Get struck by cupid's arrow all over again... This month take a minute to look at the relationships that your ancestors had. Browse some marriage licenses. Or share your favorite vintage wedding photo on our Flickr Group! We'd love to hear your ancestors' most romantic stories!

To get your MyNeChimKi's Genealogical Resources desktop calendar follow these instructions:

The sessions that RootsTech will be broadcasting include are as follows (times are MST):

I’m particularly interested in the presentations on Eleven Layers of Online Searches, Making the Most of Technology… and Future of FamilySearch Family Tree.  I’ve heard and lots of things about cloud computing and I’ve dabbled in a little.  Some of the more technical aspects escape my comprehension.  I may look into these sessions a little further.  What sessions are you planning on viewing?

If you’re more of a traditional webinar kind of person, there are some great (and fun!) webinars scheduled for the month of February.  There’s a little bit of everything this month covering both traditional and digital research techniques and what to do with your research when you’re ready to publish!

• 2 February 2012, 3:45pm EST, Genealogy Idol Competition
  The ContestantsTwo of the contestants will participate live at RootsTech in the classroom audience. The other two will use our webinar technology to participate from their homes. Here they are:Elyse Doerflinger – Lomita, CA

  Elizabeth Clark – Falls Village, CT

  Michael Hait – Harrington, DE

  Marian Pierre-Louis – Millis, MAThe Competition

  The one-hour competition will feature three rounds of topics. Each contestant will have three minutes to impress you with their demonstrations. Regardless of whether you will be in a seat at RootsTech or in a virtual seat from your home, you will see and hear it all – live! At the very end, YOU, the online audience will decide the winner by voting using the webinar’s poll technology. Everyone will go home a winner, but the one with the most votes will go home with both the title of “RootsTech Genealogy Idol” and a free Flip-Pal Mobile scanner from Legacy Family Tree.

• 4 February 2012, 1:00pm EST, “See the Patterns”
  This presentation will look at a variety of ways to organize information with the intent on noticing information and trends that were not obvious, preparing the researcher to present their information to others, and assisting the researching in seeing gaps in their research. 
• 6 February 2012, 12:00pm EST OR 10:00pm EST, RootsTech 2012 Review with DearMYRTLE
  DearMYRTLE hosts this webinar on the heels of RootsTech 2012 which will have concluded over the weekend. Join Myrt and share thoughts about technology trends in the genealogy community. 
• 9 February 2012, 8:00pm EST, They’re Alive! Finding Living Relatives ($49.99)
  Sooner or later most genealogists find that they have to stop looking for dead people and start looking for living ones. Whether you’re working on adoption research, reconnecting after a generations-old family feud, or just looking to track down your third cousin to share photos, finding living people is a key part of every genealogist’s journey. Thomas MacEntee will share his secrets for finding your long-lost relatives in this webinar.
• 14 February 2012, 9:00pm EST, Cool Tools for Publishing
  Now that you’ve written your family’s story, what do you do with it?  Thanks to technology and the Internet, it’s easier than ever to document and share your genealogical discoveries. Those attending this FREE webinar will learn about some of the popular online tools and methods available for writing and publishing a cutting edge family history.
• 15 February 2012, 2:00pm EST, Ten Brick Wall Tips for Beginners
  In this webinar, Marian will present 10 brick wall tips that will help every genealogist look at their research challenges in a fresh way. This webinar will bring you the momentum you need to get your family history research back on track. 
• 15 February 2012, 9:00pm EST, “Key to the Courthouse”
  Do you want the magic key? The key to the courthouse? The way to unlock all the records within? Discussion includes books helpful in planning a courthouse trip; what the different names are for the court office; types of records; even what to wear and how to “pack” for the courthouse.
• 16 February 2012, 7:00pm, African American Genealogy: Migrations and Manuscripts ($15.00 for GenPa Members, $20.00 for non-members)
  Deborah Abbott and Jim Ison join us for a webinar that will instruct you how best to use manuscripts and migration patterns to facilitate your African American research.
• 23 February 2012, 8:00pm EST, Tennessee Genealogy Crash Course: Find Your Volunteer State Ancestors ($49.99)
  Tennessee became a state in 1796, and that means it figures prominently in the histories of many American family. Reowned genealogist and Tennessee records expert J. Mark Lowe will share his special tips and techniques for finding your ancestors in the Volunteer State.
• 29 February 2012, 2:00pm EST, Organizing and Sharing Digital Images
  Learn how to organize and share your digital images. If you are unable to quickly locate any digital image or document, you need the techniques that Legacy Family Tree’s Geoff Rasmussen will teach in this webinar. You will learn how Google’s Picasa and Adobe’s Photoshop Elements can help you sort, tag, and quickly locate your pictures. You will also learn how to securely access your photos in the “cloud” (from any internet-connected computer) and share them with others. Finally, Geoff will give suggestions on how to organize your digitized genealogy documents (wills, census, etc.) and add them to your Legacy Family Tree file.

