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Gathering Genealogical Evidence to Prove a Theory – Irish Genealogy

Gathering Genealogical Evidence to Prove a Theory – Irish Genealogy

Episode 19 Video and Show Notes

Join me for Elevenses with Lisa, the online video series where we take a break, visit and learn about genealogy and family history. (scroll down to watch the video)

Genealogy Consultation Provides a Strong Hypothesis

My 45-minute consultation with a genealogy expert Kate Eakman at Legacy Tree Genealogists broke things wide open on my Irish family lines and gave me the information and resources I needed to make all of the progress I shared in this episode. It’s the best investment I’ve made in my genealogy in a long time. They have experts in all areas. Learn more about how easy it is to book a consultation here.

After my consultation I needed to update my research plan and get to work collecting more genealogical evidence.

Let’s quickly recap what happened when I started working on my brick wall last week in episode 18:

  • Margaret Lynch’s death certificate said her parents were James Scully and Bridget Madigan.
  • Her obituary said she was born in Limerick Ireland.
  • There was one couple by those names in Limerick, having children and the right time. There is a gap in the records where Margaret should be.
  • Her husband Michael Lynch dies in Stillwater MN. St. Michael’s Catholic church. Found their marriage record in Stillwater. It was a large booming town, and a good place to focus. The Lynch family had a farm across the river in Farmington, Wisconsin.

My research question: Was this couple we found, James Scully and Bridget Madigan, who married in Kilcolman, Limerick, Ireland in 1830, the parents of Margaret Scully?

What Kate Eakman of Legacy Tree Genealogists helped me do in my 45-minute consultation:

  • Become acquainted with a variety of excellent Irish research websites
  • Located the indexed marriage record for James and Bridget
  • Located the original marriage record for James and Bridget
  • Located the indexed baptismal records for all of the children who had James and Bridget listed as their parents.

A Genealogy Research Plan for Collecting Evidence

After the consultation I developed a new research question: Are the children that we found records for in Ireland the siblings of my Margaret Lynch?

My research plan included:

  1. Verify if there were any other couples by the names James Scully and Bridget Madigan married in Ireland, particularly in the time from of circa 1830. (Location of source: RootsIreland.ie)
  2. Search in the U.S., starting in the area where Margaret lived, for each child. I’m looking for records that name these same parents, and show the child at an age that correlates with the baptismal date.

I identified several sources I believed would help me accomplish my goals.

Marriage Records – I conducted a search for James in Bridget in all counties in Ireland. I discovered that the couple Kate found during my consultation is the only couple in the RootsIreland database with those names married in Ireland. This gives me more confidence that I have the correct couple. 

U.S. Records – Armed with the names and ages of the children of James and Bridget, it was time to return to America. I needed to search U.S. records to see if any of the children came to America (perhaps living near Margaret) and if these parents were named. 

Records to look for:

  1. U.S. Federal Census (Ancestry, FamilySearch), and State Census (Minnesota Historical Society, Ancestry, FamilySearch)
  2. Death records (Minnesota Historical Society, FamilySearch.)
  3. Newspapers, particularly obituaries possibly naming parents or Limerick. (Minnesota Historical Society, Newspapers.com)

Before I began my search I created an excel spreadsheet to capture the information. I included columns for what their ages should be in each census. 

Excel spreadsheet for genealogy research

Using a spreadsheet to track my findings.

Now I was ready to start the genealogical hunt!

U.S. Census

Search each sibling one at a time in the census.

  • Focus on Washington Co., Minnesota (marriage and death location for Margaret & Michael Lynch)
  • Move on to Polk County Wisconsin, and greater Wisconsin.
  • Search both U.S. Federal Census & State Census
  • Top locations identified for this search: Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org, Minnesota Historical Society

Results:

  • Found individuals matching the sons in Stillwater and Baytown (Washington County)
  • Found Bridget Scully (Mother) living with various sons in various census records.
  • Immigration years listed for some of Margaret’s siblings.
1870 us federal census genealogy

Found in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census: James, Thomas, Daniel and Bridget. 

