Father's Day DNA Sales until June 21, 2015 -- Save 10 Percent on Autosomal Tests

Have you been thinking about an autosomal DNA test for yourself or someone else? FamilyTree DNA and Ancestry.com are having autosomal DNA test sales for Father's Day. The savings is 10 percent -- not as great as the 20 percent sale we often see but at least there is a sale.

From today, June 19 12:01 a.m. CST until June 21 11:59 p.m. CST, FamilyTree DNA is having a small sale on its autosomal DNA test, called FamilyFinder. Regularly $99, the test is on sale for $89. Shipping and taxes are extra which vary depending on where the test is being shipped. [Please Note: Central time is an hour behind Eastern time so that means for us in the Eastern time zone the sale started at 1:01 a.m. EDT June 19 and runs through 12:59 a.m. EDT June 22.]

FamilyTree DNA (FTDNA) has a large pool of potential matches which are somewhat international but not everyone is doing genealogy. FTDNA gives users a chromosome browser so you can compare and see which segments of DNA you have in common with a match or matches. And if you decide you want to add a Y-DNA or mtDNA test, the sample already submitted can be utilized (assuming no problems) without having to do another swab sample. FamilyTree DNA is the only one of the three DNA companies doing Y-DNA (male-male) and mtDNA (female-female) testing. It also has user-administered testing/study groups for surname and geographic projects.

Ancestry.com has also been running a Father's Day sale on its autosomal DNA test, AncestryDNA. Regularly $99, the test is on sale for $89 until June 21 11:59 pm EDT. Shipping and taxes are extra which are usually just under $10.

Doing an AncestryDNA test gets you into a large pool of potential matches and most are interested in genealogy. Ancestry.com does not provide any tools for you to utilize and analyze your matches, other than user connected trees.

Did you know that you could also download your AncestryDNA test data and transfer it to FamilyTreeDNA's Autosomal Transfer so you have your DNA in two pools of matches? The autosomal DNA transfer is free to see your top 20 matches. To unlock the transfer and have full access to all your matches and features, the cost is just $39. (Add on tests of Y-DNA and mtDNA would require a separate swab test since no actual physical DNA is transferred between companies.) Please note that FamilyTree DNA is the only DNA company that accepts data transfers from other companies that utilize the same test chip (AncestryDNA and certain older 23andME tests.)

The three major DNA companies, FamilyTreeDNA, Ancestry.com and 23andMe, all allow you to download your DNA test data. (It is a good idea to download it as a back up.) This data also can be transferred to third-party sites, like GEDMatch where you can compare DNA with other site users regardless of which company was initially used.

These are the current DNA sales. I'm sure there will be more this summer.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

New Resource: Digitized Church Records Available for In-Library Use

A look at the title page from one of the church books.

You may have seen a teaser announcement last year on our Macomb County Genealogy Group's Community FaceBook page and wondered which historic church we were hinting at scanning its records.

The Macomb County Genealogy Group and the Mount Clemens Public Library are happy to announce that the church books of St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eastpointe, Michigan, have been digitized and are now available for in-library use on the local database computer (non-internet computer) in the Genealogy and Local History Room.

Though an index to these records is still a work in progress, the images are now ready for viewing. A Read Me file has been created to give users some tips and an overview of what is available.

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church located now in Eastpointe was actually started by the end of 1845. For a good progression of this St. Peter's history (which is often confused with another St. Peter's church) see the Other History page of the church's own website to learn more.

The confirmation, marriage and burial records begin in 1851 while the baptism records survive from 1862. There is also a member register from 1875 that lists members by family group. (Remember, the State of Michigan did not start keeping vital records until 1867.)

Of course, the earliest records were written in German using the old Schrift handwriting. Later records were written in German using modern handwriting and eventually the German language gave way to English in the records. [Note: we have a couple volunteers who can read the old German handwriting.]

So if you have early Evangelical Lutheran German ancestors who resided near what is now Eastpointe -- this includes Macomb and Wayne counties as the church has moved its location along Gratiot Avenue a few times over its many years of existence -- this new resource might be what you have been missing.

