Category: How To

Quick & Dirty Trees for DNA Matches

I’ve talked about building pedigrees for my AncestryDNA matches and how it’s helped to identify some of my unknown ancestors. I haven’t really gone into detail about what all that entails.

Blaine Bettinger of The Genetic Genealogist shared a video he made about how he builds a quick and dirty tree for his genetic matches to identify their shared ancestor. Click the video below to watch or go to YouTube for a larger version.

When I build a tree, I do something a little different.

First, I usually build the tree in my Reunion file since it’s my go-to for my genealogy research. I can make the connection to shared ancestors and track genetic cousins in the database, even—now that I’ve figured out how—quickly find the genetic matches I’ve identified who descend from a shared couple.

Second, I don’t get information from family trees. I usually search for online records, using relevant sources based on the target’s lifetime. These may include Ancestry, FamilySearch, Fold3, Internet Archive, Google, Facebook, and other websites that compile information.

I search for just enough information from records to reliably know I’ve got a specific family group, then move on to keep going up the family tree. The amount of research varies from family to family based on what’s available and how easy it is to find. I only really use trees when I’m totally stuck and searching for clues.

I guess my process is not quick & dirty by this standard. But it isn’t up to the Genealogical Proof Standard either. It falls somewhere in between. That’s why I usually hedge my statements or refer to relationships as being a “working hypothesis.”

However, these trees—either the quick & dirty method Blaine outlines or my method—provide an excellent starting point for breaking through brick walls in your family tree using your DNA matches. They help you to identify connections so that you can focus your research in the right area, saving time, effort, and maybe even some money.

Reunion: Finding A Couple’s Descendants Who Are Your DNA Matches Search Tip for Reunion Users

I’ve been a bit frustrated in my attempt to use Reunion to track my DNA matches. The problem? Trying to locate DNA matches in the database who descend from a specific couple. I’m pleased to say I found a solution, but also a bit embarrassed about how easy it turned out to be.

The Problem

I do most of my work identifying relationships with my DNA matches in Google Sheets. I have a master list and additional spreadsheets with subsets of individuals who form clusters for which I’m trying to identify our shared ancestor.

I build out pedigrees for my matches in Reunion. That way I can attach them to the correct ancestor once I get back far enough in their tree. The assumption, of course, is that I will actually get back to that shared ancestor. That’s not always the case, but I remain hopeful and keep trying.

The problem arises when I want to find those cousins who I’ve traced to a specific couple. Unless there’s only one of them, it can be confusing trying to descend the family tree. I wanted a quick way to see if I have added an individual to the database.1

The Solution

When I add my DNA matches in to Reunion, I tag them in two ways. First I check a “Flag” that I added—“DNA Match.” The flag will show if I’m looking at a person’s record in Reunion. Secondly, I select a “Child Status” that I created—“DNA Match.” This status I can see if I’m looking at their parents. Additionally, I add the match details into the notes field

I can easily find all my DNA matches in the database by selecting either of the tags in a search. What I was missing was a way to narrow it down to only those descended from a specific couple.

The solution, it turns out, was so simple, it made me feel stupid.

I usually keep all my direct ancestors “marked” in the database. It makes it easy to identify them out of a list of similarly named people without having to remember birth and death dates. The answer to my problem involved using marking a bit differently.

In order to find DNA matches who are descendants of a specific couple, the first step is to mark all their descendants in the Reunion database.

Mark descendants

Mark descendants

When you are on the page of the couple you’ve chosen, go to Mark Groups. Select “Mark” as your action and “Descendants of” as your target group. Be sure to check “Unmark everybody first” to limit your search group to just this subset of the database. Click “Mark.”

Now that you have selected a target group to search, go to “Find.”

Look for marked DNA matches

Look for marked DNA matches

To set your search parameters, first select “Person Marked” under “Attributes” in the conditions pop-up, then select “Yes” in the second menu. This will find all people who are checked in the database.

Add another condition by checking the “And” box. The operator menu allows you to flip this check box between “And” and “Or.”  If you want both parameters to be true, then use “and.” If either conditions should be true, use “or.”

Choose “Child Status” from “Attributes,” then either “Contains” or “Is” in the second menu and type your status in the text box. If you choose “Is” make sure to type in the exact text of the child status. Alternately, I could select “DNA Match checked” from “Flags” or search for text in a notes field. Use whatever method you’re using to tag your DNA matches.

Click “Find” to start the search. The results will appear in the sidebar.

