many vendors offer all kinds of videos, downloadable documents, and show specials in their “virtual booths,” even after RootsTech.

I asked one of the vendors to provide the info. (Thanks FamilyTreeDNA who replied to my request on a Sunday.)

Here’s the link to the Online Expo Hall for ALL vendors.

Just search or scroll and select the vendor you want. I suggest taking a look at all of the vendors to see what kind of information they are providing. I attended in person but never got the chance to visit even half the booths.

You do NOT have to be registered for RootsTech to visit the virtual booths so everyone can take advantage of this freebie.

Here are the links for two of my favorites, FamilyTreeDNA and MyHeritage. Lots at both of these booths.

Phone App

On the phone app, you can find the vendors’ virtual booths under the Expo Hall.

What’s Next

I’m going to see what’s available, and you can expect a few short articles in the next couple of days. I’m also preparing a longer summary of RootsTech fun happenings, along with lots of photos.

Enjoy!

_____________________________________________________________

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I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

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My RootsTech 2024 Schedule – Come Visit!

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This is lining up to be the busiest RootsTech ever.

My appearance schedule includes:

  • 3 RootsTech sessions
  • 2 presentations in the MyHeritage booth
  • 5 AMA (ask me anything) panel sessions in the FamilyTreeDNA booth.
  • Book signings for my book, DNA for Native American Genealogy

Plus, there are some sessions I’d like to attend as well. I’m going to need roller skates!

RootsTech opens at 8 AM on Thursday, February 29th. Yes, it’s a leap year, so leap into RootsTech!!

Here’s my appearance schedule:

Date/Time Session Location
Thursday, February 29, 2024
9:30 AM DNA for Native American Genealogy book signing Booth 218-222
10:30 AM Native American AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Janine Cloud, an enrolled Cherokee Nation member FamilyTreeDNA booth
11:00 AM DNA for Native American Genealogy book signing FamilyTreeDNA booth
12:15 PM Genetic Genealogy Turns 25: DNA Experts Tell
Their Stories – Diahan Southard’s panel discussion		 Ballroom B – also live-streamed and recorded
2:00 PM Leveraging Triangulation – From Three to Many MyHeritage booth
4:00 PM Adoptee Research AMA Ask Me Anything with Courtney Eberhard FamilyTreeDNA booth
6:30 PM Jumpstart Y-DNA Research with New Family Finder Haplogroups FamilyTreeDNA booth
Friday, March 1, 2024
Noon Leveraging Triangulation – From Three to Many MyHeritage booth
1:30 PM – 4:00 DNA Academy – Pulling it All Together – Tests, Vendors, Tools and You Room 355 D
5:30 PM Mitochondrial DNA AMA Panel with Paul Maier, Goran Runfeldt FamilyTreeDNA booth
Saturday, March 2, 2024
10:30 AM Y-DNA Ask Me Anything Panel FamilyTreeDNA booth
1:30 PM Highways of History – Fleshing Out Your Ancestors Using Discover Case Studies Room 151

Lots of vendors have educational sessions in their booths. I encourage you to stop by the FamilyTreeDNA booth for these sessions. Please note that schedules at shows can be somewhat fluid.

The FamilyTreeDNA booth location is very near the show entrance.

My Heritage is to the right and will have more booth presentations too, but they have not released their schedule yet.

Books & Things where I’ll be signing books at 9:30 AM on Thursday is to the far left.

I’ve starred those locations on the final booth layout that we received this morning.

Hope to see you soon!

_____________________________________________________________

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Share the Love!

You’re always welcome to forward articles or links to friends and share on social media.

If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Uploads

Genealogy Products and Services

My Book

Genealogy Books

Genealogy Research

_____________________________________________________________

Follow DNAexplain on Facebook, here.

Share the Love!

You’re always welcome to forward articles or links to friends and share on social media.

If you haven’t already subscribed (it’s free,) you can receive an e-mail whenever I publish by clicking the “follow” button on the main blog page, here.

You Can Help Keep This Blog Free

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase your price but helps me keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Uploads

Genealogy Products and Services

My Book

Genealogy Books

Genealogy Research