Honoring Our Ancestors
Complete Idiots and Everything
by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak

If you have no clue what this title means, I promise it will make sense momentarily. Many of you are familiar with certain book series that are heavily associated with a color. There's the orange series always entitled The Complete Idiot's Guide to ______, and there's the white series called The Everything ______ Book. You might be aware that there are several genealogy books in these series. Some of you probably even have a copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy and/or The Everything Family Tree Book on your shelves, but if you do, they're now officially out of date--unless you've dashed to the bookstore very recently.

Updated or Rewritten?
Both of these books have now been updated from their original 1997 versions. Think about that. It's 2006 and these books were originally published in 1997. What's changed in the world of genealogy during that time? Oh, just about everything. So you'd have every right to expect that these books would have been completely revised, rather than slightly tweaked. In fact, both of these second editions have been heavily re-written. I would even go so far as to say that one of them is roughly 90 percent new content. And as you might suspect, the most conspicuous additions to these books are the Internet and DNA.

I don't often write reviews. It's dicey territory, especially because I sometimes know the authors, musicians, or others whose work I'm asked to comment on, and I live in fear that I'll be unimpressed with a friend's or acquaintance's work. And then what do I do? Fortunately, I can report with a clear conscience that both of these books are bargains ($18.95 and $14.95), loaded with useful content for beginners and experienced researchers alike.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy
Written by Christine Rose, CG, FASG and Kay Germain Ingalls, CG, this orange classic covers everything from "roamin' the attics and basements" to autosomal DNA. Are you struggling with variations of a surname? Check out Chapter 7, "A Rose by Any Other Name." Want to get all those piles of papers organized? Then maybe you'll want to start with Chapter 18, "Order out of Chaos." Or maybe you have a cemetery quest in mind. In that case, Chapter 15, "A Picnic in the Cemetery" is just what you need.

If you're new to genealogy, you'd be well advised to read this book cover to cover, but for those with more experience, it's designed so that you can easily find a chapter or section on your trouble area and get some quick tips and examples. And as with all books in this series, there are user-friendly sidebars, including pedigree pitfalls (cautions to help you avoid common mistakes), genie jargon (definitions of common genealogical terms), tree tips (ideas to help your research), and lineage lessons (notes covering extra information to enhance your study of genealogy). For instance, I was pleased to find a lineage lesson on the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system with a Web address to help me learn more.

Given that I'm such a fan of genetic genealogy (which I sometimes shorten to genetealogy), it's probably not a surprise that I paid special attention to Chapter 23, "DNA--Why the Hype?" Christine Rose was one of the first professional genealogists to add DNA to her genealogical toolbox--and even then, the authors took the trouble to secure the assistance of David Brown, project coordinator of one of the largest DNA studies in the world, to ensure the quality of this chapter. So you'll learn, for example, that you really should invest in DNA tests with at least 20-something markers, rather than try to save a bit on the cheaper, but less conclusive, low resolution tests. So yes, even this chapter delivers.

The Everything Family Tree Book
This book is so entirely altered from the first edition that it even has a new author--Kimberly Powell, popular guide of About.com's About Genealogy. I liked it as soon as I noticed that it was dedicated to the author's grandparents!

Content-wise, it covers many of the same topics as its orange counterpart. It also includes everything from "The Journey Begins at Home" to "Uncovering Your Genetic Roots." And yes, you'll find "The Name of the Game," "Tools for Taming the Family Tree," and "Clues in the Cemetery." Similarly, it has its own set of user-friendly sidebars--Facts (important sound bytes of information), Essentials (quick handy tips), Alerts (urgent warnings) and Questions (solutions to common problems).

But there are reasons you'll want to snag this book, even if you're already a proud owner of The Idiot's Guide to Genealogy. Want to know the year that vital records were first required in each state? The table on pages 72-73 tells you. Curious who was issued the first Social Security number or who was given the lowest number? Take a look at page 169, where you'll also learn that Ernest Ackerman was the first applicant and received a lump-sum payment of 17 cents when he retired the day after the Social Security program began! Confused by the terms "acid-free," "archival," and "photo safe?" You're not alone. Go to page 236 for more information. This book is packed with loads of juicy tidbits that enlighten or entertain or both.

Special Thanks to MyFamily.com!
As some of you know, I started the Honoring Our Ancestors Grant Program almost six years ago. Every once in a while, I reach out for help from others. Recently, I did this with an application from Keira Murphy, Director of Middle School for Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina (view website here). Keira has a passion for genealogy research and uses Ancestry.com as her primary online research tool. She's excited to share this passion with her students in an elective genealogy course to be taught this spring, and requested a grant for a three-month subscription to Ancestry.com to facilitate this effort. I contacted MyFamily.com about this request and the company kindly agreed to donate an annual subscription to the school for the benefit of the students. A thousand thank yous to MyFamily.com/Ancestry.com for their generosity!

