The Next MCGG Friday Meeting is Nov. 7 at 1pm; the Topic: Connecting the Generations through Stories and Oral History Presented by Robert McGarry

MCGG Friday group meets in-person (hybrid) next Friday, November 7, 2025, at 1 p.m.
in the Board Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Connecting the Generations through Stories and Oral History presented by Robert McGarry.

Want to pass on your genealogy to people who just don’t seem interested? Learn to connect with them using stories and oral history to bridge the genealogical generation gap.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. The link will usually be added the night before or morning of the meeting. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

PGSM November 15 Webinar on Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents using AI

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan's next webinar will be Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET.

The topic is "Translating, Transcribing, and Summarizing Documents Using AI," presented by Thomas MacEntee. 

This webinar is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. PGSM members will receive an invitation. Registration for non-members will open November 1 on the PGSM website.

Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. This presentation will cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need.

The presentation includes information on what artificial intelligence is and how it works; transcription; summarization; translation; and the best AI platforms. Tips and tricks and a resource list will also be provided.
 

See you at our favorite library!
LE

2026 Calendar to Benefit Ray, Greater Washington and Romeo Areas Societies

The Historical Societies of Romeo, Ray and Washington Townships are pleased to announce the release of their 2026 calendar titled, “A Legacy of Service…To Country and Community.”

 

The calendar is a collaborative effort between the Friends of the Ray Township Library & Historical Society, the Greater Washington Area Historical Society, and the Romeo Historical Society, featuring historical images of local military groups, fire departments, and community organizations honoring their service while celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary.

Calendars can be purchased for $10.00 at various locations including, the Ray Township Public Library, Romeo Arts & Archives Museum, Washington Historical Museum, Ray Township Offices, Washington Township Offices, Jarvis Accounting and Tax Service, Jarzyna Farms Fine Meats and Deli, K. O. Music Studio, Raven Oaks Farm, Romeo Family Restaurant, and Town Hall Antiques. 

Proceeds will benefit the Society in each community where the calendar is sold including the Procter Cemetery Restoration project and the Washington Historical Museum’s electrical upgrade project. The Societies wish to thank all the sponsors whose support covered the costs of printing the calendars ensuring all proceeds benefit historical preservation projects.

Contact the Societies for more information. Friends of the Ray Township Library and Historical Society at RayLibrary.org/RayHistory, Info@RayHistory.org, and 586-749-7130. Greater Washington Area Historical Society at WashHistSoc.org, WashingtonMuseum@gmail.com, and 586-786-5304. Romeo Historical Society at RomeoHistoricalSociety.org and 586-752-4111.

See you at our favorite library!
LE 

AncestryDNA Custom Match Clusters Released Tuesday, October 21

Late this Summer those AncestryDNA users with the extra AncestryDNA Pro Tools received the DNA Clusters tool. We announced the roll out in our July 4th post. There is an Ancestry Blog post on the release here.

Yesterday, October 21, Ancestry released the Custom Clusters aspect of the DNA Clusters tool. You can read about it and how to utilize it in yesterday's Ancestry Blog post. Or in a Support Topics post on Custom Match Clusters. 

DNA Clusters visually presents your matches so you can see these matches as a group showing how they relate to each other -- which match matches which matches. These cluster groups can often be identified by the test taker's grandparent lines and you are able to view these clusters by the test taker's Parent 1 and Parent 2 sides (or Maternal Side and Paternal Side if identified) or view both sides together. The matches range from 65 to 1300 centiMorgans (cM).

Custom Clusters allows the user to focus clustering around a certain match of interest. Up to four "sidekick" matches that are shared matches with your chosen match of interest. You can also customize the centiMorgan range to reflect your expected relationship level with the matches.

If you have the AncestryDNA Pro Tools, play around with the Custom Match Clusters. It will probably be a few days or a week before how-to videos start appearing to clearly explain and show how to use the tool effectively.

See you at our favorite library!
LE 

Vivid-Pix has Family History Month Sale and Starts Holiday Sale with a Bundle

Vivid-Pix is having a few sales. There is the Family History Month Sale and it has started its Holiday Sale. 

The company has grown a bit since we first talked about it at some of our meetings and it now offers a bit more than its two photo correction software applications. Vivid-Pix has bundles for institutions, professionals, and the home-user.

