Put This Genealogy Assistant to Work for You

In "6 Steps to Finding Your Living Cousins" I used a tool to download all my AncestryDNA matches to a spreadsheet. The result is an all-in-one-place file to store your notes as you work to identify your matches. The big DNA sites still haven't given us a way to do this for ourselves.

Now a friend has shown me an impressive tool called Genealogy Assistant. It does tons of useful, time-saving things for you, the genealogy researcher. Downloading all your DNA matches from Ancestry and MyHeritage is just the tip of the iceberg.

Enjoy a hassle-free download of all your DNA matches with this feature-packed genealogy tool.

Quoting from their website: "Genealogy Assistant adds over 100 custom features to popular genealogy websites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, FamilyTreeDNA and more!"

Install this web browser extension, then click to use it on your favorite genealogy websites. Imagine these scenarios.

Scenario 1: DNA Matches

You're viewing your DNA matches on Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com. You notice that one site has lots of matches the other doesn't have. You'd love to be able to download them all and make notes about your discoveries.

No problem. Go to your DNA match list on each website. Activate the Genealogy Assistant browser extension if it isn't active already. You'll see a button labeled "Download CSV". Before you click that button, you need to see how many pages of matches you have. When I scroll to the bottom of my MyHeritage DNA matches, I see that I have 14 pages of matches. Whatever number you see, use the up-arrow button on the box next the to download button to reach that number. Then click the Download CSV button. When the file is complete, you'll find it in your default downloads folder.

Now it'll be much easier to review all your DNA matches. You may discover that a match who stumped you on DNA Site A has a family tree on DNA Site B, solving the mystery.

Scenario 2: Shortcuts Galore

You're building your family tree on Ancestry.com (here's why that's a bad choice), and you've got a big new branch to add. From any person's profile page, you can click "Gallery", then click "Add media" to see the upload box. With Genealogy Assistant, click the words "Upload photo" or press Alt-U to go straight to the upload box.

When you have to upload files for a lot of people, this is a real time-saver.

I've worked on Ancestry trees where a person has the right father but the wrong mother. After a lot of searching, I found "Edit relationships" in the Edit menu at the top-right of the profile page. This is where you can correct wrong spouses, parents, or children. With Genealogy Assistant, click "Edit relationships" or press Alt-R to go straight to the proper screen.

Become a power-user, searching 7 genealogy websites at once, with this Advanced Search tool.

Scenario 3: Advanced Search

I love when I search for someone on Ancestry, go to a resulting record page, and find links to suggested records. Well, Genealogy Assistant puts your family tree search on steroids. Their search button can search 7 different websites—all at once, if you like—and open each one in a new browser tab. You can do this with the Search button on a record page or the Advanced Search button on a person's profile page.

If you routinely carry out searches on several websites, I know you'll love this feature. It can search:

• Ancestry
• FamilySearch records
• FamilySearch trees
• FindMyPast
• MyHeritage
• Find a Grave
• Newspapers.com

How to Get Genealogy Assistant

Genealogy Assistant works on three different web browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox

Go to https://www.genea.ca/genealogy-assistant to read about its features, watch a demonstration, and install the extension. You can try it out for 14 days for free. If you want to keep using it for a little while, it's only $2.95 per month. If you find it to be a game-changer, pay $29.95 once and enjoy it forever.

The more time you spend doing genealogy research, the more you'll enjoy Genealogy Assistant.

And now, the end-of-the-prescription-drug-commercial disclaimer. Read it in a soft, fast voice: Please note that no one is paying me to discuss this product. Since I spend all my time researching Italian records, I don't plan to use this product beyond the 14-day trial. Ask yourself if Genealogy Assistant is right for you.

This Ship Manifest Clue Saves You Time and Effort

Has this ever happened to you? You're searching for a person's immigration record to learn more details about them. But the only search result for your person is a page with a heading like "Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry".

