American Ancestors: Perks Well Worth the Cost

Disclaimer: All thoughts & opinions are my own. I do not receive compensation or consideration for posts. 

I've subscribed to AmericanAncestors for several years. I've found there are some great benefits to being a member. I do all of my research online, so having extra resources beyond those found on the big 4 websites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast) always interests me. 

Ho-hum perks of being a member: They offer the ability to build your tree on the site, But, I didn't find the interface to be anything special - certainly not as good as Ancestry. They also offer a quarterly magazine, but I'm not a big fan of magazines (digital or otherwise) so this wasn't a big factor for me. They also feature additional publications and tools you might be interested in checking out. I haven't used these myself, but they are on the site.

The perks I DO really like are:

• Access to 10 billion searchable names and records in the AmericanAncestors database
• Free access to partner databases

Let's break it down a little. As far as the searchable records on the site, they offer access to hundreds of databases. The search screen shows they currently have 507 databases. Some of these are not necessarily different from databases you may already have access to via the big 4 sites. But 224 are touted as being unique to AmericanAncestors. They also have a Digital Library & Archives containing digitized materials from three repositories: the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (highlighting records for New England's Jewish community) R. Stanton Avery Special Collections (including family bibles and genealogies among other select records), and the Brim-DeForest Library (a book collection including family and local histories as well as other books). Not all of these collections will be of interest to every family researcher, but certainly these additional repositories could be beneficial to some.

And then there's the magic of partner databases! 

Let's start with a site currently experiencing some issues. NewspaperArchive is normally about $140 per year (I used to subscribe, but stopped when the National Genealogical Society offered it as a free perk of their membership.) I noticed today AmericanAncestors also offers access with their membership. Currently the site is recovering from a service disruption, but hopefully it will be back online soon. Is this newspaper site better than Newspapers.com, OldNews or GenealogyBank? It's hard to give a solid answer. Your research needs may be different than mine, and newspaper coverage can vary widely by site and area. I haven't had the best luck with NewspaperArchive, but I like having the option to search at no additional cost! 

In the past, I also subscribed to Genealogical to access their eBooks in the Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC) eBook Collection. Their current subscription rate is $135 per year. Their digital collection is fully searchable, both within titles and text. You can now access this collection for free with an AmericanAncestors subscription! This is an absolutely awesome perk! I had been waiting to renew until I needed to use the collection, so this was a fantastic surprise.

Additional third party partner databases include:

• Archives Unbound
• Gale OneFile: Diversity Studies 
• The Gale OneFile: Fine Arts & Music Collection 
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
• Informe Academico
• Irish Newspaper Archives
• HistoryGeo.com
• The HistoryMakerss
• 19th Century U.S. Newspapers
• Early American Newspapers Series 1
• The New York Times
• Parchemin Notarial Database
• Genealogy Quebec

I haven't added up the value of having all these databases available, but certainly, the value far exceeds the cost of membership to AmericanAncestors.

I used to pay for an individual membership at AmericanAncestors at a cost of $99.95 per year. This level also includes (in addition to the features listed above) free admission to American Ancestors in Boston, discounts on programs and services, and exclusive offers - including 10% off a Tier 1 membership to GEDmatch (the value of this is about $12). If you live in the area and want to access in person, it's still a very good deal. But I don't live nearby and am not planning on visiting - so I didn't really need the bells and whistles. When it came time to renew this year, I was on the fence. I was cutting back a little on my subscriptions and I was just going to let this one lapse until I needed it. And then I received the email there was a subscription level I didn't see displayed anywhere when browsing the site...

It's a digital subscription only. For only $49.95 per year, I replaced 2 subscriptions - NewspaperArchive AND GPC library (worth $275 if I subscribed direct) AND I still have access to all the other partner databases. It was a no brainer for me. I did lose the free in person access (though passes are available at $20 per day if needed), the discounts on programs and services and the exclusive offers (but the GEDmatch discount wasn't terribly substantial anyway).

So, if you like to have a lot of other database options, for $49.95 per year AmericanAncestors is truly a fantastic value. If you aren't yet convinced, you can sign up for a free guest membership to access a limited number of databases, and get a feel for whether you'd like to upgrade to a digital or individual membership. I believe the digital membership is by far the best value if you do the majority of your research online.

