170 Million Wills online FREE Sept 2-7!

 More than 170 million pages from the largest collection of wills and probate records in the United States is now available online exclusively on Ancestry. 

With searchable records included from all 50 states spread over 337 years (1668-2005), this unprecedented collection launches a new category of records for family history research never before available online at this scale the United States.   

Until now, these records have only been available offline. Ancestry spent more than two years bringing this collection online, working with hundreds of different archives from individual state and local courts across the country and making a $10M investment to license and digitize the records. The documents cover well over 100 million people, including the deceased as well as their family, friends and others involved in the probate process. Ancestry expects to continue to grow the collection, with additional records available over the next several years.

To celebrate the launch of the new U.S. Wills and Probates collection on Ancestry,, the collection along with all U.S. birth, marriage and death records, will be available to explore for FREE, September 2 (12pm MT) through September 7 (10pm MT). 


Here are the records available as of today:

• Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1727-2008
• North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Rhode Island, Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932
• New Mexico, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1993
• Nevada, Wills and Probate Records, 1906-1925
• Nebraska, Wills and Probate Records, 1806-1989
• Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1604-1878
• Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989
• New York County, New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1658-1880 (NYSA) 
• New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
• Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999
• Alaska, Wills and Probate Records, 1883-1978
• Arizona, Wills and Probate Records, 1803-1995
• Arkansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1783-1998
• California, Wills and Probate Records, 1782-1999
• Colorado, Wills and Probate Records, 1875-1974
• Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 
• Delaware, Wills and Probate Records, 1676-1971  
• Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974
• Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992  
• Hawaii, Wills and Probate Records, 1822-1962  
• Idaho, Wills and Probate Records, 1857-1989
• Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999
• Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999
• Iowa, Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997
• Kansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1803-1987
• Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989
• Louisiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984
• Maine, Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999
• Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1604-1878
• Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
• Michigan, Wills and Probate Records, 1784-1980
• Minnesota, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1999
• Mississippi, Wills and Probate Records, 1780-1982
• Missouri, Wills and Probate Records, 1766-1988
• Montana, Wills and Probate Records, 1831-1952
• Nebraska, Wills and Probate Records, 1806-1989
• Nevada, Wills and Probate Records, 1906-1925
• New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982
• New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999
• New Mexico, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1993
• North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998
• North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Oklahoma, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-2008
• Oregon, Wills and Probate Records, 1833-1963
• Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993
• Rhode Island, Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932
• South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
• Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1727-2008
• Texas, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-2000
• Utah, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Vermont, Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999
• Washington, D.C., Wills and Probate Records, 1737-1952
• Washington, Wills and Probate Records, 1807-1997
• West Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1724-1978
• Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987

Ancestry DNA Available in Canada

Great news! Ancestry DNA test kits are now available to Canadians. If you've been waiting for the chance to order a kit to Canada, now's the time.

I've had my DNA (and my parents) DNA tested at other companies and now is my chance to do the same with Ancestry DNA in Canada  

The more places you test, the better so I'm eager to do this! So far, with our DNA tests we've learned many new things - not just our ethnic background but family secrets. That's right.

We learned, for example, that the family rumours were true and that my grandfather's father was not the man married to his mother. Nope, the rumour that Great-Grandma had been messing around with the hired man named Cooper turned out to be true! DNA connected my husband and his mother with first cousins through the Cooper family. 

We also were able to verify our paper research showing my wife's Native American heritage, and my black ancestry. 

So if you live in Canada, why not find out what secrets lie in your family tree? Take the Ancestry DNA now.

Don't Miss RootsTech Live Broadcasts!

 RootsTech Live Broadcasts Today

RootsTech list of live broadcasts today. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend in-person worldwide a sample of this year's conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The fourth-year conference has attracted over 10,000 registered attendees in-person, and leaders expect over 20,000 additional viewers online.
 
The streamed sessions include a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in mountain standard time (MST):
 
The streamed sessions include a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in mountain standard time (MST): 
 
Thursday, February 6
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Top 10 Things I Learned About My Family from My Couch by Tammy Hepps
1 p.m. to 2 p.m., FamilySearch Family Tree: What's New and What's Next by Ron Tanner

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Intro to DNA for Genealogists by James Rader

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Genealogy in the Cloud by Randy Hoffman
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sharing Your Family with Multimedia by Michael LeClerc

RootsTech Sessions Being Live Streamed!

RootsTech 2013 announced today which of its conference sessions would be streamed online for free. Over 5,000 people have already registered to attend the popular conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 21-23, 2013, where they plan to learn how to find, organize, tell, preserve, and share their family's history-and make new connections. The conference will broadcast 13 of its 250+ classes live at RootsTech.org , including the daily keynote speakers. The family history conference is the largest of its kind in the U.S.  "Not everyone can attend RootsTech in person," said Dan Martinez, RootsTech conference manager. "So we give them a chance to virtually attend a free sampling of some of our most popular sessions live online." Martinez added that the live webcasts in 2012 had 50,000 views during the show. For those living within travel distance of Salt Lake City, Martinez said it's still not too late to register for RootsTech 2013! From the Getting Started, Developer Day, and the Story@home tracks, the 3rd annual RootsTech conference has something for everyone, whether you are an avid genealogist, just beginning, or simply want to discover the latest technologies and solutions to better connect with your family. For registration details and costs, go to RootsTech.org.   Following are the RootsTech 2013 Streaming Sessions and when and where to find them.