And there it is. The remarkably simple answer to a problem that’s been plaguing me for a while. Why didn’t I think of it sooner?!

Hope this tip helps some of you Reunion users out there.

Amazon Associates Link Builder Plugin How to Set It Up and Use It

Amazon recently released a beta version of its first official free WordPress plugin for the Amazon Associates Program. It allows WordPress users to easily search for products in the Amazon catalog and add real-time information to their blog post. I’m going to show you how to set it up and add Amazon products.

In the past, if I wanted to include an affiliate link to a product on Amazon, I opened a Amazon Associates in another window and logged in. Then I’d search for the product in Amazon’s link builder tool and copy the link that it generated back into my post text. Using this plugin, I can do all that from within my WordPress post.

Setting It Up

It’s not terribly difficult, but it may be intimidating to the average non-techie. I would recommend keeping the instructions page open in another browser window and referring back to it. The set-up only took a few minutes—once I followed the directions and stopped trying to wing it. 😉

Install the Plug-In

You’ll want to install the plugin on your self-hosted WordPress site. If you’ve done it before, skip ahead. If you don’t know how, here’s some information on how to do it, complete with an instructional video.

Once the plugin is installed and activated, you’ll come to the settings page, like this:

Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin settings page

You’ll need to insert the two keys from the next step in the first two fields (yellow). Your associate ID from Amazon Associates goes into the third field. Select a default associate ID, marketplace and template, then save your changes. You’ll need to check that you read the conditions before you’ll be able to save. It’s a short page, so you’ve really got no excuse to read it first!

Get Your API Keys

First, you need to be a member of the Amazon Associates program. If you’re not already, you’ll need to sign-up. If you are, go ahead and log-in.

Next, you’ll need to sign-up for the Amazon Product Advertising API from your Amazon Associates account. Select “Product Advertising API” from the “Tools” menu from within your Associates account (as below).

Amazon Product Advertising API

Product Advertising API

There is a “sign-up now” button on that page that will take you through the process. Once you’ve submitted the form and been approved, select “Manage Your Account” from the “Success” page.

Follow the instructions on this page from #6. After you get to the Access Keys page, click on “Create New Access Key.” There will already be one created by joining. Create a new one for the API. This confused me for a little bit until I read the instructions. Download the file. It will contain the keys you need to set up the plugin.

Now go back to WordPress and enter the required information in the plugin’s settings page and save it. Now you can get started using the plugin.

Using the Plugin

Once the plugin is all set-up, you can start adding Amazon products to your post or page. Here’s how the edit screen looks with the plugin activated and set-up.

WordPress interface with Amazon plugin

The plugin adds a search box to the post interface as show in the image above. Don’t have the second title field? That’s okay. It’s only there because I’ve got a subtitles plugin installed that adds that field.

To start inserting a product or products, enter a keyword in the field beside the Amazon logo, and click search. You can enter a keyword, title, author, manufacturer, etc. I entered my name and here’s what I got back:

Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin search for Kristen Hocker

Only three of those are really what I’m looking for, but… I can select the products I want by clicking on each one, and then the type of template I want to insert, the associate ID (if I had more than one), and the Amazon marketplace. Here are examples of each of the templates using these product(s). 1

Product Carousel:

Product carousel

Product Ad:

Product ad

Product Grid:

Product grid

Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin price link

You can also set-up your own templates. I did a quick clone of the “Price Link” template, and used just the product title instead of just the price. I wanted to be able to insert a book title into existing text.

Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin Templates

Here’s what the output looks like used within a sentence:

Amazon Associates Link Builder plugin custom template

It inserted the book title and series information. The shortcode looked like this in my text:

Amazon Associates Link Builder shortcode inserted into text

Conclusions

The plugin is still in beta, so there are still updates and changes to come. Amazon is looking for feedback. You can read more, including FAQs, and see more screenshots on the WordPress site.

The set-up is a little more involved than most WordPress plugins, but that’s the cost of working with an API. Still it wasn’t terribly time-consuming, and if you follow directions, not difficult at all.

York County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Records, 1749-1840

I’ve been using the “York County, Pennsylvania Orphans Court Records index, 1749-1840” in researching the families associated with Ulrich Hoover of Adams and York counties. Since I’ve had to go back several times, I’ve been bookmarking the start of surname starting letter sections as I use them.