Pages with this type of heading don't give you all the details you want. You need to see their original listing that can tell you:

• their age
• who they traveled with
• their hometown
• the relative they left behind
• their final destination
• who they're coming to join and where
• their height and the color of their eyes and hair
• if this is their first time in the country
• and more.

Whenever this happened to me, I had to search each page of the ship manifest for my person's name. Sometimes that's an awful lot of pages. But earlier this year a RootsTech webinar showed me the clue I'd been overlooking.

The detention page shows the page and line number for each person's original listing! Once you know what to look for, it's obvious. I'm embarrassed that I needed a webinar to point this out to me. Let's look at two types of headings you need to find.

Sometimes your search for an immigrant ancestor delivers their detention page. You need their original listing. Here's how to get from one to the other easily.

1. The Manifest Heading

In 1913, Luigi Bruno arrived at Ellis Island in New York. The authorities detained him as an LPC—Likely Public Charge. I needed to find his original listing, so I went searching for his name on every page. But the answer to this search is on the detention page. Under the heading Manifest (which should have been the tip-off) it says Group 131, No. 8.

This means I need to look for the page with a large 131 written or stamped at the top, and then look at line 8 to find Luigi Bruno. And there he is! The detention page shows that he ate 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners, so they held him for 4 days. His original listing has a rubber stamp that says ADMITTED. It tells me:

• he's 17 years old
• his father is Marino Bruno
• he's heading to Clearfield, Pennsylvania, to join his cousin
• he comes from Sant'Angelo in Italy, and
• it's his first time in the United States.

This level of detail proves he is the same Luigi Bruno born in my great grandparents' hometown in 1896. I found his Italian birth record on the Antenati website.

And speaking of ship manifests:

• Finding the Chain of Immigrants that Led to You
• Find Out What You're Missing on Those Immigration Records
• 6 Key Genealogy Facts on a Ship Manifest
• Why Your Immigrant Ancestors Came Here 'Legally'
• Why Did Your Ancestor Leave Home?

2. The Ticket No. Heading

This example is specific to Japanese immigrants detained at Angel Island, San Francisco.

In 1929, Tatsu Kadoguchi arrived at the port of San Francisco. Authorities detained and released her on the same date. The reason is not given, but it may be that she's a woman waiting for her husband to claim her. Her detention sheet has a heading of Ticket No. with the entry "11 - 9". Each person on this detention page has a similar ticket number: 7 - 17, 7 - 18, 10 - 2, etc.

This number tells you which list and line number to look for. Tatsu's original manifest entry is on List 11, Line 9. Once again, you can look for the manifest page with a stamped or written number 11 at the top. Then look at line 9 to find the person.

Every immigrant in my family tree arrived at either New York or San Francisco. I took a fresh look through my collection of downloaded ship manifests. Every detention sheet has either the Manifest heading or the Ticket No. heading. How I didn't realize this on my own is a mystery.

I wanted to find more detention examples and different headings to share with you. So I asked Microsoft Copilot this U.S.-specific question:

I know that some passengers arriving at Ellis Island were detained for reasons including health problems and being a likely public charge. Passengers were also detained at the port of San Francisco. Which other ports were know to detain passengers in the early 1900s?

Copilot culled its answer from FamilySearch, GeneSearch, and the U.S. National Archives. It says New York and San Francisco were the main east and west coast detention centers. But other ports known to detain passengers were:

• Boston
• Baltimore
• Charleston
• Galveston
• Mobile
• New Orleans
• Philadelphia
• Seattle
• various Alaska and Mexican/Canadian border ports.

When it comes to Ellis Island ship manifests, the lists of detainees are always at the end of the collection. I spent time searching through manifests at many of the ports listed above as well as some non-U.S. ports. But I can't find any detention records.

If you've found detention records from other ports, please share an example with us. These special headings are an enormous time-saver when you're researching a detained immigrant.

Do You Need AI Guidance for Your Family Tree?

