Monthly Genealogy File BackUp Day - Using BackupMy Tree

The first of the month is the time I set aside to do monthly genealogy files backup.  Protecting genealogy research that has taken years to gather is a must because, sadly, computers are vulnerable to hard drive crashes, viruses, theft and natural disasters.

This month, I am adding a free "in the cloud" backup in addition to my usual backup plan.  BackupMyTree finds and creates a remote, off-site copy of your family-tree files.  It monitors your family trees and backs them up for you automatically when they change.  And actually since it backs up automatically, there is nothing to do each month except check that I am still logged in.

Although I back up my files automatically to an external hard drive, I know from experience that external hard drives can also fail, and in case of a disaster also be destroyed along with my computer.  That's why off-site backup is so important.

  

BackUpMyTree  FREE backup service provides:

• Support for a wide array of family tree file formats created by popular family tree software packages - Family Tree Maker, Family Tree Builder, PAF, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic (version 4 or later), and Family Tree Legends. Industry standard GEDCOM files are supported too. 
• Anywhere access of family tree files – users can access their family tree files securely from anywhere using a web browser. 
• Monitoring of all family trees for changes and automatic backup of the updated files.
• Storage of previous versions of family tree files should anything become corrupted. This feature also protects against accidental deletion of information inside a family tree – enabling users to retrieve any previous version of their data.
• Instant retrieval in case of data loss - by simply re-downloading the latest family tree backups.
• Complete protection of all family tree files using strong SSL security during transfer from computers to the BackupMyTree servers.

To backup your genealogy files onto BackupMyTree, go to BackupMyTree

• Download and run the BackupMyTree installer. BackupMyTree should start automatically after installation, and will appear in the Windows notification / system tray area.  
• After a few minutes, your web browser should pop up, asking you to log in to your BackupMyTree account. 
• Next, BackupMyTree will scan your hard drive for family trees and immediately start backing them up.

When I first used BackupMyTree, it took quite a while (days) to sync all the files and gedcoms I had on my computer, even though it says on the website it only takes minutes.   It  uses minimal resources always working in the background to update the latest version of your genealogy program file, and I haven't noticed any slowdown when it is running.  There is no limit to the files it will backup and I was quite surprised to see how many files it found on my computer.  However, each file backed up is limited to 1 gigabyte in size.

When I go to BackupMyTree, the website always opens up in Google Chrome, which is not my default browser, but I do have it installed on my computer.  I'm not sure, but the program might require a Google Chrome download.

Hint:  If you use FamilyTreeMaker, do a monthly backup (file - backup) within the program and be sure to tick the box called "include media files" .  This will save your data plus all photos and images to a .ftmb backup file which BackupmyTree will backup for you as long as your file is not larger than 1 gigabyte.   Great way to get photos and Ancestry.com record images backed up along with your genealogy database file.

BackupMyTree is from Cliff Shaw who also founded GenForum, GenCircles, and Family Tree Legends.

Steve Buscemi and his PA Civil War Ancestor on WDYTYA?

I watched Steve Buscemi trace his family history on the NBC TV show Who Do You Think You Are? and found his family story interesting.   The episode focused on Steve's great-great-grandfather, Ralph B. Montgomery, who was a dentist, then grocer, then Civil War soldier, then dentist again in a different town with a different family. 

Ralph B. Montgomery, Steve Buscemi's gggrandfather, was a soldier in the 91st Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers that were recruited in Philadelphia.  He is listed as R.B. Montgomery in Bates' Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War which says about him:

Deserted January 11, 1862; returned May 22, 1862; deserted again September 2, 1863

The TV show implied he deserted because of the horrors of the battle of Fredericksburg, but the battle was December 12-15, 1862 and he deserted the first time the previous January - 11 months before the battle happened.  His second desertion was 9 months after Fredericksburg, and there were other battles his regiment fought after Fredericksburg and before his second desertion including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.  So, I don't understand the mention of  Fredericksburg on the TV show in connection with his desertion.  But as Steve Buscemi said, "He saw things that no man should see".

Many soldiers in Ralph B. Montgomery's  91st regiment, company F  are listed as having deserted. 

An important fact about Civil War desertion not mentioned during Steve Buscemi's WDYTYA? episode is that not all those listed as Civil War deserters were actually deserters.

According to "Desertion During the Civil War" by Ella Lonn written in 1928,  Pennsylvania had  24,050 men listed as deserting the Union Army.

And it is estimated that at least 25% of the total number of men reported as deserters may have been absent from muster roll for a legitimate reason.  Sometimes these men were in hospitals, or dead, or missing, or prisoners of war, yet listed as deserters because communication and record keeping were very poor at the time.    In addtition, some went home to recover from their wounds and returned to their regiment as soon as they were able.  Sometimes, men were later found serving with a different regiment, yet marked as a deserter with their original regiment. 

That is what happened to Ralph B. Montgomery.  After his second desertion, he returned to the Philadelphia area, where under an assumed name, he enlisted again in the Gettysburg Campaign in the PA Emergency Militia, 20th Cavalry. He served honorably there and was discharged.

Real deserters, or at least those who were caught, in the Pennsylvania Volunteers were dealt with harshly and executed by firing squad as an example to others.

If you find your ancestor is listed as a deserter during the Civil War, don't immediately assume he really deserted.  Look first to see if he returned to his regiment, or joined another regiment, or is listed as a POW, or had been wounded or had died.

Learn more about researching your Civil War ancestor.

Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011

Here is the schedule for the final episodes of WDYTYA? season 2:

Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011

Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather


Gwyneth Paltrow
Season 2, Episode 7
April 1, 2011
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow finds roots in Barbados while looking into her ancestral past.
 
 
Ashley Judd
Season 2, Episode 8
April 8, 2011

Actress Ashley Judd, an eighth generation Eastern Kentuckian, discovers a connection to the first American settlers while investigating her ancestral past.

Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011

Rosie O'Donnell
Season 2
March 18, 2011

Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at the age of 10, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry. In Ireland, she uncovers the unbelievable hardships faced by her family.  An Irish saga for St. Patrick's Day.
 
 
Steve Buscemi
Season 2, Episode 6
March 25, 2011

Actor Steve Buscemi delves into his family tree to unearth information about possible rogues, rebels, and questionable characters in his genealogy. He travels through Philadelphia, New York, and the battlefields of Virginia, as he puts the focus on the secrets of his great-great-grandfather. 


The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are Ashley Judd and Gwneyth Paltrow, but NBC had not released dates for these episodes on their website.

Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011

This is the schedule for WDYTYA? for the next two weeks:

Kim Cattrall
Season 2
March 11, 2011 (R)

Kim Cattrall searches for information about her grandfather who abandoned her mother and aunts when they were young.  Before long, she uncovers the haunting truth.

Rosie O'Donnell
Season 2
March 18, 2011 (R)

Rosie O'Donnell, who lost her mother at a young age, embarks on a journey that takes her from New Jersey to Canada and finally to Ireland as she investigates her ancestry.  In Ireland, she uncovers the horrifying hardships faced by her family.

The other celebrities that will dig into their family roots this season are:

• Steve Buscemi 
• Gwneyth Paltrow 
• Ashley Judd

But no dates have been released for their episodes.

  

If you missed Season One of Who Do You Think You Are?, or  if you would like to see see the series again,  the DVD  Who Do You Think You Are?: Season One is now available for sale at Amazon.com.

The companion book for WDYTYA?, written by Megan Smolenyak is also available Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History