Randy Seaver suggested in one of his Follow-up Friday posts that bloggers who use the “browse only” databases on FamilySearch.org should “expose these records to the masses, and te[a]ch them how to use them.” So, I thought I’d share these bookmarks to help other York County, Pennsylvania researchers quickly start browsing the index. Then—since it’s a snowy afternoon and there’s nothing else to do—I thought I’d complete the list of links so that it includes each starting letter.

There are 128 film frames in this index. Here are links to the first frame for each surname starting letter:

What are Orphans Court Records?

Why should you care about the Orphans Court records?

Despite the name, these records don’t pertain only to orphans. The Orphans Court dealt with probate issues for those who had died intestate (without a will) and with the appointment of guardians for estate matters for minors. In these records you will find:

  • appointment of guardians,
  • petitions to partition real estate,
  • petition for valuation,
  • real estate returns—the report from the partition inquest,
  • valuation returns,
  • order of real estate sale, and
  • account administrations—although only the record of its being reported, not the full account details.

You may also find the details of who received the real estate owned by the intestate. This usually includes how much they were ordered to pay to the other heirs or legatees and the names of these heirs. All very useful information.

How to Use the Index

In order to use these records, click on a link above to go to the starting page for the first letter of the surname you want to research. Each individual volume—book A, book B, etc.—is indexed by name separately. The dates the volume covers are listed with each volume. Scroll through the pages to look for a volume that covers your target time frame, then look for your surname. Don’t forget to look at volumes for the years after your target. Estates can take years to settle.

Once you’ve found the volume you want to view, click on the county name—”York”—to view the list of books available. Volumes A through 2X are available for York County, Pennsylvania. Click on the appropriate link to pull up that set of volumes. (Sometimes it’s easier to open a second tab so you can keep the index pages available to view.)

You’ll probably need to jump through the images a bit to find the correct volume and page. Just remember, in these volumes one image covers two pages. To skip 100 pages ahead, you’ll only need to move 50 images forward.

Take some time to explore a bit. You’ll get the hang of it! And if you have questions, just let me know. I’d be glad to help.

How to Use the Pennsylvania Probate Records on FamilySearch

The FamilySearch website includes a collection entitled “Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994.” While it isn’t indexed and doesn’t include every county, it’s pretty easy to use once you figure it out.

Probate records can provide quite a bit of family information on your ancestor. A will may tell you how the decedent wanted his property divided and who was to get which pieces. You can get the name of a spouse, children, and associates—as the executor and witnesses were usually people the individual knew and trusted. A will may also point you to other documents. For instance, if the individual ordered that their real estate be sold, you might be able to locate deeds for the sale.

Intestate records may provide the names of the individual’s spouse and children, especially if they were minors and required guardians for their estate or if the decedent’s property needed to be partitioned. In the latter case, you should be able to find deed records for the transfer of ownership to the heir who accepted the property. Later deed transactions may also help you prove family relationships between individuals where there may not be other evidence.

Using this collection is not difficult. Navigating your way through it reminds me a lot of the “old days” of sitting down at a microfilm reader. There are no quick links directly to the information for which you’re looking. So, you’ll need to bounce around until you get to the right page.

Let’s take a look at the Lancaster County probate records.

FamilySearch Pennsylvania Probate Records collection

The available records for Lancaster County include indexes for Letters of Administrations 1730-1830, Orphans’ Court records 1742-1755, and Wills 1729-1947, and Will Books 1730-1908, volumes 1A through 2R. To find a will, you need to start with Will indexes.

Let’s try to find a will for Henry Huber of Martic Township. I  start with “Will Index 1729-1949 A-K.” Clicking on the link pulls up the first frame.

Lancaster County Will Index 1729-1949 A-K
Next I’ll need to try to locate the page(s) that include the Huber surname for first names beginning with the letter “H.” You could scroll page by page, but I usually estimate a starting point and go back/forth from there until I locate the page. I guestimated about image 200 and came up short with the Daub surname and jumped forward until I landed in close proximity to my target, then scrolled image-by-image until I hit the right page. All in all, I’d say it only took a few minutes to find the entry for Henry Huber.

Lancaster County Will Book Index
As you can see from the image (click to enlarge), Henry Huber is the first entry. His will was dated 1757 and is located in Will Book B1, page 202. Since the book is online, I can go to find a copy of the will.

Click on the word “Lancaster” in the breadcrumb trail above the image to open the list of links to available books again.

Breadcrumb link for Lancaster County probate records
I clicked on “Wills 1730-1773 vol A-B.” Book B is the second book in this series, so I need to jump forward until I’ve reached it. If there are two books, I go forward about half the number of images and adjust from there. Each image for a book contains a two-page spread, so jumping forward 10 images will jump you ahead 20 pages.