I created folders for each sibling marked MAYBE and collected the records on my hard drive.
Learn more about hard drive organization in Elevenses with Lisa episode 8.

Searched FamilySearch and the Minnesota Historical Society for a death record for each son.

  • Found Thomas and James.
  • James Scully and Bridget Madigan listed as parents
  • Ages matched
  • Next step: order the death certificates

Newspapers

Next I searched the Minnesota Historical Society website for newspapers.

Results:

  • 170+ articles
  • Two obituaries for Bridget Scully! (8 children, immigration year, husband died in Ireland implied)
  • Found James Scully working with his brother and his obituary

Research Tip: Look at a map and identify nearby towns and larger cities. Expand your search to these areas.

I found a James Scully in the 1860 census with Bridget and his brothers, and working with Thomas in many newspaper articles.

Bridget’s obituary said she came to America with 8 children. 7 had baptismal records in Ireland. James and Margaret were not found in the baptismal records but were confirmed in U.S. records to have the same parents. That would be a total of 9 children. It’s possible one of the daughters that have not yet been found in U.S. records may have died in Ireland prior to their leaving for America.

I then combed back through my Lynch binder – I might spot something that I marked as unsure, or that might jump out at me now that didn’t 20 years ago.

  • Found History of the St. Croix Valley I had photocopied a section. Names Daniel Scully (who I have since found in the census, newspapers and death records) and says his parents are James Scully and Bridget Madigan!
  • Looked the book up in Google Books. It’s fully digitized. Now I can extensively read and search it.

Tech Tip: Clip and combine newspaper clippings with SnagIt software

Clipping and saving newspapers poses a unique challenge for genealogists:

  • Clipping a small portion of a very large digital newspaper page can result in a low resolution file. 
  • If you clip an article you don’t always capture which newspaper and issue it came from
  • Articles often continue in different locations on the page or pages, making it impossible to capture the entire article  in one image. 

I use SnagIt software to clip my newspaper finds. I can then save them to Evernote or archive them on my hard drive. SnagIt can save your clippings in wide range of file types and can even clip video. You can get your copy of SnagIt here. It’s a one time fee and download – no subscription! (Thank you for using my link – it financially supports this free without any added expense to you.)

How to combine multiple clippings with Snagit:

  1. Clip the paper title and date
  2. Clip the article
  3. Clip any additional applicable sections of the article
  4. In the SnagIt menu under Image click Combine Images
  5. Drag and drop the clippings into the desired order
  6. Click the Combine button
  7. Save the combined image: In the menu File > Save As (you can select from a wide variety of file types)
SnagIt https://tinyurl.com/snaggems

Use SnagIt to combine newspaper clippings – https://tinyurl.com/snaggems

Research Tip: Using Street Addresses in Google Earth

When you find a street address, whether in a newspaper, city directory, census or other genealogical record, use it to find the location in the free Google Earth software program. You can then save an HD quality image of the location.

How to find a location in Google Earth (on a computer):

  1. Type the address into the search field in the upper left corner
  2. Click the Search button
  3. The map will automatically “fly to” the location and a pin will mark the general spot.
  4. Hover your mouse pointer in the upper right corner of the to reveal the navigation tools. Click the plus sign to zoom in closer.

How to view the location with Street View:

  1. Zoom in relatively close so that the street and buildings are distinctly visible.
  2. Just above the zoom tool you will find the Street View icon (the yellow “peg man”). Click on the icon and drag it over the street in front of the building / location. Don’t release your mouse. It may take a second or two for the blue line to appear indicating that Street View is available in that location. If no blue line appears street view is not available.
  3. When the blue line is visible, drop the Street View icon directly onto the blue line in front of the location you want to view. by releasing your mouse. If you miss the line and the picture looks distorted, click the Exit button in the upper right corner and try again.
  4. Once on Street View, you can use your keyboard arrow keys to navigate. You can also click on further down the street to move forward that direction.