Not sure if the Restore software is for you or a loved one? Come into our favorite library's Local History and Genealogy Room and try the Restore software in-person on the new scanning station that replaced the BookScan station. Or, some of Vivid-Pix's software have free trial periods that allow you to test drive the software (with some limitations) before making a purchase.

First a caution. As we advised last year and during RootsTech, make sure you are seeing the sale pricing you are expecting. If you simply go to the website you may not see the website's sale pricing. You will likely need to enter the coupon code to see the sale pricing in the shopping cart.

 

For the Family History Month Sale, use coupon code FHM2025. before completing a purchase. This code expires October 31, 2025. 

What is on sale?

The Vivid-Pix Restore (this is the software) which provides one-click correction that can be fine tuned with sliders for scanned prints, slides, documents and digital camera images focusing on general photography and restoring faded pictures and documents. The regular price is $49.99 but for the Family History Month 2025 sale the price is $39.99 -- saving you $10. [Note: The lowest price was $29.99 last Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Giving Tuesday for reference.] To learn more about the software, check out the company's website and view the overview and tutorial videos.

The Vivid-Pix Land & Sea Scuba (this is the software) that started it all. This software makes it fun and simple to fix scuba pictures – for any underwater photographer – with any experience level. One-click correction that can be fine tuned with sliders. The regular price is $49.99 but for the Family History Month 2025 sale the price is $39.99 -- saving you $10. To learn more about the software, check out the company's website and view the overview and tutorial videos.

Vivid-Pix Restore and Land & Sea SCUBA are patented image science software (not generative AI) that run on Windows and Mac computers, can be installed on 2 computers, and is not a subscription. Purchase once and the company provides free updates.

Also on sale for Family History Month:

Save $50 on the Vivid-Pix Memory Station Software and Scanner for Home, Library, Community, & Adult Living Locations by using the coupon code.

Note: The Home Edition works for the vast majority of genealogists. Vivid-Pix now has a couple different scanner options besides the original SV600. The additional scanners appear to be feeder scanners which are not good for delicate or fragile photos/documents.

Save $40 on the Vivid-Pix Memory Station Software Solution for Home, Library, Community, & Adult Living Locations by using the coupon code.

Note: Already have a scanner? Then just get the Vivid-Pix Memory Station software and use your existing scanner. 

 

In addition Vivid-Pix's Holiday Sale has begun with a bundle.
The Holiday Caregiver Bundle includes Memory Station Home Edition Software, Photo Reminiscence Therapy (pRT) for Families course, and a pre-paid coupon for a 10-pack of Memory Cards. It is a $319.98 value package on sale for $249.95 ($70 off)  but with Holiday pricing it is $199.95 when using coupon code HOLIDAY2025.

Photo Reminiscence Therapy (pRT) For Families and Loved Ones – Joshua Freitas, PhD [No Certification] Designed for paid and unpaid caregivers, this course provides instruction to implement pRT – as described by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Reminiscence Therapy (RT) involves the discussion of past activities, events and experiences with another person or group of people, usually with the aid of tangible prompts such as photographs, household and other familiar items …”

Memory Station Home Edition Software Patent-pending software, with intuitive interface and large buttons, makes it easy to scan, restore photos and documents, record memories and combine to create stories. (Includes Vivid-Pix RESTORE software.) Reminiscing about life pulls memories from shoeboxes and memory banks. Individual and Multi-generational re-living of yesterday and yesteryear provides connection and understanding through photo-based activities that are fun – and provide social and health benefits. Rather than buying the scanner and the software bundle, this is the software only to install on your existing computer/scanner system.

There will likely be additional savings or sales as we get closer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday so keep an eye out just in case. You can see prior sale prices by selecting the Vivid-Pix Label in the left-hand column to bring up all our posts about Vivid-Pix.

See you soon at our favorite library!
LE

Good News! MCPL's Local History & Genealogy Local Indexes are Back Up!

updated: This post was updated again October 23, 2025, at 11:02 a.m. A correction was made to the index's update content and brief instructions were added.
updated: This post was originally made, October 21, 2025, at 3:41 p.m. A correction was made to the index's update content on October 22, 2025, in the evening.

We have Good News for Macomb County Genealogy Researchers. 

The Mount Clemens Public Library's Local History & Genealogy Department Local Indexes are back up and running on the library's website.

You will find the Indexes under the Local History Resources under the Local History & Genealogy under Areas of Service. Or use the link to the Indexes page here. 