A little back and forth and ta-da! Henry Huber’s 1757 last will and testament.

Lancaster County Will Book B:202
The various counties in Pennsylvania have different records available to view. For instance, York and Adams counties not only have wills, but also the orphans court records. That means that you can find proceedings for intestates and guardianship petitions. The format of the indexes may also vary from county to county. Instead of a strictly alphabetical and chronological list, some of them use the Russell key indexing system. It uses key letters within the surname to index the names in groups which are then separated out by first name.

If you have Pennsylvania ancestors, give the collection a try and let me know what you find! If you have questions, you can let me know those, too.

How to Use the Online Land Records at the PA State Archives

If you’ve read my blog, you’ll know that I use land records—a lot! I’ve mentioned warrants, patents and deeds in a number of posts. They’re some of my favorite record groups. And best of all, depending on where your ancestor lived, the records may be available online for free.

This blog post is going to explain how to use the land records available online at the PA State Archives. These records are organized by record and then either by county or volume and surname. They have been scanned and placed online as PDFs by page. The records include:

  • Warrant Registers
  • Copied Survey Books
  • Patent Indexes
  • Patent Tract Name Index
  • Indexes of Selected Original (Loose) Surveys
  • East Side Applications (Register)
  • West Side Applications (Register)
  • Philadelphia Old Rights (Index)
  • Old Rights Index: Bucks and Chester Counties
  • New Purchase Register
  • Original Purchases Register
  • Last Purchase Register
  • Luzerne County Certified Townships
  • Donation Lands
  • Depreciation Land Register
  • Warrantee Township Maps
  • Melish-Whiteside Maps

I’m going to focus on the records in bold.

To understand how to use these records, it’s important to understand how the process worked in Colonial Pennsylvania.1 Technically, William Penn owned all of the land in Pennsylvania. A settler would apply to the land office for land. Before 1687, these applications were typically oral and not recorded. After 1687, they were recorded in the minute books of the Commissioners of Property. The minutes can be found in Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Volume 19 and Third Series, Volume 1.

After the application, a warrant was issued to authorize a survey of the land. The warrants I’ve seen specify the name of the warrantee, the location of the desired property (sometimes rather generally), the amount of land, the quit-rent—and sometimes the date from which the rent commences—and the price per acre. The issuance of a warrant, however, does not mean that the applicant actually owned the property.

When a warrant was issued, orders were sent to the surveyor to survey the property and draw a map of the courses and bounds, the acreage, and the neighbors. After a survey was done, the applicant would have to pay for the land and provide evidence of their improvements to the property. In viewing the survey books, there are sometimes multiple surveys of a tract of land. Sometimes the original applicant failed to follow through, sometimes they sold their “rights” to someone else prior to the patent, or sometimes subsequent owners required a re-survey.

Once the survey was complete and the land paid for, a warrant of return was sent to the surveyor general, who in turn sent the survey to the secretary’s office so that a patent could be issued. The patent is the document that transferred ownership of the property to the settler.

So, warrants, patents and surveys deal with transfers of land between the Pennsylvania land office and the settler. Records of land transferred between individuals will be found—if recorded—at the Recorder of Deeds for the appropriate county. This may not be the same as the modern county. For more information on the historical transformation of the counties, take a look at the Genealogical Map of the Counties.

Patents

Ulrich Huber patent reference

Ulrich Hoober, Patent Book A11:408

If you know that your ancestor received a patent for their property, you can begin with the Patent Indexes. How would I know that, you ask. Often, deeds—sometimes several transactions removed from the patent—will reference the original patent for the property. You may have seen something like:

It being the same tract of land which the late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania by their Patent dated the twenty eighth day of September A. Dom. 1744 and recorded at the Rolls Office at Philadelphia in Patent Book A vol 11 page 408 &c did grant & confirm to Ulrich Hoover his heirs and assigns forever…2

If you haven’t seen a reference like this, but want to know if your ancestor was an early landholder, the Patent Indexes are still a good place to start. The Patent Indexes will not only provide the patent book, volume and page number for a patent, but will also identify the name of the original warrantee and the date of the warrant. This will make it possible to locate the warrant and survey if your ancestor was not the original warrantee.

