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 Friday, April 25, 2008
We're Famous!
Posted by Grace
Family Tree Magazine's gotten some mentions in the blogosphere lately: • The Genealogue mentions our partnership with Tamagotchi. • The anonymous Ancestry Insider did a profile on us—unprovoked!—in which things we do are described as being endearing and a rearranged Simpsonized staff photo is included! The Ancestry Insider's obviously got crazy good Photoshop skills. If anyone knows how to make Tamagotchized portraits, please let us know.
Genealogy fun | Genealogy Web Sites
4/25/2008 3:44:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Googling Names
Posted by Diane
You’ve probably Googled your ancestors and either found information or found out how common their names were (or wondered how the heck some page ended up in your search results). But have you Googled yourself? According to one study, 47 percent of Americans have done what's called an ego search.Jim Killeen went so far as to track down and interview seven of the same-named people he found. The resulting documentary, Google Me, premieres April 25 on You Tube. One of the Jims is from the filmmaker’s ancestral home in Ireland—maybe a DNA study is in order? Another way to find out haw many other people share your name is HowManyofMe.com, which bases its findings on census records. Turns out 13 people in the United States have my name. Now, a few tips to aid your genealogical Googling and weed out some of those same-named nonrelatives: - Search on spelling variations of your ancestor's name.
- Experiment with entering the last name first, first name last, with and without the middle name, with nickname, first initial plus last name, etc.
- Use quotation marks around the name (as in "fred flintstone") to eliminate pages that show the first and last names far apart.
- Add a place your ancestor lived to narrow results.
- Adding the unusual name of your ancestor's spouse or child also can narrow your results.
- Are matches on a famous figure with your ancestor’s surname clogging up your results? Use a – (minus sign) to eliminate a word associated with the celebrity, for example, “fred flintstone” -bedrock.
Genealogy fun | Genealogy Web Sites | Research Tips
4/15/2008 8:27:12 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Video: Making Genealogy Fun for Kids
Posted by Diane
So last week I took a quick trip out to San Diego to talk on the morning news about genealogy for kids and Family Tree Magazine’s partnership with Tamagotchi. With the latest version of Tamagotchi's digital pets, kids can raise “Tama” families and trace their pets' family trees—which presented an excellent opportunity to help kids learn about their own family trees in a fun way. They can get human genealogy tips in Tama Generations’ Family Center and on our Family Tree Kids! site. For more on Tamagotchi trees and how kids can research their own families, watch the video (remember, I woke up before the crack of dawn) on San Diego's NBC affiliate Web site. 
Genealogy for kids | Genealogy fun | Videos
4/8/2008 8:49:01 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Announcing Family Tree Kids!
Posted by Diane
Got a kids or grandkids who are interested in family history? Need to put together a genealogy project for students or a scouting group? We created Family Tree Kids! just for you. The site, designed for children ages 8 through 12, has family history-related games and crafts; activities that’ll help kids build their family detective skills and learn about their families; and a fun family tree kids can download, fill in with ancestors' names, and print. A grownups’ section offers a resource toolkit for parents and teachers who are helping kids with genealogy projects. Our partnership with Tamagotchi, makers of the popular digital pets, inspired Family Tree Kids! Familitchi, the newest version of Tamagotchi’s pets, encourages kids to learn about family history.
Genealogy fun | Genealogy Web Sites | Genealogy for kids
4/2/2008 8:22:29 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Our Latest Issue ...
Posted by Diane
This special Family Tree Magazine edition is for display only today: 
Genealogy fun
4/1/2008 9:37:26 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
RIP Phone Book, 1878-20??
Posted by Grace
Phone books can be great resources for confirming locations of your recent ancestors, but those big yellow doorstoppers are dying a slow death, the online newsmagazine Slate reports. They've come a long way since the first phone directory, a one-pager listing all 52 telephone subscribers in New Haven, Conn., debuted in 1878. (The Slate article describes many more mentionable moments in phone-book history.) The hefty, floppy books were created as vehicles for companies to sell advertising, and last year, 615 million directories were printed in the US, creating revenues of $13.9 billion, according to the Yellow Pages Association. But more and more cell phones are unlisted, and many people turn to the Internet to find phone numbers—especially people under 30. (For example, the last time I used a phone book was when the electricity in my apartment went out and I couldn't find the number I needed by text messaging Google.) For more phone fun, OldTelephoneBooks.com has many old pictures of telephone books, and some are listed for sale. You can browse by country, state and city.
