October 2019

When to Hire a Professional Genealogist

When you don't have time to do the research yourself. Sometimes life gets in the way and prevents us from spending time on family history research.
When you can't travel to the places your ancestor lived. Courthouses, archives, libraries and museums hold a wealth of information that is not online. Hiring a local professional is cheaper than airfare and hotels!
When you feel frustrated after years of research. Sometimes all it takes is a new set of eyes from a genealogist with more experience.
When you want to join a lineage society (such as DAR or Mayflower Descendants) and need help with the application paperwork

What I've Been Doing
Creating my list of lectures for 2020
Planning a train trip to Eugene, OR
Submitting presentation proposals to local and regional conferences

What I'm Reading

Genealogists are always learning new things, and I'm no exception. Advanced Genetic Genealogy, published earlier this year, is a textbook to be studied, read and reread. Chapters are written by some of the foremost experts on DNA, including Blaine Bettinger, Michael Lacopo, Judy G. Russell, Karen Stanbary, and Patricia Hobbs. Illustrations in full color add to the concepts discussed.

In the News

Irish birth, marriage and death certificates are now online for free

How to preserve an old black paper photo album

Five best free sites for online newspaper research

Cache of Crypto-Jewish recipes from the Inquisition found in a Miami kitchen

A book I'd like to read: Distorted Descent: White Claims of Indigenous Identity

One of the tools I use in my work is LucidChart. Genealogist Cari Taplin explains how she uses it.

Why visiting your ancestral home feels so familiar (I've experienced this in Beulah!)

Upcoming Presentations

Thurs. March 5, 2020, 1pm
Discover Your Family History: An introduction to genealogy
Franke Tobey Jones, Tacoma

Thurs. April 2, 2020, 1pm
I've Done the DNA Test: Now What Do I Do?
Franke Tobey Jones, Tacoma

Thurs. May 7, 2020, 1pm
Beyond Ancestry.com
Franke Tobey Jones, Tacoma

New lectures for 2020:
The Murder of Rhoda Jones: How DNA Testing Solved an 1883 Mystery

Don't Trust the Transcript: The Perils and Pitfalls of Online Research

Case Studies in DNA: Solving Unknown Parent and Grandparent Puzzles

See the complete list of my lectures on my website here.

New blog posts:

Libraries and Archives I Have Known

DNA News

It's possible to inherit more DNA from one parent than the other

Read about the Hicks babies in Georgia

An explanation from Roberta Estes on how to use chromosome browsers to work with your DNA

Parabon Nanolabs and how they solve cold cases using DNA

Summer is two!

Read my past newsletters (July 2016 - September 2019) here

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