You’re embarrassed to question it. People throw out the term “OCR” as though it’s common knowledge. You don’t want anyone to know you missed the memo. Well, a lot of people missed the memo. Genealogy draws heavily on this technology, so let’s take up the question: “What’s OCR?”
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What’s OCR? Turning a picture of text into textRead More »
What’s OCR? Turning a picture of text into text Read More »
In a photo of my great-grandparents, I happened to notice on the dresser behind them what looked like a tobacco container. Was I seeing a throwback to childhood pranks? Prince Albert in a can? I scanned the photo at high resolution and zoomed in. It was Prince Albert. I began to wonder what else I might see in the photo context. In one detail after another, my ancestors’ world came into focus.
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Photo context: treasures in the detailsRead More »
Photo context: treasures in the details Read More »
A census record offers you a moment in time when your ancestor was, say, five years old. That gives you a potential birth date range of 365 days, plus a possible Leap Day. If you use multiple records, however, you can use the overlaps to whittle down that range, getting closer to the real date. Doing this math in your head, unfortunately, can launch a headache. But I have a solution: the Date Narrowing Calculator. My gift to you.
…Narrowing birth dates — a free tool does the math for youRead More »
Narrowing birth dates — a free tool does the math for you Read More »
Genetically speaking, my sisters and I are all half Mom and half Dad, right? DNA 101. So, only one of us needs to do a DNA test, and then we’ll all know our ethnic origins, correct? . . . OK, I confess I never took DNA 101. But thanks to AncestryDNA, I have learned the answer is no (at least when it comes to autosomal DNA). The more family members you test, the fuller the picture of your genetic genealogy will become.
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Genetic genealogy: why more DNA is betterRead More »
Genetic genealogy: why more DNA is better Read More »
Make transcribing historical manuscripts easier and more valuable using a desktop tool you already have. PDF software can let you zoom in on the manuscript, while transcribing the text as comments. You have not only transcribed; you have made the document searchable without separating it from the scanned image.
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Transcribing historical manuscripts in PDF softwareRead More »
Transcribing historical manuscripts in PDF software Read More »
This newest installment of the Desktop Dilemma series takes up the question of how the Big Three genealogy desktop software packages handle citing sources. How easy do they make it to leave an effective bread-crumb trail back to where you found your facts?
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Citing sources: the Desktop Dilemma seriesRead More »
Citing sources: the Desktop Dilemma series Read More »
Genealogy is emerging, growing, thriving. So why do we hear rumors of the impending death of the local genealogical society? Is it “revise or demise” for these once-vital pillars of family history research? And what is the GEG’s obligation to local organizations? …
The Genealogical Society: Revise or Demise?Read More »
The Genealogical Society: Revise or Demise? Read More »
You need to capture a single face out of that family reunion scan. Or perhaps you want to clip one newspaper article out of an entire page online. Maybe your clip needs to be an odd shape, or you want to draw a circle around one element. We find treasures online constantly and need to save what matters. The Windows Snipping Tool offers a simple, efficient way to do this. And it’s free.
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The Windows Snipping Tool: smart screen captures for freeRead More »
The Windows Snipping Tool: smart screen captures for free Read More »
In this first post evaluating our shared Desktop Dilemma, I look at first impressions. Which of the Big Three genealogy desktop software packages has dressed for success — Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, or RootsMagic? And does it matter?
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First impressions: the Desktop Dilemma seriesRead More »
First impressions: the Desktop Dilemma series Read More »
I am starting my family tree over. If I want to do it right this time, I must have the right tools. What genealogy desktop software can best support decades of intricate research and documentation? RootsMagic™? Family Tree Maker®? Legacy® Family Tree? I will begin to examine the “Big Three” products, feature by feature, until the best path becomes clear. And I encourage group participation.
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The genealogy desktop software dilemma: Family Tree Maker, Legacy, or RootsMagic?Read More »
The genealogy desktop software dilemma: Family Tree Maker, Legacy, or RootsMagic? Read More »
