This blog/website is two years old today! Boy, does time fly by. There have been 167 posts (168 if you count this one) since we started.
And, at the time of this post, 11,973 visits. (So close to 12,000 that perhaps we will hit that number today or tomorrow anyways.) We know that number of visits would be higher if all the different ways people visit our posts and blog-site were counted in that total. So whether you're counted or not, we appreciate you taking the time to read our blog.
Thank you! There is more to come so keep reading. See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library! LE
updated: originally posted at 2:18 p.m. EDT, August 28, 2015
FamilyTree DNA is having a sale on its mtDNA Full Sequence test. The test which is regularly $199 is now $159.20 which is 20 percent off. Just place your order and pay before 11:59 p.m. Central Time August 31, 2015.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited from mother to child but only female children pass that same mtDNA on to their children. This test is often described as being used for maternal ancestry testing. Generally, you only need to test one person for each maternal line. (If you test your Mom you don't need to test the mtDNA of you or your siblings unless there is question about maternity.) Males can take an mtDNA also because they inherited the mtDNA of their mother who inherited her mother's mtDNA, and she inherited her mother's mtDNA, etc. Males just don't pass on that mtDNA to their children.
So if you've been contemplating doing an mtDNA test now might be the time to do so.
Mark your calendars for September 16 - 19, 2015. These are the dates for the Used Book Sale at Mount Clemens Public Library. This year all proceeds benefit the library's Genealogy and Local History Room. September 16, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. is the Preview Event. Preview Event Admission is $10 per person. Shop the sale early for the best selection. September 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is Day One of the Sale. September 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is Day Two of the Sale.
September 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Last Day of the Sale.
Check back here for additional details in the coming weeks.
Genealogists deal with photos and other items so often we use some kind of photo manipulation software. Genealogists usually like to save money -- who doesn't? MCGG Member Robert McGarry spotted that for the rest of today, Amazon has PhotoShop Elements 13 is on sale for $44.99 so if you've been thinking about buying the program and want to save money, today might be the day.
Always remember to confirm that you are receiving the correct price once you have the item in any online checkout cart -- so be cautious with one-click buying. See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library! LE
Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that our South East Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar on this blog/website has now been updated for the fast approaching genealogy season starting this September. This calendar has its origins in our Ann Faulkner's paper printout of local genealogy/history events spreadsheet calendar that MCGG used to hand out at our various meetings for many years.
So we hope that after you make note of our own MCGG and Let's Talk...Genealogy meetings and the Mount Clemens Public Library's Used Book Sale, you also take note of what else is going on in South East Michigan and attend a few other genealogy/local history events.
Lastly, if any other local genealogy/historical groups would like their meetings listed on the South East Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar, please let us know. (See our Contact Us page.)
Do you like books? Do you like to save money? Do you like to support causes? Yes? Yes? Yes? Then mark your calendars for September 16 - 19, 2015. These are the dates for the Used Book Sale at Mount Clemens Public Library. This year all proceeds benefit the library's Genealogy and Local History Room. September 16, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. is the Preview Event. Preview Event Admission is $10 per person. Shop the sale early for the best selection. September 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is Day One of the Sale. September 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is Day Two of the Sale.
September 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Last Day of the Sale.
Check back here for additional details in the coming weeks.
Hi Everyone! We have released MCGG'sFall 2015 meeting schedulesfor ourMCGG Friday Groupand ourLet's Talk...Genealogydiscussion group on Wednesday. The meeting dates and topics can be found on the respective pages of this blog site or in our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events calendar on the Calendar page. On both theMCGG Friday MeetingsandLet's Talk Meetingsblog pages, you will find the PDF file of our current meetings flyer which can be viewed and downloaded.(Please note the image of the flyer inthis postis just a low-res image. To see/download the flyer PDF you need to go to either of the meeting pages.) NEW! And for those of you who use Pinterest, MCGG has been a member since July. Due to limitations on username length we had to abbreviate our name so finding us isn't so simple -- someone else had our initials already. You can find us on Pinterest here. We hope you enjoy the coming genealogy season. See You Soon at the Mt Clemens Public Library! LE
If you have been thinking about DNA testing here are two sales that might interest you.
At Ancestry.com, the AncestryDNA (autosomal) test is on sale for 20 percent off until 11:59 p.m. EDT, August 17, 2015. So that makes the test $79 (instead of $99) plus shipping costs which are generally just under $10.
If you are concerned about the recent sharing of some data by Ancestry.com with research studies, just be sure to NOT check the box regarding sharing your non-descriptive information for research projects. In the past this has been the second consent check box of the three presented when you are registering your test before sending the completed test back.
Ancestry's sale seems to be in response to an unannounced sale over atFamilyTree DNA (FTDNA), where there are two coupon codes for its unannounced DNA sale. The FTNDA website itself does not mention any sale. So after seeing this sale mentioned this weekend at The Legal Genealogist blog, I checked around and the codes are listed at the RetailMeNot website and other similar sites. Supposedly these codes are good until August 15. (FTDNA uses Central Time for its cut-off times.)
To save 15 percent off orders of $99 or more, use coupon code CJS2015. OR To save $30 off orders of $168 or more, use coupon code CGS30.
So the FTDNA's autosomal test, FamilyFinder, would end up costing $84.15 at 15 percent off. (Almost as good at the usually good sale of $79 aka 20 percent.)
For the more expensive tests over $168 (or multiple tests totally at least that amount), do the math to see which coupon code will save you the most money.
Tuesday's Tip Remember to give each file a name that clearly identifies what is in that file! So you visited a library, archive or a relative and captured lots images of documents, photos or things using a device(s) like your camera, tablet, smart phone or a digital recording device supplied by the library/archive. You may have the ability to name the file as you capture it but often you don't have that option and now you have a lot of files with names like:
20140424121116647_0002.jpg IMG_0353.jpg Scan_02.jpg 01.jpg DSCN0001.jpg And honestly, those names don't mean anything when you're trying find the answer you know is on your computer somewhere.
You likely have these files in a folder (or a few) ... likely named for that research trip or date of the trip. If you're lucky maybe (just maybe) you took the time to sort those files into sub-folders that tell you what book you scanned. But more often you arrived home and other matters became the priority so your files sit in the same state they were downloaded to your computer.
Now how do you know what you have? And how do you find it? You don't without a lot of opening and closing of files or viewing folder contents using the large or extra-large icons view.
Simply, you have to carve out a little time here and there to rename those files and organize them in a way that you understand so you can find them when you need them. There are a variety of naming and organization methods. Find one that works for you and make it a practice to schedule some time to do this right after you return ... not years later. See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library! LE
