I've previously tested my mtDNA and Autosomal DNA (Family Finder) with Family Tree DNA. I've also tested my Dad's y-DNA and have an order in for a y-DNA test for my maternal uncle. I have to confess that I haven't really had any real results with these tests, though I have enjoyed the experience and very much like the company. I have a few leads with my Family Finder results, but no confirmed connection yet.
Despite/Because of this, I'm tempted to try testing with another company, 23andMe. Their website is being buggy, but it looks like they offer one all inclusive test for $199. I think this test would cover both mtDNA and Autosomal DNA (Relative Finder), but I'm having trouble navigating the website and their FAQ page is somewhat vague (when compared to Family Tree DNA).
I have seen others genealogists have recently taken the 23andMe test. Can anyone confirm what the test includes and if they are happy with their results so far?
As many genealogists like to point out, not all resources are online, though a lot of them are. And once you find that online resource you might think that was it. But is it? If you had the chance to look at that record in person, would you? I'd recommend that you do.
If you seek out the original record, or even the "original" microfilm the record was copied from, you might find additional documentation and records. Or you might simply be able to obtain a copy superior to the one available online. When records are put online they are usually done in very large quantities at a very fast rate, which almost always seems to lead to errors. Who hasn't tried to read a washed out census page and wondered how it got past quality control?
Take for example the Georgia Archive's Virtual Vault. They have a ton of great information online, including land records, death certificates, and marriage records. I've found so many original documents through their site, such as this marriage record for my GGG-Grandfather, Thomas T Albea:
But last time I went down to the archive, I went ahead and pulled up the marriage records on microfilm. Here's the same record:
A huge difference huh? The image online is faded and light, whereas the second is nice and dark. Also, the original image is low resolution that doesn't get much bigger than what you see here, whereas the second image is of much higher resolution and can be viewed at a much larger scale. When I pulled up the record in person, I was able to adjust the brightness and contrast how I wanted and then save a very high resolution copy to my flash drive. I'll be able to do a lot more with the second copy than the original.
Thanks to a recent FamilyTreeDNA.com sale, I was able to purchase a 36 marker Y-DNA test for my Uncle Roy. I've wanted to do this for a while so that I could trace my mother's side of the family. It's been difficult to trace the Albea family and I wonder if DNA might help.
When I purchased the DNA test I also searched for a Surname Project to join. Not surprisingly, there was no group for the Albea name (or Alby, as the oldest known ancestor spelled it). So, I started one!
If there is anyone else with the Albea (Alby, Albey, Albee, Allbee, Aulby, etc) surname who would like to join, please do! If you are a female, you will need to have a male Albea relative take the test, as I've done with my Uncle. Please visit the the group order form page to purchase a test: http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=Albea or join the group if you've already been tested. If you order a test through the group, you will receive a discount (I strongly suggest order a test larger than the 12 marker test, which provides very minimal results).
I received a voicemail yesterday, informing me that I had microfilm available. This would be the first microfilm I received through the local Family History Center (I initially ordered three reels four weeks ago). The process to retrieve my film was simple: the new films are in one drawer and films ready to be sent back are in another. They also had numerous other drawers filled with "indefinite" microfilm reels with names of patrons on them.
The film I received was Minutes and Membership Lists, 1842-1859 for Hawhammock Missionary Baptist Church in Swainsboro, Emanuel, Georgia. I know that multiple generations of my paternal grandmother's family attended this church. I was hoping to find mention of deaths, baptisms and perhaps births and weddings in this film.
I didn't end up finding everything I was looking for, in part because the title of the film is misleading. It should be "partial" or "fragmented" Minutes and Membership Lists - because that's exactly what they are. At times 10 to 20 years were missing from the minutes. This was unfortunate, because the minutes did in fact include obituaries and baptisms, as well as other religious events. Of course, most of the years I needed were the ones that were missing.
I did find a few things of interest however, including a membership list from 1938 which listed my Great-Grandmother (click the image on the right to see a bigger image). Her name, Ledora Britt, is crossed out and marked "dead," though no date is given.
And you'll notice that the image has been stitched together from multiple images. I don't know if it was the older machines (hand crank) or the film, but I couldn't zoom out far enough to see the entire width of the image. I ended up taking multiple pictures of the screen and stitching them together.
And while I was waiting on this film to arrive, I discovered that the Georgia Archive has a copy (c'mon GA-A, index your film on something more hi-tech than a physical card catalogue!). I'll be back there again on Thursday, so I'll take a look at this film on a newer machine and see if I can get a better view. Also, I'll be able to save to flash drive there.
I have two more films coming in soon, so I'll see how that experience goes before deciding to order any more film.