How to save an image of a street view location:

  1. Position yourself in the best view of the desired location using your mouse and keyboard arrow keys as described above.
  2. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click the Image icon (it looks like a portrait-oriented page, near the printer icon)
  3. A Title and Description box will appear at the top of the screen beneath the toolbar. Click it and type in a title and description for your image if desired.
  4. You can adjust the size (resolution) of the image you will be saving by clicking the Resolution button above the title box.
  5. When you’re ready to save the image to your hard drive, click the Save Image

Learn more about using Google Earth for genealogy in Elevenses with Lisa episode 12.

how to use google earth for genealogy

Order the video training series at the Genealogy Gems Store featuring 14 exclusive step-by-step video tutorials. The perfect companion to the book The Genealogists’s Google Toolbox by Lisa Louise Cooke.

After a week of post-consultation research:

Question: Who were the parents of Margaret Scully born in Limerick Ireland on approximately July 9, 1840?
Answer: James Scully and Bridget Madigan, married in Limerick, Ireland June 13, 1830. (Though I feel confident about this, I still have additional records I want to find in order to further solidify this conclusion.)

Question: In what Parish was Margaret Lynch born?
Answer: Most likely Kilcolman based on the baptismal locations of her siblings.

My Next Research Steps:

  • Browse search through the baptismal parish records at NLI 1839-1842 for Margaret, and 1834-1836 for James Scully.
  • Look for marriages of Margaret’s female siblings, and family burials.
    (Contact St. Michael’s church, Stillwater, MN.)
  • Go through newspapers.com – there are several Minneapolis and St. Paul papers running articles from Stillwater.
  • Resume my search of passenger list records with the newly revised date of c. 1851.
  • Search for the death record of Bridget’s husband James at RootsIreland and NLI.

How to Book a Genealogy Consultation

My 45-minute consultation with a genealogy expert Kate Eakman at Legacy Tree Genealogists broke things wide open on my Irish family lines and gave me the information and resources I needed to make all of the progress I shared in this episode. It’s the best investment I’ve made in my genealogy in a long time. They have experts in all areas. Learn more about how easy it is to book a consultation here.

Learn More:

For more step-by-step instructions for using Google Earth read my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox available at the Genealogy Gems Store.

Recommended Genealogy Gems Premium Member Videos with downloadable handouts:

Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium membership here.

 

Genealogy News: Free Webinar

Watch the free video recording of my session on the MyHeritage Collection Catalog here.

 

Resources:

Live Chat PDF– Click here to download the live Chat from episode 19 which includes my answers to your questions. 

Genealogy Gems Premium Members:

Become a Premium Member here

 

 
How to Find Your Irish Ancestors

How to Find Your Irish Ancestors

Episode 18 Video and Show Notes

Live show air date: July 23, 2020
Join me for Elevenses with Lisa, the online video series where we take a break, visit and learn about genealogy and family history.

Book your 45-minute consultation with a professional genealogist like I did here

Legacy Tree Genealogists Consultation 45-minute

Click here to learn more about 45-minute genealogy consultations.

An Irish Genealogy Brick Wall

This week I’m taking you on a bit of my own genealogical journey. It’s that one line of my family that crosses the pond to Ireland with my 2X great grandparents. I first learned about Michael Lynch and Margaret Scully as a child from my maternal grandmother. They were her husband’s (my grandfather’s) grandparents. She didn’t know much about them.

Margaret Scully of Limerick Ireland

Margaret Scully born in Limerick Ireland 1840

 

Michael Lynch

Michael Lynch born in Ireland in 1818

In 2000 I got an opportunity to sit down with my grandfather’s sister – the historian of that generation of the family – and ask her about them. She was nearly 90 years old at the time, and she told me the family lore that Margaret was supposedly from a more well-to-do family, and Michael was not.

Aunt Bea in 1937

Aunt Bea in 1937

“He was a groom. And they eloped. I don’t know where they came in. I don’t know which port, but I think it was Canada.”

A few years later after Aunt Bea’s passing I got in touch with some distant Lynch cousins through a bit of online genealogical research. They were descended from Ellen’s siblings who had stayed in the area where the Lynch family had lived (Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota).

