MyHeritage website adds 9 new languages

Paula Stuart-Warren  MyHeritage  , ,  Leave a comment

MyHeritage announces that its website is now “available in 50 languages, following the addition of 9 more languages. This expansion enables millions more people around the world to discover who they are and where they belong, in their native language.” Further they said “It will also lead to more valuable matches and discoveries for MyHeritage users worldwide as more diverse audiences join and build their family trees on the platform.” The new languages are listed below. Wish I could read more of these!

  • Albanian
  • Basque
  • Bosnian
  • Georgian
  • Icelandic
  • Irish
  • Luxembourgish
  • Maltese
  • Welsh

 

    Free BCG-Sponsored 2026 Webinars

    Paula Stuart-Warren  Legacy Family Tree Webinars, Webinars  , ,  Leave a comment

    Press release from BCG.

    Registration for the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ twelve monthly webinars in 2026 is now live at our partner website Legacy Family Tree Webinars, BCG Upcoming Webinars
    (http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=6803).

    2026 Dates, speakers, and topics: 

    20 January 2026. Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG ® , CGL ® , “Beyond the First Clue: Unraveling a Genealogical Mystery with the GPS.”

    17 February 2026. Angela Packer McGhie, CG ® , FUGA, “Lineage in Context: Creating a
    Compelling Kinship-Determination Project”

    17 March 2026. Kelley Conner Lear, CG ® , “Patterns from the Past: Using Visuals to Showcase Correlation and Analysis”

    21 April 2026. Kristina Gow Clever, CG ® , “What’s in a Name? Finding Your Norwegian
    Ancestors”

    19 May 2026. Patti Lee Hobbs, CG ® , CGG ® , “Common-Sense Principles for Establishing Genetic Relationships”

    16 June 2026. Jill Morelli, CG ® , CGL ® , “Mastering Data Collection”

    21 July 2026. David Ouimette, CG ® , CGL ® , “Supercharged Research: Working with AI Tools and Meeting Genealogy Standards”

    18 August 2026. Jennifer Zinck, CG ® , AG ® , “DNA Helps Identify Parents for James Dolan”

    15 September 2026. Claire Ammon, CG ® , “Against the Peace and Dignity of the
    Commonwealth”

    20 October 2026. Karen Stanbary, CG ® , CGG ® , Joy Reisinger Lecture: “¡Eureka! Confirmación del Lineaje Ancestral: DNA and Documents Prove a Mexican Ancestral Line”

    17 November 2026. Francine Crowley Griffis, MSc, CG ® , AG ® , QG™, “Snake Oil, Collusion, and a Battle of Wills: Proving Identity from a Network of Deception”

    15 December 2026. Jan Joyce, CG ® , CGL ® , “Left Behind Dead or Alive: Finding Answers from Those Who Remained”


    “BCG supports continuing education for all genealogists,” said President Angela Packer
    McGhie, CG ® , FUGA. “We sponsor webinars to help family historians build their knowledge and skills.” 

    Following the free period for these webinars, BCG receives a small commission if you view any BCG webinar by clicking at our affiliate link: 

    For access to all BCG webinars, see the BCG Webinar Library at
    Legacy Family Tree Webinars legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=2619

    To see the full list of BCG-sponsored webinars for 2026, visit the BCG website at
    https://bcgcertification.org/learning/bcg-webinars. For additional resources for genealogical
    education, please visit the BCG Learning Center (https://bcgcertification.org/learning).

     

    Genealogy syllabus work makes me think and I enjoy it

    Paula Stuart-Warren  Repositories  , , , ,  Leave a comment

    One of my work projects this week is my part of the syllabus for two sessions in the upcoming Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research course “Repository Research: From Website to Doorway.” See my 28 December post on this course for more details and to register for one of the seats that are still open in this live online course. I bet my fellow instructors and our coordinator, Cyndi Ingle, are also working on their syllabus parts. genealogybypaula.com/2025/12/institute-of-genealogy-and-historical-research-course-listing-and-registration-link/

    As I was doing some updating and adding to the syllabus, several points kept popping into my mind about places we should visit to research our family history. The indexes that are available only in these repositories is a topic that makes me want to haul out the suitcase!

    1. The indexes that cover much more than the locality in which they are situated.
    2. As I reviewed websites of some specific genealogical society libraries, I kept finding things that weren’t there a few months ago.
    3. The indexes that are available on their websites.
    4. In some ways, it seems that various state archives are adding online finding aids more than even a year ago. Are some of them trying to keep up with each other?
    5. Time to add more on the old articles in genealogy and history magazines and journals that provide insight into what research materials are held at a specific repository.

