The Geni Blog

New Enhancements: Sharing & Merging

Merging

The View Profiles link for pending merges in your merge issues list now uses the new side-by-side format. This allows for faster merging with better verification to help you get through those mere issue quicker.

Sharing

Shared profiles are historical and famous profiles that anyone can find and view. Your family and collaborators can edit any profile you share. Sharing a profile helps the Geni community find and merge around common ancestors.

Anytime you add a new profile to the tree you now have the option to make it a shared profile. When you add a profile outside of your maximum family group (your default family group plus inlaws connected through ex's) it will be shared by default. You can uncheck the Share This Profile setting if you don't want to share that profile.

You can also share all of the profiles you've previously added outside of your maximum family group in one click. Look for the Share Profiles button on your manage profiles settings page.

• This will only share profiles that you manage
• This will not share the profile of anyone who has joined Geni or been invited to Geni
• This will not affect any close relatives (fourth cousins and closer)
• You can not undo this bulk change, but you can individually unshare profiles

Share the historical profiles you manage

Improved Hot Matches!

Hot matches are the quickest way to grow your family tree. Use hot matches to:

* Compare your tree to over 50 million profiles to find duplicates
* Save time adding new branches to your family tree
* Connect with other users that share common relatives

We recently added immediate family name matching to increase the relevance of hot matches. Matches are now based on first name, last name, maiden name, birth year, death year, gender, living/deceased, and immediate family names to provide the most accurate matches possible.

View hot matches now

GenTips: Finding Those Elusive Female Ancestors

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo celebrates Women's History month by helping you find your elusive female ancestors.

Do you have an elusive female ancestor that you just can’t seem to find?

She may be the one listed as Mary (blank) in your pedigree chart because you are unable to identify her maiden name; or the first wife of your great-grandfather who seemed to just “disappear” after the 1880 census, but you are unable to locate a death record or burial plot, or the great aunt who supposedly came to the U.S. in the early 20th century but fails to turn up in any online passenger list records.

There’s no question that finding our female ancestors can seem a difficult and seemingly impossible task when compared to their male counterparts. This is due in part to the fact that most genealogical records prior to the 20th century focus on men since they typically owned the property, controlled the government, businesses, etc. Few women left diaries or letters, especially immigrant women who spoke little or no English. But sometimes the problem isn’t that the records are not available, but rather how thoroughly we investigate the sources presented to us. However, with a solid research strategy, carefully honed sleuthing skills, the ability to be open to possibilities and take risks, and a good dose of patience and persistence, you can fill in those blanks. Here are a few quick tips to get you started:

1. Check all records for her husband, especially tax, property, and naturalization records. Also check records for siblings. Look for clues in photographs, newspapers, yearbooks, bridal books, employment, convent, military, and other records.
2. Note the possibility of more than one marriage and multiple burial markers.
3. Learn naming practices and patterns and note regional, cultural, and religious influences. Investigate different suffixes for female surnames (e.g., -ova; -datter, etc.) and add these to a woman’s name when searching databases.
4. Pay attention to spelling variations, and handwriting/transcription errors when searching census, immigration or vital records.
5. Create a timeline to place the woman’s life in historical context.  Geni.com provides customizable free timelines for each ancestor you include in your tree.  If you don’t have a Geni account, it takes just a few minutes to create one.

March is designated as “Women’s History Month.” Consider using this month to focus your research on your female lines. With some extra sleuthing you just might be able to erase the blanks from your pedigree chart, to find those missing pieces and break through the silence to tell your female ancestors’ stories.

Author, instructor, and lecturer, Lisa A. Alzo teaches the  “Finding Your Female Ancestors” course for GenClas

If you enjoyed this Genealogy Tip by Lisa please join us again in a couple weeks for more. In the meantime, get out there and interview your family members and preserve your family history on Geni.

GenTips: Research Resolutions

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo helps you with your research resolutions for the new year.