These distant cousins supplied with a few more pieces of the puzzle.

  • They mentioned Kildysart, though my notes are unclear whether that was the possible location for Michael or Margaret.
  • There had some sketchy parents’ names through family lore and Margaret’s death certificate.
  • Margaret’s parents were supposedly James Lynch and Bridget Madigan.
  • Michael’s were possibly Michael Lynch and Johanna Healy but no evidence was provided.

I searched extensively several years ago but was unable to find a passenger list record. I did find the family in East Farmington, Wisconsin. where Michael purchased land and ran a dairy farm.

East Farmington Wisconsin History postcard

East Farmington Wisconsin postcard

My research questions were:
Who were the parents of Margaret Scully born in Limerick Ireland on approximately July 9, 1840? Where in Ireland was she born?

My Aunt Bea said Margaret was from county Cork. This was based on her conversations with her mother Ellen. However, Ellen left Wisconsin as a young woman and lived her adult live in California, far from her family.

The Wisconsin cousins were sure Margaret was from Limerick. They believed Michael was from Cork. Considering that their parents had known Margaret well, I put more stock in their information.

Then the cousins produced Margaret’s obituary from Fargo ND where she died a widow living with her son John in 1929. I clearly stated she was born in Limerick. I became even more confident that Limerick was the place to focus.

A secondary question which would be a bonus was ‘where were Michael and Margaret married?’ Was it true that they had eloped in Ireland and came to America via Canada as my aunt had said? And did any of her brothers and sisters come to America as well?

I’m not an expert in Irish genealogy. I have interviewed a few experts over the years, so you might think I would have jumped right into this Irish research. Instead, I found it a bit daunting.

So, earlier this month, I sat down for a 45 minute consultation with Kate Eakman. She’s a professional genealogist with Legacy Tree Genealogists specializing in Irish research among other areas.

Kate Eakman, professional genealogist

My consultant: Professional Genealogists Kate Eakman

These 45-minute consultations are designed to evaluate what you have, and kick start or restart your research.

As a seasoned genealogist, I want to do the research myself. This short focused consultation was perfect for helping me move forward with confidence.

Before we discuss the path we followed in the consultation, let’s talk a moment about how to prepare for a genealogical consultation.

Preparing for a Consultation with a Professional Genealogist

There are three things you can do ahead of time to help a professional genealogist help you.

1. Be clear what you want to accomplish.

It’s only 45 minutes, so one clearly defined research question is best. Avoid “I just want to find whatever is available”. It needs to be a specific question.

I wanted to specifically find out who Margaret’s parents were which I expected would also tell me where she was born.

2. Gather what you already have in advance.

I didn’t have much, but I made every effort to distill the known facts down in a list. I then added all source information I had for those items.

To get the most from a consultation it is important to not only share what you have but the strength of the source. Many of my sources were family lore. These rank low on reliability. The death certificate my cousin sent me ranked higher.

Remember time is limited and costs money, so don’t bog the genealogist down with EVERYTHING you have. Focus on the items that a relevant to the question.  

3. Briefly jot down what you’ve done so far.

You may have tried research avenues that were fruitless in the past. You definitely don’t want to spend precious time in the consultation going back over those. Making a list of what you did, and the outcome clears the way for your consultation time to be spent on new strategies.

A Consultation with a Professional Genealogist

My consultation in this episode of Elevenses with Lisa is focused on Irish research. You will see us using many of the most valuable online resources available.

But if you don’t have Irish ancestors, I encourage you to listen carefully to the process. The questions she asks, and her approach to finding answers. You may be pleasantly surprised to hear some things that can translate to your research process.

Irish Genealogy Websites

Searching at RootsIreland.ie ($)
https://www.rootsireland.ie

They have:

  • Baptisms
  • Marriage
  • Burial / Death
  • Census
  • Gravestone Inscriptions
  • Griffith’s Valuation
  • Irish Ship Passenger Lists
  • Census Substitutes

Strategies:

  • Search by name and birth year (+/- 5 years)
  • Narrow by county
  • The records will list the parents.

