Awesome Genealogy Resources I've Recently Discovered

Brrr, it's been freezing in Florida!  I'm spending most of my free time curled up on the sofa in front of a fire with a cup of cocoa and my laptop and Kindle catching up on reading I put off during the holidays.  I want to share some of my amazing finds that could benefit your research:

Do You Understand Family Relationships?  Trying to explain to a non-genealogist how someone is related can be difficult.  I've discovered a wonderful pdf and a fantastic article recently published by Genealogy in Time.  Check out The Key To Understanding Family Relationships and become an expert!

Burned courthouses, wars and vermin aren't, unfortunately, a thing of the past that impedes our needed record research.  What Would You Take?, an article on Genealogy Bank, focuses on the sometimes split second decision of what to do about your research when disaster is only minutes away.  We don't like to think about it, but this article is a must read for everyone.

So, your DNA results are being returned and your family is scratching their heads in confusion.  Maybe this article will help - How DNA Testing Botched My Family's Heritage that I found on Gizmodo is thought provoking.

The Field of DNA Just Lost a Founding Father

If you've had the pleasure to swipe or spit to collect your DNA for evaluation, you most likely anxiously awaited the results.  Perhaps you were trying to discover your birth parents or you were hoping the findings would put to rest the family tale of someone having an affair and therefore, the rest of that line really wasn't blood related. 

More and more individuals, however, are also using the results to get a better picture of their possible medical issues in the future so they can make positive lifestyle changes now.  I never stopped to think about the tireless unnamed individuals who have diligently persevered over the years for us to benefit from their work. 

Sure, you've heard of Watson and Crick and perhaps unacknowledged, Rosalind Franklin.  You might also think about the names of Nobel Prize winners in the field of genetics.  There are so many others, though, who made significant contributions and one has just passed.

Dr. Arno Motulsky was a genetic pioneer who died this week at the age of 94.  His story is amazing; as a German Jewish child trying to flee the impending Holocaust to his eventual landing in the United States, he pressed onward living a long and productive life.

As someone interested in both family history and the science of DNA, I found his obituary of interest.  You can read it here. 

Thank you, Dr. Motulsky, and rest in peace.

GenealogyAtHeart's Top Ten Publication Posts of 2017

Last week I posted my 2017 Top Ten most read blog articles from my own site  – GenealogyAtHeart.  Today, I’m posting my Top Ten blog articles I wrote for publication by AncestorCloud/Trace now known as Genealogists.com and Family History Daily last year.  Enjoy!

10.  Using S.M.A.R.T.’s to Crystalize Your Genealogy Goals 

9.  Dealing with Genealogical Disappointment 

8.  Developing a Positive Seeker Helper Relationship 

7.  Motivating Others for Genealogical Results 

6.  Communicating for Results

5.  Scaffolding Your Research 

4.  Using Backward Design in Genealogical Research  

3.  Dealing with Genealogical Disappointment

2.  How Our Ancestors’ Love Affair With Liquor Can Provide Fascinating Clues to the Past     

1.  4 Big Genealogy Mistakes That May Be Hurting Your Research (and How to Avoid Them)

Top 10 Genealogy At Heart Posts from 2017

Happy New Year!  Out with the old and in with the new but before we do that, let's take a look back at the most read Genealogy At Heart posts from last year in descending order and a tie in 4th place:

10 VivaVolunteers!  A Unique Opportunity for You

  9 More on Accessing Records

  8 Saturday Serendipity

  7 Access to Preserved Records is Being Threatened!

  6 My Grandfather's C-File Has Finally Arrived!

  5 Improving Your Genealogy Skills Semester II

  4 Perseverance Amidst Adversity - The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs

  4 Genealogy Resolutions

  2  Privacy and the Genealogist Part 2

  1  Privacy and the Genealogist Part 1

If you're on the east coast of the U.S., get a cup of cocoa, stay warm and enjoy re-reading these blogs.

Next week, I'll rank articles that I did for other publications in 2017.