Genealogy fun | Social History
3/26/2008 4:19:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, February 29, 2008
Making a Protective Book Box
Posted by Grace
If you're lucky enough to have inherited a family bible or diary from one of your ancestors, you've probably wondered just where you should keep it. You can read all about how best to keep old diaries and books in the May issue's "Preserving Memories" column. The article includes many resources for purchasing archival materials, but for the crafting-inclined, we've created a demonstration of how to make a built-to-order protective book box. Click here to download a PDF with instructions, and you can watch a step-by-step demonstration on our YouTube channel!
Genealogy fun | Historic preservation | Videos
2/29/2008 10:51:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Family History Expo Slide Show
Posted by Allison
For those of you who couldn't make it to the Family History Expo 2008 in St. George, Utah, last weekend—and those who want to relive the fun—watch this slideshow of images from the event:
Genealogy Events | Genealogy fun | Videos
2/11/2008 5:05:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, January 17, 2008
How not to Begin Your Family History
Posted by Grace
Genealogy fun
1/17/2008 4:16:24 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
"No, not a gerontologist"
Posted by Grace
Schelly Talalay Dardashti has posted a question on her Tracing the Tribe blog: How do people react when you tell them you're a genealogist?
As Schelly writes:
Do they ask how many babies you've delivered—thinking you said gynecologist; what caves or oil fields you've discovered—confusing you with a geologist; or simply think you are strange for happily shlepping through cemeteries looking for dead people (which, you must admit, is a good place to find them)?
Read the whole hilarious post and post your own comments by clicking here.
Genealogy fun
1/10/2008 9:25:42 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, January 07, 2008
The Best Scrapbooking Blogs
Posted by Grace
If you're the crafty type, you're probably at your best when you're among creative people or when you stumble across something beautiful that makes you cry out I want to do that. What's that old saying—no scrapbooker is an island?
The March issue of Family Tree Magazine's Preserving Memories column was conceived while thinking of the crafter in dire need of inspiration. Our very scientific process of visiting approximately a bazillion blogs resulted in this list of five fabulous sites.
Bookmark these babies and enjoy!
Lessons from the Scrapbook Page: On this inspirational blog, you can watch the latest installments of Real Women Scrap TV.
Mad Cropper: Keep up-to-date with news from the scrapbook world and plenty of step-by-step projects.
Memory Makers Blog: The editors of our sister magazine give you a peek at their latest pages (like the one you see at right).
SimpleStudio: Simple Scrapbooks serves up advice plus lots of layouts and photos.
Sprague Lab: This "studio of scrapbook alchemy" focuses on computer-assisted scrapping.
Celebrating your heritage | Genealogy fun
1/7/2008 3:49:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year's Family History Numbers
Posted by Diane
Happy New Year! Here are some facts and figures related to celebrations past and present: 255: years Americans have officially observed the start of the new year Jan. 1 200,000: attendees at the first Times Square New Year’s Eve party in 1904 1 million: Times Square revelers today 98: years New York City has dropped the famous ball in Times Square 5: verses in Auld Lang Syne, literally “old long since” 108: gongs struck in Buddhist temples Dec. 31 at midnight 12: grapes Spaniards traditionally eat to ring in the new year 49: points for Michigan (to Stanford’s 0) in the first Rose Bowl game, in 1902 20.1 million: Viewers of “ Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2006” 25: estimated percent of New Year’s resolutions that don’t last past Jan. 8
Genealogy fun | Social History
12/31/2007 8:24:57 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Season's Greetings from Family Tree Magazine!
Posted by Diane
 ... from everyone at Family Tree Magazine! That would be (below, l to r) Grace Dobush, assistant editor; Kathy Dezarn, art director; Allison Stacy, editor; and Diane Haddad, managing editor. We're spending time with our families and blogging a bit less than usual this week, but we'll be back with all kinds of genealogy news and advice right after the New Year. 