The start of every New Year is a time for reflection about our personal and professional accomplishments during the previous 12 months. It's also the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate and identify areas for improvement. You can use the month of January to set some family history research resolutions. Here are five possibilities:

1. Get Some Goals – Formulate one or more specific research goals. What do you want to learn? Your ancestor's marriage date? His spouses name? Finding great-grandpa's immigration date/passenger list? Be as specific as possible.
2. Set Your Strategy – Record as much as you can from original documents and records. Include names and spelling variations, family relationships, dates of birth, marriage, and death. Make guesses about what you already know (estimate when your ancestors married; speculate on the spouses name; identify a range of possible immigration dates, etc.).
3. Seek Your Sources – Research which records will likely prove your hypotheses. Find out if they're available, where to get them, and in what format. List all options. Then, decide on the order in which you'll seek the records, and how to get them.
4. Document, Document, Document – It's often said that genealogy without documentation is mythology. Cite all of your sources carefully. For guidance, consult the Board for Certification of Genealogists Web site.
5. Review, Revise, Recharge – Review notes from your family history conversations, your genealogical software, and collected documents. Then, make detailed notes, and add any new data to your charts. Revise/update as necessary and make changes to your approach.

Bonus tip:  Connect your family.  Sign up with Geni to start building and sharing your family tree!

You can set additional goals, but this list should get you off and running.

Resolve to make 2009 your most productive research year ever!

If you enjoyed this Genealogy Tip by Lisa please join us again in a couple weeks for more. In the meantime, get out there and interview your family members and preserve your family history on Geni.

Using Outside Sources to Help with Your Family Tree

Because many Geni users are just getting started with their family history research, occasionally we like to share helpful resources thay may assist you in your research.Today's guest blogger Lee Everton presents Everton's Genealogical Helper. Make sure you check out the special offer at the end for Geni users:

As you enter new family members on your family tree, you will arrive at a point where it becomes more difficult to add branches to your family tree. There are several ways to get past this stumbling block. One is using the internet for research. A great way to use the internet is outlined in the November 2008 issue of Everton's Genealogical Helper in the article, "Your Geni.com Tree - Plant it, Water it, and Watch it Grow!" You should read this article to see all that Geni.com has to offer to every member of the family. That being said, there is another way to get over the stumbling block that you may have forgotten ... using printed sources.

The internet has a wealth of information and makes it easy to contact and stay in contact with others who might be working on your family line. But, much new information can be found in magazines such as Everton's Genealogical Helper. This is a sampling of what you will find in the latest issue of Everton's Genealogical Helper:

• Your Geni.com Tree - Plant it, Water it, and Watch it Grow!
• The Hereditary Order of the First Families of the Presidents and First Ladies of America
• Finding My Father - Don't believe everything you hear.
• Improving Your Genealogical Success Rate
• The 2008 American Community Survey - Were you required to fill in the forms?
• The Beginners Corner - Ideas to help you get started.
• Computer Helper - Reviews of CD-ROMs and Software for genealogists.
• On The Bookshelf - New books reviewed in the world of family history.
• Net Family History - Over 50 pages of website reviews, computer how-to's, software reviews and articles about various website services (such as GENI.com).
• Bureau of Missing Ancestors - People are always looking for information on their families. After all, why are you using GENI.com? The BMA gives you another resource to contact people who might be looking for your ancestors.
• On The Horizon - An exhaustive calendar of genealogical events sponsored by local societies, libraries and national groups. Dates and locations are provided along with who to contact.

There is so much more that is impossible to list here. Every issue of Everton's Genealogical Helper has more than 170 pages that are packed with information to help you find your ancestors.

Perhaps, when you are using one of the "other" sources to help you discover more of your family history, you will find new information that can be added to your family tree right here at Geni.com.

Everton's Genealogical Helper magazine has made it possible for Geni.com users to get a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to the online version of The Helper ($12 value) and receive TWO FREE PEDIGREE CHARTS ($30 value) when you subscribe to Everton's Genealogical Helper magazine for only $29 for an entire year. This is only available to members of the Geni.com community through this link: Geni.com Special.

GenTips: The Next Best Thing to Being There - Virtual Family Reunions

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo helps you plan a "virtual family reunion".

Family reunions have traditionally provided a way to build and strengthen family ties.  Getting together with favorite cousins, long-lost relatives, or newly discovered kin provides a fabulous opportunity to reminisce about favorite family memories or share newly discovered details about your family tree.  But if you’re finding that tough economic times combined with conflicting schedules prevents you from planning or attending an “in person” gathering, why not consider the concept of a virtual family reunion (VFR)?  Computers, the Internet and other “high tech tools” make it easier than ever to connect with loved ones as often as you’d like.  Here are a few simple steps to set up a free family reunion online.

1. Identify Invitees – First, make a list of all family members you would like to invite to your VFR.  If you’ve been the organizer of a traditional family reunion in the past, pull out the guest list from the last gathering; if not, contact the reunion’s organizer who should have everyone’s contact information.
2. Ask for E-mail Addresses – It’s pretty likely that most of your family members will have a computer and Internet access, and an e-mail address.  If you don’t have someone’s e-mail address, call or write to them to ask for it.  While it’s hard to believe that there are folks out there who don’t use e-mail, this could be a possibility with some older family members (I have some aunts and uncles who don’t use e-mail).  If this is the case, try to enlist the help of the individual’s children or grandchildren or perhaps another relative to possibly get them set up with an e-mail account so that they won’t be left out of the loop.
3. Set Your Reunion “Site” – Just as you reserve a physical venue (picnic area, rental hall, resort, etc.) for a real-life gathering, you will need to find a place in cyberspace to hold your virtual family reunion.  Geni.com offers a free site to help you connect with family members to build a collaborative family tree and share information.  If you haven’t set up an account with Geni, you can do so in minutes.  Simply go to www.geni.com to get started.
4. Plan Your Program – When you hold a traditional family reunion, activities are often planned in advance.  You can do this with your online meetings too.  Start by adding content to your Geni.com site:  build a basic family tree, post photographs, family news, calendar items, and more.  Perhaps you can post photographs or video clips of past family reunions, weddings, holiday gatherings, etc.  Share a piece of news or a favorite family story on the site—something to get others interested in posting their own content.
5. Send Out Invitations – Invite others to participate in your Geni.com site by sending them a customized invitation via e-mail.  Customize your invitation message to tell them about the fun things you have planned for the site, and encourage them to share news, photographs, and other information, or invite them to help fill in the missing blanks of the family tree. Use the “discussion” feature to gather family information, plan events, or share memories. (For more information on Geni’s features, click on the “help” link at the bottom of your main page). Adding new content or discussion topics each week or a few times a month, will help to keep everyone coming back on a regular basis to see what’s new.

Once you’ve invited your family members, you can interact with them as often as you’d like.  And just like with “real world” reunions, the more effort you put into connecting with family in the virtual world, the more you’ll likely to get out of the experience.  Of course, there’s always something to be said for arranging personal visits with family whenever possible. But, depending on your own circumstances, meeting in the virtual world can often be the next best thing to being there.

If you enjoyed this Genealogy Tip by Lisa please join us again in a couple weeks for more. In the meantime, get out there and interview your family members and preserve your family history on Geni.

GenTips: Back to Basics: After the Interview

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo explains the steps you should take after you interview family members. If you missed Lisa's first two posts in this series, Interview Your Relatives and Oral History Obstacles, you may want to read those first.

                                                                      

You’ve just returned from a visit with your Aunt Betty where you recorded several hours of video (or audio) tape of her telling you about her childhood, your maternal grandparents, and other family stories just bursting with key details.  Before you left, you thanked her for her time, confirmed that you could follow up with any further questions, and checked that she signed all of the appropriate release forms (if you’re planning to share the information outside the family with others either in print or digital format).

Now the real work begins.

As soon as you can after the interview (when you get home) you should label your cassettes or videotapes:  “Interview# ___ with _______ on _______(date) for _________ (purpose).”

Another essential task is to make duplicate copies of each audio or video file for safekeeping.  Tapes age and often break and digital files can be accidentally erased or recorder over.  You can also convert any old audiotapes and videotapes to digital files (if you have the appropriate transfer devices for your computer available at office supply or computer stores).  With software (either that comes with your computer or available at retail stores or online), you can edit these files and burn them onto CD or DVD or post to a Web site. Geni.com provides a private way to share this video/audio with other family members online (make sure you have the person’s permission first before posting).

Soon after completing the interview—while the conversation is still fresh in your mind—you’ll want to transcribe the tapes.  Use this written account as a backup of the interview in case the tapes/audio files are ever damaged.  You can choose to perform the transcription task yourself—if you’re a good typist and have the right equipment (a transcriber machine, or computer transcription software). The advantage to your completing the transcription is that you are with the material, and can make notes about facial expressions or body language of the interviewee, telling quotes, descriptions, etc.

On the other hand, if you don’t type well, or have a physical disability that would keep you from doing the transcription yourself, then you should consider hiring someone to assist with this task.  You can find a list of individuals who do this type of work and their fees in newspapers, magazine classifieds, in the telephone directory, or on the Internet. 

How much should you edit the material? You should feel free to edit the material (no need to include every “um” or “uh”), as long as the edits don’t detract from what the interviewee said or won’t substantially change the narrative. 

Once you have a complete transcript, you can draw from it to create a Table of Contents, index, and glossary for names and key terms for your family history project.  You’ll also want to read through the transcript completely and make notes in the margins, writing down questions or inconsistencies that may require clarification during a follow-up interview.

Never underestimate the value of recorded oral history. Seven of the 40+ individuals I interviewed for my own family history projects have since passed away (including my mother and father, and one of my uncles).  Genealogical value aside, having their voices preserved for playback whenever I choose is priceless.

If you enjoyed this Genealogy Tip by Lisa please join us again in a couple weeks for more. In the meantime, get out there and interview your family members and preserve your family history on Geni.

GenTips: Back to Basics: Oral History Obstacles

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo explains some oral history obstacles she faced. She goes on to offer some solutions and hints as to how she overcame those obstacles and how you can too. If you missed Lisa's first post in this series, Interview Your Relatives, you may want to read that one first.

Finding relatives who can fill in the blanks in your family’s story takes you beyond just the names, dates, and places. Perhaps you’ve made a list of those living family members who are potential interviewees, have made initial contact, and perhaps even scheduled a visit.  But oral history isn’t always as easy as it sounds.  Sometimes you run into obstacles. Uncle Roger clams up every time you mention Uncle Sam (a.k.a. the “black sheep” of the family).  Aunt Sally suddenly says “Oh, I can’t or don’t want to talk about that.” Or, you receive a comment similar to this one I received from my father several years ago when I asked him what he knew about his ancestors:  “What do I care about those people, they’re dead…I didn’t know them.”  Then there’s the dreaded possibility that you haven’t been able to identify any close living family members to interview—as far as you know everyone who could have helped answer your questions has passed away.

Don’t give up hope.  Your oral history brick walls need not become permanent barriers to the answers you seek.  Here are some tips that may help.

1.  Cultivate the relationship - Now, of course, once you make contact, you should be prepared that not everyone may respond to your requests for information, or be willing to share precious family treasures with you immediately.  If you’re not particularly close to this relative, you may have to work at cultivating a relationship and developing a sense of trust.  Now is not the time to be shy.  Every moment you delay contacting possible living kin brings you closer to the possibility that those who may have the information will no longer be around to pass it along.  Remember, your relatives aren’t just living repositories to aid you in your genealogical pursuits—they have thoughts, feelings, and memories.  Be respectful during your quest for information.

2.  Change Your Approach - Try breaking the ice by discussing a subject he or she is more at ease talking about (sports, military service, recipes, etc.).  With my father, I could tell I was hitting a dead end when I kept asking if he was “sure he didn’t remember being told any stories about his ancestors.”  However, when I changed the subject and asked him about his parents, and his own life, he began to talk more enthusiastically—about them, and then subsequently, about his service in the Navy during WW2 and the years he spent playing basketball at the amateur and professional levels.

3.  Find Common Ground - If you share a common memory with the person, this can help guide the interview.  For example, “Do you remember what happened at so-and-so’s wedding?  That was quite a celebration!”   Or perhaps you can both remember the special foods the family shared at holidays, or another family tradition.  Using photos, heirlooms or other memorabilia may also help to engage the other person in informative dialogue.

4.  Let it Be - As genealogists, we’re taught that time is of the essence, especially when trying to obtain information from older generations.  But, sometimes you have to channel Paul McCartney’s words, and just “Let it Be.”  The more you push, the more the person may refuse to talk.  Sometimes it may take several interviews for you to get the information you desire. This happened when I interviewed my mother in 1991.  I did a total of six interviews in order to be sure I obtained all of the key details about my mother’s childhood and recollections of her parents.  During the second interview, my mother started to talk about some difficult times she experienced in the relationship with her father.  When I asked her to elaborate she said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”  So, I didn’t push her.  But during our third interview, she broke her silence.  This interview provided the framework for the chapter entitled “Discipline” in my book, Three Slovak Women.  You can listen to the interview, and read an excerpt from the chapter on my Web site.

5.  Search Harder for Living Kin - You may think that there is nobody left in the family who can help fill in the gaps regarding your ancestors.  But is it possible you could be mistaken?  Have you really looked for other living kin?  Search Geni.com for other trees of the same surname.  If you have an unusual surname, you may have luck locating others with the same surname in phone books or city directories (which you can find in most libraries) or use online directories. Yahoo People Search, Lycos, and Switchboard are a few such sites to try.  Or, use Google to search on a person’s name.  Add a location to narrow the results.  Once you have a list of names, you can create a speculative letter to send to those individuals with the same surname, including basic information about your ancestors to see if they know of a connection. You can also check the census records (especially 1930) to see who your ancestors’ neighbors were at that time.  There may be a possibility that some of these folks could be alive and able to give you some information about your family.  Also, be open (to a degree to others finding you.  (You should always use caution when communicating with strangers).  Create a tree on Geni (limited information will be shown to others who search your surname); post or respond to appropriate queries on online message boards. You can read on my Blog the story of how I connected with a 90-year old paternal cousin I never knew about when her son read my book and tracked me down!  Finally, if you truly can’t find anyone to interview, record your own story!

Don’t let obstacles get in the way of recording the oral history of your family.  It’s a critical aspect of the genealogical process—one that must be pursued before it’s too late!

If you enjoyed this post by Lisa please join us in 2 weeks for a follow up post that will discuss what you should do after you've interviewed a family member.

GenTips: Back to Basics: Interview Your Relatives

In this post, Geni guest blogger and avid genealogist Lisa Alzo explains the importance and overall process of interviewing your relatives.

Genealogy is more than just names and dates. Family stories, although sometimes filled with errors, may still contain vital clues for your research.  If you have living relatives, make it a priority to sit down with them to record their oral history.  Ask them if they have any photographs or documents, and be sure to ask where events happened.  Record family stories in a notebook, and if possible, ask the person for permission to record an audio or video version of the interview. If someone lives in a different city, schedule a visit with him or her, or better yet, plan a family reunion.  Of course, sitting down in person is the best, but if face-to-face interview time isn’t a possibility, then you may have to conduct the interview by telephone, or even e-mail. 

Here are a few tips to help streamline the interview process:

1. Contact your interviewee in advance to schedule and convenient time and [quiet] place for the interview.  This will give the person time to gather any documents, photographs, or other memorabilia that may enhance the experience.  If you’ve set up an account with Geni.com, you can invite your relatives to participate in the site and use Geni’s messaging features to make initial contact. 

2. Do your homework. Don’t waste precious interview time on the basics: “When were you born, where were you born, etc?” If possible try to obtain this information ahead of time. Try to get the person to actively participate in your Geni site where they can complete their own profile, as well as view your family tree and other family information. 

3. Prepare an outline of key questions in advance, noting especially the important stories or missing pieces of information. Try to avoid  “closed” questions in favor of "open-ended” ones. Closed questions are those questions that are relatively easy to answer and require little thought. For example, “Where were you born?” or “What year did you come to the United States?”  While open-ended questions call for a lengthy and more thoughtful response, “What do you remember about the town where you were born?” or “Describe what you remember about your experience coming to the United States.  What were the conditions like on the boat, train, plane, etc?” It’s probably not a good idea to provide the interviewee with questions beforehand.  By doing so, his or her answers may be “rehearsed” and not genuine or spontaneous, especially if you have questions that bring up suppressed or unpleasant memories.  You want the interview to be as natural as possible—after all, it’s not an inquisition.

4.  Disclose the purpose of your interview.  If you’re asking your Aunt Mary about the family just to complete the family tree and you plan to keep the information within the family, let her know this when you sit down.  However, if you plan to make this information public in any form (article, book, web site), you need to disclose this at the time, and be prepared to have your interview sign one or more legal forms, such as an “agreement on use (or release) form and/or “limitation on publication form.”  You may want to see the book Record and Remember for details. The signing of legal forms may seem unpleasant to you or your family members, but unfortunately is a necessary step to protect both the interviewer and the interviewee.

5.  Be a good listener. Keep simple notes of names, dates, places, important, or insightful quotes (even if you are recording the interview – machines and technology can fail at the most inappropriate times).  Use documents, photographs or other memorabilia to jog the memory or help the person recall a particular person, place or event in his/her life. You’ll be surprised at the emotional responses a photograph or piece of jewelry or some other possession will evoke in a person.  Always thank the person once you’ve finished, and ask if you can follow-up with further questions, or even schedule a second interview, if necessary.