Check out this sneak peak from NBC Studios to whet your appetite for the new season! And be sure to tell us which celebrity you’re most excited to learn about!!

All of these forms are available on our Forms & Resources page.

Ancestor / Pedigree Chart

One of the best organizational tools for collecting basic information about your ancestors and their relationships is the Ancestor Chart.  These charts will give you a visual overview of 4-5 generations of your family. Each chart is numbered and contains numbered generations with basic information for each individual – birth, marriage and death dates and places. At the end of each form is a cross-reference number that will allow you to continue the chart on another page.

This quick “at-a-glance” form will give you a quick reference for the holes in your research that will help you plan what information you’ll want to research in the future.

 Ancestor Chart

Family Group Sheet

Once you’ve begun your research you’ll quickly find that the Ancestor Chart isn’t detailed enough to record all the information about each family in your tree. The Family Group Sheet is the next step in data collection. Family Group Sheets are usually two-part forms. The first section records details about the “parents” of the family, their birth dates and places, marriage date and place, occupations and death dates and places. The second section records the details about each child (birth, marriage and death). Record all of the children for the parents, not just your direct ancestor; sometimes it’s through the brothers and sisters of your direct ancestor that you can learn more clues!

Having all of the information about each family condensed into one sheet can be extremely helpful when developing your research plans for the future. We recommend filling in as much information as possible and, like the Ancestor Chart, looking at the areas that you were unable to complete or have incomplete data as a way of determining your next steps for research.

 Family Group Sheet

Correspondence Record

How many times have you started a task or an errand only to find out that you’d already done it before? This is a common pitfall in genealogy research. Once you start researching more than one line (and who can resist not doing this?!) who you’ve talked to and what records you’ve requested will quickly become confusing. A correspondence record is exactly the type of form that you’ll need to keep track of all your information requests!

 Correspondence Record

Research Log

Genealogy research relies on accurate documentation of your sources. Not all information is as simple as a photocopy; you’ll also want to document what you didn’t find. Keeping a research log handy will make it easy for you to record each source that you reviewed during your research trip, what you found (or didn’t find), where you reviewed the source and any special information about the source. A complete research log will help make your research trips more effective by giving you a quick reference for sources that you want to review again later as well as prevent you from revisiting sources that weren’t helpful or didn’t produce the evidence you expected.

 Research Log

• 4 January 2012, 2:00pm, Digital Books and Sites for Genealogists
  Learn how to take advantage of the online explosion of digitized books for genealogy. You will learn about sources for digitized books including the Internet Archive, Google Books, WorldCat, Library of Congress, and More. Tens of thousands of these digitized books are local and family histories, some of which have had limited or no distribution previously. There are sites, such as the Family History Archive that have thousands of ree genealogy-related books and are virtually unknown. Other well-known sites like Google Books contain a wealth of past issues of prominent genealogical publications such as the Ancestry Magazine and the Journal of American Ancestry.
• 6 January 2012, 1:00pm, Illinois Research
  This session will discuss sources for genealogical information in Illinois, concentrating on state and local sources. For intermediate level researchers.
• 6 January 2012, 3:30pm, Using Archives.org
  Learn how to access out of copyright published material and National Archives microfilm for free on Archive.org.
• 7 January 2012, 2:30pm, Me and My Laptop: Getting the Most out of your Laptop while Researching Onsite
  You’ll learn tips for making onsite research more efficient and productive using DropBox (or similar cloud) in conjunction with spreadsheets, word processing programs, genealogy software, and more.
• 10 January 2012, 8:00pm, 10 Ways to Jump Start Your Genealogy in 2012
  Whether you’ve been stuck in a rut with your genealogy research for the past year or you just want to expand the ways in which you pursue your family history, join ISGS for this fun and informative FREE webinar. Presented by nationally-known genealogist, educator and author Thomas MacEntee, you’ll find out how to energize your research and hit the ground running in 2012.
• 18 January 2012, 2:00pm, Pilgrims and Patriots: Discovering Your Massachusetts Ancestors
  From the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620, Massachusetts has maintained some of the best-kept records for genealogists. This abundance has made it easier to research in the state. Even so, it’s helpful to have a roadmap to cover almost 400 years of history. Join Marian Pierre-Louis as she provides an overview of researching in the Bay state and gets you on the right path to finding your Massachusetts ancestors.
• 18 January 2012, 9:00pm, The Two Sides of Interviewing
  While most of us know the basics of interviewing, this presentation looks at it from a couple of different angles: from the fields of speech communication and folklore; more specifically, oral history gathering techniques. Also included is a discussion of the “other side” of interviewing: responding as the interviewee. Some suggestions for before, during, and after the interview, for those on both sides, are covered.
• 20 January 2012, 1:00pm, Newspaper Research
  Learn search techniques for microfilmed and digitized newspapers, what to look for besides obituaries and effective search strategies. Advanced beginners or intermediate researchers.
• 20 January 2012, 3:30pm, Tips and Tricks for FamilySearch.org
  Confused by FamilySearch? We will see how to search the various image and database indexes on FamilySearch.

