23andMe is a company that offers a DNA test kit. Genealogists can use it to learn more about their heritage. Everyone can use it to learn about their health. 23AndMe is among the groups asking for the FDA to approve their test kits. The ability for a consumer to purchase a home DNA test kit, to send off a sample, and to learn more about the information that is hidden in their genes, is a new concept. It’s only been possible for a few years. Companies like 23andMe, DeCODE, Navigenics, Ancestry.com, and more sell some form of home DNA testing … Continue reading →

Ancestry.com is one of the most popular genealogy websites. Most of the genealogists that I know personally have memberships with Ancestry.com. One of the great things about Ancestry.com is that they add more to their collections and resources fairly often. Here is what’s new at Ancestry.com this week. This week, Ancestry.com posted a blog that was written by Nick Cifuentes. The blog is called “Using DNA To Trace Michelle Obama’s Past”. He mentions the book “American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama”, and talks about how DNA testing was used identify more living … Continue reading →

Did you know that Ancestry.com has a Wiki? A wiki is a website that is editable by anyone, and it is free to everyone to use. Wikis harness the power of the collective intelligence, and the Ancestry.com Wiki, though still in Beta form, is a great place to learn about genealogy. There are four different types of content on the Ancestry.com wiki. There’s something called “The Source”, an online guidebook to American genealogy. There is also “The Red Book”, which is a sourcebook of American state, town, and county resources. There is also plenty of content from the Ancestry.com website … Continue reading →

Genetic genealogy is teaming up with family history research in a whole new way, thanks to the folks at Ancestry.com. Even though the Ancestry DNA product is still in the beta testing phase, it has generated a lot of interest and there is a waiting list for it for when it becomes available. Ancestry DNA is a DNA test that can help you determine your genetic ethnicity. For people who take the test and are members of Ancestry.com, the test results can be used in conjunction with the billions of records on Ancestry.com to provide a comprehensive family history experience. … Continue reading →

Ancestry.com is one of the most popular genealogy websites. Plenty of genealogists use it in order to get some genealogy research completed, or to put together their family tree. Ancestry.com frequently adds new stuff to its website, and occasionally offers some of their records for free access. Here is some of what is new at Ancestry.com this week. You still have a few days to go over to Fold3 and search through some Ancestry.com records that are being offered for free. The “War of 1812 Pension Files” collection is always free. Right now, until June 30, 2012, you can also … Continue reading →

There is more than one way to track down your ancestors. Many genealogists spend time searching for vital records and documents that will help them connect one ancestor to another. Others purchase home DNA kits in order to discover relatives whom they are genetically related to but have never met. Here is a quick comparison of many of the DNA kits that come from different companies. Ready to get your DNA tested? There are plenty of different DNA kits out there that can do that for you. Each of them require you to send in a sample of your DNA. … Continue reading →

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Ancestry.com has added new Irish records and enhanced some of their existing Irish records. There are two new sets of records and two sets of records that have been revised. One of the new sets of records is called “Ordnance Survey Maps 1824-1846”. This collection consists of nearly two thousand very detailed (six inches per mile) maps that were created before and during the Irish Potato Famine. The maps were originally used for land valuation for tax assessment purposes. Since the maps are so detailed, you may be able to pinpoint the exact … Continue reading →

The popular genealogy website Ancestry.com has just released “The Irish Collection”. This brand new collection is being released now in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, which is tomorrow. Genealogists who are interested in working on their Irish ancestry should take advantage of this resource. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th every year. This week is an excellent reason for genealogists to spend some time researching their Irish heritage. Ancestry.com wants to help you do that, with their “definitive” Irish collection. I’ve noticed that they like to put together collections that are relevant to certain holidays. Sometimes, the collections that they … Continue reading →