Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Family Tree Magazine, Best Bet!

 

 
 
FamilyTree Magazine is my go-to-tutorial these days for holding-in-my-hands genealogy learning. I like "real" books; I like "real" magazines. If you do too, FT is for you!

For example, in the July-August 2025 issue there were articles on these topics:

  • Ancestry.com has a digitized book collection! This includes local histories, directories, memoirs and more. Click to www.ancestry.com/search/collections/catalog and then search by title or keyword. (This is NOT a link; copy and paste it.) 

  • Annual list of 101 Best Genealogy Websites; marked if free or pay and whether first time on the list or was on previous lists. What a glorious guide!

  • "Signs of Life" was an article offering to "re-energize your efforts for strategies to access vital records."

  • I've read where most men in the late 19th century belonged to a Masonic lodge. Our ancestors were joiners and not just for the comradeship but for financial support to each others' families in times of trouble. So likely YOUR ancestor belonged to some fraternal organization. This article lists the basics of searching for such records.

  • Sunny Jane Morton is a regular (and top notch!) contributor to Family Tree Magazine. Her article in this issue on how to really evaluate and use the millions of new records' hints that are appearing on the major genealogy websites all the time. She offers 12 good tips on understanding this resource. 

  • DNA Ethnicity Estimates. This was the back page article by DNA expert, Diahan Southard. The submitted question was "why do my DNA ethnicity estimates keep changing?" How come last year my test showed I was 25% Swedish and this year it says I'm only 15%? What gives? Diahan wrote: "Think of it like this: When trying to match a paint color, you'll have a harder time with just THREE paint swatches than if you had 300. That's exactly what's happening with DNA testing. DNA testing companies are constantly expanding their reference panels (their paint swatches, if you will) to give you more accurate results."