GeneTree

Genealogy Tech: Evernote

Colleen — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:03:42 +0000

What is Evernote?
Evernote is a free electronic personal organizer, file cabinet, and general “brain” for any facet of your life. With Evernote, you can organize knitting projects, file your receipts, or catalogue ideas. But most importantly, you have access to all of your genealogical notes, thoughts, documents, and more from your computer or mobile device, with or without an internet connection.

How does Evernote work?
You add content to Evernote by creating notes. Evernote supports several types of notes, so you have flexibility in the types of information you can store. You can type text, attach a document or image, save webpages for future reference, record audio notes, or take a photo with your tablet, phone, or webcam.

In addition, you can run Evernote on multiple devices (for example, your laptop and your phone), which allows you to have your notes with you all the time. When you add or edit notes, the program syncs to your Evernote web account, saving your changes. See more about how Evernote works here.

To get started, download Evernote to your computer from evernote.com, or look for the Evernote app in your mobile device’s marketplace.

How do I get organized with Evernote?
Two main features are available to keep your hard-sought data searchable and, more importantly, findable:

First, notebooks. Think of notebooks as large, overarching, umbrella-type categories. You may want to create a Notebook for recipes, one for vacation planning, and, of course, one (or more!) for genealogy. As you add notes, you file them into the appropriate notebook.

Second, tags. Within each notebook you will want to create tags to further organize your notes. Within your genealogy notebook, for example, you may want to tag each note with the family surname or the type of source you used.

How can I use Evernote as I research my family history?
The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas:
-Create a notebook for each ancestor to store clips of records you view online, photos, research notes, and more
-Create a locale notebook for each location you research
-Create a notebook to store information you receive from each of your collaborators
-Create a DNA notebook to hold your reports, your DNA connections, and information about your haplogroup
-Use tags to remind yourself to “double check” or “follow up” on outstanding items
-File the notes you took while attending classes or lectures

How can I use Evernote as I write my personal history?
By creating notebooks for various categories that you are interested in recording, you can collect ideas and images to refer to later as you are writing. For example, you may want to record your memories of birthday parties you had growing up. You can add your own notes about the subject, then if you come across a smocked dress online that looks exactly like the one you wore at your 6th birthday, you can clip that image from your computer or mobile device right into Evernote.

What is our favorite feature of Evernote (other than the price!)?
Evernote has advanced technology that can search through any of your notes for key words. It can even search images, including handwritten notes or receipts you scan in. So now your notes hurriedly scribbled on notebook paper during a conversation with your great aunt can be instantly digitized and searchable.

another great news story about GeneTree!

Colleen — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:44:59 +0000

FOX 21, Colorado Springs:

DNA: The map to your past

by Rachel Welte

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Blue eyes, brown hair, freckles.

We all have unique features, a combination of our relatives past and present.

But the way we look is just the tip of the iceberg, as who we are is written in our DNA.

A complex set of instructions that we inherit from our parents.

With the help of GeneTree, a genealogy research company, I set out on a journey to find my roots, and the origin of my family tree.

Getting started was easy.

I received a DNA kit in the mail from GeneTree.

Inside was a set of instructions, mouthwash, and a baggie.

After swishing for several minutes, I spit my DNA into the cup and sent it on its way, back to GeneTree for processing.

Then, after eight weeks, my results arrived.

Of course, I already had an idea of who, and where my ancestors were from, but the results were still surprising.

“You, out of all the ones (reporters) we have done so far, show two major extremes,” Scott Woodward said.

To help me break it all down, I enlisted the help of Woodward, a genealogy expert and founding member of GeneTree.

We began by looking at my mother, and her family.

“When we put your mitochondria DNA into the database, we literally found a thousand people that connect to you,” Woodward said.

One of 12 kids, my mom’s roots extend back to Europe, the birthplace of many of her ancient relatives.

“If we look at the world today we find people that share your DNA almost exactly, and we find them in the United States, in Switzerland, in Russia, in Yugoslavia, and in Mexico,” Woodward said.

And what about famous relatives?

Woodward said I share an ancient maternal ancestor with Marie Antoinette.

“You have a line that goes back to an ancestor, she (Antoinette) has a line that goes back to an ancestor, and they meet somewhere back in the past,” he said.