Genealogy fun
12/25/2007 3:08:06 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas Traditions Around the World
Posted by Diane
Well, my stocking is hung by the chimney with care, and there better not be a mouse stirring anywhere. The stocking tradition probably started in Europe, where kids hung their everyday socks from nails for St. Nick to fill. Here are some other holiday traditions our ancestors from around the world have celebrated: In France, kids put shoes by the door or fireplace, waiting for the Christ child to fill them with presents during the night. Dutch children put hay and sugar in a shoe outside the house on the night before St. Nick’s Day. After his horse has a snack, St. Nick (Sinterklaas) leaves goodies in each shoe. Dec. 13 in Sweden is St. Lucia's Day, celebrating the patron saint of light. Traditionally, a family’s first daughter would wear a long white dress and crown of leaves, then serve coffee and treats to the family. (Somehow I can’t see my sister ever doing this.) A sprite-like child with angelic wings called the Christkind ("Christ Child") is delivers presents in areas including parts of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Legand has it Martin Luther invented the Christkind to discourage the figure of St. Nicholas. Christmas in the Philippines starts Dec. 16 with dawn masses called Misas de Aguinaldo (Gift Masses) or Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass) On Christmas Eve, families go to midnight mass and then eat a traditional feast. Between Christmas and New Years Day, Norwegians go Julebukking. People wearing masks and costumes knock on neighbors’ doors, and the inhabitants try to guess the julebukkers’ identities. Inspired by the sound of a burning log, a London confectioner named Tom Smith invented Christmas crackers in 1847. The colorful wrapped tubes that snap and reveal a trinket when people pull on the ends are universally popular in England and other Commonwealth countries. Australians call them bon-bons. Mexican children leave notes in their shoes on Jan. 6, when tradition holds the Three Wise Men arrived with gifts for baby Jesus. In the UK and Canada, Boxing Day is celebrated the day after Christmas (or the next week day, if Dec. 26 falls on a weekend). There are many theories behind its origins. Nowadays, it’s known for great sales.
Celebrating your heritage | Genealogy fun | Social History
12/24/2007 2:48:33 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Perils of Paid Obits
Posted by Grace
Paid obituaries have the strange distinction of being considered matter of record even when the newspaper's editors have absolutely no power over their content. Editor & Publisher put up a humorous description of the errors that can be found when families write death notices. For example:
"One descendant's obit claimed his ancestry could be traced back to the Vikings (an honest mistake; I got suckered by that Web site too). Another claimed to be a descendant of George Washington—not good news to Martha, as she and George had no children."
Lesson learned: Take obituaries with a grain of salt. Click here to read the story.
Genealogy fun
12/20/2007 4:14:27 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Just What Is Figgy Pudding, Anyway?
Posted by Diane
In the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” a crew of carolers demands to be served figgy pudding before they’ll leave—causing generations to wonder: What exactly is figgy pudding? So I checked around. It’s a British-style pudding, actually resembling more of a cake, which reached its popularity peak as a Christmas dessert in the 1800s. You can bake, steam or boil figgy pudding. It’s got figs, of course, plus apples, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, butter, sugar, bread crumbs, milk and eggs. Oh, yes—the recipe I found also calls for three strips of finely crushed bacon. Just what I love in a dessert. The ancestor of figgy pudding (and plum pudding) is a medieval spiced porridge known as Frumenty. Here’s a nontraditional figgy pudding with persimmons. Bon appetit!
Celebrating your heritage | Genealogy fun | Social History
12/19/2007 9:08:23 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Enter Your Odd Holiday Tradition in Our All in the Family Challenge
Posted by Diane
Amidst the holiday shopping, baking and get-togethering rush, does your family make time to send around a fruitcake that’s been aging since 1976? Wrap a lump of coal for Uncle Jim? Set an elaborate trap in the hearth for
Santa? We want to know about the unusual traditions that make your family’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year’s celebration complete. Besides just being fun to hear, readers' off-the-wall holiday rituals are the topic for our January 2008 All in the Family Challenge. You have until Jan. 1 to e-mail your tradition to us. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in the message or—so sorry—you won’t be eligible to win the subscription to Footnote’s online historical records database. We'll publish the winning (i.e., funniest) entries in the May 2008 Family Tree Magazine. You also can mail entries (postmarked before Jan. 1) to All in the Family/January 2008, Family Tree Magazine, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Family Tree Magazine articles | Genealogy fun
12/18/2007 11:28:54 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Looking for one's own Peeps
Posted by Grace
The Birmingham Public Library posted this too-cute video about a little guy's genealogy quest:
Genealogy fun | Libraries and Archives | Videos
12/11/2007 4:37:39 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, December 10, 2007
DNA Tests Verify Pets' Pedigrees, Too
Posted by Diane
Now four-legged family members can get in on the genetic genealogy act, too. That’s right—owners of mixed-breed pooches can learn about their pets’ pedigrees so they can confidently answer the question, “So what kind of dog is that?” Fern Glazer, our writer who got genetic genealogy experts to answer readers’ common DNA quandaries for the March 2008 Family Tree Magazine (on newsstands mid-January), uncovered a couple of companies that do doggy DNA testing: - Last August, DNA Print Genomics launched Doggie DNAPrint 1.0, a test costing about $100 that examines 204 canine markers obtained from a cheek swab to reveal your dog’s ancestry population (its relationship to four ancient ancestral breeds). The company is also building a purebred database that eventually will let you compare your dog's DNA for accurate breed identification.
