maj 16, 2023 by Jessica - Legacy Tree Genealogists President 6 Comments

An Expert’s Secrets For German Genealogy Research

We sat down with German genealogy research expert, Katie Schober, founder of Germanology Unlocked–courses, German-English translation services, and books for those who need some professional help with their German ancestry research.

In this article you'll learn about:
• The foundations of Germanology Unlocked
• Understanding German Genealogy Research Language
• How to navigate German dialects
• Whether or not you need to know German in order to do your family history research
• Where to start your German family research
• Common brick walls and mistakes people make when doing German genealogy research
• Services offered by Germanology Unlocked

THE FOUNDATIONS OF GERMANOLOGY UNLOCKED

Legacy Tree:

Could you tell us a bit about your background, and how you came to start Germanology Unlocked?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

I started studying German when I was in high school. It was one of the languages my high school offered, and since I had German ancestors, I decided to take German instead of the Spanish like everyone else took, and I just fell in love with it.

I met my best friends in high school through that class, and we got to travel to Germany, had some German pen pals, and then, when it was time to go to college and pick a major, I didn't really know what else I liked and thought to myself, ”Well, I love language, so I guess I'll major in German.” So it was just a spontaneous decision.

Then it was the same thing when I graduated with my bachelor's–I still didn't know what I wanted to do and thought, ”Well, I might as well keep going with it. I still love languages.” Then I did my master's in German right after that.

I hadn't lived in a German-speaking country yet throughout my bachelor program, so I really wanted to find a program that put you in a German-speaking country the first year. One of the ones I found was through Bowling Green State University, and they sent me to Salzburg, Austria that first year. It was beautiful. If anyone has ever seen The Sound of Music, that's where The Sound of Music was filmed. I just fell in love with the culture and the nature over there. Then the second year of the master's program was in Ohio, and that is where I met my future Austrian husband. Now we're married, we still speak German in our home. After graduating with my masters, I went back to Austria for three more years and taught English over there.

That's a little bit about the German background. And then I started translating in Austria for a professor at the University of Vienna. He was a history professor and published a lot of historical articles, and I started translating those for him. Then when we moved back to America, I just knew I wanted to keep translating and first started out trying to do everything, but quickly realized I have no medical or legal knowledge, so I should not be translating medical or legal documents. I just didn't like it either.

What I loved was that history. I eventually got in contact with a lot of genealogical societies, historical societies, and started getting projects and eventually got enough projects and was able to make it full-time. That's just when I was so happy getting to combine my love for history and genealogy or history and language together.

UNDERSTANDING GERMAN GENEALOGY LANGUAGE

Legacy Tree:

What makes the German language challenging to read when researching genealogy specifically?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Well, the German language can be very challenging for genealogy because of the old German handwriting. So if anyone isn't familiar with that, that was a different type of handwriting that was used in German-speaking countries up until about the time of World War II. So it was taught in schools until about the 1940s, some areas the 1950s, and it's so different that most modern German speakers can no longer read it today. Maybe there's about five letters out of the alphabet that are the same and the rest are different.

So an E looks like an N, an S looks like an upside down fish, I like to say. So having to learn that handwriting before you can start reading your documents is sometimes something that causes a lot of overwhelm for a lot of people. It's not just in a different language. It's in this different type of handwriting too.

And luckily I was able to teach myself, and that's kind of, I think helped me in my career that not just any random German can do it.

Legacy Tree:

What are some of the unique language uses in German that a genealogist should understand? For example, how all nouns are capitalized in German.

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

So in German, all nouns are capitalized. And that can be confusing for people researching their German ancestors because they might see a capital letter and automatically assume it's a name of a person, or a name of a town, which would be a capital letter in English. But in German, any noun, so any person, place or thing is written with a capital letter. So you don't want to automatically assume that that's a name. It could just be the word streets or the word automobile or something like that as well.

Legacy Tree:

And not to put too much meaning behind those capitals.

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Yes. And a lot of people actually don’t realize that on vital records, for example, the government certificates that began to be kept in Germany as of 1876, on those certificates, the occupation will almost always come directly before the name. So it might say the weaver Johann Schmidt and in German weaver would be capitalized. So I've had so many people think that weaver is actually part of their ancestor's name rather than the occupation. That happens a lot. Knowing where to expect what type of words and knowing that the occupation would be capitalized as well, will help you to figure out which is the name and which is the occupation.

