New developments in the field Archives

Nov 10 2016

FamilySearch, same-sex marriage, and the risk of obsolescence

3 Comments / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, Leaving it better than we found it, New developments in the field / By Donna Cox Baker / 6 minutes of reading

We genealogists use family trees to reflect the past, not to morally judge it. Our trees contain many family situations our churches then and now have disavowed. But we’re the historians of families; it is our job to gather, interpret, and present facts. In FamilySearch Family Tree (FSFT), I can reflect unwed parents, infidelity, common law marriage, and even incest. But FSFT blocks me from recording the legal marriage of two men. As a historian, I then have a problem: FSFT, great gift to the world that it has been, now risks obsolescence. (Welcome to my newest, and rather disturbing, addition to the Wish I’d Known Series.)

UPDATE: FamilySearch has since added the capacity to reflect same-sex relationships, for which we are relieved and grateful. See this notice to read FamilySearch’s announcement.

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Aug 27 2016

Multi-great style or the great-great-great tongue-twister

10 Comments / Golden Egg Genealogist, Leaving it better than we found it, New developments in the field, Organizing for optimal efficiency / By Donna Cox Baker / 6 minutes of reading

What label do I attach to a great-great-great-grandmother in speech and in writing? Because, let’s face it, “great-great-great-grandmother” is just a ridiculous mouthful. Do I say “3-times-great-grandmother”? “Third-great-grandmother”? Or, more concisely in writing, “3rd-great-grandmother”? Do I need the hyphens? Does the genealogy field have a standard?

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Jul 1 2016

First impressions: the Desktop Dilemma series

4 Comments / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, New developments in the field / By Donna Cox Baker / 5 minutes of reading

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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Jul 1 2016

The genealogy desktop software dilemma: Family Tree Maker, Legacy, or RootsMagic?

10 Comments / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, New developments in the field / By Donna Cox Baker / 4 minutes of reading

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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May 27 2016

Welcome to the golden quest of the GEG-bound

Leave a Comment / Digging for genealogical gold, Every little thing in context, Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, Leaving it better than we found it, New developments in the field, Organizing for optimal efficiency / By Donna Cox Baker / 4 minutes of reading

A day comes when genealogy — America’s second-favorite “hobby” after gardening — becomes more than a hobby to you. No longer content with a pastime of quick-and-easy ancestral tree climbing, you find yourself getting serious about doing this right. Like a growing number of us, you’re on the road to becoming a bonafide Golden Egg Genealogist. You’re GEG-bound.

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