Archive Pages

  • 23andMe Works with Genentech on Parkinson’s Disease

    Apr 9

    23andMe made an agreement with Genentech in January of 2015. The goal is to generate the whole genome sequencing data for approximately 3,000 people in 23andMe's Parkinson's disease community. The hope is that this collaboration will identify new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease is a progressive disord...

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  • Genetics and PTSD

    Apr 8

    PTSD is generally considered to be a mental, or emotional, disorder that appears after a person has experienced trauma. Recently, researchers found that there appears to be some genetic influences that play a role in PTSD. This knowledge could lead to new ways to treat the disorder. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Mayo Clinic...

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  • Genealogy Libraries in San Luis Obispo County

    Apr 7

    San Luis Obispo county is located in the Central coast of California. There are two genealogical libraries located in this county. Genealogists that live nearby can take make good use of them. Each one could also be useful for genealogists who are looking for records that connect to relatives who lived in this county. The two Genealogical So...

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  • Why Mitochondrial DNA is Important to Genealogists

    Apr 6

    Genealogists seek out information about their relatives and ancestors. They want to know how everyone is related to each other and to “fill in the blanks” where information is missing. Mitochondrial DNA can help genealogists discover new relatives, find out more about their heritage, and provide matrilineal information. Mitochondria is part ...

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  • Things to Ask Your Older Relatives. Four Interview Prompts.

    Apr 2

    There are a lot of families that have a collection of stories that are handed down from one generation to another. In addition, there are stories that haven't been as wildly shared, but are also important to record. It can be difficult for family historians to figure out where to begin or how to learn more. Start with these four questions that...

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  • 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Favorite Photo

    Apr 1

    Looking for an interesting way to add some photos to your family history blog? The No Story Too Small blog has an creative way to do it. It is part of their “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” project. The “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” project gives genealogists and family historians some wonderful ideas that will help them write about 52 different ...

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  • Send the Baby by Parcel Post

    Mar 26

    Did people really mail infants across the country via Parcel Post? The idea is both amusing and somewhat disturbing at the same time. It brings to mind images of babies snugly tucked inside mail bags with stamps glued to their foreheads. What really happened? It is entirely possible that one of your ancestors was sent by Parcel Post. People ...

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  • Your Female Ancestor May have Fought in the Civil War

    Mar 25

    It has been said that America's Civil War was fought “brother against brother”. This is true, for the most part. What many don't realize is that some of the soldiers were women. They had to pass themselves off as men in order to enlist. One of your female ancestors may have been among them. The Smithsonian has an interesting article titled �...

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  • Your Family Name Didn’t Change at Ellis Island

    Mar 24

    There are a lot of stories out there that give details about how an ancestor's surname got changed when he or she arrived at Ellis Island. The typical story includes a part where an officer at Ellis Island wrote the ancestor's surname down incorrectly, or shortened it, or otherwise altered it. It turns out that the majority of those stories are not...

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  • Great Apps that Help with Genealogy

    Mar 23

    The ability to do genealogy research at your home computer, without having to travel to courthouses and libraries, is awesome! Doing it on-the-go is the next step. Mobile devices are quite useful for genealogists who need to take notes of photos to go with their genealogy research. Here's a few great apps that can help with genealogy. Here an...

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