An article in "Who Do You Think You Are" magazine looks at the research guidance feature in Legacy 10 software. (This software is 100% free at legacyfamilytree.com.) This feature is like having a professional genealogist sitting beside you saying, "Have you looked here yet?"

From what I can see, this feature is like the benevolent AI of the 1980s. People are wary of AI now because it's eliminating jobs for humans and creating false imagery. But Artificial Intelligence has been around for a long time.

Your self-built genealogy intelligence can rival any artificial intelligence for working on your family tree.

In 1986 I was a copywriter for a computer software company. I wrote a brochure and article about their new AI software called MINDOVER. It used AI to track mainframe computer systems and predict problems before they happened. I was so intrigued that I tried to write an AI program about a favorite subject of mine: architecture. The first step was to build its knowledge base. I entered the names of architectural styles and the features each one included. The software then asked a question like, "Does the building have this feature?" Based on your answer, it narrowed down the style asked the next logical question.

You're already using your own intelligence to build your family tree. That intelligence comes from your experience. And it grows in value each time you work on your tree. That intelligence might look something like this. Let's say a family member tells you they think your relative married in New York City in about 1920. What can you do to prove this? You might:

• Search for the couple in the U.S. Federal Census in 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 to narrow down the year they married.
• Search for the couple in the New York State Census of 1925 for any more clues.
• Search the "New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018" database for the date of their marriage license.
• Search the New York City Municipal Archives for the marriage certificate. (See Day 5 in "7 Days to a Better Family Tree".)
• Search their local newspapers for a marriage or engagement announcement.

If this process makes perfect sense to you, then your own genealogy intelligence is doing a fine job. But if this whole concept is brand new to you, the AI research guidance feature may be the kick-start you need.

If you don't want to switch to Legacy 10 software, you have 3 options:

1. Install Legacy 10 and import your GEDCOM file. Follow its research suggestions, but record the data in your family tree software. Or,
2. Use Family Tree Analyzer to show you which types of documents you're missing. Or,
3. Learn which resources are available and search every one that applies. For example:
   • Which censuses are available for the country where a particular relative lived?
   • Which vital records (birth, marriage, death) are available for their location?
   • If the person emigrated, can you access their ship manifest to learn more?
   • Can you find their naturalization records?
   • Which military records are available even if the person never served in the armed forces?
   • Are there city directories for the place where they lived?
   • Is their school yearbook online?
   • Was this person ever mentioned in their local newspaper? You may find a birth or marriage announcement, an obituary, or a human interest story.
   • If they traveled, can you find their passport application?

Once you've run through every possible type of record, you have built your internal knowledge base. You can refresh your memory on the types of documents available by doing what I did to write the list above. Consult your file folders.

The FamilyTree folder on my computer has sub-folders for different types of documents. These include:

• applications
• census
• certificates (that's vital records)
• city directories
• draft cards
• immigration
• military records
• naturalization
• newspapers
• passports
• yearbooks
• and a few others.

If you're new to this hobby, go to your favorite genealogy website and search for a person. Take note of the results page and the types of documents it offers to you. Ancestry has a feature on their search results page called "Browse by collection". This makes it easy to see the types of documents in the results.

I did a search for my great grandfather who came to America several times but always went home to Italy. The collections in his results included:

• Census & Voter Lists
• Birth, Marriage & Death
• Military
• Immigration & Emigration
• Directories & Member Lists
• Court, Land, Wills & Financial
• Family Trees

These results were not all for my great grandfather—some were for men with roughly the same name. But this is a good way to get familiar with the main types of records available. Then it's a matter of looking at what you have for a person, and using logic to decide what else you may find.

I've written several times about my Document Tracker spreadsheet. The overwhelming size of my family tree made me abandon this tool. But if you're new to family tree building, this spreadsheet is a great substitute for AI. It's pre-built intelligence that will help you gain the experience you need.

Are you using the research guidance feature in Legacy 10? If so, please share your experience in the comments of this article.

Using Names to Fortify Your Family Tree

I can't be the only genealogist who treasures names. I had no particular love of names before I got into genealogy. But once I started viewing vital records from my Grandpa Leone's hometown, it opened up a world of wonder.

What's in a name? When it comes to genealogy research, absolutely everything. Find out how to honor the names in your family tree.

This was somewhere around 2008, and I remember being smitten with certain names. Last names like Lapastoressa and Pisciotti were fun to say. First names like Serafina and Elisabetta sounded musical.

After years of researching a handful of Italian towns, I know which last names came from which town. Even my husband recognizes some names from having seen them in the towns' cemeteries. This name recognition comes in handy when you're looking at your DNA matches. Even those with the slimmest of family trees. It can help you find your connection.

Today, let's look at the power of names in genealogy research.

When Too Many People Have the Same Name

It's funny when someone writes to ask me about a particular person in my family tree. I have to ask, "Which one? I have at least 6 people with that name." Different cultures have specific baby-naming conventions. And that can lead to a lot of relatives with the same name.

Don't worry. There are techniques you can use to make sure you're putting the right person in the right nuclear family. Here's a case study in "Same Name; Which Ancestor is Which?"

When One Person Used a Few Names

Because I fell in love with the Italian names in my family tree, I have a few rules about recording those names. Spellings can change over the years, and someone with two or more names may not go by their first name. A man named Giovanni Antonio Bianco may use the name Antonio Bianco. My great grandmother was born Marianna, but she often used the name Mariangela. She had an older sister Mariangela who died very young.

I choose to respect the original name. In my family tree, I list everyone's name as it appears on their birth record. I'll use the birth fact's description field in Family Tree Maker to note name variations. I admit, I did not record the mistaken name given to my mother at birth. Grandma was out cold, and Grandpa told the midwife the wrong name. This still causes Mom trouble when it comes to getting official government documents. And guess what? That wrong name connects back to Grandpa's mother, born Marianna but called Mariangela.

See which name rules you'd like to adopt in "4 Rules for the Names in Your Family Tree".

Find the Maiden Name to Expand the Family

I'm thankful that women in Italy kept their maiden name for life. If I'd known that before my marriage, I'd have gone back to my maiden name, as impossible as it is for people to handle. It was only when these women came to America that they adopted their husband's last name. They adapted to the local cultural norms.

For a long time, my great grandmother Maria Rosa's line was a dead end. As I began building my family tree, my aunt told me that Maria Rosa's last name was Caruso. That helped me find her many brothers who came to New York State before her. But I couldn't find anything to tell me her mother's name.

A few clues pointed to her first name being Louise (Luisa in Italian), but I didn't know her maiden name. It was a glorious victory when I merged different resources to come up with her most likely last name. Then I proved it, and at last I built her full family tree.

To find out what those clues were and where you can find them, see "These Tips Find Missing Maiden Names".

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The names of your ancestors infuse cultural heritage into your family tree. Honor them by recording them the right way and sharing them with your relatives.

Use History to Fill In Your Ancestor's Story

In 2017 when this blog was brand new, I saw the power of historical context. I'd been thinking about my grandfather who died in 1986. I knew he was a prisoner of war in World War I. But the only detail I'd ever heard was that he had to eat rats to stay alive.

My aunt gave me a photo of my grandfather in an Italian Army uniform. So I started researching Italian World War I battles. I wrote about this in "POW: My Grandfather's World War I Experience". I assumed from what I read that the Germans captured him during the Battle of Caporetto. The Italian prisoners went to either Mauthausen in Austria, or Milovice in the Czech Republic.

In 2018 I went to the archives building in the city of Benevento to see his military record. His date of capture coincides with the Battle of Caporetto. They held him prisoner for one full year at Mauthausen. I wrote about his military record in "Taking a Do-It-Yourself Genealogy Vacation, Part 1".