Image by klimkin from Pixabay

Detailed Instructions for Using RootsMagic to Create a Minimal GEDCOM

 I like to have my tree on multiple sites. A few times a year, I've been creating a GEDCOM from either Ancestry or Family Tree Maker (FTM) and uploading it to MyHeritage and Findmypast. These are simply the sites I choose to use. If and where to upload GEDCOMs is a personal preference, depending on your specific needs.

There  are numerous other sites and software where GEDCOMS are accepted. Reasons one might want to upload could include:

• My #1 reason - having easy access to hinting from the sites I subscribe to
• Keeping multiple online backups
• Searching for more DNA matches
• Collaborating with relatives and family groups
• Utilizing specific research tools provided by software or websites

GEDCOM files generally contain a lot of information, most often including citations and facts, and potentially media depending on the program used to create the file. I've long wanted to be able to create a minimal GEDCOM, since all I'm interested in is hinting. I wanted a GEDCOM with only name, birth date/location, death date/location, marriage/location and divorce/location. I only want the basics...just enough to provide sufficient data to prompt the algorithms for hints. 

My preferred desktop software is FTM. I can absolutely export a GEDCOM, but the options for filtering the contents are slim. Ancestry provides a one-size-fits-all download solution, no editing options there. GEDCOMs can be manually edited, but it's simply not a viable option for trees with large amounts of people and data. At one point, I found a website where they used to offer a program with the ability create exactly the file I was after (called The Complete Genealogy Builder). Sadly, the software has been discontinued and is no longer available for purchase. I didn't want to have to buy (or learn) new software specifically for creating these GEDCOMs. With a little persistence, I found a way to do it reasonably easily with RootsMagic. While not my preferred software, I do have the most recent paid version (RM11). According to Google, you very may be able to do this process with the free version, RootsMagic Essentials, as well. It does take a few minutes of setup each time you want to create this type of GEDCOM, but it's by far the easiest way I've found to do it. Here's are the detailed steps.

First, export your GEDCOM from your preferred software, or download from your preferred site, such as Ancestry. (Note: If you're a RootsMagic user, I'd still recommend exporting and working with the GEDCOM separate from your main research tree. If anything goes wrong or you make an error, you don't want to risk messing up all your hard work!) Since the main sites I upload to already privatize living people, I don't worry about doing it in my GEDCOM. But it's important to double check how the uploaded file is handled on each site. As an example, GEDmatch requires you to privatize your own file. Be sure you check each site's requirements so you don't encounter any unexpected surprises or problems.

Once you have your initial GEDCOM, import it into RootsMagic by selecting File > Create a New RootsMagic File > Import > GEDCOM > and select the location of your GEDCOM file.

Then, open your newly created file and select Tools > Fact Tools > Add or Modify Fact Types. Then Run the Selected Tool. You should have a screen like this:

Next is the most time consuming part. You'll need to edit each fact you don't want in the GEDCOM. Select the Fact Type and click Edit. You'll want to UNCHECK Include When Exporting GEDCOM Files. Then click OK. (Facts have this box checked by default). 

For facts you are keeping in the GEDCOM (especially if you use custom facts) be sure to check each one to determine if Use Description Field is included by default or not. You may wish to make adjustments to include or exclude them, depending on the purpose of your GEDCOM, and the information you're entering in the field. As an example, I have custom Marriage and Divorce fields to record timeline events for additional spouses I'm not researching or including in my tree. These facts are set up as individual person facts (not family or shared facts as the standard Marriage and Divorce facts are). In these cases, I include the name of the additional spouse in my description. Even on a minimal GEDCOM, I want to have the names visible when I upload to another site, so I must ensure those facts are using the Description.

You'll have to go thru every fact type one by one. When you're done excluding all the facts you don't want, and verifying the description use on the fields you do want, click OK on the bottom of the Fact Types screen. 

