One is the Loneliest Number

 When it comes to Family Trees, Backups, DNA and Research we need to take a "more is better" approach.

Trees~
 Where do you keep your family tree? Are you an online tree, computer database or a file cabinet/binder person?
Personally, I use all 3 methods. I have my family tree on ancestry.com, findmypast.com, myheritage.com, FamilySearch.com and wikitree.com.
 My tree is also in a database on my computer. I use Legacy Family Tree to store my ancestor's information, pictures, and documents.
Each family has a file in my cabinets to store original documents and other important information.
 Binders for each surname contain copies of pertinent information and are put together so that others can pick them up and look through them to discover their family's story.
 Why not just one online tree? Having my family included in the   databases available will help me connect with more people.  Perhaps the person who has the information on my Great Great Grandmother has uploaded their tree to one and not the other.
 By not spreading my tree around, I am limiting my cousin connections.
  Why have other storage methods if I have my tree on so many places on the web?  Simply to ensure I can always access it.
 Have you ever tried to pull up one of your trees and the site is down, or your internet is having issues and isn't working?
 My Legacy program functions as my working database as I research and find evidence about my ancestors. I can write as I go in the notes section and make sure I have followed the correct steps in finding the answers to my questions before I attach someone to an online tree. It also is a backup in case my internet goes out.
Filing cabinets serve as storage for originals and information that I haven't processed yet and the binders put it all together for those who would rather have a book to flip through.

Backups~
 While my files and binders and online trees serve as a type of backup, they are not always up to date. They are not a substitute for making sure everything - pictures, documents, and data downloaded to my computer files or added to my Legacy Family Tree program- is protected from a computer crash.
 Trying to cover all my bases, I use Dropbox.com, and Backblaze.com to send all my genealogy and other data to the cloud. If I experience a crash or loss of information, it can easily be restored. When buying a new computer everything can be reinstalled while I am busy doing something else.
 An external hard drive is updated on the first of the month, Genealogy Back Up Day, and kept in a safe place. Thumb drives, while not as stable, store my important files too. I keep one on my keychain. Just in case.
These fulfill the advice of having the information in at least 3 different places to avoid data loss.

DNA~
Have you taken a DNA test? Again, this is another area where one is not the best solution to connecting with family members.
There is no way of knowing where others have tested and if the if the matches you need can be found on one particular site. Each company has a different database of testers.
 Spreading your DNA around to other places will put your information out there for a better chance of finding those matches.
Gedmatch.com is a free way to upload your raw DNA from any of the testing companies and add your results to a greater variety of people.

One can also be a lonely number when it comes to our research. Often we tend to work by ourselves and not take advantage of networking with other genealogists. From Genealogy Societies to Social Media, there are those who can help us with our brick walls, transcription of a hard to read document or use as a sounding board as we work through the research process.
 The best is having someone to share those 'happy dance' moments when we need those who understand to celebrate with us.

When it comes to protecting our information and reaching the greatest potential of connections, one is the loneliest number.
Get out there and spread it around!

Cheri

Online Family Trees and Hints with Ancestry

The subject of online family trees elicits a range of responses, from warnings about their accuracy and tirades about poor researchers to glowing endorsements and tales of success.    Reasons for having an online family tree including cousin bait, collaboration, data backup, and tree building tools were noted by Hilary Gadsby in Online Trees. Why have one? My Experience.  Fran Ellsworth warned about relying solely on an online tree for backup in I Can Testify.

I target particular research problems by uploading limited family trees on Ancestry.  My Adams family tree is an example, consisting of just the direct ancestors of my paternal grandfather, Thomas Adams.  The difficulties of tracing a common surname in a big city are explained in Common Surname Trouble – Adams in Birmingham.  I was hoping another researcher may have helpful documents.  Sadly, no-one has made contact through Ancestry.

The tree includes Thomas' marriage to my gran, Mabel Coulson, and details of her birth, death, some residences and photographs.  While cataloguing her photograph collection, I wondered if matching pictures had been uploaded on Ancestry.

Adams family, an online tree on Ancestry

Mabel's ancestry hints include matches to 5 ancestry member trees, 1 census record, an index entry for birth and death, the church register for her marriage, and a completely spurious match to the 1908 city directory for Quincy, Illinois, USA. 

The five public trees were produced by three members, Martin Adams, susandyson90 and Wilbur Moistner.  The only way of contacting these people is through Ancestry, as they had not included any links or other contact details in their member profiles.  The entries for Mabel were minimal with only the 1911 census as a 'proper' source. 

Looking at the tree as a whole rather than just one person, I found a wedding photograph for Mabel's sister, Hilda May Coulson, in two of the Ancestry trees.

However, neither of the authors of these trees were the original contributor of the photo.  Ancestry provides the username of the original contributor, which I really do like very much. 

Wedding photograph of Harold Henry Adams & Hilda May Coulson on Ancestry

In Mabel's photo collection there is a group photo of this wedding, which includes my grandparents.

