Monthly Archives: May 2012

Up! Off our duffs!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

Do genealogists care about records access? Okay, I’m (finally) home from my combination NGS and research trip, and it’s time and past time to get something off my chest. I have a question for each and every single genealogist out … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Records Access, SSDI | 45 Comments

Buy a raffle ticket, maybe get a DNA test

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

Raffle tickets for DNA tests I usually don’t post twice in one day… but this is a very good cause, and besides, it’s easy, it’s cheap and it could get you a DNA test. Here’s the deal. There’s a newly-formed … Continue reading →

Posted in DNA | Leave a comment

Y no autosomal matches?

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

Why don’t the DNA matches match Julie Matthews is puzzled by her DNA test results: Why do none of my Y matches also match my autosomal matches? And why are all the Family Finder matches I’m finding ending up being … Continue reading →

Posted in DNA | 8 Comments

Darn it all, George!

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

George, we hardly know ye Okay, George Washington Cottrell, you’re getting me seriously annoyed now. I do not appreciate one bit the fact that I’m heading east out of Kentucky not a whole lot closer to finding your parents — … Continue reading →

Posted in My family | 28 Comments

Kentucky writ large

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

Kentucky law and the big writs Okay, so I admit it. My attention wandered again yesterday afternoon while I was chasing my as-yet-unidentified third great grandparents down the rabbitholes of Kentucky records. I wasn’t staring off at bookshelves this time; … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal definitions, Statutes | 2 Comments

Those odd-looking books

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

Those odd-looking books on the shelf So I’m back in Kentucky for the last few days of this combination NGS-and-research trip, still hunting for so much as a footprint to prove my 2nd great grandfather George Washington Cottrell really was … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Cases, Resources | 8 Comments

The storms of spring

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

The storms of spring She never had a birthday party until she was an adult. Way too many meals were cornbread and milk. Dresses were made from flour sacks, and she owned exactly two at a time: one for school … Continue reading →

Posted in My family | 14 Comments

Why do genealogy?

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

So why do we do genealogy anyway? The Legal Genealogist is still fighting connectivity issues in rural Indiana (the thick brick walls of a historic riverside hotel mean no wifi for me!), but if one-finger-cellphone-typing will hold up for just … Continue reading →

Posted in My family | 32 Comments

My grandmother’s cousin

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

So… The Legal Genealogist‘s perfect string of daily posts meets up with internet connectivity issues in beautiful downtown Rising Sun, Indiana. Yesterday I headed here, about 50 minutes or so west of Cincinnati, host of the 2012 National Genealogical Society … Continue reading →

Posted in My family | 6 Comments

Up close: AncestryDNA

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Judy G. Russell

A closer look at AncestryDNA The exhibition hall at any genealogical conference is always a fun place to be and to hang out. So many goodies — new books, new products, new services — you almost don’t know where to … Continue reading →

Posted in DNA | 28 Comments