UNDERSTANDING GERMAN DIALECTS FOR GERMAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH

Legacy Tree:

Do different areas in Germany speak different German dialects?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Yes, for sure. So as I mentioned before, I studied abroad in Austria. I did my master's there and then taught over there. And I had a master's in German or was getting a master's in German. But it took me an entire year of living in Austria to be able to understand the Austrians. And now I can understand them no problem. But people from northern Germany would go to Austria and not be able to understand them. So that's different countries within Germany by itself, and within Austria and Switzerland, they all have very different dialects as well. So the different areas you go to, you'll get different words for different things, different ways of pronouncing different things. Perhaps like going to Scotland, and we understand some of the words in Scottish, but there's such a thick accent and they have different words for different objects that we might not have ever heard. So I kind of like to compare it to that.

Legacy Tree:

Yeah, that's so true. We forget that even English, we have so many different dialects, really.

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Yeah, for sure. And then the thing that I get asked a lot is, “will that be difficult for me when I'm working with my genealogical records?” And that's not really the case because dialects were mostly spoken, so you don't need to worry about that as much for genealogy because they all would've used the standard German that they would've all learned in school when writing documents. The only time you might have to worry about that is if you're translating letters or diaries or postcards where it would've been more informal, but any standard record would've been in the standard German.

DO YOU NEED TO KNOW GERMAN TO DO FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH IN GERMANY?

Legacy Tree::

How can understanding the language better assist in German family history research?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

It can make all the difference. So in German, there's four different cases. So depending on where a word is in the sentence, it will change the spelling of the word. And for example, there's actually 16 different ways to write the word the, depending on where the word comes in the sentence. And knowing what those little distinctions mean, knowing that this means that this person was a recipient and this person was the giver of the action, for example, it can change all the meaning. This person was buried versus this person was doing the burying of their mother or their father because it's not necessarily the subject first, then the verb, then the object like in English, like the man threw the ball. You could say the ball was thrown by the man. And understanding those subtle differences in German and how that grammar changes the meaning can really help you with your research.

HOW TO USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE FOR GENEALOGY RESEARCH

Legacy Tree:

It seems like something that Google Translate isn't really up for yet.

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Not yet. It does it to some degree. I always tell people, use Google Translate for very, very short phrases, put in an entire document. Don't put in an entire paragraph like you said, because German grammar is so different than English grammar. Sometimes it all gets garbled up and confused. And you think one person was doing something when it was actually the other person.

Legacy Tree:

Does a genealogist need to be fluent in German to do genealogy research in German?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

Definitely not. I always tell people, you don't need to know the entire German language to work with genealogy documents. If you familiarize yourself with certain vocabulary words like birth, marriage, death, things that come up again and again, that will give you a great head start. If you familiarize yourself with some basic grammar. I actually have a German language, German for genealogists course, where it teaches people just the German they need for genealogy. So you're not going to learn, oh, this is how you say” surf the internet,” because that's totally irrelevant to your genealogical research, but you'll learn, “he was baptized,” “he was buried,” and things like that, that will come up again and again in your records.

Legacy Tree:

That's brilliant. So it's kind of like a niche fluency.

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

Exactly. You might not do too well talking with 21st century Germans, but if you ever travel back in time, then you'll be great.

GENEALOGY RESEARCH SURPRISES

Legacy Tree:

Could you give us a specific story about a surprise you've run into doing any of your German genealogy research?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

So this wasn't necessarily a surprise, but one project I was working on for a client was a woman, it was about, I think 1918 or so, and it was a diary, and she was a woman with a one-year-old child, and her husband was stationed over in Thailand in the army. And she was going to get to go move to Thailand to be with him. And she kept a journal of her travels on the ship from Germany through the English Channel down through the Strait of Gibraltar and Middle East, et cetera, to go visit him. And it was fascinating, and I loved learning about the different areas she was visiting, but on every single page, she had at least a paragraph of, I miss my husband so much, I miss my husband so much, I miss my husband, which sounds very romantic, but when you're translating a hundred pages, you do get a little tired of translating the same sentence over and over.

And so I was so excited going page after page for the reunion with her husband. I was like, wow, she really misses her husband. I can't wait to see what it's like when they get together. The diary stopped right when she got to Thailand. The last entry was, I have arrived in Thailand and I'm going to go see my husband tomorrow. And I never got to find out what the reunion was like after all of those pages of I miss my husband so much.

