RootsTech 2021 has Started! It is Free & Virtual; Visit the "Expo Hall" & its Vendor Booths -- Lots of Deals to be Found; Most for a Limited Time Feb. 25-27, 2021

Updated: Originally posted Wed., February 24, 2021, at 10:30 p.m. ET. Added link to prior post.

RootsTech 2021 has started! It is all virtual and it is free.

RootsTech Connect runs from Thursday, Feb. 25 to Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. See our earlier post for details on registering and the various aspects.

Do not forget to visit the "Expo Hall" and all of the vendor booths. Many of these genealogy vendors are holding promotion sales this week and visiting their booths is how you find the deals. You might find these sales also on their websites, but a lot of these are only found by looking at the RootsTech 2021 vendor booths in the virtual Expo Hall.

Family Tree Maker
Software MacKiev is offering a sale on Family Tree Maker 2019 for up to 60% off (yes, even for new comers) so you can get the download version for just $39.95 instead of the $79.95 regular price for first-time owners. This deal is only for the three days of the RootsTech conference so do not delay if you have been waiting for this popular software to go on sale.

If you are just interested in picking up one or both plugins for Family Tree Maker, just click that promo. It actually takes you to the same storefront for Software MacKiev. Just click the next page arrows without selecting any product until you get to the page for Charting Companion 7 which is $29.95 (regularly 40) up to 50% off for the Windows or Mac download, or the page for Family Book Creator which is $39.95 (regularly $55) up to 37% off for the download only.

Family Tree DNA
Visit the Family Tree DNA booth and find the RootTech promo pricing PDF for the sales codes to get discounted pricing on various DNA tests and upgrades. The Family Finder (autosomal) DNA test is discounted $30 so rather than $79 it is on sale for $49. Remember taxes and shipping are extra.

MyHeritage
There is a complete plan promo price and a link to take you to the MyHeritageDNA Winter sale of $59 rather than the $79 regular price. Remember taxes and shipping are extra. (Also, remember Michigan residents get MyHeritage Library Edition for free thru the Michigan Electronic Library MeL.org website.

GenealogyBank
GenealogyBank's promo in its booth is 40% off its annual subscription price for the digitized newspaper website.

ArkivDigital
Got Swedish ancestors? ArkivDigital has a special on a yearly or monthly subscription.

Genealogical.com
One of the genealogy-related book publishers has a 20% off site-wide promo and an e-book promotion.

Your DNA Guide
One of the smaller vendor booths is Diahan Southard and her Your DNA Guide with a 25% off promo (with a code) on her Your DNA Guide The Book, as well as savings on DNA Mentoring and a few freebies.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
Can't get enough genealogy learning? Visit the Legacy Family Tree vendor booth and find a link/code to save 50% off an annual webinar subscription for new members only.

These are just a small sampling. Have fun learning. Most of the class sessions will be available for 12 months so you can view them at your own pace. Some are being presented live and will be recorded. BUT these promotions are for a very limited time. Some only for the three days of the RootTech conference.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library! (someday again)
LE

New Genealogy News: Temporary Free Remote Access to Ancestry Library Edition Now Extended to June 2021

Now that the MCGG boxes are moved in preparation of our favorite library's renovation we turn to some news. Yet again on the one hand we can consider this good news but on the other ... well, it may not be so comforting. So focus on the positive aspect of this everyone. The other day, it was announced that the temporary free remote access of Ancestry Library Edition, thanks to its providers ProQuest and Ancestry.com, has been extended until June 2021. As we have said before, according to ProQuest this temporary remote access will be re-evaluated monthly.

This resource is accessible via the website of the library that issued your library card if that library has a library subscription to Ancestry Library Edition and that library's website setup meets certain requirements and the library has requested this temporary remote access.

So, we patrons of the Suburban Library Cooperative libraries and many other library systems across the United States and Canada can continue to keep on researching while we stay safe to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

You can access Ancestry Library Edition by signing into the website of the library that issued your library card and then clicking the link to Ancestry Library Edition. You will be taken to the Ancestry Library Edition home page and from there you can search to your heart's content.

Ancestry Library Edition has no personalized features so among other things you can not access while using it is your personal Ancestry online tree nor can you link records to it if you have one. Regardless of whether you have an online tree or tree in a genealogy program on your computer, you will need to remember to download your record image finds with their source information and add them to your genealogy trees manually so you have access to that information in the future. 

To compliment this online resource, remember that on our Macomb County Genealogy Group YouTube channel we have a informational video, An Overview of Ancestry Library Edition. After explaining the differences between Ancestry Library Edition and a personal home Ancestry.com subscription, we walk you around the Ancestry Library Edition website and some different ways to start searching for your ancestors.

We hope you are able to utilize this genealogy resource (Ancestry Library Edition) and learn something new about your ancestors.

