By now you’ve all heard about 3-2-1 computer backup. Having three copies of your data makes sense, but this relies on knowing where your data is in the first place. Is everything on your computer? What about the external drive in the closet? Or the SD cards in the drawer? Is some of your data in a cloud application, and what happens to that data if you forget to pay the subscription? I call this problem “Data Scatter” and it is the enemy of the 3-2-1 backup model. It’s hard to back up all your data if the primary copies are scattered everywhere. Let’s walk through the problem and we’ll propose a few things you can do to reign in your data and give the 3-2-1 backup model a fighting chance.

Continuation of: (1) Fifty Overlooked Genealogical Resources in Fifty Minutes (2) 50 Mostly “Hot off the Press” Net Sites You Want to Check Out! There are so many off-the-beaten-path websites to help genealogists, regardless of skill level and target location, that we still haven’t explored yet!

Learn how the DNA Painter website can help decode your matches. In this introductory webinar, Jonny will explain how and why you would use the site’s main features, as well as explaining what information is needed for each.

There is little documentation about Chinese railroad workers who built the Transcontinental and many other railroads in the U.S. starting in the 1860s. This webinar will describe some of the materials that do exist and other sources to use to learn more.

This groundbreaking collection, which also goes by the name Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820, was the brainchild of Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo-Hall and features the names, genders, ages, occupations, illnesses, family relationships, places of origin and more for upwards of 100,000 formerly enslaved in Louisiana. In this session, learn the history of the collection, where records were obtained, how to search and find original documents, and more.

Taking a deeper dive into other resources to extend your New Zealand family history research.

For years researchers have been identifying family history using YDNA, especially those interested in where their specific line may originate. Upgrading to a next Generation Sequence test (NGS) can help bring information that could be 200k years old into a more workable timeframe is what these tests are all about (and then some). We will take a look at the NGS test at the tools for discovery available today and apply them in a case study.

Author and speaker Richard Hill, founder of the DNAFavorites.com website, will review his ten favorite DNA features included with the MyHeritage DNA test. He will show how these features support the basic functions of genetic genealogy, including (1) finding previously unknown relatives, (2) identifying the common ancestors responsible for our genetic matches, and (3) estimating the mix of ethnicities inherited from our ancestors. Using examples from his personal account, Richard will demonstrate these features and show how they can be used productively by genealogists, adoptees, and anyone curious about their family history or ethnic background.

Successful researchers carefully mine sources, correlate, and analyze extracted information to solve research problems. Identifying a research subject that materializes or disappears from thin air is challenging, but careful attention to detail may help researchers overcome frustration. This lecture will use mini-case studies to outline strategies.