  1. First, go to the Patent Indexes page on the State Archives site. The records are arranged by series, which are arranged by date. Choose the series you want to review.
  2. Next find the list of pages for the first letter of your ancestor’s surname. Be prepared to check multiple spellings if they apply. I’ve found “Brenneman” listed under both “B” and “P.”
  3. Check the available pages to see if your ancestor is listed. Each page is a separate PDF file, so you may need to download and open each file in Adobe Reader if your browser doesn’t have a plugin to view PDF files.
  4. Each listing includes: series and volume, date of patent, page number, patentee name, area in acres and perches, name of warrantee, name of tract (if available), date of warrant, and county.

If you find your ancestor, make note of the series, volume, page and date of the patent. You’ll need this information if you want to order the patent from the Archives. You should also note the name of the original warrantee, the date of warrrant and the county. This will be necessary for the next step.

In the image above, we have a patent for Woolrick Hoober, dated 20 Sep 1744, with 226 acres in Patent Book A11, page 408. We can also see that he is listed as the original warrantee for a warrant dated 19 Sep 1744 in Lancaster County.

Warrants

Woolerick Hoober, Warrant H338

Woolerick Hoober, Warrant H338, Lancaster County

Now that you have the name of the warrantee, warrant date and county, you can look-up the warrant and survey information in the Warrant Registers. These registers cover approximately 70% of all land in Pennsylvania for 1733—1957. If the warrant date is 1733 or later, follow these instructions.

  1. Go to the Warrant Registers page on the State Archives site. The registers are first arranged by county. Click on the link to the appropriate county.
  2. The pages for each register are listed first alphabetically by the first initial of the warrantee’s surname, then chronologically.
  3. Check the pages to see if the warrantee is listed.
  4. Each listing should include: warrant number, warrantee, type of warrant, quantity of land, warrant location, date of warrant, date of return, acreage returned, name(s) of patentee(s), where the patent is recorded (book, volume, page), and where the survey was copied (book, volume, page). Sometimes there are multiple patentees or surveys for each warrant. Sometimes the warrant was vacated and no information is available.

Woolrick Hoober’s listing tells us that he was issued a warrant (#338) to accept a survey of 226 acres in Conestoga Township, dated 19 Sep 1744. The patent was issued 19 Sep 1744 on 226 acres. The patent is listed in Book A11, page 408 and the survey is in book D88, page 127.

If the warrant date was before 1733, you’ll need to check the Old Rights Index for Bucks and Chester counties or the Philadelphia Old Rights Register.

Surveys

Woolrick Hoober, Survey Book D88:127

Woolrick Hoober, Survey Book D88:127

With the location of the survey from the Warrantee register, the next step is a piece of cake.

  1. Go to the Copied Survey Books page.
  2. Select the appropriate page for the book and volume.
  3. Click on the page link.
  4. Each survey should provide either a description of the metes and bounds or a drawing of the tract’s boundaries with the calls and the names of the tract’s neighbors. The survey also usually shows the date of the survey, name of surveyor, who the land was surveyed for, the date of the warrant, and the warrantee.

Ulrich’s survey shows that John Line, Jacob Hoober, and John DeHoof were his neighbors at the time of the survey—20 Oct 1728.

Warrantee Township Maps

Maps for some of the townships were drawn up showing all of the original landholders—those who received the property directly from the Proprietors or the Commonwealth—within the context of the present-day townships. Unfortunately, not every township was mapped.

Pequea Warrantee Township Map

Pequea Warrantee Township Map

To find a map of the township were your ancestor held property, you need to know the relationship between the historical township and the modern township. For instance, Ulrich Hoober’s tract was in Conestoga township when he received the patent in 1744. Two modern townships—Conestoga and Pequea—make up the historical 1729 township.3 You can see Ulrich Hoober’s property in the context of the township’s other properties in the Pequea Warrantee Township map.

Don’t forget, using this information you can order a copy of the land warrant or patent from the Pennsylvania State Archives. If you know the reference—warrant number, warrantee and county of warrant for warrants or patentee, patent date, book, volume and page number for patents—you can order an uncertified copy fairly inexpensively. If you don’t have that information, you can also order a search by the staff archivist. That, of course, will cost you more. Warrantee township maps are also available for sale.

If you can visit the state archives in Harrisburg, you can use the information you found through the online records to locate the documents on microfilm, saving time looking up the references so you can research other records.

That’s a fairly quick explanation of warrants, patents and surveys at the Pennsylvania State Archives website. These instructions should work for most properties. However, there will be exceptions (aren’t there always?). If you have questions, leave a comment or drop me a line. I’d be glad to help however I can.

Note: modified to include new PHMC screenshot.