If you need help starting genealogy see our MCGG Beginner's Packet for Family Research on our Research Help page.

Remember to have fun researching your ancestors everyone. And stay safe.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

LIMITED-TIME OFFER! Feb. 21 to 28, 2021; Advanced DNA Features Unlock Fee Waived for Autosomal DNA Data Transfers/Uploads to MyHeritageDNA

Ladies and Gentlemen of Genealogy and Family History:

Take Note ... Especially if you have autosomal DNA test results at Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, or 23andMe.

For a limited time -- February 21 to 28, 2021, -- MyHeritage.com is waiving the unlock fee ($29) to gain complete access to its autosomal DNA service, MyHeritageDNA when you transfer/upload DNA data from another autosomal testing service such as Ancestry's AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA's FamilyFinder, or 23andMe's Ancestry test. See the post on the MyHeritage Blog for more details on this limited-time offer and for the transfer/upload link.

MyHeritage allows you to upload your DNA data from other providers and get DNA Matches for free, but a one-time unlock fee of $29 (or a Complete plan with MyHeritage) has been required to access the advanced DNA features — and that includes the Ethnicity Estimate and the new Genetic Groups.

With this limited-time offer, you can now upload your DNA data to MyHeritage and get access to your Ethnicity Estimate, Genetic Groups, and other advanced DNA tools such as the Chromosome Browser, AutoClusters, and Theory of Family Relativity™ — absolutely free! These features will remain free forever for the DNA kits you upload to MyHeritage during this week.

In our opinion, the AutoClusters and Chromosome Browser are just two of the Advanced DNA tools that more than make it worthwhile to do a data transfer/upload.

To use the fishing analogy, each DNA testing provider is like a different pond or pool of water. To catch a fish aka a desired DNA match, you never know which pool of water that desired fish swims/resides in so you want to put your fishing pole (your DNA test/tests) in as many ponds/pools of water to catch that desired fish. DNA data transfers are a cost-effective way to do this because a data transfer does not cost as much as a physical test, especially when the transfer cost is free. 

This is a fantastic opportunity. This means no yearly subscriptions fees just to access all of your DNA test's features. Grandfathering-in does not happen very often. The last time the unlock fee was waived was in December 2019. 

See the MyHeritage blog post (link above) for the orange "Upload your data to MyHeritage now" link to the limited-access offer. There are a variety of help articles at the MyHeritage Help Center to help you with the data transfer/upload process.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Our Next Virtual Meeting is Mar. 10, 2021; Join Us to Learn about Michigan's "Polar Bear" Soliders in World War One

Our next MCGG and Let's Talk...Genealogy groups combined virtual meeting is Wednesday, March 10, 2020, at 7 p.m. using Zoom Meeting. The topic of the meeting is  ... WWI: Michigan's "Polar Bear" Soldiers Invade Russia -- How They Lived and Survived presented by MCGG member Beverly Bishop.

MCGG members on the mailing list will receive the Zoom Meeting invite in the reminder email to be sent prior to the meeting. New attendees can obtain the invite link using the Library Events calendar on the website of the Mount Clemens Public Library. The link is usually posted a day or so before the meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.
 
See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

RootsTech 2021 Is Next Week with New Format -- All Virtual and Free!

Hey genealogists, it is RootsTech time again! 

BUT, yes because of the pandemic there have been some changes. For the year 2021 the name is RootsTech Connect and it is completely virtual this year and free -- YES, FREE for all!

RootsTech Connect runs from Thursday, Feb. 25 to Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. While the RootsTech website currently looks like the image in this post, on Wednesday at some point, there will be a change that will make the RootsTech homepage the "main stage" for the live streaming events of this now completely virtual event. In addition, the revised homepage will be the access point for the other features of the event.

There are two ways to register for the event.

• The first is to just use your name, email address and location. This gets you access to the classes/sessions and Main Stage Live Streaming Events.
  
• The second is to use your FamilySearch free account -- the one you use to log into the familysearch.org website to access records on the site. Using your FamilySearch account allows you to create a "playlist" of the classes/sessions you want to see; allows you to participate in the chat sessions with industry experts and other attendees; and allows you to see your relatives who are attending RootsTech Connect based on the information you have in your FamilySearch FamilyTree.

On the current RootsTech homepage, there are links to two PDF files that cover most of the event's schedule.

• The first PDF is of the Main Stage Live Stream Events Schedule. It is in Eastern Standard Time but when the new homepage goes live the site will reflect to your global time zone. As you will see the main stage events run around the clock reflecting a global audience of attendees. Most of the classes/sessions will be available for viewing for at least 11 months following the live event. So, technically for us in the Eastern Time Zone, RootsTech Connect actually begins at 11 p.m., Wednesday, February 24, because it is February 25 somewhere else in the world.
  