The methods of backing up your data are nearly as varied as the leaves on the trees.  It’s all a matter of personal preference which you prefer.  Some of the ways to backup your data are:

• External hard drives and flash drives (great for portability)
• CDs and DVDs (great for sharing small amounts of data)
• Online backup systems

External Hard Drives

I’ve had more than my fair share of external hard drives fail on me.  The problem with these devices is that they’re small, portable, and have lots of moving parts!  When the moving parts fail or get damaged then your data becomes impossible to recover without professional assistance.  This can be incredibly costly!  I recommend redundancy when backing up to an external hard drive.  Make more than one copy.  It might seem silly at the time, but you’ll thank your lucky stars when one of those drives starts “clicking” and refuses to register on your computer.

Writable Media

CDs and DVDs are limited storage options.  They have a finite amount of data that can be stored and there are certainly errors that can be made in the copying process.  Some people don’t realize that CDs and DVDs also have a shelf-life.  That’s why it’s important to purchase archival quality discs if you will intend to use them for archival purposes.  Here are two good articles that give some direction on archival quality discs:

• How to Choose CD/DVD Archival Media
• Burning Questions: Picking the Right Media, Pt. 2

Online Backup Services

I think that of these three options, online backup services are the safest.  Many online services offer redundancy backups for your backups which is just what you need.  A few years ago I switched to Dropbox for the majority of my documents.  Dropbox is great for a number of different reasons.

• It offers 2GB with the free account
• Your files are accessible anywhere you go from any computer
• They support Mac, PC, and many mobile platforms
• They automatically store a 1 month revision history for all your files… if you mess up it’s simple to “undo” it.

In addition to Dropbox I’ve been using Amazon S3 for additional redundancy.  I was originally drawn to Amazon S3 because it interfaces easily with the backup service I use for my blogs.  However, I quickly became familiar with how easy Amazon makes backups and how inexpensive their service is.  Amazon S3 also has a free tier for their backups, and what’s great is that if you exceed this you only pay for what you use… you d0n’t have to purchase an expensive plan with storage that you’ll never see.

As part of the AWS Free Usage Tier, you can get started with Amazon S3 for free. Upon sign-up, new AWS customers receive 5 GB of Amazon S3 storage, 20,000 Get Requests, 2,000 Put Requests, and 15GB of data transfer out each month for one year.

With these two online backup services, it’s almost impossible NOT to secure your data.  Go out and try these today and make sure that your research is safe for generations!

• 2 December 2011, 2:00pm EST, More Brick Walls from A to Z ($8.00)
  We will see an overview of genealogy research techniques and suggestions listed from “A to Z.”
• 7 December 2011, 2:00pm EST, Tracing Immigrant Ancestors (FREE)
  America is a nation of immigrants, comprised of people who left home to find a better life for themselves and their families. Tracking down your immigrant ancestors can often be a daunting task. This session will show you tips and tricks for locating and searching passenger lists and other key immigration documents both on and offline to help you trace your roots.
• 9 December 2011, 2:00pm EST, American Naturalization Records Before 1920 ($8.00)
  This lecture will provide an overview of the content and organization of naturalization records in the United States before 1920.Explanation through specific examples.
• 11 December 2011, 3:00pm EST, Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records ($8.00)
  Pre-1850 US Census records got you confused? We will see how to re-construct the family structure from 1790-1840 census records using several extended examples.
• 12 December 2011, 7:00pm EST, Using the National Archives Website (FREE)
  The National Archives Website can be difficult to use. Mary Evelyn Tomlin will help us solve the mysteries navigating the site and show us effective search methods.
• 14 December, 2011, 2:00pm EST, Children and Genealogy in the Classroom (FREE)
  Grab and hold the attention of kids with a series of multicultural genealogical activities developed for use in the classroom, but useful for kids in any setting. The material in this lecture is based on the presenter’s experience teaching school-age children about family and local history.
• 15 December 2011, 8:00pm EST, Michigan Genealogy Crash Course: Find Your Great Lakes State Ancestors ($49.99, early bird price: $39.99)
  Michigan’s unique position as the Great Lakes state means that it has a long and colorful history. Whether your ancestors passed through Michigan or stayed for generations, this webinar will show you how to take advantage of the wealth of resources available for Michigan genealogical research. What you’ll learn: Essential Michigan history, Details on vital records and immigration in the state, What ethnicity-based records your ancestor may have left behind, The best websites for Michigan research.
• 16 December 2011, 2:00pm EST, Sarah and Susannah: Two 18th Century Virginia Women and Their Property ($8.00)
  This lecture discusses the will and inheritance of on 18th century woman and the “moving the inheritance” of another. Concentrates on women and real property in Virginia through two examples.

