In my presentations for genealogical and historical organizations, I talk about the importance of periodically rechecking all the free and subscription websites and databases. New records appear, indexes are added or updated, and bingo you have some new information to investigate. This weeks press release from FamilySearch shows a lot of added indexes names. Checking the catalog, databases, Wiki, and more at http://familysearch.org/ is totally free! Just sign in and have a blast investigating all this for free. The graphic below shows just part of this week’s update news. Now, please excuse me while I check some of these.

If you get a chance now that it’s online at Legacy Family Tree Webinars, be sure to view/listen to the 19 March webinar by Debbie Mieszala titled “The Five-story Fall: Correlating Indirect and Direct Evidence to Extend the Pedigree.” Excellent step-by-step case study of a research process to solve the parentage of a woman who died in NYC, but her Irish origins were found by dedicated analysis, comparison of associates, and research in three countries. It gave me some ideas on my own Irish family.

Check out this webinar here sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. You will be amazed at the twists and turns. If you don’t get a chance to view this during this next week it’s online for free, consider a subscription to the almost 900 webinars. My affiliate link to the subscription form is http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=1739.

“Easier Than You Think! Researching and Compiling Family History” is my next scheduled presentation for the Goodhue County Historical Society in Red Wing, Minnesota. Join me on March 30, 2019 from 1:00-3:00. We’ll cover analyzing various documents in the session with a hands-on session, list detail gaps or issues with these, and create step-by-step research plans that will form the basis for excellence in a family history quest. Success improves with careful planning, group discussion, and proven techniques to develop these research plans. This really is easier than you think, and you will leave this workshop feeling smarter, knowing more research resources, and in better control of your research. Bring a laptop computer or tablet if you have one. Session participants will have the opportunity to be the first ones to sign up for an individual consultation about your own research with Paula on April 8th. For more information call the Goodhue County Historical Society, 651-388-6024. This class is co-sponsored by Red Wing Community Education and the Goodhue County Historical Society. 

Class size is limited. The cost is $24 and includes a detailed handout. Be sure to register through Red Wing Community Education today! Call 651-385-4565 for any questions regarding registration. 

This past Friday’s news release from Findmypast excited me because I have much of my Scottish ancestry in Forfarshire including Brechin, Arbroath, Farnell, Craig by Montrose, Lunan, and Forfar. These are places connected to the ancestral families of my ancestor Helenor Edward who married James Stuart. Their son Alexander Charles Stuart was born in Arbroath in 1847. Helenor was born in Brechin in 1819. Other surnames are Allardice, Leighton, Jap, and Niddery. Of course, the spelling varies on all of these. Now to find time later this week to work in this set of records!

From the Findmypast update:

Scotland, Dundee & Forfarshire (Angus) Hearth Tax 1691

“Did you have Scottish ancestors from Dundee and the county of Forfarshire (Angus)? Search over 50,000 Hearth Tax records from 1691 to find out the number of hearths found within their home. Details like these will provide you with clues about the family’s wealth and status.”

Need more excitement? 7.1 million addition to the U.S. obituary collection and 18,000 article entries added to the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI).

Have fun checking these and other items at https://www.findmypast.com/.

$59 instead of $99! Order now to take advantage of this 40% savings! Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and finding out about your Irish heritage.
https://www.ancestry.com/
*Offer ends March 18, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Excludes taxes and shipping.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around what it must take to continually find, post, explain, double check, and then do updates as a website changes so that CyndisList keeps going for 23 years. Then Cyndi Ingle gets to spend hours delving deeper into many website to find things we can’t find via simple searches on our favorite search engine. 23 years! I have seen Cyndi at work and it still amazes me. I have some suggestions about how we can help her celebrate doing all this for us.

1. Submit a new link to something that will truly assist someone in their family history quest. BEFORE submitting, be sure to check to see if she has already linked to that website or something within it.
2. Find a broken link while using the list — submit a correction.
3. Teach others about CL!
4. Help keep CL going by making a contribution to help cover the expenses of the website, tech support, site hosting, tech support, and domain registration. She lets us use CL for free but all this comes out of her pocket unless we pitch in once in a while.
5. Now, how do you contribute or submit a link or update. That’s easy. Visit https://www.cyndislist.com/ and all the help is right there!