Ohana Software Webinar and Class Schedule for April and May 2012

— UPCOMING WEBINARS —

FamilyInsight: Synchronizing Your Records with FamilySearch(TM)
Presenter: Cina Johnson
Ohana Software/Real-Time Collaboration
Customer Service and Training

Learn to use FamilyInsight to synchronize your file with the new FamilySearch(TM) website. We will synchronize some records to give you experience with different situations so that you can begin updating your records, merging FamilySearch(TM) duplicates, and contributing information with confidence.  When using FamilyInsight you have full access to your records vision of the complete new FamilySearch(TM) records, thus reducing the possibility of mistakes.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012      Register Now
6:00 PM. – 7:00 PM MDT

 

To Pay or Not to Pay Presenter: Bonnie Petrovich Family History Consultant and Instructor Come learn about the various subscription websites that are available FOR FREE at your local Family History Centers worldwide.  The class covers content, how to navigate, search & print information, and find the built in helps and tutorials when available. Tuesday, April 24, 2012          Register Now 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT

HeritageQuest Online: Free Family History Resources Presenter: Bonnie Petrovich Family History Consultant and Instructor If you have a library card or visit a Family History Center, you can access this wonderful collection of genealogical records.  The collection contains the complete US Federal census records from 1790-1930; over 28,000 family histories; banking and military records; local histories and other primary source materials.  The class will cover tips on how to use this resource to find important records for your research. Tuesday, May 8, 2012         Register Now 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT SharingTime – Increasing Productivity on the new FamilySearch(TM) Cina Johnson or Andrea Schnakenburg - Ohana Software/Real-Time Collaboration You can increase your productivity by using SharingTime, a new tool from Real-Time Collaboration, that integrates with the FamilySearch (TM) website. http://sharingtime.com/ SharingTime allows you to, quickly link to and auto-search dozens of internet resources; E-mail collaborators in seconds; focus your research on ancestors that are closest to being ready for temple work; see where your ancestors lived; and easily identify individuals without parents (end of line). This webinar will help you to learn how you can use SharingTime to your advantage. Thursday, May 24, 2012          Register Now 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM MDT

If there is a family history topic you would like to learn more about, send your suggestion to webinars@ohanasoftware.com and we’ll see what we can do. Can’t make it to a webinar?  Need a review?  Watch a recording at:http://www.ohanasoftware.com/?sec=webinars&page=WebinarArchive Thank you for your interest in Ohana Software Family History Webinars.  Aloha!

Family History Needs YOU!

In case you have not heard, the images of the 1940 US census are being released on Monday April 2nd.   Those images will be made available to indexers who will transcribe the information on the census into an indexing form.  The index will allow you to search for your ancestors (and maybe yourself) online and bring up the image you need.  The1940Census.com website says, “Unlike previous census years, images of the 1940 US  Census will be made available as free digital images.”  This wonderful opportunity has been made possible by the joint efforts of ArchivesTM, FamilySearchTM  and findmypast.comTM  as well as NGS,  FGS, and APG.

It is not too late to sign up to be an indexer.  Just go to The1940Census.com  website and fill in the form. They only need your email address and your first and last name.  If you like, you can declare your favorite state to index.  With enough volunteers, they anticipate the completion by the end of the year.  This project is a perfect example of “Many hands make light work”.

To get a feel for the indexing process in general, go to FamilySearch.org and click on the Indexing link at the top of the screen or click this link. www.familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing Once you get to the screen, click the “Test drive” button.  The highlighted field makes is very easy to know where you should look for the information you need to enter.  It is a miracle that we have the technology that makes this so easy.

While you are on that page, you may want to look at what other records are being indexed.  If you click the “More” link at the bottom of the list of current projects, you will see two simulations of the 1940 US census records so you can practice.  This is to help you be better prepared for the actual work of indexing the 1940 US census.

Some people fret over the responsibility of accurately deciphering the handwriting while they do the indexing.  Certainly, that is important but you will not be the sole indexer of any page.  The accuracy of the indexes is based upon more than one person indexing each record.  The most simplistic explanation is that if each indexer puts the same information into the data field, then it is thought to be correct.  If indexers put something different into the field, an arbitrator looks at the record and compares it to what was entered by the indexers and the “correct” information is accepted.