• The second PDF is a list of all the Classes/Sessions in English. There are a total of 1,026 sessions. Broken down that is 746 classes with most of those running at 20 minutes in length though some can run up to 60 minutes in length. There are 280 Tips & Tricks running from 5 to 10 minutes in length. Besides the change in the length of time for each class/session, there is also no set schedule. You essentially pick and choose what you want to watch and when you want to watch it. The vast majority of these classes/sessions are recorded not live presentations. Some sessions will have a Live Chat schedule. If you registered with your FamilySearch account, on Wednesday whenever the new homepage becomes active you can than create a "play list" of the classes/sessions you want to attend/watch and participate in the Live Chats.

Also on the revised home page that goes live sometime on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in addition to the Main Stage are links/tabs to:

Expo Hall
This is where you access the vendors where many will have a virtual "booth." In a vendor's booth each will have a main stage sessions, live sessions and on-demand sessions associated with their booth. Along with Additional Experiences, Promotions and Downloadable Resources. There will be options to Chat with Experts at the booth. Some will hold mini-clases just as you've experienced live if you have ever gone to prior RootsTech show. There is a Demo Theater to see products demonstrated by vendors and an Innovator Portal to check out what is new in the genealogy world. Each virtual booth will vary in content. The Expo Hall will only be available during the live conference.

Sessions
This is where you access the classes/sessions. Each class session that has a syllabus will have a link to the syllabus there on the website. There is no RootsTech app this year. Explore Sessions is an index of sort to the sessions -- by topic, by speaker, by region, by language. My Play List is where you can create and access a list of what you want to see if you registered using a FamilySearch Account. There are a handful of classes/sessions that will be presented live.

Guide Me
The Guide Me provides help navigating the sessions. It will also have a series of class suggestions based on topic like Getting Started.

Connect
Connect is where some of the Live Chats will take place. To participate you have to have registered using a FamilySearch account.

Relatives at RootsTech will only working during the live conference time. It requires you to have registered using your FamilySearch account. It is based on your FamilySearch FamilyTree and the entries you have made there. You can direct message your friends and relatives.

And, of course, a RootsTech store to get your souvenirs.

There is also a Coaching Center to sign up for individual chat appointments to receive individual research help.

There is lots to explore and to learn from. To get a sneak peak at the revised website coming on Wednesday check out this video on the RootsTech YouTube page.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library! (someday again)
LE

 

 

Look for Sales and Free Access for Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day

Sunday is Valentine's Day, Monday is Presidents' Day. While both days hold meaning to many, for genealogists it means this weekend has a variety of sales and free access offers.

Newspapers.com
At Newspapers.com there is a free access weekend that is actually active right now and runs through Feb. 15, at 11:59 p.m. You can find the access link (you must register) on the Newspapers.com Facebook page or use this link.

MyHeritage.com
At MyHeritage.com there is a free access weekend to marriage records from February 10 to February 16, in honor of Valentine's Day. Just click on this link or learn more on the MyHeritage Blog.

MyHeritageDNA
Also at MyHeritage.com there is a sale on its autosomal DNA tests called MyHeritageDNA. Regularly $79 the test is on sale for $59 with taxes and shipping extra. This sale appears to end Sunday, Feb. 14.

Family Tree DNA
Also at FamilyTreeDNA.com there is a sale on its autosomal DNA tests called FamilyFinder. Regularly $79 the test is on sale for $59 with taxes and shipping extra. This sale ends Sunday, Feb. 14.

There will likely be other offers and free access so keep an eye out on your favorite websites.

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Presidents' Day

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library when we are able to again!
LE 

This Wednesday is our February MCGG Virtual Meeting: MCGG Member Dara Tolbert Brooks Presents, "How Stories Passed Down Through the Generations Can Help Uncover A Family's Journey"

This week is February MCGG and Let's Talk...Genealogy groups combined virtual meeting. That's Wednesday, February 10, 2020, at 7 p.m. using Zoom Meeting. The topic of the meeting is  ... How Stories Passed Down Through the Generations Can Help Uncover a Family's Journey presented by Dara Tolbert Brooks, M.Ed.

Brooks, now a long-distance MCGG member, will share with us what she has learned during her genealogical journey. Her interest was piqued early and as the eldest granddaughter in a family that was one of many who were part of the Great Migration escaping the South for a "better" life, Brooks was privy to vast number of remembrances. She evolved into a vessel of knowledge and became the keeper of her family's history.

MCGG members on the mailing list will receive the Zoom Meeting invite in the reminder email to be sent prior to the meeting. New attendees can obtain the invite link using the Library Events calendar on the website of the Mount Clemens Public Library. 

New attendees are always welcome.
 
See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE