Roots Television | Roots Video

Genealogy Websites - and they're free!

Here's another episode from "Tracing your Family Roots."  Hosts Arline Sachs and Sallyann Sack demonstrate the free genealogy websites that help them in their own family history research.  For more free instructional videos, check out the "How-to" section of Roots Television

Tags:  genealogy,  family history,  how to,  websites,  free,  video,  Roots Video,  Roots Television

Tracing Your Family Roots: Methodology

Here is an episode from the series Tracing Your Family Roots.  Sallyann Sack, author of  Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy, talks with Arline Sachs about methodology for beginning genealogical research. Their discussion is based on the first chapter, called "Methodology: How to be a Genealogist", which was contributed by Eileen Polokoff.

If you are interested in Jewish genealogy in general, you may also want to check out the Tracing the Tribe blog, run by genealogist Schelly Talalay Dardashti.

Tags:  genealogy,  how to,  family history,  jewish,  video,  Roots Video,  Roots Television

Canadian Thanksgiving Maple Cake

Happy Thanksgiving - and a belated Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! It's time to take a well-earned break from our research to enjoy the number one food holiday of the year.  Here's a maple cake recipe from our Canadian friends.  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks yummy to me!

Tags:  Thanksgiving,  Canada,  recipe,  family history,  food,  video,  Roots Television,  Roots Video

DNA for Family Genealogy

Bennett Greenspan, founder of Family Tree DNA, introduces how DNA testing can help break down brick walls in your family history research.  If you're a budding genetealogist, you'll also be interested in the UVA Newsmakers lecture by Dr. Eugene Foster, who first used DNA testing to shed light on the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings case (see DNA >> DNA Lectures).  And you won't want to miss IAJGS board member Schelly Talalay Dardashti's report on the 2006 International Conference on Genetic Genealogy just held in Houston (see the DNA section).

Tags:  dna,  genetealogy,  genetic genealogy,  family tree,  genealogy,  family history,  Thomas Jefferson,  Roots Video,  Roots Television

Electric Scotland How-To

Alastair McIntyre introduces the genealogy section on Electric Scotland.  The site includes how-to guides, articles, links, resources for Scottish-Canadian research, and a program where you can upload your own family tree, genealogy information, and family stories.  And if you've ever wondered what exactly professional genealogists do for all that money, you can tour a professional genealogy search, including notes that show step-by-step how the professional did the research, what resources and databases he used, and what tricks helped him get past the dead-ends.

Tags:  how to,  genealogy,  family history,  research,  Scotland,  Canada,  software,  biography,  Electric Scotland,  Roots Video, Roots Television

Family History for Genetic Health

Did you know that Thanksgiving is National Family History Day in the U.S.?  And now, even the Surgeon General is involved!  Knowing your family medical history can help doctors prevent and treat diseases including cancer, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis.  So if you find yourself short on fascinating dinner conversation this holiday season, get your loved ones started on a Family Health Portrait!

Tags:  genealogy,  family history,  dna,  Thanksgiving,  cancer,  diabetes,  health,  Roots Video

Child Detectives

Tired of your kids rolling their eyes whenever you start talking about great-grandma Tekla's journey to America?  Worried the youngsters in your neighborhood have lost touch with their past?  Take a look at these tips for getting children interested in genealogy research (2:14). Also see Part 8 of "The Call of Story" in the Legacy section to see how much children need to hear our stories.

Webbios

Can't quite bring yourself to put pen to paper and write your personal history?  Check out this quick demo of a new site, www.webbiographies.com (2:43).  Start your own online journal or scrapbook, or even create a free online family tree to share.  This is great for those of us who have scoured our ancestors' paper trails without leaving one of our own!  Also see "Capturing the Past" in the How-to section to learn how to capture your own oral histories.

Freedmen's Bureau Records

A three-minute overview of the Freedmen's Bureau records, so critical to many African-American families, and the efforts to make them accessible. (3:15)

22nd annual IAJGS Conference in Toronto

A brief overview of the 22nd annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy (IAJGS) Conference held in Toronto in August 2002. For more information, visit http://www.iajgs.org. (2:13)