    Many new things to add to the syllabus!

     

      A New Year, new genealogy sales, and new research plans for all of us

      Paula Stuart-Warren  Genealogy  , , , ,  2 Comments

      New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t really make them but have been thinking about some things that are genealogy related for 2026.

      1. If you didn’t  take advantage of membership/subscription or DNA sales at the end of 2025, don’t worry. Many of our favorite websites and companies are having New Year’s sales. Check the websites of Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, and RootsMagic, to name a few. I keep seeing ads on Facebook for some of these. Don’t delay as these may not last more than a few days.)

      2. Think ahead and plan to personally visit a library, historical society, or archives for in-person research in the wonderful records they hold. Most are not online. This research always gives me a boost and is often just what one of my clients needed. We all can’t get to every place we wish to explore, but there are professional genealogists like me we can hire. My connections to directories of professionals are https://www.apgen.org/ and https://www.bcgcertification.org/

      3. Choose one great grandparent and peruse the research you have already accomplished. What questions and blank details do you need to solve? Start a 2026 Research Plan for this one person. Then move on to one more great grandparent. Work on research based on these Research Plans for a couple of months and then tackle Research Plans for the others. Of course, there will be some overlaps as you do the research. Are you including the siblings of those great grandparents? Don’t neglect them. Those siblings have been the clues to some of my research breakthroughs.

      4. “Borrow” a friend, in-law, or neighbor’s family and do some family history research. It’s interesting how working on this other family  can offer some ideas for your own families. Let them know your plan and ask for some details. When we work without preconceived ideas, names, dates, and places, it can open up a new year’s world of research avenues.

      5. Don’t forget that libraries, historical societies, and archives often have subscriptions to many genealogy, newspaper, and history websites. Public libraries, genealogy libraries, university libraries, and state archives realize the importance of access to these. You may need to visit the place to access the subscriptions, and some are accessible from home.

      6. Education never stops. Consider attending a genealogy institute course such as GRIP Genealogy Institute, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) , and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). I have been involved in all three and highly recommend the in-depth studying. These involve days of presentations, not years or even many months. They are a great way to learn about more records, repositories, analysis, and how to do so much more. 

      Now stop reading my blog post. Think about my points here and make some notes as they relate to your family history. Next, work on discovering Great Grandma Annabelle’s first marriage.

      Happy Productive New Year!

       

       

      2026 Legacy Family Tree Webinars Announced! I am fortunate to be one of 200+ speakers.

      Paula Stuart-Warren  Legacy Family Tree Webinars, Webinars  , , , , ,  Leave a comment

      2026 is going to be another great year in genealogy and technology education in the field of family history. Geoff Rasmussen, the guru behind Legacy Family Tree Webinars, has announced the 2026 lineup of presentations. https://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars/?list_view=true&multiple=true&language=english Register for individual webinars or hit the select all if you are able to join in when each one is first offered.

      You can join me live for free, or sign up for a membership to get full access to all the handouts (syllabus) and the massive on-demand library. I will be presenting my webinar on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EDT; 1:00 p.m. CDT and Legacy Family Tree Webinar members will have access to the handout.

      Insight into State Archives: ARCs, IRADs, ONAHRs, and Other Branches
      Each U.S. state has a state archives to preserve government records from counties and state agencies. Did you know that some states have branches of the state archives? These are facilities found around the same state. Have you been missing some records that may fill in blank spots on the family tree? The reasons for their existence, ways of operating, collection finding aids, types of collections, and staff are varied. Learn more about these, access, staffing, and the often-surprising material and indexes they hold. The real life examples will convince you of what you may have missed!

      How is your 2026 calendar looking?

      • Are there too many of the webinars you won’t be able to watch during the first free presentation time?
      • Do you want to have the syllabus for each of those in hand during that presentation time? Only available to members.
      • My mind is already picking out the webinars that I need to attend. Oh, there are many already.
      • Do you need to be able to watch one later, watch one from 2023 or 2025, or check out the recording and syllabus from any one of the 2,600+ previous webinars?
      • The answer is to become a member for one year at $49.95. My affiliate link for becoming a member https://legacyfamilytree.com/product/membership/?ref=566036

      My first genealogy presentation of 2026 is January 3 and is both in-person and online!

