May 2018 Edition | What's New at Ancestry | Ancestry

Join Crista Cowan for a quick look at the upcoming genealogy conferences and events Ancestry will be attending. She will also review the databases full of new content released in the past month and give you tips for using them to find the stories of your ancestors' lives.
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May 2018 Edition | What's New at Ancestry | Ancestry
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[@deckocards6988]

Like the new look! Sure miss your video's!!

[@happyneek4699]

Excellent video I found my great grandfather and his family listed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records! In Kansas. I never knew he had ever lived there. As far as I knew he only lived in Sweden and Minnesota. Thanks for posting this! Saved me a lot of time searching.

[@donaldlindgren6817]

The Swedish American Church records are invaluable. In many cases the records include where a person came from or where they went to when they left the congregation. I was able to identify the parish and county in Sweden that my great grandfather came from. The records may also identify when a person came to the USA and came to the local area. The Swedish church records are by county. One word of caution is that the counties have changed over the years. some where combined and others split.

[@NiamhCreates]

The new records from the US Evangelical Lutheran Swedish Churches were extremely helpful for my current research. Really glad they added that!

[@lillianwebster5136]

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[@neobreaker91]

When will the What's New for June be out?

[@SandyQueue]

Hello Crista - thanks for the amazing videos. They are very helpful. Each month, you tell us how many new records are added. Can you also tell us how many and which records are being removed each month? I've tried to contact Customer Service with regard to this issue and a significant error in your location drop downs, multiple times, and I get a short "we can't help you." Is there anyone who will listen to concerns (especially when a major city is listed incorrectly in ALL of your drop downs?) It's a bit frustrating, especially having been a member for 18 years. THANKS!

[@AncestryUS]

Sandy, Thank you for the suggestions. If you let me know what city is listed incorrectly in the location type ahead fields, I will get that forwarded to the correct people right away.

[@SandyQueue]

Wow - I appreciate the reply. THANKS! Unlike Los Angeles (part of LA County) and Chicago (part of Cook County) Baltimore is an independent city. It is not part of Baltimore County. Every drop-down I encounter in Ancestry drives directly to "Baltimore County, Maryland", and other locations. I'd suggest please adding "Baltimore, Maryland" or "Baltimore City, Maryland." This will prevent having to free-type B-a-l-t-i-m-o-r-e... which can cause errors and inconsistencies. Many thanks - from everyone with Baltimore ancestors.

[@AncestryUS]

I have forwarded that feedback to our PLACES team. Thank you, Sandy!

[@ericpfeiffer3463]

When will denmark have its own category? Mine breaks down to norway and sweden. Now, i do have norwegian lines but no swedish just danish

[@danial4835]

I've seen several people post videos of updated DNA regions for the DNA tests. Updates like east asia being broken down into regions such as China, Japan, Baluchistan, etc. Are these real and if they are; When are they released and will old tests be updated with those regions?

[@AncestryUS]

As our scientists are able to refine our ethnicity estimates, they will be applied to existing AncestryDNA accounts automatically.

[@jamesanderson5782]

Ancestry will it happen soon, because I’ve seen people have the update but then some don’t, so I’m just wondering?

[@drakeula_]

Ancestry When do you predict when this will be happening

[@ketosis4683]

I have a question about DNA circles. I purchased a bunch of Ancestry DNA tests in hope that I may find a break in my brick wall. I have one DNA circle that is a female ancestor. There was some question about this particular ancestor being the mother of two of the children. Is it possible that the matches in the circle are matched through the paternal line or is it specific to the maternal line? Are DNA circles matched to individual lines or are they created through a combination of researched trees and dna matches? Could it be a circle with her husband too?

[@AncestryUS]

Great questions! A DNA Circle will form around an ancestor in your family tree if your tree is public and linked to your DNA test, and if two or more of your DNA matches...are DNA matches to you and to each other at a 2nd cousin level or further outhave public family trees attached to their DNA tests; andshare a common ancestor (according to their trees). Here's more information about DNA Circles: support.ancestry.com/s/article/How-DNA-Circles-are-created-1460089695851

[@douglasvilledarling2935]

I LOVE all your videos! Thank you 💕 I use my "favorites, stars" forvpeople who have trees. Now, I can't use them for my real favorites. Is there a better way to separate my matches with trees from those who do not have trees? I am new to this. Thank you!

[@AncestryUS]

I'll be doing a video soon about how I sort my own matches. Watch for that! ;-) (~Crista)

[@Kelli_D.]

