Your DNA Test Could Send a Relative to Jail

Your DNA Test Could Send a Relative to Jail

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/magazine/dna-test-crime-identification-genome.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RE0.vwAP.-5EcCnk9awzZ&smid=nytcore-android-share

Happy Spring

 Happy Spring! 

I am delighted to announce that Tammy and I will be teaching 'Introduction to Genealogy' May 2-20 as part of the Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association (ELLA) at the University of Alberta Faculty of Education Building. We absolutely love teaching this course!

Ancestry.ca Announcement

Hello! Today, Ancestry.ca announced the members of AncestryⓇ Canada Family History Advisory Board. https://tinyurl.com/vzgd5qh . It is both an honour and a privilege to be included in this dynamic group! 

One year later.....

Hello !

It's been a year (that flew by fast!) - time to check in.

This coming week is my and Tammy's last week of instructing "Introduction to Genealogy" through ELLA (Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association) held at the Faculty of Education- U of A. We were fortunate enough to instruct this 3 week course in 2016 and again this year. It's been wonderful to share knowledge and learn from our students too! More to come on this soon.

Alberta Vital Statistics
For anyone just learning about Alberta Vital Statistics, you might wish to review my blog posts from Spring 2017.

http://albertaresearch2.blogspot.com/2017/03/historical-vital-statistics-in-alberta.html

http://albertaresearch2.blogspot.com/2017/04/follow-up-to-release-of-alberta.html

Current availability of events found in indexes
Birth Registrations:     1898 and prior
Marriages                    1943 and prior
Death Registrations    1968 and prior

If you are using Ancestry's transcription of registrations, go to the original source and review the indexes found at the Provincial Archives of Alberta website. The correct information is required to order copies of documents.

http://provincialarchives.alberta.ca/how-to/find-birth-marriage-death-records/Default.aspx

Is the source you are sharing accurate?

Much activity on genealogy facebook pages - people sharing obituaries from newspaper databases, Sadly, do not source the copies correctly.

One example: Edmonton Journal
Beginning November 14, 1977 the Edmonton Journal started labeling pages using a letter/number system to number the pages in sections.  An obituary published February 20, 1978 is on page E2, not page 54 as newspapers.com shows it to be. Even if it is the 54th page (one doesn't know for sure unless one counts them) page 54 is not correct.  Be accurate. Be precise. The column the article appears is also important to source.

Should we be sharing the information from genealogical databases with others? To find the answer read the site's terms and conditions. Certainly, I have done it but doing it publicly could one get themselves in hot water? Something to think about.

Teaching Genealogy Research or Handing it Over on a Platter

Two quotes have been foremost in my thoughts lately:

Each One Teach One
and
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime

Sharing our knowledge and experiences we have had on our genealogy journey with others is invaluable.

Teach others how to do genealogy research and do it correctly. Lead them to the website they need. Getting the document online for them does not teach them where to find it.

Simply sharing sources without teaching how it can be done is a further endorsement to the genealogy TV shows and commercials. You know the ones they make genealogy research look so darn easy not to mention fast. So many believe this concept, lets not empower it.

Til next time,
~Shannon

Check out my Alberta Adoption Search & Reunion page on Facebook

Information about the Alberta Adoption ~ Search & Reunion Facebook page
A place for adoptees born in Alberta and for birth parents that relinquished a child to adoption who are searching for each other.  Feel free to visit, post your search, and obtain help and assistance from the Administrator and others.

It is disrespectful to post the names of the birth mother and or birth father without their consent, so please leave full names out of the post, as it is not our secret to disclose publicly.

My name is Shannon Switzer Cherkowski.
I have solved over 450 adoption search files in the last 17 years.

I feel I have been blessed with a gift to be able to conduct this type of research and hope to advise participants on what can be done to have a successful search and reunion.

I offer research services, adoption related searches and Alberta genealogy. Feel free to contact me to discuss.

Update

This page has been quiet. It was my plan to take this year off from presentations, hosting conferences and volunteering.....not research.... I could never take a break from that!

I've been asked to provide a presentation at the Strathcona County Library Family Tree Trackers meeting June 14, 2018. The topic is "Newspapers". My all time favorite genealogy topic, how could I resist?  Hope to see you there!

Genealogy in the Park October 28, 2017

Save the Date

Genealogy in the Park presents

Dave Obee

Genealogist, Author and Journalist

Saturday October 28, 2017

We are very happy to welcome Dave back to Sherwood Park!

**Registration Closes October 25th**

October 11, 2017 - We are close to capacity.

Contact Shannon or Tammy ASAP to ensure you do not miss this wonderful opportunity.

Thank you!

Follow up to release of Alberta historical vital statistics indexes/registers

I have busy ordering registration documents during the last week and 1/2. How could I not? It's a genealogist's dream to have access to these valuable bits of history!

A few hints and tips from what I learned about the indexes in Alberta and access to them:

1. In scanning the typewritten death indexes, it's quite common that a handwritten entry or more are placed at the end of every year. There's no doubt that your "cntrl f" function will not read the handwriting, be sure to scroll and review all the pages for an accurate search.

2.  If you are ordering numerous registrations online, order all of them one after the other, preferably all before 3:00 pm Mon-Friday. If you order them separately, then, they are separate requests and you may be charged the mailing fee for each request.

3.  If you live in the Edmonton area, and are planning a visit to the Reading Room at the PAA, order the registrations online and click on "request to view at PAA in Reading Room". You will receive an email when they are ready for you.

Important: The maximum amount of photocopies, of any type, to receive the same day at the PAA is limited to approximately 12 pages. If the number of pages you need goes over the in-house limit, they will be photocopied in queue, and they will call you when they are ready, or pay the mailing fee to have them mailed out to you.

4. I searched for my Uncle Gerald in Google today (after a hint from a dear friend of mine).
"Switzer, Gerald" 1954
is exactly what I typed in.  The #8 hit, took me directly to the Deaths pdf online at the PAA. Over time, it will be easy for Google to pick up the typed words in the indexes. The handwritten entries? Probably not. Nothing searches better than your own two eyes.

I live within 20 minutes of the Provincial Archives of Alberta. It's been interesting (and fun!) to view the original registrations in person. If you live in the area, please do visit the PAA. There are so many genealogy resources there to help you in your research.

One ah ha! moment for me:
In my review of relative's vital statistic death registrations, a few of the causes of death were not a surprise. To see it in writing helped confirm the stories I was told by my Dad.  One that caught me off-guard was an 9 year old relative died from falling over a log and scraping her knee. She ended up with sepsis. How sad that something so "every-day", seemingly easy to treat nowadays, back then took this little one's life. This one document really cemented for me what family research is all about, honoring those that have gone before, understanding their trials and tribulations, and bringing their stories to life.

Have any tips or comments to share? Would love to hear from you,
~Shannon