by Megan Smolenyak

The last time I wished I were an 11-year-old boy was — well, never.   But right now, I’d like to swap places with one.  Why?  Free DNA testing.  I’m not kidding.

ScoutMedia
In one of the more unusual arrangements I’ve heard of, free Y-DNA testing is being offered for active Boys Scouts of America.  To learn more, go to ScoutMedia (http://www.scoutmedia.org/) and click on the “free DNA/genealogy test” link toward the upper, left-hand corner.  There you’ll be taken to a page explaining the SMGF/BSA Participation Special.  It’s a multi-step process, but will save the usual $100-$230 for a mid-range test (that is, one with 20-some-odd markers). Continue reading →

Nothing is impossible to the willing heart.  

As you’re doing your spring cleaning, and dusting around all those family heirlooms, take photographs of them and take time to record the origins and any stories associated with them. Create an album with photographs and the histories of all your precious items. That way the stories won’t become lost as time goes by.

This image is one I took of some of my favorite heirlooms. The doll was my mother’s and bears the same name as my daughter. In front of it is my 2nd great-grandfather’s night stick and the teacup was my grandmother’s. Below the cup and saucer is my grandfather’s copy of Julius Caesar with his name and address handwritten on the inside cover.

 

As I write this, it is the first day of spring, but here in the Midwest, it feels like winter isn’t quite through with us. Normally at the first sign of spring, I would be cleaning out my garden. Mother Nature isn’t going to let me do that (at least not comfortably!), so I’m focusing my initial spring cleaning efforts on my office. Since I often hear from readers looking to organize their family history materials, I thought in the spirit of the season, we’d focus this newsletter on spring cleaning. Today I thought I’d share some ideas to get you started. Continue reading →

From Maureen Taylor 

Got the spring cleaning bug? Here’s quick way to clean your framed pictures without subjecting them to chemical cleaners. Slightly dampen a cloth with water and wipe it across the surface of the glass and frame. No moisture should seep between the glass and the frame. It’s simple and cheap plus you’ll keep your valuables safe from the harsh cleaning solutions.

If you have a suggestion you would like to share with other researchers, send it to: mailto:[email protected]

This week’s tips include using the Ancestry.com Ranked Search usng only a given name, help for large photo-scanning projects and the benefits of searching Jewish bulletins online. Thanks to all of this week’s contributors! Continue reading →

The year was 1847. James Polk was president of the United States and the U.S. was embroiled in the Mexican American War (1846-48). A Yellow Fever epidemic affected New Orleans, and an influenza outbreak spread worldwide. In Philadelphia, the American Medical Association (AMA) was founded with goals to establish a code of ethics and create minimum requirements for medical education and training. And on July 24, Brigham Young led the first group of Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley.

Across the world, Ireland was in the midst of the Great Potato Famine and waves of immigrants left their homes for America and other countries, often in the so-called “coffin ships.” In addition to starvation, in 1847 diseases like cholera, typhus, fever, dysentery, tuberculosis and smallpox spread through the country.

AWJ Editor’s Note:  To see a larger image, click on the map.  Ancestry.com members with access to the Historical Map Collection can view the image using the advanced viewer here.