Remember, you are the guiding force when interviewing your family members, and the success of documenting oral history depends on how well you prepare in advance and utilize your time with a person. 

For more tips and suggested questions to use for interviewing your relatives, consult Geni.com’s Genealogy Knol. 

If you enjoyed reading this post, please join us in 2 weeks when Lisa delves deeper into the process of interviewing relatives. More specifically, the post will include ways to deal with some pitfalls you may encounter when doing oral history interviews, such as breaking the ice (if a relative clams up or is elusive), how to deal with relatives who are not as enthusiastic as you are, and also what if you don't have any immediate family to interview?

About Lisa Alzo:

Lisa has published articles in: Family Tree Magazine, Family Chronicle Magazine, Internet Genealogy, Discovering Family History Magazine, Reunions Magazine, Ancestry Magazine, Everton's Genealogical Helper and other magazines.   

Lisa is also the author of seven books:  Three Slovak Women, Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors, Pittsburgh's Immigrants, Slovak Pittsburgh, Sports Memories of Western Pennsylvania and Writing Your Family History Book (just released). Lastly, Lisa is the instructor for GenClass and National Institute for Genealogical Studies.

GenTips: Back to Basics: Build Your Family Tree

Are you perplexed about how to begin piecing together your own family history?  Have you been researching for years but now have hit that proverbial brick wall in your research?  Read this post from guest blogger Lisa Alzo, an avid genealogists and author. This is the first post in a new series of posts written to give both the newbie and the more experienced researcher suggestions, tips, and techniques for finding their ancestors.

At the very basic level, genealogical research can be broken down into several general steps, which will be covered in this post.

Start with Yourself

The first step in genealogy is to identify what you already know. The general rule is to “start with yourself” and work backward in time by filling in as much information as you can, by memory, on an Ancestor or Pedigree chart.  Strictly speaking, a pedigree is an identification of the direct ancestors of one person, such as yourself.  Traditional pedigree charts use ID numbers to identify the names on the chart — the first person on the first chart should be number 1. Note that a man's ID number is always double the ID number of his child. With the man always in the upper position, all males have an even number and females an odd number. A wife's number is always one higher than that of her husband.

Creating a Pedigree Chart

Thanks to today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to create a pedigree chart using any number of commercial genealogical software packages on the market.  Social networking and family tree building sites also provide the opportunity to create your family tree on the Internet and share it as you so choose with other family members.  Geni.com is one such site. 

As most of you may already know, Geni is a private place for your family to build your family tree, preserve your history and share your lives.  The site is simple to use and you can create a chart in minutes.  And best of all—it’s free!  If you haven't already started a Tree you can do so here.

Adding Your Parents

The next step is to add your parents by clicking inside the blue (for father) and pink (for mother) boxes above your box.  You’ll see a little box with tips that will help guide you through building your family tree.  If you need further assistance, there is a help link down in the bottom right hand corner.  For a step-by-step demo, watch the video tutorial here. Quick tip: if a person is deceased, check the “deceased box; if they’re living, leave the living box checked.
It’s that simple!

When you're done completing your ancestral/pedigree chart, you'll have a better idea about who’s missing in your family tree.  For each missing person, you should focus on obtaining the following information:

1.    Full name (including maiden names for women).

2.    Approximate dates for vital events (birth, death, marriage, residence, etc.).

3.    Locations for vital events — location is the key element in genealogy, since it indicates where vital records are today.

Then you’ll be ready to start adding and inviting other family members to begin growing your family tree!

If you enjoyed the first GenTips post stay tuned because Lisa will be posting them bi-monthly. The next post will be focused on 'How to Gather Information from Relatives'. Also, if you would like to know more about Lisa Alzo and her ventures you can read more here.

Lisa has published articles in: Family Tree Magazine, Family Chronicle Magazine, Internet Genealogy, Discovering Family History Magazine, Reunions Magazine, Ancestry Magazine, Everton's Genealogical Helper and other magazines.   

Lisa is also the author of seven books:  Three Slovak Women, Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors, Pittsburgh's Immigrants, Slovak Pittsburgh, Sports Memories of Western Pennsylvania and Writing Your Family History Book (just released). Lastly, Lisa is the instructor for GenClass and National Institute for Genealogical Studies.