If you encounter a "refused to connect" error or an unhappy digital page face ...

 

... just refresh your browser page (that arrow in a circle just to the right of the back and forth page arrows) as that seems to fix the burp. (It is a large database index.)

 

The search interface is simple with just two options: Given Name and Surname. You do not have to fill both in -- just entering a surname works.

 

If you want to print the results list, just use your mouse or touchpad to highlight/select all of the results list and then print selection or print selection to PDF or after highlighting/selecting all of the results list copy/paste it into a word processing document.

The Obituary Index does not include additions made after the last time the index database was available on the library's prior website. At this time, the best practice to use the index is to search by Surname only to make sure you get a complete list of results.

Some minor issues are in the process of being resolved but users should be able to get what they need from the index. 

The actual newspapers can be found on microfilm in the Local History & Genealogy Room or some of them can be found digitally on the Digital Michigan Newspapers Portal. We have a post on how to find the digitized newspapers here. 

 

Good luck searching! 

See you at our favorite library!
LE 

MyHeritage DNA Autumn Sale Extended; MyHeritage Announces Whole Genome Sequencing Transition By End of 2025

MyHeritage's Autumn Sale on its MyHeritage DNA test has been extended. It appears the sale now ends October 21, 2025. The autosomal DNA test is regularly $89.

In the meantime, MyHeritage has announced that "The MyHeritage DNA test has been upgraded to use Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), the most comprehensive method for reading DNA available today. Powered by cutting-edge sequencing technology from Ultima Genomics and processed at the Gene by Gene laboratory in Houston Texas, this upgrade makes MyHeritage the first major consumer DNA testing company to adopt Whole Genome Sequencing at a large scale. The upgrade will deliver greater accuracy in DNA Matching and ethnicity results, and create opportunities for exciting new products in genetic genealogy. Best of all, this technological breakthrough comes at no additional cost to our customers, and with the same strong commitment to privacy that users expect from MyHeritage."

Whole Genome Sequencing is already being applied to most new MyHeritage DNA kits currently being processed at the lab, and will soon become the exclusive processing method for all new MyHeritage DNA kits moving forward.

What this means is: MyHeritage DNA processing is in a transition period at this time where some DNA samples are being processed using array technology and others are being processed with Whole Genome Sequencing. You cannot choose how your sample will be processed. By the end of 2025, all MyHeritage DNA samples will be processed with Whole Genome Sequencing.

The blog post continued, "With so much more information available, this upgrade lays the groundwork for future product enhancements, enabling MyHeritage to deliver more accurate ethnicity results, improved DNA matching, and new genetic genealogy products. However, this revolution will not happen overnight. First, the database of whole genome sequences needs to grow. Then, MyHeritage will be able to, and strongly intends to, re-phase, re-impute and re-match all the data for all existing MyHeritage DNA customers, leading to better results for everyone, even those whose samples were not processed with Whole Genome Sequencing."

MyHeritage will soon allow all users whose DNA was processed using Whole Genome Sequencing to download their extended genomic data as a CRAM file at no cost. MyHeritage is still transitioning to Whole Genome Sequencing. By the end of 2025, all MyHeritage DNA samples will be processed exclusively using this technology.

So, you can order a MyHeritageDNA test kit at sale price but hold off taking/using the test until later this year or when we hear that all test kits are processed using the Whole Genome Sequencing to make sure your test is processed using the new and larger testing process.

Unfortunately, if you took a MyHeritageDNA test before this your test will not be updated to Whole Genome Sequencing. Also, those tests that were uploaded/transferred DNA Data from another testing site cannot be updated because biological material is needed to do the Whole Genome Sequencing.

But at MyHeritage Sale prices retesting if possible could be worthwhile for future DNA developments. 

MyHeritage DNA test kits use the cheek swab method of collection. The swab is easier to collect DNA from elders and those whose spit production is more limited. 

There are two options:

MyHeritage DNA test for $36, plus taxes and shipping. Purchase two test kits and get free standard shipping.

MyHeritage DNA test plus 30-day Complete free trail* for $36, plus taxes and free shipping

*After 30 days, you'll enjoy a 50% discount and be charged $299 $149 for the first year. The Complete subscription renews annually. You can cancel anytime.

Remember, MyHeritage ended its DNA uploads of DNA test data from other DNA genealogy testing sites back in August 2025. So now you do have to test directly with MyHeritage DNA.

See you at our favorite library!
LE