Filling in My Uncle's Story

Online historical research helped me better understand my grandfather's experience. What other family mysteries can I explore by researching the history at the time?

With few facts to go on, historical research adds life to the relatives in your family tree.

My first thought was that same grandfather's son—my Uncle Johnny. Johnny was killed in action in July 1944. During a free access weekend on Fold3.com, I found the flight record detailing Johnny's death.

He was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Air Force. Johnny's flight record told me several details, including:

• The names of all 10 men on his airplane.
• Their intended bombing target in Germany.
• That they were part of the 15th Air Force, 463rd Bomb Group, 773rd Bomb Squadron.
• That they flew a B-17G bomber out of the Celone Airfield.
• Where the plane was last seen after artillery fire hit it.
• That there were no survivors.
• That no parachutes opened.
• That Johnny was the tail gunner.

A few years ago my mother gave me a letter Johnny wrote home in 1944. In the letter he talks about visiting the city of Foggia, Italy. I'm sure he knew some Italian because my grandfather never stopped speaking it.

Today I'm using Microsoft Copilot to learn some historical context. I like Copilot because it gives you a well-organized response with links to its sources. Copilot reminded me there was no United States Air Force in 1944, so Johnny was in the United States Army Air Force. Copilot went on to tell me:

• Johnny was most likely based in the Foggia Airfield Complex.
• The complex contained about 30 separate airfields spread across the region.
• This complex was home to heavy bomber groups flying B-17s and B-24s with the 15th Air Force.
• The service members likely lived in six-man tents with a dirt floor.
• The complex was also used for Allied armies and naval forces, making it a bustling command center.

Bing Maps has a historical marker for the Celone/San Nicola d'Arpi Airfield. It's in the middle of a farming community in northern Foggia. A link to Wikipedia shows me an overhead view of the airfield in 1945, the year after Johnny's plane crash. This image and more detailed maps are available on forgottenairfields.com. Wikipedia says the major tenant of the airfield was Johnny's Fifteenth Air Force, 463rd Bombardment Group, including his 773rd Bombardment Squadron.

This same field housed the famous "Swoose Group". Stationed there was the father of actress Swoosie Kurtz who flew the "Swoose Goose". I learned that from a Facebook group called "Kids of the 463rd Bomb Group".

Now let's look at Johnny's last letter home. He wrote it six days before he died. He tells his parents he became a staff sergeant and got a raise. He got an $18 increase in base pay, a $9 increase in flying pay, and an increase in overseas pay. In a P.S. he says he now has 7 missions.

The last paragraph of the letter is the only glimpse of his free time.

"My buddy and I visited Foggia the other day. We didn't do anything interesting. I stayed at the Red Cross hoping to see someone from the neighborhood, but no such luck. Love to all, Johnny"

Looking at the map, I can see that the Red Cross in Foggia is about 10 miles from the airfield. I can use Google Street View to "walk" the streets and see what Johnny might have seen. I would love to add Foggia as a stop on my next trip to Italy.

Digging Further into Historical Facts

By clicking Copilot's suggested follow-up questions, I found out:

• As tail gunner, Johnny was one of 4 gunners on the B-17G. They had a top-turret gunner, ball-turret gunner, waist gunner, and tail gunner.
• The rest of the crew included a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, and radio operator. The top-turret gunner doubled as the flight engineer. Johnny's flight report refers to RW and LW (presumably Right Wing and Left Wing), which may mean there were 5 gunners.
• As a Staff Sergeant, Johnny was a non-commissioned officer "bridging junior enlisted ranks and the commissioned officers above". Johnny drew a picture of his new insignia in his last letter to his parents. He must have been proud.
• His new position came with added responsibilities, which is why he mentions his pay raise.

What are some of the more interesting stories from your family tree that are lacking detail? Historical research can help you flesh out those stories and give your ancestors new life.