Even if the index perfectly reflects what the census taker wrote, it does not insure that the name will be spelled correctly or that the data on the census record will be perfect.  The giver of the information may not have been illiterate so the census taker would do their best to enter the name based upon how it was pronounced.  How would you spell a name that sounds like Hah-dah-me-o?  Would you come up with Jaramillo?   If you heard someone  pronounce his child’s name as Elner, would  you know it was Eleanor or think it was Elmer?  Therefore, we may still have to be creative as we search for our family but the index will make the job a lot easier.

The images will be available to the public beginning 9:00 AM Eastern April 2, 2012 at http://1940census.archives.gov/  They will not be indexed but you can access them and search for your family by location or enumeration district . This will be more work but if you do not want to wait for the index this can be done. If everyone works together it should not be too long until the indexes are ready.

I am grateful that we are given the opportunity to help with such a big project and that it is a cooperative effort.   To each of you who works on this project, THANK YOU!

~Cina Johnson~

March 30, 2012

Planting Your Tree in the Cloud

Cloud computing and tree sharing are becoming more popular every day and people are beginning to ask questions about how and where to do this. They also wonder if they should abandon their desktop program and strictly work online. You may think that I’m old fashioned but here are my reasons for having your genealogy in a desktop application even after you put it online.
• Track living people – Online trees may have restrictions for adding living people due to right to privacy issues. My personal opinion is to limit online trees to deceased people and only enter living people to connect your record to deceased  people. These sites work hard to protect your data but SHOULD your records become compromised, you do not want information on the living at someone else’s fingertips. Personally, I limit living people to a name or initials and skip the event data all together.
• Researching – During the research process you gather information about people and strive to verify their connection to one another. While you are working to “prove” or “disprove” your hypothesis, you need a way to enter the data without the world assuming it is fact. Keeping it in your genealogy program until you are confident in its accuracy will reduce the possibility of inadvertently disseminating misinformation.
• Control – Having your own database allows you to keep your records as you see fit while still sharing information with others online. The online records may have assertions you disagree with and you do not need to include those assertions in your own file.
• Printing – Desktop programs generally have more printing and report options than online trees.
• Data Entry – In my limited experience, you can enter data faster in a desktop program than you can online.
• Sourcing – You can copy a source and quickly reuse it within your desktop program so entering the citations is easy. Also, the desktop program may provide for more professional standards than on some online trees.
• Space and money – Desktop programs have virtually unlimited space for your tree and source documents but with online trees you may have to change your subscription plan to accommodate your expanding usage.
• Accessibility: long-term – SHOULD the online service go out of business, will you be able to access the data so you can migrate it to another online service? What happens to your ability to access your information if you drop your  subscriptions?
• Accessibility: short-term – If the internet or the website temporarily goes down, you can access your desktop records but not the internet records.
When considering WHICH online service to use, you may consider asking yourself, “What is my purpose for putting my records online?” Your reasons could be:
• Preservation so that years of work will not be lost
• Helping others find their families by sharing what you have
• Networking and collaboration to find relatives
• Family organization teaming up to have a unified presentation of the family lines
Having an idea of why you want to put your information online can help you decide where to put it. If your family organization wants to work together, you can discuss options like maintaining your own website versus using a commercial online tree. If you want to preserve your research you need to find a place that can store the information without an annual fee. If you want to connect to others you will want to investigate trees that allow social networking, conversations, collaboration, etc.
Personally, I feel that it is worth trying free versions of these websites before you sign up for a service. Once you have added a few names to the online tree, you can see how easy it is to add your information, source your work, or add documents and multimedia. You can get a feel for the amount of space you may need to acquire so you can estimate your cost. This is important for you and others who you may want to invite to work on the tree. Each site will
have pros and cons and by trying the free service first, you will have a better idea of what is important for you and your family.
When you pick out a tree for your yard, you stand back to get an overall look at the tree, measure it to make sure it’s not too big, and get up close to feel the branches to make sure it’s fresh and viable. You should do the same with your online tree so it can service you and your extended family for a long time.
~Cina Johnson~

RootsTech Ramblings

Sometimes I get so many things going on at one time that I find it hard to focus my thoughts
on one topic. That’s how I feel as I prepare to greet you in this month’s edition of Ohana
Insights. The first issue of the newsletter came out in March of 2007. I was excited to try my
hand at writing the newsletter and a bit overwhelmed. Five years later I am still enjoying the
process. Each month I hope that I have perhaps inspired you, given you some fresh new
ideas, or helped you in some way.

