Saturday Serendipity (May 16, 2020)

This week the following are recommneded reads for your weekend.

1.   American Ancestors added a new database this week.  The 1861 Earle Report of Native Americans in Massachusetts is a census substitute that identified those residing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts–as well as those formerly of the Commonwealth who then resided outside Massachusetts–who had Native American connections.  The database contains some 1,700 searchable names with tribal membership and the location for those still residing in Massachusetts.  You can read more about it here and see sample images.  

2.   If you have not heard of the coming new series on ABC--"The Genetic Detective"-- Dick Eastman, of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, posted a description of the series while updating the new start date (June 2 rather than May 19).  You can read his description here.

3.   If you have never heard of the "butterfly effect," you should read Judy Russell's latest post about how it applies most especially to genealogy.  The Legal Genealogist provides a simple and memorable example of how the butterfly effect applies in genealogy. Once read you will find numerous (perhaps countless) examples in your own genealogy.  Have a read here. 

4.   I have been looking at my desk in what we call "the genealogy room" of the new home we moved into just over 16 months ago when we relocated from northern Virginia to New Jersey.  I have been looking at it for weeks now and thinking that I really must do something about the mess it has become.  And then I read "Now's a good time to declutter your research desk!" posted on Organize Your Family History blog by Janine Adams.  Unlike Janine, I am too embarrassed to post a "before" photo of my desk, but I am inspired by Janine's post to take on the excavation project this coming week.  Perhaps Janine will inspire you too if you read her post here.

5.   James Tanner, of Genealogy's Star blog, posted Part Seven of his series "How to Analyze Gneealogical Sources."  You can read the latest installment here and get direct links to earlier installments in the series.

6.   Since I am always in search of photographs of ancestors and relatives to add to my genealogy trees–and when I am faced with the luck of a wealth of choices for an indiviual, I always get hung up on which one to choose (one from youth or one from maturity, etc).  So it was with interest that I read two posts this week by Marian Wood of Climbing My Family Tree blog.  You can read "Personalized Family Trees Are Great Cousin Bait" here and then surf on over to "Curating Faces for the Family Tree" here.   

7.   And finally, here is a long, but fascinating read highlighted this week in The Weekly Genealogist newsletter of NEHGS/American Ancestors about the use of genetic genealogy to solve previously unsolved, "cold case" crimes.

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Copyright 2020, John D. Tew

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