If they want to be notified of a new posted video they need to click the bell beside subscribe, just being subscribed doesn't always (hardly ever actually) alert of new posts

[@elainewilliams8666]

Great information as always. No mention of the 1939 Register for the whole of UK is now available to search. Hopefully this is a permanent addition. Although I still go to FindmyPast as it will give you the address in written form which is of some benefit. Great addition for many UK researchers, that’s for sure.

[@JanBWestBerkshireUK]

Yes, this update seems rather US focussed

[@elainewilliams8666]

Jan Brown I am astounded they did not mention the 1939 Register. It has been up and running a few days now. It would have been a very expensive purchase. They may do a separate tutorial on it in the coming days.

[@JanBWestBerkshireUK]

Yes, I'm finding lots of rellies on it!

[@donquique1]

Where are the Dominican Republic records? Ancestry collection is non existent. What is the point of the international subscription when the records leave a lot to be desired.

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for the callout, Elaine. The 1939 register was added to the site within the last few days. This update was for content added in April. I will mention it next month. ;-) (~Crista)

[@WeatherMoon]

Scandinavia seems to crop up a bit in people who shouldn't have a great percentage of Scandinavia (or norway, sweden etc), including me. Is there an issue with Scandinavia cropping up in percentages that are impossible?

[@Lampophony]

I was wondering when I should expect the update on dna. My dna version is from February 2018 with 3,000 reference samples and 363 total regions.

[@AncestryUS]

The ethnicity update is currently in previews with a small percentage of our customers while we collect feedback.

[@rosacaneda8092]

Hi, I have the February 2018 version... when should I expect my account to be updated?

[@AncestryUS]

Sorry. You have the Feb 2018 version of what?

[@PlanToDoTravel]

Should I go to a conference if I'm fairly new to genealogy? I am up to my great grandparents on one side. Thanks

[@AncestryUS]

Melanie, It depends on what your research goals are and if the conference classes are of interest. The regional genealogy conferences tend to focus on that particular region which may be helpful if you're looking to hone in a specific area or an ethnic group that settled in that area. There is a lot of education available online so consider looking into what opportunities the state or regional genealogical societies offer which may be more cost effective and in closer proximity to you. You can also visit our own AncestryAcademy.com which is free to access and offers deeper dives on genealogy research. Good luck in your research!

[@westbrook348]

How can i easily search my family tree for women if i only remember their married names? The "Find Person" option does not seem to have this functionality.

[@AncestryUS]

If you do not know/remember a woman's maiden name, you can search for her by her first name or you can search for her husband and then click through to her profile from his.

[@teresazephrobsc7281]

Christa, are you still using FTM? I have used Legacy since the early 2000's and with over 32K people in my tree, I'm always looking for the most efficient program.

[@AncestryUS]

Yes. I still use FTM (FTM 2017, to be exact) every single day. I have more than 72,000 people in my tree now. (~Crista)

[@teresazephrobsc7281]

Ancestry Thank you....I trust your opinion!

[@courtneybartell2010]

were in fl will you be i would love to go to one yor at ?

[@AncestryUS]

I'm working on my speaking schedule public. I'll let everyone know as soon as I do. ;-)

[@richardstidham3479]

Bought a test for my father who is 72, a tobacco user. First try I was not present when he took the test, test came back faulty. Got a second test, had him brush his teeth, rinse well and was there to watch him take the test. I know that he waiting a good 30 minutes to start the test. The second test came back faulty. Any tips for the third try? Should I give up and have someone else take the test?

[@AncestryUS]

Good job on having him brush his teeth and wait 30 minutes without smoking, eating, or drinking anything. On the 3rd try, we recommend that right before he spits in the tube, have him rub his cheeks against his teeth. That will slough off some cheek cells into his saliva. Also, if he wears dentures - denture cream can sometimes interfere with the sample.

[@richardstidham3479]

Ancestry Third time was the charm. Just received his test results. Thank you for the tips.

[@RevMarkKing]

It shows that I have quite a bit of royalty in my family but it was a long time ago does that mean I'm royalty and if so how do I claim that surname like Earl or Duke , Prince thank you for your help sincerely mark

[@gbeana81]

Rev Mark King I looked into recently when I learned that I have some royalty in my ancestry. Almost everyone of European descent descended from royalty. For the most part, lineage of the heirs was well documented and those who are heirs to the titles already have them. It is highly unlikely that anyone living today can claim a title. Sorry. 😒

[@RevMarkKing]

Ok thanks

[@MatthewBode]

Ancestry, you have been remiss on the video front of late. At this moment, a pretty disappointed customer.

[@AncestryUS]

Matthew, Crista's travel schedule gets very busy over the summer with various genealogy conferences across the country and internationally so she usually reduces the number of videos she posts during this season. You can always find our upcoming video schedule here: facebook.com/pg/AncestryUS/events/