Zap the Grandma Gap

The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

Zap the Grandma Gap by Janet Hovorka. Published by FamilyChartMasters, Pleasant Grove, UT. 2013. 193 pages.

Ms. Hovorka wants to zap the gap between generations as she introduces her super-hero Grandma who is armed with the weaponry of story-telling and the will to leave her family the treasures of the past and help them prepare for the future.

Family Tree DNA Unveils $39 (R345.93) DNA Test

Prices continue to drop! The following announcement was written by Family Tree DNA:

FamilyTreeDNA.com, the genetic genealogy arm of Gene By Gene, Ltd., is dramatically lowering the price of one of its basic Y-DNA tests to $39 [R343.20], making it the lowest-cost DNA test available on the market, in order to take a major step toward universal access by individuals to their personal genetic data.

By dropping the price of its basic Y-DNA test by 60 percent to $39 [R345.93], Family Tree DNA - the world's largest processor of Y-DNA and full mitochondrial sequences - is working to eliminate cost as a barrier to individuals introducing themselves to the insights and knowledge to be gained from personal genetic and genomic research.

Click HERE to read more.

From: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

DNA tests for genealogy now available

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage:

Storing information in DNA

The Economist, 26 January 2013 (via Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter)

Like all the best ideas, this one was born in a pub.

Tourtière Genealogy

Preparing tourtiére

My ancestry is French-Canadian on my mother's side of the family so one dish we had every Christmas was tourtière: a meat pie. In our household, the meat was always pork and I always assumed that tourtière meant "pork pie." However, in later years I learned that some people make tourtière from veal or beef. However, not until this week did I realize that tourtière is also often an indication of your ancestry.

Ancestry.com: Behind the scenes with Santa Claus

Click HERE to view a short video clip.

It is the second day of the month: back up your files!

Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter 

It is the second day of the month. It's time to back up your genealogy files.Then test your backups!

Always test your backups!

Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Pierre Clouthier of Progeny Genealogy has written an excellent article that I suggest should be required reading for all genealogists as well as many other computer users.

Scottish wills and testaments from 1902 to 1925 go online

Reprinted from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, 6 November 2012

The following announcement was written by ScotlandsPeople:

“From inmates of poorhouses to owners of mansions - a fascinating portrait of Scottish life during the early 20th Century and a major new family history resource.

A colourful picture of life in Scotland in the early 20th Century is revealed today with the release of the Wills and Testaments from 1902 to 1925 by the National Records of Scotland on the ScotlandsPeople website.

How to discourage newcomers to Genealogy

Reprinted from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, 12 November 2012

I received the following email message today. It's sad that anyone would be treated in such a manner. I felt so bad about this person's experience that I decided to republish the email message here although I have edited it slightly and also removed the sender's name and email address in order to protect privacy.

Britain Destroyed Records of Colonial Crimes

[Reprinted from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. Click HERE to subscribe. By the way, this is Jaarringe's 100th posting since its inception - Ed.] 

New studies about “junk DNA”

[Reprinted from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. Click here HERE to subscribe - Ed.]

The DNA chromosomes used by genealogy tracking have been referred to as "junk DNA." 

19th century beauty tips

[Reprinted from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. Click here HERE to subscribe - Ed.]