Online Research Tip: Right-click on each results to open in a new tab.

More Strategies:

  • If no results, revise your search to go broader.
  • Look at sponsor names as well.
  • Use maps to see where places are located and their relationship to each other.

Griffith’s Valuation at Ask About Ireland
http://www.askaboutireland.ie

(Free)

Click Griffith’s Valuation or go directly to http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/

From the website: “The Primary Valuation was the first full-scale valuation of property in Ireland. It was overseen by Richard Griffith and published between 1847 and 1864. It is one of the most important surviving 19th century genealogical sources.”

The value of family stories

“These family stories always have some kernel of truth to them, even if they seem outlandish. There’s something that’s true. Her parents were wealthy, or he was a groom, even if it wasn’t this falling in love with a groom and running away and getting married.” – Kate Eakman

More Strategies

  1. Spend some time looking for children of the suspected parents (James Scully and Bridget Madigan)
  2. Children may have been baptized as “girl” or “infant.” Look for these while searching.

National Library of Ireland (NLI) Parish Registers
https://registers.nli.ie
(Free)

After finding the parents James Scully and Bridget Madigan, the next step was to look for parish registers at the National Library of Ireland.  Search parish registers by clicking on Family History Research > Visit Catholic Parish Records. They are not indexed by name. You have to know who you’re looking for and where. But if you have an idea of the parish, you can enter that. Choose Baptism and the year and month in known. 

If you are not sure about the name of the location, search for it at the NLI to see if their system recognizes it or suggests a slightly different spelling.

We then headed back to RootsIreland.ie to look for marriage records. 

IrishGenealogy.ie
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/

(Free)

Click Civil Records

From the website: “All civil marriage records from 1845 to 1944 are now available online to members of the public, along with the release online of birth register records for 1919 and death register records for 1969.  Over 15.5 million register records are now available to the public to view and research online on the www.irishgenealogy.ie website. The records now available online include:  Birth register records – 1864 to 1919; Marriage register records – 1845 to 1944 &  Death register records – 1878 to 1969.”

  • Kate likes to sort results by date.
  • First and last name won’t always be together in the results.

Searching for Records in North America

Kate and I dug for and discussed U.S. records that might lend more information that could help with the search in Ireland such as:

  • Marriage Records
  • Passenger Lists
  • Military Records
  • Documents relating to his work as a civil servant

Researching forward (known as Reverse Genealogy) could lead to collaboration with more cousins and the discover of letters or other helpful items.

Canadian Passenger Lists at the Library and Archives Canada

Action Items for My Irish Genealogy Research

My consultation with a professional genealogist specializing in Irish research left me newly found records and the confidence to continue exploring Irish records. I also had in hand a list of steps I could take to move forward:

  • Compile a list of all of James and Bridget Scully’s children.
  • Find birth, marriages and deaths for the children.
  • Look for siblings in America (start with Farmington, Wisconsin area)
  • Research the sponsors of the baptisms
  • Conduct a browsing search of the Parish Records for a baptism that lines up with Margaret Scully’s known birth.

More Irish Genealogy Websites

Irish Ancestors by John Grenham
https://www.johngrenham.com
(Free)

Check this web site to confirm what’s available before you start searching more in Ireland. I searched for Kildysart and found it here!

Our Finds During this Genealogy Consultation

I was very satisfied with the progress we made in just 45 minutes!

  • A good candidate for James Scully in Griffith’s Valuation
  • James and Bridget Scully’s marriage record at Roots Ireland
  • James and Bridget Scully’s original marriage record at the National Library of Ireland
  • Baptisms for seven of the couple’s children.
  • A large gap where Margaret’s birth would have been.
  • We found Kildysart in county Clare. (I’m still not sure where that fits in by I now suspect the place is associated with Michael Lynch and not Margaret Scully.)

