One of my best genealogy finds this year wasn’t a find, but it was one-on-one with genetic genealogist Michelle Leonard (She not only has her own site but also works at YourDNA Guide and is a speaker at Legacy Family Tree Webinars) to review my DNA work thus far on the Beaton Batten Mystery. My research question is, who are my great-grandfather William Beaton’s parents? It makes it a bit more complicated because they are several generations back in my genealogy. I was pretty sure I had it right, but I just wanted some fresh eyes to look. So I was super happy when she said she agreed with my conclusion that William Walden and Eliza Bayliss are his parents. She also agreed that Annie Batten (William’s sister) is likely only his half-sister because of the DNA we share with one of her descendants.
She gave me a few tasks I will pursue in the new year.
One thing I think I will do this next year is something I started many years ago called the “Genie Jar.” Every time you have a new discovery, you put a tiny slip of paper in the jar, and then on New Year’s Eve, you open the papers to remind yourself what you’ve accomplished.
What did you discover in your genealogy or DNA this year? I’d love to find out, so please leave a comment below.
The Genie Jar is just one of the tips in the Genie Journal, which is available at Shop the Hound and Amazon. The Genie Journal has tips from genealogists from around the globe.
Who are the genealogists in the Genie Journal? (In order of appearance)
Cheri Hudson Passey (USA) Carolina Girl Genealogy Ellen Thompson-Jennings (Canada) Hound on the Hunt, Lisa Louise Cooke (USA) The Genealogy Gems Podcast, Dr. Penny Walters (England) Search My Past, Patricia Greber (Canada) My Genealogy Life , Lisa Lisson (USA) Are You My Cousin, M. Diane Rogers (Canada), Melissa Barker (USA) The Archives Lady, Jill Ball, (Australia) GeniAus, Ruth Blair (Canada) The Passionate Genealogist, Lianne Kruger (Canada) @lianneKruger, Elizabeth Swaney O-Neal (USA) The Family Heart, Shannon Combs-Bennett, MSc, QG (USA) @tntfamhist, Alona Tester (Australia), Katherine R. Willson (USA) Social Media Genealogy Dear MYRTLE (USA), Christine Woodcock (Canada) @genealogytours, Lorine McGinnis Schultze (Canada) Olive Tree Genealogy, Devon Noel Lee (USA) Family History Fanatics, Tami Osmer Mize (USA) Relatively Curious, Michael John Neill (USA) Genealogy Tip of the Day , Marie Cappart (Belgium) Historienne-Genealogiste, Laura Hedgecock (USA) Treasure Chest of Memories , Mags Gaulden (Canada) Grandma’s Genes , Randy Seaver (USA) Genea Musings, Helen Smith (Australia) Dragon Genealogy HVSReasearch , Diahan Southard (USA) Your DNA Guide, Roberta Estes (USA) DNA Explained, Sylvia Valentine (England) Recover Your Roots , Lynn Palermo (Canada) The Armchair Genealogist, John Boeren (Netherlands) Antecedentia