Sales on Various Genealogy Related Stuff

There are a few genealogy related sales taking place.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
Over at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, there is a sale on Annual Subscriptions and Renewals. Regularly $49.95 per year for an annual membership, it is just $29.97 per year until April 1, 2018. You can use promo code THOMAS15 to bring the sale price down to $25.48. If you are a current webinar subscriber, don't forget to sign in to get your extra 5 percent off.

There are hundreds of genealogy topics to pick from ... like DNA, state and country research, ethnic and religious research, websites and software. Just to name a few.

AncestryDNA
Ancestry has once again put its AncestryDNA (autosomal) test on sale for $79 plus taxes and shipping. The regular price is $99. If you purchase the test kit on Amazon.com shipping is free. Non-Prime members get free standard shipping while Prime members get free 2-day shipping.

Magazine Publication focused on DNA and Genealogy
MCGG member Bill Krul found a magazine publication "filled with good stuff" at our local Barnes & Noble Bookstore (yes, bookstores do still exist) called Tracing Your Ancestors DNA & Your Genealogy. It's by Moorshead Magazines Ltd. the publisher of Your Genealogy Today, Internet Genealogy and History Magazine. This publication focuses on the topic of DNA and Genealogy. Some of the articles by the author may have appeared in the Your Genealogy Today or Internet Genealogy magazines. If you can not find the magazine at the bookstore, it can be purchased in print or PDF form from the publisher's online store. You can view the publication's table of contents online.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Free Access to Records for UK, Irish and Commonwealth Countries on Ancestry.co.uk

Don't have an Ancestry subscription with access to the world records?

Starting Friday, March 30, Ancestry.co.uk is having a free access weekend to its British, Canada and Commonwealth Countries records until 23:59 BST, Monday, April 2.

See a list of the featured collections available for free on this page. To participate in the free access weekend you need to register for free with Ancestry.co.uk to receive a username and password. The easiest way to do this is to start a search and a pop up window will ask for your name and email then they will send you a username and password to use for the free access period.

Be sure to download any of your finds because access to the records after the free access weekend will require a paid membership.

Have fun searching.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

The Next MCGG Friday Meeting Topic is: DNA Tested ... Now What? -- AncestryDNA

Friday, April 6, at 1:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic will be DNA Tested ... Now What? -- AncestryDNA. With MCGG member Lisa Eschenburg, who leads our Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion group, we will review some ways to make sense of those matches. Many of the principles can be applied to the other DNA testing companies.

If you are in the Mt. Clemens area, PLEASE JOIN US. 

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

Take Note! MCGG Friday Meeting Schedule and Topic Changes

Recently we learned our scheduled speaker for April will be unable to present her topic so we have rescheduled that presentation for later in the year. We have also decided to reschedule our Open House that was cancelled due to the burst pipe back in January.

So make the following changes to your calendars or schedules.

Friday, April 6, at 1:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic will be DNA Tested ... Now What? -- AncestryDNA. With MCGG member Lisa Eschenburg, who leads our Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion group, we will review some ways to make sense of those matches. Many of the principles can be applied to the other DNA testing companies.

If you are in the Mt. Clemens area, PLEASE JOIN US. 


Friday, June 1, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. the Macomb County Genealogy Group (MCGG) will hold a Genealogy Open House in the Local History and Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library.

Come learn about this great collection. Take a tour upstairs and down. Watch demonstrations on how to use the scanning equipment. Learn tips for using the local database computer.

Get help with your research and socialize with other family historians/genealogists too. If you have a laptop feel free to bring it to use the library's in-house resources and pick up some tips and tricks.

MCGG members and anyone who is curious about researching their family tree are welcome to attend.

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

PGSM's April 21, 2018, Meeting Topic is DNA Workshop with Richard Hill

The topic of the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan's meeting on April 21, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., is a DNA Workshop with Richard Hill. The meeting will be at the Novi Public Library.

Richard Hill discovered the power of DNA during his long search for biological ancestors. His DNA Workshop will introduce us to the leading genetic genealogy tests and compare them on how well they perform specific functions. He will also describe the key factors that will impact our results and share his favorite third-party resources. A Question and Answer session will follow.

Because this meeting will be a workshop on DNA, bring your questions and personal quandaries about DNA, and any DNA test results you have had done. This will be important in order for our expert, Richard Hill, to help answer your questions.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

2018 Family History Seminar on April 28 at Lansing Family History Center

If you want to attend a genealogy conference a little closer to home, the Lansing Family History Center in Lansing, Michiga, is hosting the 2018 Family History Seminar on Saturday, April 28, 2018.

The day begins with registration/check-in at 8 a.m. and continues until 3:45 p.m. with five class sessions and an hour for lunch on your own. (Bring your own lunch or visit a nearby restaurant.) There are 49 classes and activities to select from this year on a variety of topics.

Space will be limited and classes will close when full so register early. The cost is ... FREE. However a complete hard-copy syllabus is available for $25.00 each before April 14. After April 14 the cost is $30.00 each. Pre-registration is necessary to assure the availability of the printed syllabus. Mail-in registration must be paid for by check or money order. For online registration a credit card can be used. Also, online only a CD version of the syllabus can be ordered for $10 or a USB version for $12. See the website and registration form for more details.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

DNA Sales Abound for St. Patrick's Day, You Do Not Have to be Irish to Save

Updated: Originally posted at 2:59 p.m. on March 12, 2018.
Genealogy DNA testing companies are having DNA sales for St. Patrick's Day. So if you have been thinking about testing yourself of someone else, now is good time to buy.

Family Tree DNA
It is a St. Patrick's Day sale over at Family Tree DNA until March 18, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Shipping and taxes are extra which vary depending on where the test is shipped. From a while back the shipping cost to Michigan was about $12.95 for one kit which covers the receiving and sending the test.

FamilyFinder (autosomal for male or female) regular price $79 ... now $59
FamilyFinder and Y-37 bundle (for one male) regular price $248 ... now $199
FamilyFinder and Y-67 bundle (for one male) regular price $347 ... now $299
FamilyFinder and mtFull Sequence bundle (for one male or female) regular price $278 ... now $229
FamilyFinder with Y-67 and mtFull Sequence bundle (for one male) regular price $546 ... now $473

Family Tree DNA provides an ethnicity (admixture) report, list of DNA matches, chromosome browser and allows DNA matches to contact a match directly if that match allows it. Once tested, DNA samples are stored so that additional test types (upgrades) can be added if desired. Family Tree DNA is the only genealogy DNA testing company that offers all three DNA test types: autosomal, Y-DNA and mtDNA. No subscription is needed to see/use all the DNA matching features.

Family Tree DNA also offers autosomal DNA transfers. So if you have already tested at another genealogy DNA testing company you can upload your RAW DNA data to get your test into another "pool" of potential DNA matches. The transfer is initially free which lets you see all your matches and use the FamilyFinder-Matrix to compare up to 10 matches. To access additional FamilyFinder tools the cost is just $19 to unlock them.

Family Tree DNA currently accepts autosomal transfers from:

• Ancestry DNA (V1 and V2 chips)
• 23andME (V3 and V4 chips) but not its V5 chip in use since Aug. 2017
• MyHeritageDNA (Transfers from kits tested directly at MyHeritage are completely free with no unlock fee.) 

One thing to note is that transfers of tests on the AncestryDNA V2 chip and the 23andMe V4 chip receive all but the most speculative matches (6th cousin to remote cousins) because these chips are not fully compatible.

AncestryDNA
As of Thursday, March 15, Ancestry is now having a St. Patrick's Day DNA sale. Now the AncestryDNA (autosomal) test regularly $99 is $69, a savings of 30 percent. Shipping and taxes are extra. This sale ends March 19, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. ET. (For Canadians, the ancestry.ca website is offering a similar sale until March 18. AncestryDNA kits have a different regular price in Canada.)

AncestryDNA provides ethnicity/admixture reports, a match list, matches in common, and an internal member messaging system. It does not provide a chromosome browser tool. Also, if you do not have a data/records membership subscription you will not have access to some DNA features/tools such as member trees and the internal messaging system. Ancestry offers an AncestryDNAInsights subscription for about $49/year as of 2016 which would give access to all of the DNA tools but not any data/records.

We are not sure if the FREESHIPDNA code will work with this sale but it does not hurt to try it.

AncestryDNA also sells its test kits on Amazon.com and at sale prices when it is having a sale. Non-AmazonPrime members get free shipping due to the total cost and because it is fulfilled by Amazon; prime members just get quicker 2-day shipping for free. 

23andMe
It is a 20 percent off sale for St. Patrick's Day over at 23andMe until March 18, 2018. An Ancestry Service (autosomal) test regularly $99 is now $79 and the Health + Ancestry Service test regularly $199 is now $159. Shipping and taxes are extra.