5 Must-Do's for Building Your Family Tree from Vital Records

If your ancestors lived in certain countries, you can find lots of records for your family tree. You may find census records, city directories, military records, ship manifests, and more. But what if your ancestors' countries don't have those records available? How can you build your family tree using only an incomplete set of vital records?

Welcome to my world. I have two sets of 1st great grandparents who emigrated to the U.S., and one set of 2nd great grandparents who came here. Everyone else stayed in Italy for centuries.

Commit to these 5 rules and you can build your family tree from vital records alone.

With access to Italian vital records, I have documented facts for 415 of my direct ancestors. They're the ones with Ahnentafel numbers. My tree is still growing because I'm obsessed with my ancestral hometowns. I'm using vital records to find every relative of my direct ancestors. And I continue to expand each family because of all the intermarriage in their towns.

Let's take a look at 5 "must-do's" for building your family tree from vital records alone. These tips are not confined to Italian vital records!

1. You Must Start Close to Home

When I learned I could view Italian vital records at a Family History Center, I jumped at the chance. This was many years ago before these vital records came online at the Antenati Portal.

I started with the town of Baselice. I knew the names of my grandfather's parents, but nothing more. I had to start with them and begin putting families together. By the time I finished viewing all the vital records between 1809 and 1860, I'd added 15,000 people to my family tree. For complete details of this process, see "5 Steps to Grow Your Italian Family Tree".

2. You Must Understand the Local Marriage Customs

My 4th great grandparents, Gregorio and Apollonia, came from the town of Circello. In 1814 Gregorio and two of their young children died. My 3rd great grandfather Francesco, still a baby, was the only surviving child. What happened to Apollonia? I couldn't find a death record for her in Circello.

I thought about all I'd learned from viewing tons of Italian marriage records. If a spouse died and there were young children in the family, the surviving spouse needed to remarry. Apollonia was widow with a one-year-old baby. She had to remarry, right away.

To find out how I found Apollonia and learned her parents names, see "How I Tracked Down My 4th Great Grandmother's Parents".

3. You Must Look in the Margins

I hate that most of my ancestral hometowns have no available marriage or death records from 1861 to 1930. But there is one saving grace that can make up for this lack of records. Margin notes! Sometimes you'll find a note in the margin of your person's birth record that can tell you:

• Who they married, where and when
• Where and when they died
• That their father died in World War I, and more!

To learn about these and other facts to fill in the gaps, see "3 Types of Bonus Details on Italian Vital Records".

4. You Must Scan for More Details

I have lots of cases in my family tree where a baby is born shortly after their father died. Early on, I was overlooking one incredible detail on that birth record. The father's death record isn't available. But his date of death is often written at the bottom of his child's birth record.

In one of my towns, I don't have access to the matrimoni processetti (see "The Italian Genealogy Goldmine: Wedding Packets"). I was so upset when I realized they were missing. But there is a substitute! In this town, the marriage documents themselves contain tons of detail, including:

• the bride and groom's exact date of birth
• when and where their parents died
• when and where their grandfathers died

Don't miss out on these and other important information on vital records. See "10 Details Not to Miss on Italian Vital Records".

5. You Must See Past the Clerical Errors

I've found glaring errors in a set of marriage records many times. Those glorious wedding packets have birth records for the bride and groom. But then you go to your family tree and see the mistake. The birth record isn't for the bride. It's for her same-named older sister who died as a child. Or the grandfather's death record is for a completely different man with the same name.

You've got to consider each document with care and make sure everything adds up. You'll avoid all these errors if your family tree contains all the siblings in every family.

What other common errors must you look for? Read the details in "5 Common Mistakes on Vital Records".

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Old-country vital records have more accurate details than a U.S. vital record for an immigrant. That can be because the family was in one place for centuries. Everyone in town knows who this person's parents were.

Keep your eyes open for the many nuances of vital records as described in this article. Then you'll be ready to squeeze out every last detail for your family tree.