Now for my dad, Richard Regalado (my maiden name).

Where are his predecessors from?

“On your father’s side you belong to a group this is called O-3, and O-3 is an Asian type, and we see a lot of people with O-3 in the Philippines,” Woodward said.

Which is exactly where my grandfather, Eduardo Regalado, was born and raised.

From there, his roots extend all the way to South East Asia.

“The DNA type is actually older than the use of surnames,” Woodward said. “We really did not use surnames until relatively recent, the past 400 to 600 years.”

In other words, Regalado is most likely a surname.

An important fact, because Woodward said I have a close connection to a person with the last name Espinoza in Peru.

“There are a lot of interesting possibilities there, and that is where DNA and genealogy can lead to very interesting stories,” Woodward said.

So now it is up to me to continue my journey back in time, armed with the knowledge given to me by GeneTree.

If you are wondering how it all works, basically the founders of the company spent years gathering DNA samples from around the world.

We’re in the news..again!

Colleen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:59:54 +0000

DNA helps in finding, learning about family history

By: Diana Watson

http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/16684922/dna-helps-in-finding-family

There is a new approach to adding more branches to your family tree. It is called genetic genealogy.

The idea is that a company collects DNA and matches genetic profiles with people who lived many generations ago.

The research is available to people around the world. Genetree has developed a database of 112,000 people in more than 170 countries. Those who agree to sign up for the service are able to log on to a website and make connections with people who share genetic information.

Those who sign up for the service, pay a fee of more than $100 to take part. They agree to send a sample of mouthwash to the company, where the DNA information is analyzed and added to the database.

It is then compared to other participants and the information is made available to those who have taken part.

The president of Genetree told FOX Carolina, the system improves as more people agree to add their DNA. Efforts have been made to visit people on every continent, to collect samples and add those to the database as well.

FOX Carolina’s Diana Watson agreed to send her DNA to the company. It was analyzed and she was given information about her paternal and maternal family lines.

She was given more detailed information about her father’s side of the family. She knew they were from Poland, but was able to get other family names that include DNA similarities. She also found out more about her mother’s side of the family, who live mainly in Marion County, South Carolina.

Genetree led her to other states and as far away as England, where it is believed her ancestors originated.

As seen in Family Tree magazine!

Colleen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:07:59 +0000

GeneTree Introduces New Test, Consultation Service
Posted by Diane Haddad and the Family Tree magazine staff

Genetic genealogy company GeneTree.com has introduced a new consultation service and test for getting in-depth genealogical information from your DNA.

The Family Consultation Service (starting at $49.99) is an in-depth examination of your genealogical data and DNA test results. It’s designed for avid genealogists using DNA testing to identify ancestors in specific family lines.

Similarly, the Y-19 test ($94.99) is intended for those who’ve already done some DNA testing and know their haplogroups. “These 19 [markers] are very fast-mutating markers,” says GeneTree CEO Scott Woodward.

That makes them useful for identifying more-specific family relationships, especially when several members of a family group have been tested.

The test is best used in association with a consultation, says Woodward. “Many genealogists don’t know how to get the most out of the interpretation. For instance, there is a lot you can learn by one single little mutation that two people share. There are a lot of people who need someone to look at their genealogical DNA data and tell them what it means.”

Rosa Parks’ Peanut Butter Pancakes

Colleen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:43:20 +0000

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the past and present achievements of African Americans. Today, let’s celebrate the memory of a woman who courageously helped to change our nation and make it a better, more equal place– Rosa Parks.

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus. Her refusal was the spark that lit a firestorm of change. It resulted in the Montgomery bus boycott, a controversial protest which lasted a year and ended when segregation on buses was deemed unconstitutional. The civil rights movement rapidly became a subject of national attention, and Rosa became a central figure in the struggle for equality in America.

From Rosa’s autobiography, “Rosa Parks – My Story”:

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (c. 1955)

Among her personal papers a recipe was found, scribbled on the back of an envelope, for “Featherlite Pancakes.” While we can’t be 100% sure that Rosa used this recipe, it seems quite probable that she did, given that it was found within her personal items and written in her own handwriting.

