FHF

Many people have varying degrees of photography skills. Some are point and shoot photographers. Others are very skilled. In the age when we're able to take photos of gravestones, the question arises, when should we post a second photo on a Find A Grave profile (or other websites)? When I go to a cemetery I attempt to follow a few rules: Make it Tidy Get Close Capture the Lot When I do that, I generally have good results when capturing a gravestone. I may be an amateur photographer, but I can capture fairly decent photographs that do more than just document the stone, but feature and highlight it. Stephen P. Mayer Dec. 16, 1857 - Oct. 23, 1922 Adaline Mayer 1861 - Jun. 30, 1932 Once in a while, I come across a memorial on  FindAGrave.com for which I have taken a photo, like the one above, with a decent photo already published. My approach in cemetery photography is this: Go to a plot that you know a few photos need to be taken and then snap pictures of the section around the s...

After creating numerous heritage scrapbooks, writing the first draft of 120+ ancestor's lives and turning two into published books, I've learned a few things about storytelling. First, scrapbooks have condensed stories from an ancestor's life. Narratives written in a novella format can have more depth. Register style family histories lack the depth of a narrative and the graphic appeal of scrapbooks. That discovery aside, sometimes we have an ancestor for which we have mountains of content that could be compiled into a 7-volume biography. But should we write that much about one individual? In short, should I include every detail in a family history? When writing a narrative history about an ancestor, the goal is to introduce your reader to the individual's life including the familial, community, and world events of the time and place they lived. And it's surprising that having too much information to draw from is often more challenging than too little. You might fac...

I'll admit, DNA confused me. Even though my husband recently found my biological 2nd great-grandfather and we have a YouTube Channel with 40+ videos about DNA, I still don't understand it as well as I should. I have questions like these: How to use AncestryDNA tools now that I have taken a test (and sweet talked my relatives into it as well).  How to solve DNA mysteries for adoption and unknown parents situations . My grandmother was adopted and Andy (the Nerdy Family History Fanatic) just puzzled out who her bio dad is. How did he do it? How do I tell others to take a DNA test when they know all of their ancestors?  Is it enough to say, "Hey, then you can help me, or others like me, find our kin by being tested"? Finally, how do we triangulate? I thought I was doing that with MyHeritage DNA, but apparently not. Do you have similar questions?  If so, then join me as we learn at the feet of some amazing educators on August 4, 2018 - entirely online!!! And if you'...

Video is king, as we're discovering on our YouTube channel. But video learning has a culture and challenges that must be understood so we can have a positive experience in the online webinars and conferences we will attend. I've included five tips that will help you to participate in a virtual conference, especially one organized by Family History Fanatics , without the frustration. 1. Read Your Confirmation Email After you register, you will receive an email with details about the conference, the schedule, and when and how to log in to attend the conference. If you have any questions, be sure to email the conference organizers. 2. Watch for Follow-Up Emails As the conference approaches, you'll receive reminders on when to attend and how. You should also receive links to the webinar handouts, in some cases. For Family History Fanatics eConferences, we send out the handouts the day before a live event so you don't misplace the email. After the event, you should receive a...

Your home is filled with personal and family treasures in the attic, garage, shelves, and walls. Preserve the priceless treasures in photographs. You do not need to be an expert photographer to spotlight your keepsakes and their stories. Come and learn simple tips to take magazine quality photos. Devon Noel Lee will share her tips during the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Extension Series on Wednesday, July 18 . You can watch the webinar FREE but only if you: Register in Advance Watch it Live Replays are available to SCGS members.  Things to know: You can register at any time using this link: Beginner's Guide to Photographing Family Treasures Sign-up This link takes you to the GoToWebinar.com website where you'll need to enter your name, email, and answer a few questions. You'll receive a confirmation email and reminders before the webinar goes live. Any handouts will be distributed through these emails as well. On 19 July you'll click the link to the...

When I think of mothers on my family tree, Lura Smith tops the list of those I look forward to meeting in the afterlife. She is the adopted mother of my Grannie,  Louise Eleanor Long .  Grannie adored Lura. Lura was married to Harry Howard Long (1883-1937). The couple married in Columbus, Ohio on Jun 19, 1907. They were unable to have children and finally adopted their first child in 1916. In May 1920, a baby girl was born in Columbus, Ohio to an unwed mother. The mother died of preeclampsia. This baby girl would become my grandmother. Upon her mother's death, Baby Anderson became a ward of the State of Ohio Welfare Department. She had a caseworker, Ethel Huffman Ackerman, who wanted to place Baby Anderson in the home of Harry Long. The caseworker was a friend and classmate (at Ohio State) of Harry's sister Elizabeth Long. As Elizabeth retells the story, Ethel received Baby Anderson's birth mother's history and felt that Harry and Lura were just the parents for this new...

Does everything that happens in our life produce documents and photos? And are these moments less important because they lack such evidence? There are so many things that we know about ourselves and our family members that should be recorded. Some funny, some sad, and some just normal but treasured. We can add more to our family history and deepen our connections with one another if we'll record the things that no documents can prove. FUNNY I have a friend who has eight children. When they were traveling cross-country on vacation, they stopped at a gas station. The parents, children, and the dog got out to take a breather and fill up the car with gas and snacks. When all was finished, the family loaded up and headed off. Two hours later, the mom said, "Where's Fido?" It seems the family had left Fido back at the gas station two hours back. Should they turn around? Would Fido be deceased? Would Fido find his way home? The family high-tailed it back to the gas station b...