To get the most up-to-date listing on genealogy webinars, subscribe to DearMYRTLE’s google calendar: GeneaWebinars

The website for Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church has a bit different history of this piece.  It was a poem written by Max Ehrmann and because of its usage in the church hymnal it was accidentally attributed to the 17th century.  Instead, the poem was written in 1927.  The church rector, Reverend Frederick Kates used Desiderata in devotional materials that he compiled for his congregation. It was simply a case of mistaken identity that the poem was attributed to an unknown author from the 17th century.

This story reminds us to always check our citations carefully and always verify sources with cross-references!!

Go placidly amid the noise & haste, & remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all acridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

There area plethora of online learning opportunities this month to boost your genealogical knowledge!  If you’re looking for software tips and tricks or you’re thinking about buying someone a DNA kit for Christmas, there’s something for everyone this month.  And don’t forget… Daylight Saving time starts on November 6th!  Fall back an hour and don’t miss any of these webinars!!

• 1 November 2011, 1:00pm EDT, Introduction to Genetic Genealogy at Family Tree DNA (FREE)
  What is Genetic Genealogy? What tests are available and which one should I order? How much does a Genetic Genealogy test cost? Do I need to be a geneticist to understand my results?If you’re a complete beginner to Genetic Genealogy and want the answers to these questions and more, then this webinar is for you! Attendees will learn about the history of genetic genealogy, be introduced to DNA basics and inheritance paths, learn about the different types of DNA tests available for genealogy, and learn about resources that will help you make the most of your Genetic Genealogy experience. Focus will be on tests and products available through Family Tree DNA, and attendees will receive an exclusive discount on select tests from Family Tree DNA!
• 2 November 2011, 2:00pm EDT, Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown’s Parents (FREE)
  Join Marian Pierre-Louis as she cracks the long-standing brick wall surrounding Nathan Brown’s parents (Geoff Rasmussen’s brick wall). Marian will share the analysis process she used to find Nathan’s parents.
  Certain techniques, which you can apply to your own research, can be used to unravel difficult genealogical problems. Follow that up with primary documents to confirm the relationships and the mystery is solved.
  At the end Marian will reveal – live – a big surprise about Geoff Rasmussen’s ancestry based on this new information.
  Legacy Family Tree webinars host, Geoff Rasmussen, will undoubtedly be in a great mood, so there will likely be some fantastic door prizes given away. This is one webinar you will not want to miss. 
• 4 November 2011, 2:00pm EDT, FamilyRoots Organizer System (FREE)
  Researchers need a simple way to organize genealogy records. The FamilyRoots Organizer System is easy to understand, simple to set up, and simple to use. Join us to learn the system and find out how using Legacy you can color-code your families to coordinate with your paper files. This is the second in a series of webinars devoted to organizing your paper files. Not one filing system works for everyone, so we’re trying to present a variety of methods with the hope that one will resonate with you.
• 4 November 2011, 1:00pm CDT, DeedMapper: The Sledds in 1830 Kentucky ($8.00)
  This webinar will discuss use of DeedMapper to plat properties in an 1830s era estate settlement in Kentucky. Users should have a basic understanding of land records. Focus will be on transcribing into DeedMapper, platting, laying out properties, and troubleshooting. Complete handout provided and current version of DeedMapper is used.
• 6 November 2011, 2:00pm CDT, The Missing 1840 Census Enumeration ($8.00)
  A discussion of how land and census records were combined to determine that a “missing” couple from an 1840 census wasn’t actually missing at all. This problem-solving lecture focuses on organizing, troubleshooting and how the family was found. Family was from Delaware County, Ohio
• 8 November 2011, 8:00pm CDT, Searching the US Census at Ancestry.com ($8.00)
  This session will discuss search techniques for the US Census at Ancestry.com (consider a free trial for practice if you don’t have a subscription). This session is not sponsored by Ancestry.com and the presenter is not an employee or contractor of Ancestry.com.
• 9 November 2011, 2:00pm EST, It Is Well With My Soul: Finding Ancestors Amid the Rubble of Disaster and Misfortune (FREE)