Rosa’s handwritten recipe for Featherlite Pancakes

http://www.guernseys.com/Guernseys%20New/rosaparks.html

Here is the recipe as it appears on the envelope:

Featherlite Pancakes

Sift together

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix

1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon shortening, melted, or oil

Combine with dry ingredients

Cook at 275 degrees F on griddle

We hope you enjoyed this departure from the DNA information normally posted here..and remember, those wonderful pancakes do have peanut butter – for anyone with nut allergies!

*from:http://theshiksa.com/2012/02/03/rosa-parks-featherlite-peanut-butter-pancakes/

RootsTech Conference..

Colleen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:12:57 +0000

…will broadcast select sessions free online…

For those who are unable to attend this week’s RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, here is the “next best thing.” The following announcement was written by the RootsTech staff:

SALT LAKE CITY—RootsTech, a leading family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, 2012, announced today that fourteen of its popular sessions will be broadcasted live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The second-year conference has attracted over 3,000 registered attendees.

The free online sessions include the keynote speakers and a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the fourteen broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST):

Thursday, February 2

8:30-10:00 am, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Do I Trust the Cloud? by D. Joshua Taylor

1:45-2:45 pm, Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink

3:00-4:00 pm, Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore by Thomas MacEntee

4:15-5:15 pm, Eleven Layers of Online Searches by Barbara Renick

Friday, February 3

8:30-9:30 am, Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities (Keynote Address) by Josh Coates

9:45-10:45 am, Publish Your Genealogy Online by Laura G. Prescott

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Optimize Your Site for Search Engines by Robert Gardner

1:45-2:45 pm, Genealogists “Go Mobile” by Sandra Crowly

3:00-4:00 pm, Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy by Dave Barney

Saturday, February 4

8:30-9:30 am, Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry (Keynote Address) by Tim Sullivan and Ancestry.com Panel

9:45-10:45 am Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 by Lisa Louise Cooke

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Future of FamilySearch Family Tree by Ron Tanner

1:45-2:45 pm, Privacy in a Collaborative Environment by Noah Tatuk

We hope to see YOU at RootsTech – February 2- 4

Colleen — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:51:19 +0000

Yes, it’s RootsTech time once again. And we {hope to} have the perfect weather for all of our out-of-towners who will be joining us this year here in Salt Lake City at the Salt Lake Convention Center. Please stop by and say “Hello” to Anna, Angie, Ali, Jed, Diahan and Colleen..and be sure to sign-up for Dr. Scott Woodward’s presentation.

RootsTech
Booth #105 and #107
Salt Lake City, UT

Exhibit Hall hours

Thursday 10-6pm
Friday 9:30-5pm
Saturday 9:30-3pm

Dr. Woodward’s class-Thursday 1:45-2:45
Product demo- Sat 11-11:20

Scott R. Woodward, PhD

President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and and its subsidiary GeneTree.com. He received his PhD in genetics from Utah State University. He did postdoctoral work in molecular genetics at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah. He was involved with the identification of gene markers for cystic fibrosis, colon cancer, and neurofibromatiosis. From 1989 to 2005, he was a faculty member of the microbiology department at Brigham Young University where he has also been involved with the Seila, Egypt excavation team, directing the genetic and molecular analysis of Egyptian mummies, both from a commoners’ cemetery and from Egyptian Royal mummies. His research interests include the reconstruction of ancient and modern genealogies using DNA techniques with samples from all over the world, the tracing of human population movements by following gene migrations (including both Old and New World populations) and the DNA analysis of ancient manuscripts including the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has been the Scholar in Residence at the BYU Center for Near Eastern Studies in Jerusalem and a visiting professor at Hebrew University.

Got results.. What now?

Colleen — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:23:25 +0000

Results Checklist
Make the most of your DNA results by following GeneTree’s results checklist:

Read up on your results.
Brush up on your DNA knowledge by re-reading your results report and other background information provided with your results. Search the internet for more information about your haplogroup to see what else you can learn.

Upload your results to other databases.
You will want to search for matches in all possible databases, because they each have different members. Add your DNA profile to databases maintained by other companies: GeneTree, Ancestry.com, Ysearch.org, MitoSearch.org, FamilyTreeDNA. After you get your profile entered, search for matches and read through any information provided with your account.

Contact your best matches.
As you find people who are a good DNA match, contact them if you can. This allows you to compare genealogy, ask for more information about a certain ancestor, or share information you have that they might not. They may also have had more DNA testing done that could be helpful to your research.

Look up DNA projects online.
As you browse new databases, watch for projects that might be helpful. Many surnames have Y chromosome projects available, and there are also projects out there for individuals of a certain haplogroup. You can do an internet search for these as well.

Repeat your searches.
Databases and projects are constantly changing, so it’s a good idea to repeat your searches periodically. Check for new matches, keep up with matches you have already contacted, and check for updates to the genealogy information in these records.
Completing Your GeneTree ProfileIf you are a GeneTree user, you’ve probably noticed a status bar on the right hand side of your homepage and profile pages. This status bar tells you how much you have already done to complete your profile. To find out what you haven’t done, click the ‘Complete your profile’ link. As you get closer to 100% complete, you increase your chances of making good connections. The first two items on the list involve your pedigree: adding your parents and grandparents to your family tree. If you know earlier generations, add them too. The more generations you have in your online family tree, the more likely it is that your matches will see some names that look familiar. The next item on the list has you order a DNA kit. This encourages you to combine both DNA matching and records-based genealogy to learn about your family and make connections. If you have already had your DNA tested somewhere else, upload your DNA profile to GeneTree, and consider ordering a kit for a family member to explore other family lines. Adding a profile photo and your birthday and birth place is a good way to help the people you are ‘meeting’ and collaborating with online get to know you a little better. Adding your picture, birthday, and place makes you more than just a name on the computer screen, and helps you better connect to your DNA matches. Get connected to your family – invite 5 family members to GeneTree. There are a lot of things you can do together once you are all GeneTree members: connect your family trees, share DNA results, share photos, and stay up-to-date on the latest genetic genealogy happenings in your own family.
Ask the ExpertsQuestion:
So you have the DNA results, how do you record the results and where?
Answer:You’ve given your sample, waited for the results, and now you know a little more about your own DNA. But now what? The set of numbers that is your DNA profile is a record of your heritage. But, much like a key census record that gets filed in the wrong drawer and is never examined, if you don’t display your record for others to read, you may be missing out on important genealogical connections. When you are tested by GeneTree your results are automatically entered into our searchable database. You can customize your privacy settings to determine how much information your matches can see. Once your results are posted to your account you can search and contact your matches using our email brokering service. But having your results in GeneTree is only part of the puzzle. There are other free online databases where you create an online profile in order to give your results more exposure, and thereby give you a better chance of making that key connection. You should enter your results at:www.ysearch.org (Y chromosome results)www.mitosearch.org (mtDNA results)www.dna.ancestry.com Be sure to read the instructions on each website regarding converting your values from one lab to another, as ysearch will require you to change some of your GeneTree values to fit the standards in their database. Additionally you can search the web for a DNA project focused on your surname by simply googling “(Your surname) DNA.” You should also consider posting the news of your DNA research on genealogy boards and forums like:http://genforum.genealogy.comhttp://boards.rootsweb.com/ As you get the word out and begin to collaborate with other researchers you will find that your DNA test results will open doors previously closed or hidden, and allow you to explore your past in new and exciting ways. If you don’t have the time or inclination to perform these tasks yourself, GeneTree does offer a consultation service that can do all of this for you, as well as interpret your matches and produce a 25+ page report on the findings. Contact us about our Comprehensive DNA Report consultation for more details.
GeneTree HappeningsUpcoming Conferences
Jan 20-21: Arizona Family History ExpoFeb 2-4: RootsTech 2012 (Salt Lake City, UT)Feb 24-25: St. George Family History ExpoMay 9-12: NGS Conference (Cincinnati, OH) Upcoming Webinars Feb 20: “The Power of DNA in Unlocking Family Relationships” for the Georgia Genealogical SocietyMar 21: webinar for Legacy Family TreeJuly 7: California Jamboree webinar series

We have the Kindle winner!

Colleen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:51:49 +0000

You may remember we offered a free Kindle Fire to one lucky Facebook follower – well, the winner is Leslie who sent us this:

Leslie was a past SMGF participant and has been a GeneTree member since 2008.