Wedding of Harold Henry Adams & Hilda May Coulson on 23 March 1935 at St James, Ashted, Birmingham.
L to R: Hilda Adams (sister of groom), William Spiers (future husband of Hilda Adams), ?, Harold Henry Adams (groom), Hilda May Coulson (bride), Thomas Adams (future husband of Mabel, not related to groom), Mabel Coulson (sister of bride)

The original contributor of the photo does not now have it on his Ancestry tree.   His Ancestry profile provides a link to a private Tribal Pages tree, which contains the wedding photo and many others.  After I made contact he gave me access, and we both gained new information.  Thank you, Bob!

Why didn't Bob's tree match?  Well, the matching is still not very sophisticated, as illustrated by the Illinois record, and a different date of death for Mabel probably did not help.

Why didn't anyone make contact?  Those with matching trees don't seem to have copied from mine, so perhaps they did not find it.  Anyone who did find it could have simply taken the information, and weren't encouraged to make contact by my blank member profile.  I have followed Bob's example and added information to my profile. 

Member trees offer documents, like the photograph, from the private collections of descendants and relatives.  Apart from the information in the document, information on where it came holds important clues about who may have more treasures.  For me, this is the most valuable part of the much maligned Ancestry member family trees.

Online Trees. Why have one? My Experience

Why do I need to put my tree online?

I am not going to answer this question but hope that by the time you get to the end of this post you will know whether or not you want to do  this and your reason for doing so.

Where can I share my family trees with others?

There are a number of sites where you can upload information about your family I may not have included all of them here but these are the one I have used and I want to discuss my experiences with using these sites.

Website	Website Address
Tribal Pages	http://www.tribalpages.com/
Family Search	http://familysearch.org/
Ancestry	http://www.ancestry.co.uk/
Find My Past	http://www.findmypast.co.uk
My Heritage	http://www.myheritage.com/
Geni	http://www.geni.com/
Genes Reunited	http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/
WikiTree	http://www.wikitree.com/

With almost all of these sites I have uploaded a GEDCOM file, I am going to assume you know what this is, if not I suggest you do a search as this is a standard term.

The only one where I have not used this method is Family Search, but I believe there is a facility to do this. Randy Seaver has at least 2 posts on this at his blog http://www.geneamusings.com/ .

The software I use on my computer uses a GEDCOM file as standard. I have a facility which allows me to create only a part of my tree and to privatize living individuals and those who have recently passed. 
If you are unable to do this, and you want to remove individuals from your file before you upload anything you may find this link useful http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Help:GEDCOM#How_should_I_prepare_my_data_for_GEDCOM_upload.3F

Help with uploading from the database on your computer can often be found on forums e.g http://www.familytreeforum.com/

Alternatively genealogy user groups or blogs can have help pages or discussion of how to do this from a specific program. Try http://ftmuser.blogspot.co.uk/ for Family Tree Maker or http://buddinggenealogist.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/ancestral-quest-simple-but-powerful.html for Ancestral Quest.

How do I choose which site I am going to use?

To be sure that you have chosen the best site for your tree you need to ask yourself a few questions.

1. Why am I putting my tree online?
2. Who are my audience?
3. How much do I want to pay to keep my information on the website?
4. Does the website have records I want to access?
5. Can any records on the website be added to my tree?

Most of us put up our tree in order to connect with others researching the same family. 
We may also use it as a backup to the tree on our computer.

Who do you want to see the tree or even add or edit the tree close family or just you?

If you chose a website that charges a fee can you access your records if your subscription expires?

Some websites have records that can be added to the tree to support your conclusions. 
Does  the website have records that cover the areas where you are researching?

If privacy is an issue then be sure to read the contract terms.

I would always recommend reading the terms and conditions before you upload anything.

Are all websites the same?

So you have decided you want to create an online tree and you know what you want from the website.  
What you are willing to pay? 
Do you want a free site or a free trial? 

What do the sites I have used offer and how do they differ?

 This link will take you to a brief comparison of the sites as I see it  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pqUJVXh2x1pAPgTmZIt0kAoCvmHUabhxFGPn265dm4Q/edit?usp=sharing . 
(apologies if things have changed or I have misinterpreted anything) 

Recently I have used Ancestry as a back up tree, my main tree, which I have as a work in progress, so have kept it as private. 
This means that anyone who thinks we may have a connection needs to contact me via the messaging service. 
Most of the websites work along similar lines if they allow for collaboration and you will need a subscription if you want to initiate the conversation.

Genes Reunited was bought by brightsolid who own Find My Past this means the site has changed. It may not be the best option if your research does not extend to the UK but there are also sites for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

WikiTree is set up to build a single collaborative tree and actively encourages you to merge individuals to connect families. If you have a profile for an individual it cannot be merged unless you allow, by giving trusted status to the other profile manager. This video explains the merging process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Waad3pFg74 .
For US researchers who want to collaborate this is a good choice and you can choose your level of privacy for each individual in your tree. You can share trusted status with others researching individuals you share, but they can only edit those individuals you want them to, not your entire tree.

Whatever you choose to do remember this. 
Your living family will not know you are looking for them unless you tell them.
Go make those cousin connections you may get a nice surprise.


For further reviews please have a look at this website which also has links to other sites I may have missed.
http://genealogy-websites.no1reviews.com/


Please leave your comments as we may all have different experiences of the same website and it may help others decide what is the best option for them.
If you are a new researcher many of the websites offer good advice as to where to start and free software to help get you started.