Postscript to My Consultation with a Professional Genealogist

I was so encouraged by our research session, that I combed back through the papers I had collected over decades in my Lynch binder. There I found a death date for Michael Lynch given to me by one of the distant cousins. The place of death was Stillwater, Minnesota.

A quick look at a map revealed that Stillwater, Minnesota was just 21 miles down and west across the Saint Croix River from East Farmington, Wisconsin.

On a hunch I did some digging and I discovered that Michael and Margaret were married at St Michael’s church in Stillwater, MN!

Marriage Certificate

Marriage Question Solved!

Book a 45-Minute Consultation with a Professional Genealogist

Thank you to Kate Eakman of Legacy Tree Genealogists for sharing her expertise and helping me make significant progress on my genealogical brick wall!

Legacy Tree Genealogists Consultation 45-minute

Click here to learn more about 45-minute genealogy consultations.

A 45-minute consultation with a professional genealogist is just $100. If you decide to book please go to www.LegacyTreeGenealogists.com/GenealogyGems
By using our link you are helping to support this free show at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Exclusive Gems Offer: Save $100 on larger full-service genealogy research projects with code GGP100

Resources

Live Chat PDF– Click here to download the live Chat from episode. Includes answers to your questions about using the Adobe Spark Video app to make a video. 
Show Notes PDF – Genealogy Gems Premium Members can click here to download the show notes PDF for this episode. (Log in required.) Become a Premium Member here

Ancestry Top Tips and Hot Keys

Ancestry Top Tips and Hot Keys

Episode 17 Video and Show Notes

Live show air date: July 23, 2020
Join me for Elevenses with Lisa, the online video series where we take a break, visit and learn about genealogy and family history.

Get the Elevenses with Lisa mug 

Elevenses with Lisa Mug

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The Elevenses with Lisa Archive

Get all the past episodes of Elevenses with Lisa and show notes here.

Top Tips for Searching at Ancestry®

Here’s an outline of everything we covered in this episode about Ancestry Hot Keys and Top Tips.  If you’re thinking of getting a subscription to Ancestry® learn more here. Thank you for using our links. We are financially compensated at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this free show and show notes. 

Our Usual Starting Place

If you keep looking in the same places you’ll keep finding the same things.

Our usual starting places include:

  • Search > All Collections
  • The Hints on Our Family Tree (But Only 10% of Ancestry® Records Appear as Hints)

Add the Card Catalog to your list of usual starting places. You’ll find it in the menu under Search > Card Catalog.

Navigating to Ancestry's Card Catalog

Navigating to Ancestry’s Card Catalog

The Ancestry®  Card Catalog Includes Unique Treasures

You will find unique items such as old maps, county and regional histories, postcards, film reels and more.

In the card catalog you can filter in the left-hand column.

Card Catalog Filters

Ancestry® Card Catalog Filters

Historic Maps at Ancestry®

An example of one of these wonderful map collection is the U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918

  • Nearly 7 million records
  • Extracted from about 1,200 maps
  • Indexed by property owners’ names
  • Indicate township and county boundaries
  • Can include photos of county officers, landholders, and some buildings and homes.
  • You can filter this collection by state. Each collection will have different options for filtering and browsing.
Historic Maps at Ancestry.com

Look for Historic Maps at Ancestry.com

Top Tip: Use Multiple Approaches

Searching by title, keyword, singular and plural all bring up different results. Unless you are looking for something very specific, it’s usually most effective to try multiple approached. Doing so ensures you don’t miss anything. You can also search strictly by filtering. Example: Maps + USA + Virginia.

Search for genealogy records with filter on Ancestry

Searching by filters only.

Regional and County Histories at Ancestry®

You can find county and regional histories by filtering to Stories, Memories and Histories.

Example: U.S., County and Regional Histories and Atlases, 1804-1984

Regional and county histories at Ancestry.com

Regional and county histories at Ancestry.com

This is a browse-only collection of “more than 2,200 volumes of county and regional histories from California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Historic Postcards at Ancestry®

Narrow your search by first filtering down to Pictures.