Many thanks to St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eastpointe for participating in our church book scanning project.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Let's Talk...Genealogy -- Thanks for 10 years!

Last night, June 10th, was the last meeting of our genealogy season for Macomb County Genealogy Group's Wednesday night discussion group, Let's Talk...Genealogy. 

It was a day for 10s as it was also the last meeting of our 10th year for this group. We had a small celebration with cupcakes ... sort of in the shape of a tree.

We hope everyone will return in September for season 11! And we hope to see many new attendees too.

Thank you everyone!

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

This Wednesday's Let's Talk...Genealogy Topic is: Making a Visit and Research Plan for a Trip to an Archives/Library -- Part 2

This Wednesday, June 11, at 7 p.m. in the AUDITORIUM of the Mount Clemens Public Library is MCGG's Let's Talk...Genealogy meeting. The discussion topic of the night is Making a Visit and Research Plan for a Trip to an Archives/Library -- Part 2 AND Your Research Plans for the Summer.

Attendees from April's meeting will share research plans they have devised since April for a trip to the Archives of Michigan. Perhaps they'll inspire others to plan a research trip elsewhere. We will also share our other genealogy plans for the summer.

Please note that this meeting will be held in the Auditorium rather than the Genealogy Room. 

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE.

SCGS's Genealogy Jamboree App Is Available -- Needed to Access Handouts

For our MCGG members who like learning genealogy-related stuff through online webinars and who are planning to watch (later this week) the Live Streamed Sessions of the Southern California Genealogy Society's 2015 Genealogy Jamboree, please be aware that the 2015 Jamboree App is now available.

You will need the Jamboree App to access the session handouts.

The app is available for smart phones, tables, iPhones and iPads, as wells as accessible via browser on any computer. See the Genealogy Jamboree blog post that explains how to get the Jamboree App. To access a session's handout you must "browse" to that session's information page. There is no option to download all handouts for your sessions at one time.

There is a fee for the live streamed DNA sessions which take place on this Thursday. The free live streamed sessions begin this Friday and run through Sunday. You do need to register for the free live stream sessions. See our earlier post on how to do that. The free live stream sessions will be available for about one month to view afterwards but you still need to register.

Here are the 2015 Genealogy Jamboree free live stream sessions. 
Please note that for the convenience of our MCGG members, we have listed the session start times in Eastern Time rather than Pacific Time.

Friday, June 5 
4:00 pm EDT
FR007: Be Prepared with a Genealogy Disaster Plan - Denise May Levenick.

5:30 pm EDT
FR018: Five Tips for Successful Research in a New Location - J. H."Jay" Fonkert, CG.

7:00 pm EDT
 FR019: Genetic Genealogy and the Next Generation - Blaine T. Bettinger, PhD, JD and Paul Woodbury.

8:30 pm EDT
 FR032: Finding and Utilizing German Church Records - Dr. Michael D. Lacopo.

Saturday, June 6
11:30 am EDT
SA007: Google Tools and Procedures for Solving Family History Mysteries - Lisa Louise Cooke.

1:00 pm EDT
 SA014: Tho' They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records - Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA.

2:30 pm EDT
SA021: No Easy Button: Using Immersion Genealogy to Understand Your Ancestors - Lisa A. Alzo, MFA.

5:00 pm EDT
SA033: Plotting, Scheming and Mapping Online - Cyndi Ingle.

6:30 pm EDT
 SA035: Midwestern and Plains States Level Census Records - Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA.

8:00 pm EDT
 SA047: Update: Google! Everything New that You Need to Know for Genealogy - Lisa Louise Cooke.

Sunday, June 7
11:30 am EDT
 SU005: Family History Adhesive: Science and Simple Tech 4 Binding Families - Janet Hovorka, MLIS.

1:00 pm EDT
SU015: The Hidden Web: Digging Deeper - Cyndi Ingle.

4:00 pm EDT
 SU022: Who, What, When, Where? Using Journalism Techniques to Write Your Story - Anita Paul.

5:30 pm EDT
SU030: Get to Know Your Geezers - Matthew Hovorka.

Have fun learning this week.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE