Our First MCGG Friday Meeting of 2019 is: Exploring MyHeritage Library Edition

On Friday, January 4, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library, MCGG member Lisa Eschenburg will present Exploring MyHeritage Library Edition on MeL.org which is a free resource for all Michigan residents.

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

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

Lots of Genealogy-Related Sales End at Midnight Tonight -- Don't Drop the Ball

Just a reminder that a lot of genealogy-related sales end tonight at midnight. 

So if you've been holding off buying that DNA kit, those genealogy books that caught your eye, renewing a magazine subscription or two, or getting that electronic device to aid your work today might be the day to check those prices before you head out to celebrate and see if anything on your genealogy wish list can be fulfilled.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

BMD Certificate and PDF Pricing for England and Wales Records at GRO Website will Rise on February 16, 2019

We spotted on another blog site who spotted from an electronic newsletter, LostCousins Newsletter, that the cost of the Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates for England and Wales from the General Records Office (GRO) are going up in price on February 16, 2019.

The cost will rise from £9.25 to £11 for a certificate (an 18.9% increase) and from £6 to £7 for a PDF copy of a register entry (16.7% more.) Currency rates fluctuate so as of today this means in U.S. dollars from $11.70 to $13.92 for a certificate and $7.59 to $8.86 for a PDF.

These are the civil registration certificates that began in 1837. You can find out more information on ordering a certificate or a PDF from the Extended PDF Pilot program on the BMD page of the GRO site. (Only birth and death records along with certain time frames for each are available as a PDF.) A GRO Index reference must be included in the application order form. Be sure to check out the "Most Customers Want to Know" for more information on problems with passwords or emails, the indexes and the order form.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Family Book Creator Plugin for Family Tree Maker is on Sale until Year End

We were not going to resume posting yet BUT since most of our members use some version of Family Tree Maker as their genealogy program ...

Software MacKiev announced on its Family Tree Maker Facebook page in its December 24th post that from now until the end of the year the plugin Family Book Creator is on sale in its Software MacKiev store for 25% off which reduces the price to $39.95 from its $55 regular price.

Currently this plug-in is only for the PC version of Family Tree Maker. You can find the country specific links that take you directly to the item in the Software MacKiev website store towards the bottom of the Facebook post. Don't worry you do not have be on Facebook to see the Family Tree Maker Facebook page. Here is the link for US customers to the store.

The Family Book Creator plugin by Stefan Harm is rarely on sale though it had been discounted by $5 in the Software MacKiev store lately. The software plugin is distributed by download but you can purchase it on CD for an extra $10 plus $5.95 shipping. [Note: you can just as easily copy the download-distributed software installation file to a USB drive as an external back-up of the installation program.]

This plugin has many features and can seem a bit complicated. It does, however, create an editable Microsoft Word document file unlike the Family Tree Maker 2017 built-in Publish workspace though the documents differ. The Family Book Creator plugin does not have a stand-alone version (like Charting Companion does) but it does have its own website where you can learn more about the plugin. Be aware on its own website the software plugin is only 20 percent off ($43.96) until the end of the year. There is a trial version if you want to investigate the plugin further but it has limitations.

Though we have not found a tutorial video for this plugin to see it in action, there is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list under the Support tab on the Family Book Creator website. Under question number 8, there is a link to the FBC2017 User Guide which appears to be the information in the plugin program's built-in Help and would be an good way to learn about the plugin's capabilities.

If you have been wondering about the Family Book Creator plugin or thinking about getting it, now is a good time to investigate and learn more about it so you can take advantage of the sale price.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2019 to Everyone!

There are cookies to bake, gifts to wrap among other things. We'll be back posting late next week about our January meetings.

Until then, we hope you and your family near and far have a safe and happy holiday season.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Are You a FamilyTree Maker 2017 Owner? You Can Now Gift FTM2017 at 50% Off

Software MacKiev announced in it's mailing list a new privilege for Family Tree Maker 2017 owners: FTM2017 owners can use a special gift store to gift FTM2017 at 50% off ($39.95) to family and friends who do not already own FTM2017.

Use the gift link, pick the version (download, download with DVD, download with USB) you want, decide if you want to include any add-ons (two plug-ins and various gifts some at discounted prices) then after you click the order button provide the gift recipient's email and mailing address and your billing information to make the purchase.
Note shipped items DVD or USB (which have additional shipping costs) will not arrive in time for Christmas but a download of the program comes with both the DVD and USB option so the recipient does not have to wait to access the program. An email gift notice with download links is sent out to the recipient as soon as you order, so if you want it to arrive on Christmas Eve then wait to place the order on December 24.

Please note that if you go to the Software MacKiev website shopping area directly, you will see FTM 2017 for sale at its normal price of $79.95 for the download only PC/Mac. So Family Tree Maker 2017 owners wanting to make the gift of FTM2017 to someone need to use the special gift store set up for this offer.

The FTM mail list email sent recently also has links for FTM 2017 owners to purchase the Companion Guide and the two plug-ins for FTM. The Charting Companion 7 plug-in is 25 percent off and you can save $5 off of Family Book Creator plug-in.

Didn't get the FTM email with the announcement? Then go to the Software MacKiev website's Family Tree Maker page and sign up for the mailing list. When you sign-up you are asked which version of FTM you own. MacKiev appears to use that information to tailor the mail list to the subscribers.

Next year Family Tree Maker will turn 30. The recent email hinted that the next mailing list email will have information on a 30th Anniversary celebration.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Haven't Upgraded to Family Tree Maker 2017 Yet? Software MacKiev Offers Discount But There is Not Much Time Left

note: originally posted Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 12:55 pm ET

Software MacKiev announced on its Facebook page late on Sunday, December 16, 2018, that it is offering a discount up to 50 percent off on upgrade pricing to Family Tree Maker 2017 from ANY version of Family Tree Maker sold prior to Software MacKiev's FTM 2017 which is the current version.

That means any version of Family Tree Maker: FTM 2014.1 sold by Software MacKiev; FTM 2014 and earlier sold by Ancestry.com; or any prior publisher of earlier versions.
This was announced as a 3-day sale on Software MacKiev's Family Tree Maker Support page which was posted on Sunday, December 16. However as of this morning the links to the upgrade and gift sale listed on the Family Tree Maker Facebook page and the Support page post are still working. So this sale's exact end day or time in not sure. If/when we learn this, we'll let you know.

Added in Note: We asked Software MacKiev for clarification on the sale end date because the Sunday, Dec. 16 post on the support page said a 3-day sale and the Sunday, Dec. 16 post on Family Tree Maker's Facebook page said the sale was thru Monday. If you count Sunday as the first day that would mean the sale end was Tuesday, Dec. 18, which conflicts with the Facebook post that said Monday. The Facebook post did not specify which Monday -- Dec. 17, Dec. 24 or Dec. 31. After contacting Software MacKiev we learned this sale was to end Tuesday, December 18 2018. However as we noted earlier today the links to the sales (on the Facebook page and Support page are still working. The LiveChat representative suggested trying the links and signing up for the FTM mail list (even if you have not upgraded to Family Tree Maker 2017 yet) so you get the offers in the future if you are not ready yet to upgrade now. Just to note, we did sign up for the mail list and the purchase link in that first email sent out took us to the website store with the regular prices. When we signed up we said we did not currently own a FTM version and that may be why so make sure to enter your current version of FTM when you sign up for the mail list.  Remember if you have a prior FTM version there usually is upgrade pricing which varies depending upon which previous version you own.

Those FTM users on Software MacKievs' mailing list who have not registered an upgrade to FTM 2017 with the company were sent an email with this offer. If you are on the mailing list and have registered a FTM 2017 then you were not sent the email because you already have the latest version.

Information and a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) List can be found on Software MacKiev's Facebook page (you don't have to be a Facebook member to see it) or on the FTM Support page. The post has different links to the sale upgrade pricing depending upon where you live. Here is the link for US customers.

From a question on the post, we learned that you can give the gift of Family Tree Maker 2017 at sale prices even to those that do not currently have any version of FTM. Use the gift link, pick the version (download, download with DVD, download with USB) you want, decide if you want to include any add-ons (two plug-ins and various gifts) then after you click the order button provide the gift recipient's email and mailing address and your billing information to make the purchase.

Note shipped items DVD or USB (which have additional shipping costs) may not arrive in time for Christmas depending on when you place the order and where it has to go. But a download of the program comes with both the DVD and USB option so the recipient does not have to wait to access the program.

Please note that if you go to the Software MacKiev website shopping area directly, you will see FTM 2017 for sale at its normal price of $79.95 for the download only PC/Mac. So you need to use the links from the email, Facebook post, FTM support page post, or above (US customers) that we've provided for your convenience.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

The Macomb County Genealogy Group Reveals Its Meeting Topics for 2019

Hi Everyone!

We have released MCGG's 2019 Winter/Spring meeting schedules for our MCGG Friday Group and our Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion 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. (In the coming weeks we will be updating the SouthEast Michigan Genealogy calendar for the area's other societies and groups.)

On both the MCGG Friday Meetings and Let's Talk Meetings pages, you will now find the PDF file link of our current meetings flyer which can be viewed and downloaded. (Please note the image of the flyer in this post is just a low-res image. To see/download the flyer PDF you need to go to either of the meeting pages.)

We hope you enjoy the coming genealogy season. 

See you soon at the Mt Clemens Public Library!
LE

This Wednesday's Let's Talk...Genealogy Meeting Topic is the Fold3 website

This Wednesday, December 12, at 7 p.m. in the Local History and Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library is this month's MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy discussion group meeting. Our topic for the night is ... Fold3: Pensions and Other Military Records.
 
Let's share and learn about the military records on the Fold3 website. 

New attendees are always welcome.

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

Who Do You Think You Are? on Air Again, Continues with Four Additional Episodes

We just learned that Who Do You Think You Are?  resumed airing with four additional episodes. (There appears to be some question of whether it is Season 10 continued or a very, very short Season 11 with just four episodes.) The first episode aired on Monday, Dec. 3, at 10 p.m. ET on the cable television channel, The Learning Channel aka TLC.

This past Monday's episode featured celebrity guest Mandy Moore and was followed at 11 p.m. by an episode from a prior season. The three remaining episodes feature:

• Josh Duhamel airing Monday, Dec. 10 at 10 p.m., followed by an episode from a prior season; and
• Regina King and Matthew Morrison both episodes airing Monday, Dec. 17, starting at 9 p.m.

The Season 10's six episodes (which first aired in May 2018) were: Hillary Duff, Jean Smart, John Cryer, Laverne Cox, Megan Mullally, and Molly Shannon.

Everyone has different television delivery/provider systems. Use your television provider's schedule system to find the TLC channel number on your provider system and to learn when the show will be re-aired again.

Also, the episodes are usually available on the TLC website page sometime after they have aired. So if you don't have TLC you should be able to watch the show on your computer over the internet. You can keep up with the show in its Facebook page even if you are not on FaceBook.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Free DNA Transfers to MyHeritageDNA Now Extended to December 15, 2018

According to the MyHeritage Blog, MyHeritageDNA has extended its FREE DNA transfers until December 15, 2018, so if you already tested at another DNA testing company you can still download your RAW DNA data from that site and upload it to MyHeritage for free. This is a great way to get your tests into a different "pool" of potential DNA matches. Why? Because you never know where someone tested. We suggest if you are going to do a transfer make sure you do so by December 15 to ensure your tests qualify to be grandfathered in. As of December 16, the new rules, what ever they are, will go into effect.

MyHeritageDNA accepts raw DNA data from Family Tree DNA, AncestryDNA (V1 and V2 version chips), and 23andMe (V2, V3 and V4 chips.) Very recently MyHeritage began supporting uploads of 23andMe (v5) and LivingDNA data files which are on the GSA chip.

Users that upload their DNA data files prior to December 15, 2018, receive full access to DNA Matching, Ethnicity Estimates, chromosome browser and more for free. This free access for all DNA data that is uploaded to MyHeritage before December 15, 2018, will continue to enjoy full access to all DNA features for free because these uploads will be grandfathered in and will remain free.

For DNA data files uploaded December 16, 2018, or after, DNA matching will remain free for uploaded DNA data but unlocking additional DNA features (like ethnicity estimate, chromosome browser and some others) will require an extra payment.

Not sure how to download your raw DNA data from the site you tested on and how to upload it? Check this MyHeritage help page.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library! 
LE