Another tutorial to help you become an expert at using OneGreatFamily Genealogy Browser™: The Handprint

We have just finished creating the second tutorial, "The Handprint," and are excited to share it with you. Two weeks ago, we announced that we were creating a series of tutorials to help explain how to use neGreatFamily Genealogy Browser.

The second tutorial goes more in depth about the Handprint Concept. At OneGreatFamily, we created the Handprint Concept as a unique way to identify an individual based on relationships.

Learn all about the Handprint Concept in the next tutorial. There are 2 ways to view the next tutorial:

#1 - Screen resolutions of 800x600 (file size of 1.8MB):
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/tutorial_video2.html

#2 - Screen resolutions of 1024x762 or greater (file size of 1.1MB):
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/tutorial_video2_large.html

The first video that was featured two weeks ago is an overview of Genealogy Browser that explains what makes Genealogy Browser unique, introduces you to the Handprint and Starfield concept, and shows you how to surf your family tree. If you would like to view the first tutorial, you can visit one of the following links:

#1 - Screen resolutions of 800x600 (file size of 1.8MB):
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/tutorial_video1.html

#2 - Screen resolutions of 1024x762 or greater (file size of 1.1MB):
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/tutorial_video1_large.html

Our goal is to help all members feel comfortable with our tools in order to get the most from our service. We want you to experience the satisfaction of finding lost ancestors and getting connected with distant cousins using OneGreatFamily's Genealogy Browser. We hope that these tutorials will help you become an expert at using Genealogy Browser.

• Visit OneGreatFamily and see all the new ancestors added to your family tree.
• Subscribe to OneGreatFamily and see the success you can have at OneGreatFamily

Tips for Expanding Your Family Tree at OneGreatFamily

Between one and three million names are submitted to OneGreatFamily each month, making it the fastest-growing and ONLY collaborative family tree available online. This database growth benefits everyone who shares common ancestry. In many cases, the new names help fill gaps in family trees or provide clues to new genealogy discoveries. In other cases, these names provide additional evidence or support for information that is already part of OneGreatFamily. In any instance where merging and matching takes place within OneGreatFamily, those who share common ancestors have new opportunities to collaborate on their genealogies.

Even with all of these new names pouring in, some members haven't seen additions to their family tree. If you are among these individuals, we have a few recommendations:

Be patient - With nearly 500,000 unique visitors each month, someone is likely to submit information on your family tree in the near future. You may not see any growth in your family tree for some time, but then you may see a flurry of activity that affects your family tree.

Be proactive - Find other websites that include your ancestral names and invite those site visitors to participate on OneGreatFamily. Continue to research your family tree to try to take it back to the next generation. With each generation, the probability of being able to find common ancestors in OneGreatFamily increases significantly. For example, recently one user submitted 6 names to OneGreatFamily. After receiving no additions to his family tree, he decided to find and add one more person one generation back. After adding that one person, OneGreatFamily quickly found and added over 55,000 ancestors to his family tree.

Be watchful - Pay attention to your GenMail™ notifications, merge indicators (!), and New Members Added boxes. We send GenMail email messages each week to let people know if their family trees are growing. If you are not receiving these messages, you may need to update your email address or preferences. You should also continue to visit OneGreatFamily to update your family tree and see if there are any signs of activity on your family tree.

Be careful - Verify the information you have entered into OneGreatFamily is as complete and accurate as possible. This will help other members of OneGreatFamily who may be looking for your family line to know when they have found it. You are likely not the only person trying to find connections to your ancestral lines in OneGreatFamily, so you will want to be as helpful as possible with the information you provide.

As OneGreatFamily continues to grow, we are committed to the success of each of our members in furthering genealogy research and connecting to work that has already been completed in OneGreatFamily.

• Visit OneGreatFamily and save time doing your genealogy the OneGreatFamily way.
• Subscribe to OneGreatFamily to have the benefit of finding others who are researching your ancestors.
  

by Joan Strawser, OneGreatFamily member

The following article was written by OneGreatFamily member Joan Strawser. In her article below she shares with us the importance of finding documentation on your ancestors. Since we are featuring Joan's article in our newsletter we will be sending her $50. Below is information if you are interested in writing an article for our weekly newsletter.

I have been researching my family tree for many, many years.  I actually started back in the early 1970’s.  I had compiled many dates and facts from older family members back then.  Most of those people have passed away now but I am determined that future family members will remember them for their contribution to my work.

Most people think the information received from family members would be accurate, just like myself.  A true genealogist has legal paperwork to back up findings. When I started, I did not believe this was a necessity and sometimes it is not a possibility, but it really does prove to be a wealth of information! 

I had been looking for my maternal great grandmother for years with no results.  I finally decided to go to the cemetery where I knew she was buried.  In the office, I found that the information that I had received had been off by one year…just one year!  Not knowing about the inaccuracy of the human memory, I decided to order a death certificate. In my younger years the cost had made it unattainable, but now I found the cost was well worth the decision.  Of course, my decision to order the certificate came during the holidays, so the wait was interminable!!  What new information would I find? 

When the certificate came in the mail, I was almost afraid to open it!  Lo and behold, for all the years I have been investigating my family tree, her maiden name was BORIS not BORIO!  One letter made an incredible difference!!  As soon as I entered her corrected name, up popped her immigration records!  How wonderful!  And if I had only done this many years ago, our family may have even been able to get information on the sister who the records showed had immigrated with her. 

I am grateful for the technology that OneGreatFamily can provide to all those trying to find their ancestors. I will continue searching with online help from OneGreatFamily.

• Login to OneGreatFamily to enjoy this unique genealogy service
• Subscribe to OneGreatFamily and see what we can do for your family tree.
• Visit the OneGreatFamily Learning Center for more helpful genealogy articles by Lisa South
  
  

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