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, co-author (with Ann Turner) of Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree (as well as In Search of Our Ancestors,Honoring Our Ancestors and They Came to America), can be contacted through www.genetealogy.com and www.honoringourancestors.com.

Upcoming Events Where Megan Will Be Speaking:

• Camden County Historical Society
  (March 23, 2006, New Jersey)
• Haddonfield Historical Society
  (March 29, 2006, Tavistock, NJ)
• Burlington County Genealogy Club
  (April 5, 2006, Westhampton, NJ)
• Genealogy Federation of Long Island
  (April 8, 2006, Stony Brook, NY)
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia
  (April 10, 2006, Elkins Park, PA)
• Virginia Genealogical Society
  (April 22, 2006, Location TBD)
• Rockland County Genealogical Society
  (May 6, 2006, New City, New York)
• Roots in the Boot
  (July 15, 2006, Pittsburgh, PA)

Click here for details and links to upcoming events.

Copyright 2006, MyFamily.com.

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Ancestry Quick Tip
Distributing Heirlooms

As a lawyer, may I suggest that to ensure that heirlooms get to the correct heir, particularly those that are of significant value or coveted by a number of heirs, you include them in your will. This ensures they go where you want them to go and allows the heir to insist on their right to a particular item.

For the smaller, less fiscally valuable items, a phrase such as "I trust that my executor will be guided in distributing my estate by such memoranda as I leave in a binder/notebook, etc. titled 'For My Executor' (or any other name you choose). Then make sure the book has pictures of the specific items, a copy of the history you wanted to pass along, and the full name and birth date or address of the recipient.

So often people write, "I want John to have my old chest." But that could be any chest from a tea chest to a hope chest to a bureau or the old travel chest in the attic that no one knows exists! And it could be John the youngest grandson, or John your son, or John the handyman!

And remember, the intended recipient of something very important can die before the testator. A book like this allows the person to write notes to the executor explaining what they want to happen if someone predeceases them. It can be easily added to when something new is acquired or something sold or given to the recipient. Other directions/suggestions can also be included as it does not legally bind the executor, but provides great help and moral-suasion.

Different jurisdictions allow you to deal with your estate and will in different ways, so these are only suggestions that I have found work very well in Ontario.

Regards,
Nola Crewe

Thanks to Nola for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to: ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do not want your tip included in a publication other than the Ancestry Daily News and Ancestry Weekly Digest, please state so clearly in your message.

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Clipping of the Day
New York Times
(New York, New York), 23 March 1883, page 2:

British Graves in the Crimea

Letter to the Editor of the London Times.
On my return from a visit to the Crimea in 1880 you were good enough to insert a letter from me complaining of the state of the graves of our gallant countrymen who fell in the campaign of 1854-5. Having been in correspondence with Mr. G. Stanley, our Consul General at Odessa, since that time, I can answer for his having done his best to preserve them, and he has happily been able to secure the services of Capt. Harford, the Vice-Consul at Sebastopol, who has been indefatigable in the same good cause; but, notwithstanding their endeavors and the friendly exertions of the Russian authorities, some of the still numerous cemeteries have been lately disturbed and despoiled. A meeting is therefore to be held in the United Service Institution on Saturday next, the 10th inst., at 3 P.M., when his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge will be in the chair for the purpose of taking such steps as may be deemed advisable to preserve the graves from further desecration. Circulars have been sent to many officers and relatives interested n this painful subject, but is has not been possible to communicate with all, and we trust that those who have not received notice will excuse it and will make a point of attending the meeting. It is desirable that relatives and regiments should first have the opportunity of contributing the necessary funds, before the public is appealed to; but the British nation will require no pressing to come forward with their usual liberality, if required, when it is generally known that the Crimean cemeteries are henceforth to be placed in permanent security under effective management.

Members with access to the Historical Newspapers Collection can view this clipping here.

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Fast Fact
Step-By-Step Instructions for Creating Timelines

Timelines are helpful tools for estimating dates and determining where an ancestor was at a particular time, thus making it easier to locate additional records. For step-by-step instructions, click here.

Product Spotlights

		Abbreviations & Acronyms: Revised Second Edition By Kip Sperry Normally this book retails for $16.95, but today you can buy it in the Shops@Ancestry.com for $12.95.

Thought for Today
Arthur Rubenstein

It's all a miracle. I have adopted the technique of living life from miracle to miracle.