Ancestry Top Tip: When search on a computer, user Control + F (Win) or Command + F (Mac) to access the Find on Page search box. Enter the word you are looking for to jump straight to it when reviewing a long list.

Control + F finds words on the ancestry page faster

Press Control + F (Win) on your keyboard to search for words on the page.

WWII Newsreels at Ancestry®

This collection contains all 267 issues of the ‘United News’ newsreels. The films average about 10 minutes each. Go to the Card Catalog and search for “United News” in the title field. 

Top Tip: Ancestry® Hot Keys / Shortcuts

Use these hot keys at Ancestry to navigate and search quickly. 
Genealogy Gems Premium Members: Click here to download the Hot Keys cheat sheet image as a PDF for printing. 

Ancestry hot keys and short cuts infographic

Ancestry hot keys and short cuts

Ancestry® Hot Keys / Shortcuts for Search:
r = Refine your search
n = New Search (cleared search fields)

Ancestry® Hot Keys / Shortcuts for Records with Filmstrip Navigation:
p = previous image
n = next image
f = toggles filmstrip off and on

Ancestry® Hot Keys / Shortcuts for Accessing the Record Side Panel:
d = Details of the record
r = Related Records
s = Source for that record
(These don’t toggle the side panel)
i = Reveals the Index for the record (toggles)

Ancestry® Hot Keys / Shortcuts for Navigating Search Results Lists:
Some results lists can be navigated with hot keys.
j = move forward through the list
k = moves backward through the list
Enter = opens the selected record in the list

Another Unique Collection at Ancestry®:

Historic Catalogs of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1896-1993

Ancestry Top Tip - enter page number to navigate quickly.

Enter a page number to jump quickly to another area of a large collection such as the Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog.

Ancestry Top Tips Recap:

  • Use the Card Catalog
  • Understand Search  and account for variations
  • Explore Unique Collections
  • Use Hot Keys to search faster.
Ancestry Top Tips

Ancestry Top Tips Recap

Adobe Spark Video Follow-up

Watch episode 16 on how to create a family history video with Adobe Spark Video.

Gwynn asked about the app on Android. Adobe has said that the Android version is coming soon. So for now, the website version of Adobe Spark Video is the way to go. Start at my Bargains page here and click the Adobe Spark image. In the upper right corner of the landing page you can get a free trial and set up your account, or you can click the 20% off special which will prompt you to create your account and then will give you 20% off the subscription (limited time offer – see website for details.)

Prize Winners:

I received many creative and entertaining video entries and selected two to win a 1 year Genealogy Gems Premium membership. The membership includes over 5 videos classes with handouts, the exclusive Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast (180+ episodes to date) and ad-free downloadable show notes handouts for Elevenses with Lisa.

Winner #1: Suzan Siegel – The first video was a scrapbook of her granddaughter’s Coronavirus memories. The other was dedicated to her ancestor, Hazel Linnie Budd Siegel, called “The Early Years.”
Winner #2: Vicky Fravel – “An Ancestor A Day Keeps Boredom Away” 

Resources

Live Chat PDF– Click here to download the live Chat from episode 17 which includes my answers to your questions. 
Show Notes PDF – Genealogy Gems Premium Members click here to download the show notes PDF for this episode. (Log in required.) Become a Premium Member here
Ancestry Hot Keys Printable Cheat Card – Genealogy Gems Premium Members click here to download the PDF. (Log in required.)

The Next Episode of Elevenses with Lisa

Set your reminder here for episode 18.

In this episode you will sit in on my consultation with genealogy expert Kate Eakman as she helps me try and bust a brick wall. Will we do it? Tune in to find out and pick up on some great strategies for any genealogy research dilemma. A must watch also if you have Irish ancestry. Plus you’ll learn what you can do to get the most from a professional researcher.

Thank you for Sharing and Supporting this Free Show

If you enjoy this show and you want to keep them coming, you know what to do: click that Thumbs Up icon for me on YouTube. This helps our distribution tremendously. Simply click where it says YouTube in the lower right corner of the player above and it will take you to the video on YouTube where you can click the Thumbs Up icon.

 

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