23andMe provides an ethnicity (admixture) report, list of DNA matches, chromosome browser and an internal member messaging system. No subscription is needed to see/use all the DNA matching features.

23andMe also sells its test kits on Amazon.com and at sale prices when they are having a sale. Non-AmazonPrime members get free shipping due to the total cost and because it is fulfilled by Amazon; prime members just get quicker 2-day shipping for free.

MyHeritage
MyHeritage has also put its autosomal DNA test on sale too. MyHeritageDNA (autosomal) tests regularly $99 each are on sale for $69 each. Shipping and taxes are extra.

MyHeritageDNA is one of the newer players in the DNA and genealogy testing niche. Its customer base is more international. As of earlier this year, the company has added a chromosome browser feature and has made its internal member messaging feature free. It also offers an ethnicity/admixture report and a list of DNA matches. No data subscription is needed to see/use all the DNA matching features.

MyHeritageDNA is still offering free DNA transfers so if you already tested at another DNA testing company you can download your RAW DNA data from that site and upload it to MyHeritage. MyHeritageDNA accepts raw DNA data from Family Tree DNA, AncestryDNA (V1 and V2 version chips), and 23andMe (V2, V3 and V4 chips.)

Testing in as many "ponds" as possible is the advice genetic genealogists often give because you never know where someone has tested. Sale times and DNA data transfers are ways to make it easier to fish in multiple ponds to find your DNA matches.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Tonight is MCGG's Let's Talk...Genealogy, We Meet in the Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Using DNA for our family trees.

Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library is this month's MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy meeting. Our topic for the night is ... DNA Tested ... Now What? -- Round 2. 

We will continue this series started in November 2017 (with AncestryDNA) by reviewing some ways to make sense of those matches, this time focusing on Family Tree DNA and GedMatch.

You do not have to have attended the first round of this series to attend this one. The principles covered can be applied to any of the testing companies though the how varies a little.

We plan to start promptly at 7 p.m. because there is lots to cover.

New attendees are always welcome.

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

NGS 2018 Family History Conference is May 2-5, 2018, in Grand Rapids, Michigan

If you have been thinking about attending a genealogy conference there is one that will be nearby this year. The National Genealogical Society's 2018 Family History Conference, Paths to Your Past, is in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this May 2 - May 5.

Discounted, early-bird conference registration ends March 20, 2018, which is about a week from now. Online registration ends April, 20, 2018. There is a full, four-day option and single-day (per day) option for those not able or wanting to attend all four days of the conference. NGS members also receive a member discount. If you are not an NGS member, there is also the option to join when registering.

All the details about the conference are available on the NGS conference website. There are more than 175 lectures and special programs. Track themes for this year's conference are:

• BCG Skillbuilding;
• Immigration and Migration;
• Methodology;
• Paths, Trails, and Waterways;
• State Research;
• Records;
• Military;
• Technology;
• Occupation; and
• DNA.

Additional tracks include: Religion; Ethnicity; Michigan; African American; Tips and Techniques; New York; Repositories; and Organizations. Social luncheon events and a banquet, as well as some pre-conference events such as tours are also available. There will also be an Exhibit Hall with genealogical exhibitors and vendors each day of the conference from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (3 p.m. on Saturday) which is free and open to the public.

There are two hotels with conference rates. (Lodging costs are separate from the conference registration fees.) The conference venue is DeVos Place which has a public parking fee of $12 per day.

See the conference website and its blog for the latest details.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

The Next Let's Talk...Genealogy Meeting is this Wednesday, Mar. 14, 2018!

Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library is this month's MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy meeting. Our topic for the night is ... DNA Tested ... Now What? -- Round 2. 

We will continue this series started in November 2017 (with AncestryDNA) by reviewing some ways to make sense of those matches, this time focusing on Family Tree DNA and GedMatch.

You do not have to have attended the first round of this series to attend this one. The principles covered can be applied to any of the testing companies though the how varies a little.

New attendees are always welcome.

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

MCGG's Next Friday Meeting is March 9

MCGG's next Friday meeting is this Friday, March 9, at 1:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Geni.com curator Dave Kaleita will present Getting Started on Geni.com.

If you are in the Mt. Clemens area, PLEASE JOIN US.  

We are crossing our fingers and hoping both Mother Nature and Murphy's Law will be kinder to us this month and actually let us hold a meeting this month.


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