I went to RootsTech and worked in our SharingTime booth. I had a wonderful time talking to
YOU and introducing SharingTime to many of you. It was fun to put faces to names of
customers that I have helped over the years. It was also fun to see some of the people my
husband and I worked with on our mission. Thank you for stopping by the booth.

During RootsTech, FamilySearch announced that they will be changing a rule for submitting
names for temple work. (Go to: new.familysearch.org > Help Center > enter: 113599 into
the search field > select “Information regarding the upcoming change from the 95 year policy
to the 110 year policy”) Please make sure you follow the new rules. You may have read that
recent violators of the rules have had their access revoked. We must not let our enthusiasm
excuse us from being obedient to rules and honest in our compliance. Every time you
reserve a name through FamilyInsight, you click a button saying that you are obeying the
rules. Please, take the time to READ the statement as it will soon be updated to coincide
with the changes set forth and approved by the leaders of the Church. They are not
arbitrary. They are to be followed or we all will pay the price.

After I got home from RootsTech I wanted to “attend” some classes, so I went to
http://rootstech.org/ and watched recordings of a few classes. I plan to watch more as time
permits. It is wonderful to learn about the great technological advances that can help us
progress in our research. If you were not able to attend RootsTech, or attended but want to
relive the experience, you can still watch it online by using the link above.

After getting home from RootsTech, I thought about the technological miracles showcased
there. Generally, we have nothing to hold when we say, “I paid for this.” so we may be
inclined to under appreciate the true cost of bringing that helpful tool to fruition. When we
buy software and services we are paying for creative thinkers, skillful programmers, and
inspired minds who develop these tools and services. Programs, websites, electronic
conversion of data and documents, indexing, display, storage, social networking, each take
thousands and thousands of hours of development. When you think about the products in
that light, I think you will agree, we are getting a bargain!

Last month I opened with an article called, “Favorite Things”. Most of them fell into the
technology category. I will end this with my closing from last month. “I am grateful for
inspired inventors and programmers who have made these technologies available to us.
These are my favorites. What’s on your list?”

~ Cina Johnson~

Spotlight on ChArtistFamily

Family ChArtist is a new, user-friendly web based program that will assist you in creating beautiful, personalized genealogy charts based on information either from your own genealogy computer files or from the New FamilySearch database. The website offers beautiful high quality graphics in modern, classic and colorful patterns, as well the ability to add as many of your own pictures as you would like. First time users can create beautiful charts in just a few minutes without the purchase, installation or advanced training of
other design software programs, online databases and file formats.
Create an 8.5 x 11 color print free of charge, or try your hand at a
larger, frameable archival print which can be printed for a nominal
fee. As with all Generation Maps charts, extra copies are always HALF PRICE. Order copies of your chart as meaningful gifts for your children and other family members.

Family ChArtist has been designed with each customer in mind. You are the artist. With beautiful graphics and embellishments it is easy to create something personalized for your family. You choose the layout, information to be included, size, paper, color, pictures, borders, backgrounds and artistic design. Each chart is a direct expression of your individuality. “I think the best feature of this new program is the wide range of wonderful graphics,” says Kim Hovorka, CEO of Generation Maps. “We have chosen modern, classic, colorful graphics that can be used to beautify and enhance your chart. Images include a wide range of religious and patriotic symbols, LDS temples, flags, classic, modern and vintage embellishments and backgrounds. Users can even upload their own pictures, scans of documents or other images to decorate their charts.”

Free Offer for Scrapbooks and Albums.

With Family ChArtist, you can create an 8.5 X 11 chart free of charge and save it to your computer to print whenever you choose. If you decide you want to print a larger size for your home, just order from the same menu and your chart will be printed and shipped to you promptly. Whether you are decorating your home, creating a family book, looking for a special gift for someone you love, or bringing your heritage to life for a family gathering, Family ChArtist will help you fashion a beautiful expression of your family’s history for your surroundings.

15 % Discount for Ohana Insight Readers

Christmas is right around the corner and what better time to share you family history and photos with family members. If you are looking for a perfect gift. Generation Maps has the solution. They have even given us a special discount to share with you. Enter the code “ohanachristmas” at checkout and you will get a 15% discount.