  Our ancestors persevered in spite of disaster and misfortune so that we could be here today to tell their stories. Join webinar favorite, Thomas MacEntee, to Learn how to locate evidence of their experiences and how to add their first-hand accounts to that body of evidence. Horatio Spofford, author of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul, overcame immense tragedy, misfortune and disaster (the death of his only son, the Great Chicago Fire, a shipwreck which killed his four remaining daughters) to not only stay true to his values but to help others and still keep a positive outlook on life. How did our ancestors persevere and survive in the face of disaster – natural, manmade and financial – so that we could be here today to tell their stories? Learn how to not only locate your ancestors amidst the rubble, but give voice to their stories.
• 10 November 2011, 8:00pm CST, Search Techniques for the Bureau of Land Management Website ($8.00)
  This session will provide an overview of search techniques for patents on the BLM site. Focus will be on problem-solving and search organization. Need to have a familiarity with rectangular survey system and land records.
• 14 November 2011, 7:00pm EST, Military Personnel Records (FREE)
  Focus: the military records located at National Personnel Records Center and how these records can be accessed and by whom and some unique services we provide to help veterans and their families.
• 16 November 2011, 2:00pm EST, Creating a Sharable CD with Legacy and Passage Express software (FREE)
  Want to share your work with the relatives? Watch how easy it is for Legacy users to create professional multimedia CD’s to pass around at your next family function. The Passage Express software (standard edition included with Legacy) includes slideshows, royalty-free music, an impressive menu designer, and lots more. It’s always a good idea to back up your work. Why not get your family excited about their ancestry at the same time? Who knows, you may get offers to help with your genealogy work! Join Passage Express developer, Jefferson Shupe, for this 90 minute webinar. We’ll also have great door prizes to give away!
• 17 November 2011, 1:00pm EST, Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 1: Y-DNA ($10 for one session, $25 for all 3 Demystified webinars)
  You’ve taken the plunge and ordered a genetic genealogy DNA test from Family Tree DNA, but now that you have your results, you don’t understand them? This webinar is for you! Join us to learn how to read and understand your Y-DNA results.
• 18 November 2011, 2:00pm EST, Celebrate the Holidays and Share Family History with Heritage Collector software (FREE)
  Join Heritage Collector’s Kathleen Bitter as she shares great holiday ideas and teaches how to make: - Personalized Christmas cards
  - Christmas letters and slideshows
  - 12 month Family Calendar – a perfect family present for kids and grandchildren
  - Storybook pages for the holidays
  - Ideas to help you with your Christmas craft gifts All of this and more can be achieved using the Legacy add-on software, Heritage Collector. We’ll also have some great door prizes!
• 22 November 2011, 1:00pm EST, Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 2: mtDNA ($10 for one session, $25 for all 3 Demystified webinars)
  You’ve taken the plunge and ordered a genetic genealogy DNA test from Family Tree DNA, but now that you have your results, you don’t understand them? This webinar is for you! Join us to learn how to read and understand your mtDNA results.
• 29 November 2011, 1:00pm EST, Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 3: Family Finder ($10 for one session, $25 for all 3 Demystified webinars)
  You’ve taken the plunge and ordered a genetic genealogy DNA test from Family Tree DNA, but now that you have your results, you don’t understand them? This webinar is for you! Join us to learn how to read and understand your Family Finder results.
• 30 November 2011, 2:00pm EST, A Closer Look at Google+ (FREE)
  This past July, Google users from around the world began registering for a preview of the new Google+ service. It wasn’t long before the genealogical community led the charge to adopt this new set of powerful tools. Our August webinar on Google+ set records for registration and attendance as family historians and technologists from more than 70 countries heard Paul Allen, Dan Lynch, and Mark Olsen formally introduce The Google+ Project to the worldwide family history community. In fact, the event attracted viewers from outside the world of genealogy too! In this updated webinar, Dan Lynch will step us through a closer look at Google+ and we’ll see how he and others are putting various features of the service to use for individual family history work, but also for societies and other organizations. As author of the award-winning book, “Google Your Family Tree” – Dan continues to share the benefits of Google and other technology offerings with family historians from around the world. You won’t want to miss this event!

To get the most up-to-date listing on genealogy webinars, subscribe to DearMYRTLE’s google calendar: GeneaWebinars