- Mars Veterinary recently rolled out The Wisdom Panel MX test. Using a blood sample your veterinarian takes, the test detects specific combinations of genetic markers that can reveal the breed heritage of your dog.
Genealogy fun | Genetic Genealogy
12/10/2007 5:21:44 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, November 30, 2007
Fun with math and microfilm
Posted by Grace
Yesterday, we Family Tree Magazine editors got to thinking about just how big the Family History Library's collection is. I don't even know what inspired us, but we wondered—would the FHL's microfilm reach to the moon?
We did the calculations—and they won't. But it's still pretty far:
The FHL has 2.4 million rolls of microfilm. A microfilm box is about 4 inches wide. A mile is 63,360 inches, and the FHL's got 9.6 million inches of microfilm boxes, assuming they're all a standard size. Laid end to end, those boxes would stretch about 151.5 miles.
So you could get from Salt Lake City nearly to Pocatello, Idaho, on the FHL's microfilm boxes. Or from Indianapolis to Gary, Ind., or if they were in Texas, from Fort Worth to Abilene.
FamilySearch | Genealogy fun
11/30/2007 3:49:17 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Holiday Gift Ideas for Genealogists
Posted by Diane
When it comes to holiday presents, genealogists don’t seem hard to please—anyone who’d crawl around a weedy cemetery in search of a tombstone can’t be that high-maintenance. But if you’re at a loss for what to give the genealogist in your life, try one of these suggestions: - a set of Family Tree Magazine CDs: the International Genealogical Passport ($12.95), the 2006 compilation ($24) and 2007 compilation ($20)
- a GPS, which traveling researchers can use to locate cemeteries, libraries, the old family homestead or a place to eat lunch
- a prepaid gasoline card to help fund those research trips
- a cemetery research kit with non-fusible interfacing (for tombstone rubbings), rubbing wax (you can get it from stores such as FunStuffforGenealogists), masking tape, gardener’s shears and knee pads, bug spray, and an “I brake for cemeteries” bumper sticker
- a research favor, especially if a fellow genealogist has a hard time getting around. Maybe do lookups for her at a Family History Center, drive him to a conference or help scan a load of photos.
If you've gotten a great genealogical present—or are hoping for one this year—click Comment and tell us what it is.
Celebrating your heritage | Genealogy fun
11/29/2007 8:45:21 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, November 15, 2007
Project to send data to the moon
Posted by Grace
Archivists and tech guys alike recommend using offsite data backup when creating copies of important records. But a new preservation project's storage location takes the cake.
For a donation of $10, Lunar Legacy will send your story and photo to the moon. That's right, they will send pictures of your dog, your Nana or the Grand Canyon to the celestial body orbiting the earth.
The project is backed by the Google Lunar X Prize, which challenges private companies to send a robot rover to the moon. A $20 million prize will go to the first team to complete a set of objectives including sending video, images and data back to Earth by the end of 2012.
The photos and messages uploaded to www.lunarlegacy.org will be stored on every vehicle that attempts to make the voyage. You can see what people have uploaded so far by clicking here.
Family Heirlooms | Genealogy fun
11/15/2007 1:34:57 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Do You Believe in Ghosts?
