DNA Helix
Have you had your DNA tested?
How often do you revisit your results?
(This post is for people who have tested, or who want to test, their DNA for genealogy purposes. It’s not for those who don’t want to, or who are more interested in DNA for health purposes or traits.)
From Mom’s album: “Stopped in Albuq. 7-1959” There’s more to this story in my new book!
I grew up in a family of six, with my parents, three younger brothers, and few relatives. Certainly none who lived nearby.
My parents did not share family stories or photos. Not really. We enjoyed slide shows of our own family vacations, but nothing historical. I guess they were too busy working and raising us up.
Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month?
This is very convenient for the genealogy community since the 1950 U.S. census is being released on April 1, 2022. (That’s when the mandatory 72-year privacy waiting period ends.)
Here is a list of genealogy volunteer opportunities, and some of the benefits of participating.
Do you regret missing RootsTech 2022?
It’s not too late!
Yes, a few features are no longer available, but many of them — including 1500+ recorded sessions, on 185 topics, in 30+ languages —will be available all year long!
This question — How are we related? — might arise when you gather with relatives during holidays. Or anytime.
Most people just laugh and change the subject.
But, next time, YOU can be the one who knows the answer!
(PRO TIP: Keep this post handy for reference!)
Screenshot of “Odds Are” lyrics by Barenaked Ladies
I heard this song recently.
Yes, it’s old, but it was new to me.
And it gave me hope.
The song is “Odds Are” by Barenaked Ladies.
I would love to know who took this photo of the luminarias at Mt. Calvary, the cemetery next door to Sunset Memorial.
(This story originally appeared in a Facebook Note on December 24, 2012.)
Luminarias are a New Mexican Christmas Eve tradition with religious origins. (Scroll down to learn more.)
They are also one of my favorite family holiday traditions.
But… in the cemetery? Let me explain.
Someone asked me for a list of gifts for family historians.
They had in mind gadgets and other tangible things you could wrap up with a bow. But I thought, “Most of the things I want don’t cost money and can’t be wrapped.”
What do you think happened when I offered my mom’s good silverware to my niece, Vinca, as a wedding present?
One never knows what will happen when you pass a family keepsake on to the next generation. Will they love it? Or, not so much? There’s only one way to find out….if your kids are adults now, ask them!
(Originally published Jan. 2016. Updated Oct. 2021.)
I recently (in Jan. 2016) spoke at a business networking luncheon attended by 80 women. My topic was “Who Will Check My Email When I Die?”
I worried that no one would want to come hear me talking about death, especially when it started snowing that morning. But they did! And they loved it. I could tell because they nodded, and laughed, and told me later that they had started conversations with their loved ones about virtual wills and such as a result. Mission accomplished!
Here are some of the ways people reacted to my topic before-hand: (more…)
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