Mountain Standard Time "Best of RootsTech" Live Stream on RootsTech.org Thursday, March 21  8:30 a.m. Keynote speakers: Dennis Brimhall, President and CEO, FamilySearch International, Syd Lieberman, Nationally Acclaimed Storyteller, Author, and Teacher, and Josh Taylor, Lead Genealogist at findmypast.com and President, Federation of Genealogical Societies 11:00 a.m. The Future of Genealogy-Thomas MacEntee and panel 1:45 p.m. Tell It Again (Story@Home)-Kim Weitkamp 3:00 p.m. The Genealogists Gadget Bag-Jill Ball and panel 4:15 p.m. Finding the Obscure and Elusive: Geographic Information on the Web-James Tanner Friday, March 22  8:30 a.m. Keynote speakers: Jyl Pattee, Founder, Mom It Forward Media, and Tim Sullivan, President and CEO, Ancestry.com 9:45 a.m. Researching Ancestors Online-Laura Prescott 11:00 a.m. FamilySearch Family Tree-Ron Tanner 1:45 p.m. Google Search... and Beyond-Dave Barney 3:00 p.m. From Paper Piles to Digital Files-Valerie Elkins Saturday, March 23  8:30 a.m. Keynote speakers: David Pogue, Personal Technology Columnist, The New York Times, and Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO, MyHeritage 9:45 a.m. Using Technology to Solve Research Problems-Karen Clifford 11:00 a.m. Digital Storytelling: More Than Bullet Points-Denise Olson

Free Access to Ancestry.ca June 27-July 2

Ancestry.ca Family history website offers free access to more than 40 million historical records that trace the development of the nation over the last 145 years

June 27, 2012 (TORONTO) – In honour of Canada Day, Ancestry.ca, Canada’s favourite family history website, is offering free access to 40 million historical records that outline just how far the country has come as a nation in the past 145 years.

Available free from June 27 through July 2, the records cover the years leading up to and following Confederation and include censuses, birth, marriage and death records, passenger lists, military records and many more.

“Many Canadians today celebrate the diversity of our nation but that multi-culturalism only came following a period of incredible growth and development in the years immediately before and after nationhood,” said Ancestry.ca’s Julie Wingate. “These records really paint a picture of how much we’ve changed as a country and give us a real reason to celebrate Canada Day.”

In 1871, just four short years after Confederation, Canada conducted its first Census as a nation and the results showed it was a country made up of British and French immigrants and a stark lack of diversity.

In fact, according to the 1871 Census of Canada:

• Just 101 people are listed as being of Russian origin, compared to 500,000 in 2006
• Nearly 900 people are listed as being Italian, compared to 1.4 million in 2006
• Only one man is listed as being of Chinese descent in the 1871 Census, compared to 1.3 million in 2006

Between June 27 and July 2, millions of records will be accessible to Canadians for free on Ancestry.ca. The records are from some of the largest collections on Ancestry.ca, including:

·         Canadian Passenger Lists and Ocean Arrivals - outlining the masses of people who arrived by ship -- the only form of international travel available to people at the time -- at port cities across Canada

·         The 1871 Census of Canada - the first Census Canada conducted as a nation, which gives a snapshot of the life of the people living at the time, including who they lived with, their ages, their jobs, the birthplaces of their parents, their neighbours and more

·         Vital records (i.e. birth, marriage and death records) from British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia - outlining the significant moments in the people’s lives like children born, marriages and deaths.

Search Ancestry.ca for your family.

Fold3 offers FREE War of 1812 Records for June 2012

Fold3 will be opening up all of their War of 1812 records to the public for free during June. This is in commemoration of the 200^th anniversary of the commencement of the war.

The collection consists of more than 400,000 images including 233,000 images from the War of 1812 Pension Files never before available online. The following databases provided for free included:

• War of 1812 Pension Files
• War of 1812 Prize Cases, Southern District Court, NY
• Letters Received by The Adjutant General, 1805-1821
• War of 1812 Service Records

FamilySearch Adds New Genealogy Records

FamilySearch added just over 20 million new, free records online this past week for
Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, and the U.S.

The 9 million new California death records and 5 million Nevada marriage
records should be a boon for those looking for ancestors in the western
U.S. Records were also added for 11 other states.

Search these and 2.5 billion other records now for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records on FamilySearch.org are made possible by thousands of volunteers from around the world who transcribe (index) the information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online.

More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the amount of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about how to personally help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records as a volunteer indexer at  FamilySearch.org