This week I helped a young woman discover some of her ancestors. She previously didn’t even know her grandparents’ full names. She was able to track down their names, and we entered them into her new FamilySearch account. One of her grandfathers is deceased, so we were able to find records to connect him to his ancestors. Suddenly she had several generations of ancestors, complete with stories and photos for many of them. I felt privileged to witness her make connections, feel the love, and experience healing. This is what family history is all about!
I also had some time to work with a friend to discover some resources that will help her find her deceased cousin’s birth and death information in Colombia. Helping people discover, gather, and connect with their ancestors is part of what I do in my calling as a Temple and Family History Consultant for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love helping those around me gather their tribe!
I also wrote a post for Family Locket this week called Quick and Easy Family History gift ideas. I used to work in the quilting industry, and it was fun to see the handmade gifts that quilters created and presented to their loved ones each year. I thought it would be fun to share some ideas for gifts that genealogists can give this holiday season that will help their loved ones form connections with their ancestors. I hope you get some great inspiration from reading my article!
I am continuing to learn more about genetic genealogy in my Research Like a Pro with DNA study group. This week we are learning all about DNA tools. I have to admit my head was spinning after our last session! Thankfully I have access to the recording of the class session and I was able to go through it again, pausing to take the time to explore and discover the functionality and capability of each tool as it was discussed. It was exciting to learn how to use the tools to see connections between DNA matches and their common ancestors. I look forward to deciding which tools to include in the research plan I will be creating next week!
There are so many DNA tools! I’ve been downloading matches to DNA Gedcom and I can’t wait until it’s ready.
I started downloading to DNA Gedcom Saturday. My computer shut down in the middle of the process for some reason so I need to start over. I saw your suggestion in your newsletter to restrict the matches to over 10 cM. I’m going to try that today. Thanks for the great suggestion!