This is Your Chance for a Happy Dance!!

I did my “Happy Dance” when I used GenealogyBank for the first time the other day. I have a picture of my grandfather and great grandfather in a team photo of a baseball team with the name Vincent-Notts on the front of their uniforms. It is a large impressive picture and I have had it for about 15 years. I had searched the Internet and historical websites for any reference to this baseball team. I had previously had no luck in finding any information other than the fact that Vincent-Notts was a store in Salt Lake City in the early 1900′s. It was one of those photos that I wanted to know more about. My dad said his nickname came from a pitcher on his dad’s baseball team but he didn’t know any more than that. My grandfather was not in uniform and looked like he might be the manager of the team.

Well, I thought, “This will be a good test of what is possible on the Genealogy Bank website”. I plugged in my grandfather’s surname and the extra word Notts. I clicked on Search. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were 3 articles on the Vincent-Notts baseball team. I tried a few other combinations and found many more articles. Not many had my grandfather’s name in them but a few did. I then discovered that he had been on another baseball team before this that my grandfather did indeed manage and they were called the Perfectos. I was on a roll and learning lots more about my grandfather and great grandfather from other articles I found. They were in various musical bands and involved a little in politics. I even found a large news photo of one of the bands with the members labeled. There were 4 family members in the photo. I only had a little time to spend with my searching that day but learned a great deal. I can’t wait to go back and search other family names to see what comes up.

Find your Ancestors in the Newspapers and Enjoy 75% OFF exclusively to Ohana Software Customers

Featuring more than 4,400 U.S. newspapers, over 1 billion names from all 50 states, GenealogyBank is the most extensive historical online newspaper archive designed specifically for family history research. By providing access to rare and hard-to-find newspapers from 1690 to the present day, GenealogyBank gives researchers the opportunity to discover unique, long-forgotten information about their American ancestors.

In addition to nearly 700 million articles — each of which can be printed and preserved for your family heritage — GenealogyBank also offers over 32 million modern obituaries, more than 87 million death records, over 253,000 reports including military lists, pension requests and the largest collection of U.S. serial set documents online.

And with an “Exclusive 75% Off” for Ohana Software Customers, there’s never been a better time to explore your family history at GenealogyBank! Start Now. Don’t delay, this offer expires Sept. 30th, 2010.

Loving Laughter

I enjoyed the Legacy newsletter article from June 25, 2010 called “Genealogy Scream and Happy Dance”. I am sure you have seen, heard or done the Genealogy Scream, which comes from either joy or frustration. I hope you have all participated in a happy dance or two. If you haven’t, then you are either very new to family history or you are far too reserved! I have been fortunate to have had many wonderful experiences that culminated in a happy dance, loving laughter, and grateful tears while researching my family. For me, one of these marvelous moments came from the pages of a county history. The following story is about my second great grandparents. “. . . Not the least romantic of the earlier scenes of pioneer life was what befell St. Amand. In one of his journeys to Detroit for provisions (for be it known what little money a man brought here was soon used up in that way), on his return, when on the Saginaw turnpike, near Springfield, he found a carriage broken down; a gentleman and lady were there,–father and daughter; the lady appeared to be in distress, the gentleman taking things easy as was his wont. But the chivalric feelings of St. Amand could not be restrained, especially as he gazed on the young form and saw the youth and beauty, with the intelligence and sparkling eye of a damsel in distress, and quick as thought he was upon his feet, rendering such assistance as was required to repair damages and see the travelers on their way to Pontiac. St. Amand could at that time speak but a few words of English, but a look of gratitude and admiration beamed in tender eyes, and St. Amand felt the dart of love piercing his heart, as moving his hand he bade the damsel adieu, and exclaimed, ‘au revoir.’ It was indeed with them ‘au revoir,’ for the attachment formed on that then romantic and forest road soon culminated, and Augustus St. Amand became the husband of Caroline Le Roy.” [ History of Genesee County Michigan: with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Philadelphia: Evers & Abbott, 1879), 211-212 ] I was so tickled that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so I did a bit of both. Yes, some people stared; others smiled knowingly. I wanted to jump up and read it aloud to everyone in the vicinity but I restrained myself. THIS is what family history should be about. I hope that we will all allow ourselves to take joy in the moment of discovery and do a happy dance or genealogy scream, no matter WHERE we may be. ~Cina Johnson~