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

Google Discontinues its Phonebook

Google has dropped the phonebook: and rphonebook: operators used for finding U.S.  phone numbers.  The phonebook: operator was for both business and residential phone numbers while the rphonebook: operator was for residential phonebook and focused on home phones.  

In addition, phonebook results no longer appear among regular Google search results.

The Google phonebook operator was a great way to locate long-lost friends and family and was my favorite people finder search engine.  It was also convenient way to find long-distance phone numbers.  I'm going to miss it.

Also gone is GOOG-411,  Google's voice-powered directory assistance service, which was free of charge and connected to businesses across the U.S. and Canada.  I had used goog-411 from my cell phone while out and about.
 
Meanwhile, there are other free U.S. phonebooks that can be used:

• WhitePages.com
• PhoneBook.com
• Yahoo People Search

And there are other ways to find a long-lost mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather or other missing family member:

• Finding Living People
• Person Finder

The Kim Cattrall episode of Who Do You Think You Are? shown in the U.S. may encourage others to try to locate missing family members.  The internet and technology certainly makes the search easier, but, as this WDYTYA? episode shows, collecting information by talking to family and even their neighbors provides a great starting point.

Kim Cattrall on U.S. WDYTYA?

I watched Kim Cattrall on Who Do You Think You Are?, and found it very emotional, heartbreaking, and moving.  But I noticed that this WDYTYA? show had a different feel than the other shows this season.  Kim was interested in finding out what happened to her grandfather who walked out on her grandmother and three young children.  Her search for her family tree stopped when she solved the mystery of what happened to her grandfather.

I wonder if the different feel to the show was because this same show with Kim Cattrall was shown first on the U.K. version of WDYTYA? on the BBC  last year.  It appears that the voiceover was changed to an American accent, but the entire showed was filmed in England and Canada, unlike the U.S. version of the show where the family tree search has so far always originated in a U.S. city.

As far as I know this is the first WDYTYA? that was first shown on the BBC UK version of the show, and then shown again in the U.S. on NBC.  I think it is a good idea to share shows between countries if that gets us more episodes to watch here.

I also noticed that Kim searched Ancestry.com on the show, but at the end of the show, the credits listed Ancestry.co.uk   Searching the website, Kim found a family tree called the Cattrall family tree - her family tree all filled in.   Didn't quite make sense that it would be called the Cattrall family tree unless there happened to be another Cattrall who had previously done this same hunt for George Baugh. 

But Kim's grandfather, George Baugh, is found in an Ancestry.com family tree called the CROMBIE - BAUGH - ELLIS Family tree.

There was very little research of records on this show.  Just one shocker mailed to her by an off-the camera researcher and a quick scan of  some Durham records   Much of what was found was done by following up on a 30 year old newspaper clipping Kim's mother had saved which led to meeting and speaking with previously unknown family.

I was truly moved by this show, and can't even imagine the pain her mother and aunties felt when they found out what happened to their father.  Even 70 years after being abandoned, their hurt was still raw.

Want to know more about your family? Start your FREE family tree online to enter what you already know about yourself and have Ancestry.com help you find your family story.

Who Do You Think You Are? Episode Schedule 2011

This is the Who Do You Think You Are? episode schedule for the next two weeks:

Kim Cattrall
Season 2, Episode 4
February 25, 2011

Kim Cattrall digs into her family roots, centering her investigation on the mysteries surrounding her grandfather. Before long, she uncovers a haunting truth and forges enriching connections with the women in her family.


Lionel Richie
Season 2, Episode 5
March 4, 2011

Singer Lionel Richie charts his family history by focusing on his maternal grandmother's ancestry. Determined to solve mysteries surrounding her father, Richie takes an investigative voyage from Alabama to Nashville and Chattanooga, ultimately digging up a connection to the dawning days of the civil-rights movement.


And good news!   Who Do You Think You Are?  has been renewed by NBC for the 2011-2012 season.

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Rosie O’Donnell, Ireland and Canada - WDYTYA?

In her quest for her family roots on the TV show, Who Do You Think You Are?, Rosie O'Donnell asks the same two questions that many U.S. genealogists ask.

• Where (what country and what town) did my family originate?
• What caused them to immigrate?

In Rosie’s search, she was able to find the answers to both questions. 

Her family was from Kildare, Ireland, and they came because they were the poorest of the poor living in an Irish workhouse in horrible conditions. Their transportation to Canada was paid for by two benefactors. This info was found in the Irish Poor Law Union minutes in Ireland.

The show didn’t state why they were given tickets to Canada instead of the U.S.  But I've always heard the answer is that passage was cheaper from Ireland to Canada than to the United States, and, also, they didn’t have to change citizenship.

Many Irish immigrated to Canada before coming to the U.S.  They came to Canada before, during, and after the Irish Famine.  They came even before the creation of workhouses in 1838.

Just briefly, we see Rosie at the National Archives of Quebec looking at the the Ancestry.com Drouin Collection.  The Drouin Collection records of Quebec province spans the years 1621 to 1967 - (yes, 346 years of records) .  It has over 30 million names taken from baptism, marriage and burial records of Quebec, as well as church records from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and some of the New England states. Those with ancestors in Canada, or even those like Rosie whose ancestors were in Quebec for a brief time before immigrating to the U.S.should be very excited.  We don’t have to travel to Montreal to see these records.

The records of the Drouin Collection are primarily French-Canadian, but many people of Irish descent will find their ancestors' name in these French-Canadian records because so many Irish immigrated to and lived in Quebec.  Some of the Irish immigrants stayed in Canada while some went to the United States like Rosie’s ancestors (and mine).

If you have Irish ancestors, it might be worth a look to see if your ancestors came to the United States via Quebec. For example, in the Drouin Collection, there are over 20,000 search results for the Irish name Murphy, and over 10,000 for the Irish name Sullivan.

Records in the Drouin Collection can be searched in French or English by name, date, place, church or institution, and religion. You will find some of the records of Irish immigrants are recorded in French. You can use this French Genealogy Glossary to help translate.

This collection is  available online through a subscription to Ancestry.com but you can view them via a Free Trial or at your local library.

I enjoyed the show a lot.  It showed Rosie staring with what she knew about her family, working with original documents, reading info on a microfilm, and meeting previously unknown second cousins.  She said she felt moved than she expected to.  I think anyone who has begun to trace their own family tree can relate to all of that!

But the question Rosie didn’t ask, and that I really wanted to know, was why her family left Canada for New Jersey.  My Irish family did the same and I have never been able to find the reason.