Posted by Diane
Looking for a scare this Halloween—and not the kind provided by the cute ghosts and goblins who come to the door for candy? Try reading fellow researchers’ spooky ancestor stories at the
Creative Gene blog
and Gettysburg Ghost Stories. Or, for a more close-up encounter with the supernatural, visit one of the places listed at HauntedHouses.com or Haunted Cemeteries. If you suspect specters have taken up residence in your home, ThisOldHouse.com advises making sure it’s not just creaky stairs or a drafty window. Then you can hire a professional ghost researcher to find out whether and why spirits are hanging around, and help you make peace with them. According to a survey by movie rental company Blockbuster,
two-thirds of people either believe in ghosts or are willing to entertain the possibility they're real. No doubt genealogists the world over fervently hope ghosts exist. I know if my ancestors' souls ever show up in my living room, there's a thing or two I plan to clear up with them.
Genealogy fun
10/31/2007 9:11:35 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century, in pictures
Posted by Grace
 In our Internet journeys last week, we stumbed across a very fun blog: Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century.
It's exactly what you think it is: lots of old-timey pictures of men with impressive mustaches. The photos come from the collections of the University of Kentucky Archives.
This site could be a great resource for putting a date range on your forefather's facial hair, but unfortunately, the dates of the photos aren't included in the daily blog posts. They are, however, categorized with humorous descriptions, like "Business Mustache," "Faceshelf," "Perfect Specimens" and "Battle Mustache."
Click here to visit the Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century blog:
http://mustachesofthenineteenthcentury.blogspot.com/
Genealogy fun | Social History
10/24/2007 9:09:23 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, October 05, 2007
The Museum of Online Museums
Posted by Grace
Got a few hours to blow? Take a gander at the Museum of Online Museums, a Web repository of collections ranging from the banal to the bizarre.
Browsing through the list, I'm learning about things I never even knew I was interested in. Among the gems:
• The Penny Postcard Archive has hundreds of scans of pre-1940 postcards, organized by state and county.
• The Lost Formats Preservation Society documents data storage methods gone by the wayside. (You surely know the eight-track, but do you know the four-track?)
• In the Pre-and-Post War American Advertising Galleries you can view more than 7,000 ads from 1911-1955 divided into the categories of beauty and hygiene, radio, television, transportation, and World War II.
• The WPA Calendar Project shows off the gorgeous 1939 calendar created by the Federal Art Project.
• And just for fun, the Condiment Packet Gallery.
Click here to visit the Museum of Online Museums.
Genealogy fun | Social History
10/5/2007 5:24:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, September 28, 2007
Oktoberfest in "Zinzinnati"
Posted by Diane
German is the ancestry Americans most often claim, and Family Tree Magazine’s hometown, Cincinnati, could run for flag-bearer. We're so German that one of the city's oldest neighborhoods is called Over the Rhine. Our Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which I attended last weekend, is the biggest Oktoberfest outside Munich. We’re proud of our world record for the largest group chicken dance: In 1994, the visiting Crown Prince of Bavaria led 48,000 of us in tweet-tweeting our hands and flapping our elbows to Der Vogerltanz. (We held the title until 1997.) This year, BallinStadt, the Hamburg emigration museum that opened in July, even sent someone to tell Oktoberfest revelers how they could learn about their German ancestors’ departure for America. Our Oktoberfest is also a gold mine for lovers of goetta (prounounced get-uh), aka "Cincinnati caviar." The story is German immigrants brought us this peasant dish, meant to stretch meat supplies. Goetta is mostly ground pork and pinhead (steel-cut) oats seasoned with bay leaves, rosemary, salt, pepper, and thyme, then boiled, sliced into square patties and fried. My mom made it for breakfast, but any time is goetta time at Oktoberfest:     In summer, a local Goettafest offers even more variety, including, for the truly devoted, goetta fudge. Tasty. Hungry? You’ll find recipes for goetta here and here.
Celebrating your heritage | Genealogy fun
9/28/2007 4:32:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Family Tree Magazine on Roots Television
Posted by Diane
I've made it to the small screen! You might remember my Aug. 16 blog about talking to Chris Haley (Maryland state archivist, actor, singer and nephew of Roots' Alex Haley) at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. Roots Television has posted our 5-minute interview. We chatted a little about Family Tree Magazine, but mostly about why genealogists do what they do. Check it out, along with other videos from the conference, and browse around the other instructional, historical and entertaining programming while you're there. Hollywood, here I come! 
Genealogy fun | Genealogy Web Sites
9/25/2007 3:21:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) | |