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.