Congratulations, Leslie!

Interesting read..

Colleen — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:54:10 +0000

Lost Colony DNA

(Our own Dr. Ugo Perego was interviewed as the “DNA expert” for this article)

Interesting historical case study

Genotyping could answer a centuries-old mystery about a vanished group of British settlers.

By Kerry Grens | January 1, 2012

Lost Colony Research Group volunteers, grad students, and Outer Banks locals at an archaeological dig site on Hatteras Island. Roberta Estes

The legend of the Lost Colony of Roanoke has haunted American history for centuries. In July 1587, a British colonist named John White accompanied 117 people to settle a small island sheltered within the barrier islands of what would become North Carolina’s Outer Banks. When conditions proved harsher than anticipated, White agreed to sail back to Britain to shore up the settlement’s supplies—a trip that should have lasted a few months.

When White belatedly returned in 1590, the colonists had vanished—more than 100 men, women, and young children, their shelters and belongings, all gone. According to White’s writings, the only trace they left behind was a structure of tree trunks, with a single word carved into one post: CROATOAN.

The creepiness of the Lost Colonists’ disappearance didn’t discourage future American settlement. Nor has the lack of clues about their fate discouraged professional and amateur historians from trying to figure out what happened to them.

Archaeological digs, weather records, historical writings, genealogy—none have fully answered the question of what happened during White’s absence. But Roberta Estes, who owns DNAeXplain, a company that interprets the results of genetic heritage tests, is looking to DNA for help. Her hypothesis is that the Lost Colonists survived, and that evidence of their salvation is tucked away in the mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA of living descendents.

“They were stranded,” Estes says of the settlers. “They knew they couldn’t survive there on the island.” The colonists’ solution, in her estimation, was to go native.

“Croatoan,” Estes explains, was a message to White indicating that the colonists had gone to live with the Croatan Indians who lived on nearby Hatteras Island. Estes’s volunteer organization, the Lost Colony Research Group, is recruiting people from the area to submit DNA samples and family histories to test her theory.

Studying patterns of short tandem repeats (STRs) on the Y chromosomes of living men can determine whether they are likely to share a common ancestor that was a member of the Lost Colony. For example, Estes can compare the STR profile of a man whose family history suggests that his ancestors lived on Hatteras Island in the 17th century against genetic databases to see if he’s related to anyone with a Lost Colonist surname, such as Dare, Hewet, or Rufoote.

Additionally, it’s possible to scan that man’s mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA for evidence of Native American heritage, creating a clearer picture of what became of the vanished colonists. “It is true that with Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA you can assign them unequivocally to different ethnic groups,” says Ugo Perego, a senior researcher at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. But, he adds, it would be difficult to tell exactly when the European ancestry was introduced.

Estes has amassed early land-grant records detailing who lived in the Outer Banks area a few centuries ago. Some of the putative Native Americans living there are thought to have adopted the last names of their European neighbors, she says. If Estes can show that the descendents of these Native American families have DNA matching families with Lost Colony surnames, that would suggest that the colonists mixed with the Croatan Indians.

“It’s a romantic idea,” says Charles Ewen, an East Carolina University anthropology professor who is writing a book about the Lost Colony. Ewen, who’s also working with Estes on an archaeological dig in the Outer Banks, offers other possibilities for the Colony’s fate that are far less rosy. The settlers battled a severe drought while White was journeying back to England that could have made trying conditions worse; Native Americans or Spanish arrivals could have killed the settlers; or the colonists could have tried to sail back to Britain in White’s wake and perished.

Ewen says there are some historical examples of settlers assimilating into native groups, but none in which an entire colony was adopted. “I won’t rule it out, but the whole group forming new tribal identities? I don’t buy it.”

Estes’s group is commencing a new archaeological dig this year to look for Lost Colony artifacts. Previous digs on Hatteras Island have yielded British and Native American items in the same stratum of soil, thought to predate English homesteads from the 1700s, indicating that the groups commingled, she says.

Ewen says he hopes the dig can also help answer questions about the vanished Native Americans who once lived on the Outer Banks. “We don’t know what happened to them.” Like that of the Lost Colonists, the fate of the Croatan Indians is also buried in history.