This is where I wish there was an option to save, but unfortunately, there is not. You'll have to repeat this process each time you want to create a minimal GEDCOM. CAUTION: Your fact changes will be lost after you exit the file you're working with, regardless of whether you save it or not.  It's critical you do the GEDCOM export prior to closing the file you're working with. The good news? Now, you're ready to export your modified GEDCOM! 

Click on File > Export Data > GEDCOM

From here, you can specify where you want the file exported. I recommend reimporting the file into RootsMagic (or your preferred software) to double check and make sure everything looks just as you want it. Once you've verified, you're ready to upload to the sites or software where you want to use this GEDCOM. 

Here are links on how to import GEDCOMs to the major websites:

• Ancestry - Uploading a Family Tree
• MyHeritage - How do I upload (import) a GEDCOM file to my family site on MyHeritage?
• Findmypast - How to import your family tree using a GEDCOM file
• FamilySearch - How do I upload my GEDCOM file?
• GEDmatch - Uploading a GEDCOM File on GEDmatch - Genetic Genealogy Research (VIDEO)

I've also updated my Genealogy Toolbox to include these links, under GEDCOMs, in case you'd like to reference them in the future.

There are any number of reasons you might want to create a minimal GEDCOM. The facts you wish to include may be completely different than those I use. But the creation process is the same! It only takes 1/2 hour or so to create a minimal GEDCOM using RootsMagic. Perhaps in the future more software or websites will offer easier ways to do this, but this process accomplishes the goal without the need for time consuming manual editing or purchasing additional software. If you've long wanted a way to do this, or if you've found other easier ways to do it, let me know! 

Dead or Alive? Divorced or Widowed?

As shown in 1911 and 1912 directories 

It's tempting to assume a spouse is dead when we wee someone listed as widow or widower. Such was the case when I found my 1st cousin 3x removed listed as a widow in the "St Joseph, Missouri, City Directory" in both 1911 and 1912. Though the addresses were different (but near one another), the message was the same. Amanda was, sadly, a widow.

Amanda Hortense James (1844-1932) married Fred Smith Lathrop March 29th, 1882, when she was 38 years old. It was her first marriage. Due to her age, it wasn't surprising they had no children. I felt a bit sad for her. She finally married, only to lose her husband. But this wasn't really the full picture!

When I got around to adding the 1910 census for Amanda, imagine my surprise to see her listed not as a widow - but divorced (and living with her sister).

Year: 1910; Census Place: St Joseph Ward 8, Buchanan, Missouri

But, in the 1920 census, she was once again listed again as a widow.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Chicago Ward 23, Cook (Chicago), Illinois

There were clearly two versions of the story. It wasn't unusual at the time for a divorced woman to say she was widowed, or perhaps even still married. Divorce still had quite a lot of stigma attached to it at the time. I tended to lean towards divorced since the 1910 census was the earliest mention of it, but with conflicting information, I had to set out in search of more records.

Fred Smith Lathrop (1852-1927) wasn't really high on my research priorities list. But this glaring difference in the records made me go back and give him a second look. Turns out, I found another marriage record for him from August of 1905, when he married a woman by the name of Josefa. I also found him in the 1910 and the 1920 census (though he was misrepresented as Ted instead of Fred in 1920). But, in both cases, the unusual name of Josefa made it clear I was looking at the same couple. Fred and Josefa remained married until Fred's true death in December 16tn, 1927.

Amanda never remarried. She continued to use the Lathrop surname until she passed away in April 1932. I'll never know if she claimed to be widowed to avoid social stigma, she was embarrassed, or because the divorce had been so painful she preferred to say Fred was dead. I still haven't located a divorce record to shed light on the reason for the split, or exactly when it happened. But it was clearly between the 1900 census, when Amanda and Fred were still together, and his next marriage in 1905.

This really reminded me not to make assumptions, and not to take everything at face value. Whenever possible, it's always best to have more than one source for the most important facts of birth, marriage, divorce, and death. Granted, there are time periods when finding even one record can be challenging. And it may not always be possible to verify every date. In some cases, we just have to make an educated guess. In these cases, I try to use "about" "before" or "after" to help remind me to watch for more information, and to indicate to others I'm not 100% sure - so they will hopefully be equally cautious and perhaps locate a record I've not yet found.