      Paula Stuart-Warren  Webinars  , , ,  Leave a comment

      January 3, 2026. that’s this next Saturday and I am presenting an afternoon hybrid webinar. The host is the Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society and they are based in Xenia, Ohio. https://www.greenecountyogs.com The event opens at 1:30 EST and I will present “The U.S. National Archives: The Nation’s Attic” at 2:00 EST. It will be accompanied by a detail-filled handout. Virtual and in-person genealogy events like this serve many researchers. If you can’t attend in person, fill out the contact form to receive a link to listen from home.

      Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research course listing and registration link.

      Paula Stuart-Warren  Institutes, Uncategorized  , , ,  Leave a comment

      I am a big fan of genealogy institutes. Multiple days of learning, sharing, excitement, and progress in your research endeavors. The 2026 courses offered by the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research cover many parts of our journey. The flyer below shows the course titles, course coordinator, and the dates that course is offered. Some are one full week and others are once a week courses. All are online so people can participate from anywhere in the world! I’m presenting two sessions in the Repository Research: From Website to Doorway course that is offered Thursdays from March 12-April 16, 2026. It’s only the second time it has been offered. Full details on each course and registration link is at https://ighr.gagensociety.org/ighr-2026/ IGHR still has room for you!

       

       

       

      Scheduling January & February Consultations with a Special December rate

      Paula Stuart-Warren  Consultations  , ,  Leave a comment

      If you are interested in a one-on-one consultation to get you started on family history research or to figure out the next research steps to take by yourself, you may be interested in a consultation. I offer a special two-hour minimum consultation for a total of $120 but for those agreed to in December 2025, the rate is just $100 paid in advance by check, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.

      I take client cases in the order in which an agreement is processed, and the initial retainer is sent. A December deposit places you in line for future open hours for the consultation. Contact me directly for other options and availability in cases of rush orders. I can provide full details via email in a several page document about my genealogy services and rates.

      Consultations can be done via email, Zoom, or by phone. If by Zoom platform, your computer needs to have a camera and microphone so we can talk together. This is the best way to do the consultation. I would provide the link for the Zoom consultation.

      For a consultation, the more copies of records you have or found, family tree charts, timelines, and family details you can provide ahead of time, the easier it is for me to begin. These can be scanned and put in a Dropbox file, scanned and emailed, or photocopies sent by regular mail.

      I do a pre-meeting minimum of 15-20 minutes review (as part of the two-hour consultation) of materials you provide to help to make the most of the actual consultation.

      Another consultation option is that I can do an extended analysis of what you send, some quick record checks, and prepare a report on the possible next steps to take, or we can talk in-person or online to share these and discuss the steps.

      Essentially, you are receiving a research plan of what to do next, where and how to do it, and what you might be discovering. Another set of eyes, knowledge, and experience often provides the path to great discoveries.

      The two-hour consultation can be split into two sessions. That way you could ask your questions, have some discussion with tips from me, and you can then follow that with some research based on my 20-minute preview of your information and our discussion. Then the second hour (or even 30 minutes) can be at any time later for updating, more questions, and suggestions based on what you have already researched and discovered. All you have to do is let me know when you wish to schedule that remaining time and that all this totals 2 hours.

      Contact me via PaulaStuartWarren @ gmail dot com

       

       

        Interviews with descendants of abolitionists who lived in Minnesota

        Paula Stuart-Warren  Civil War, Minnesota  , , , ,  Leave a comment

        “The Minnesota Digital Library recently added some oral history interviews with descendants of abolitionists who lived in Minnesota prior to the Civil War. They were shared by a new contributing organization called “Project Get Outdoors.”

        “Many of them were associated with the Underground Railroad. The long-term goal of this project is to work with local county historical societies and cemetery associations to create a Freedom Trail highlighting the stories of these early civil rights activists and their final resting places.”

        I saw this announcement in a newsletter for libraries, Minitex, from the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The 12 oral histories are online and free on the Minnesota Digital Library. The interviewees do not all live in Minnesota and some of the interviews are with historians researching the time period. The interviews may be downloaded and are accompanied by transcripts.

        I need to continue listening to interesting histories. I wonder how many of my fellow family historians might have stories to contribute? Did the project reach out to genealogical organizations and their members? 

         

        State Historical Society of Iowa and the outcome of 2-year partnership with Ancestry.com

        Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, Iowa  , ,  Leave a comment

        “The agreement allowed the State Historical Society of Iowa and Ancestry to complete a two-year project to digitally image materials and integrate more than one million additional records from the State Archives in Ancestry’s searchable database.”

        Read the full article about the December 2d announcement https://www.communitynewspapergroup.com/vinton_newspapers/state-historical-society-of-iowa-announces-project-partnership-outcomes-with-ancestry-com/article_89f02954-4254-4533-b940-0cf2ce5f4177.html