So that wasn't necessarily a surprise, well, I was a little surprised at the end when I'm like, are you serious? After all of those pages, I never get to find out how the reunion was?

I was translating it for her either grandson or great-grandson. So they did get together and have more children, but I never got to find out the ending.

It's like you get to the end of the movie and then don't get to see the final scene.

SERVICES OFFERED AT GERMANY UNLOCKED

Legacy Tree:

What services do you offer to your clients at Germanology Unlocked?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked

So we do translations like I've been mentioning. We do translations of letters, diaries, postcards, any records you find, so church records, vital records, obituaries, newspapers, pretty much anything and everything related to German genealogy.

And like I mentioned before, I have two courses, the German for genealogists that I talked about, and then reading the old German handwriting course. So it's a course all about how you can learn to read the handwriting that you're going to encounter in those records. It takes you through every letter of the alphabet. It takes you through vocabulary, it takes you through practice records. For me, that was the hardest thing when I was teaching myself. I would look at records and try to transcribe them, and I had nobody to tell me if I was right or wrong. My husband was no help because he couldn't read it either.

And so that's what I tried to put in the course. You get these practice records, and then you get the answer sheet right there so you can check yourself to see how well you're doing. But those two courses, and those are totally self-paced. You can do them on your own time. You have lifetime access, so you get to go back and review. If you take a break from genealogy and then start up again in six months, you can always go back and look at flashcards and the matching games and things like that. And I have two books. I have Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting, which is everything I wish I would've known when I was starting out with the handwriting, a little get your feet wet book, and then The Magic of German Church Records, which teaches you to extract your ancestors' information from German church records without having to decipher the entire thing.

WHERE TO START YOUR GERMAN FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

Legacy Tree:
If a person is more of a DIY genealogist, what is a good way for them to start their German research?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

Well, everyone always wants to jump across the pond first and find out all that information in Germany. But the main rule of genealogy is you should always start with yourself and then go back from there. And before you cross the pond, you want to make sure you know a specific hometown in Germany, because records were kept at the local level, churches, civil registry offices, you'll need to know that hometown before you just start looking for a random name and trying to find it anywhere in Germany.

So really look at home first. Look for maybe family Bibles, maybe old photographs would have a studio written on them with the town. The number one source for finding a hometown in Germany is actually local church records. So if you have a church record here in America, it might list their town of origin on that. Naturalization records, passenger list, really trying to get that hometown and then getting across the pond and starting the fun German research.

THE MOST COMMON GERMAN RESEARCH BRICK WALLS

Legacy Tree:

What are the most common brick walls people run into with German genealogy research?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

I think people get overwhelmed by the language and the handwriting for sure. But in addition to that, a lot of people get discouraged if they can't find their records online. They'll be looking at websites and their records just don't exist online yet, or haven't yet been digitized. And what a lot of people forget is you can actually contact the churches in Germany or Austria or Switzerland or the Civil Registry offices over there, and they will possibly have your ancestors' records there, and they just might not have been put online yet. So people get a little nervous. They're like, ”Do I have to write in German? Do I have to try to…?” and I always say, it's great if you can write in German. There's a website that I like even better than Google Translate, and it's called deepl.com.

And it won't be perfect. It won't be perfect German. You might have a couple funny mistakes in there, but it'll get the gist out. And then maybe write your message in English underneath. A lot of people in Germany do speak English and like to practice their English, but as a sign of respect, maybe do that German first, and then you might get lucky and find that your records haven't been digitized yet, but they do exist in that church and they're willing to send them to you, and you find a lot more information over there.

Legacy Tree:

What are the most common mistakes you see people make when they're doing German genealogy research?

Katie, Germanology Unlocked:

One common mistake I see is there is an ending in German, an -in ending, and that suffix, it's an -in suffix, actually means that it's a female. So for example, my last name Schober, in a church record, you might see it written as Schoberin, and that doesn't mean I have a different last name than the rest of my family. It just means that I am a female with the last name of Schober. And so one mistake I see a lot of people making is thinking, oh, the name is written Schoberin here and Schober here. They must have changed their name throughout history. But no, when you're doing your family tree, you just take off that -in, because it's just a grammatical saying I'm a female with that last name.

We hope you found Katie's insights helpful! If you'd like to work with Legacy Tree Genealogists, you can fill out a form here. You can get in touch with Katie on her website here.

november 11, 2016 by Jessica - Legacy Tree Genealogists President 2 Comments

3 Tips for Hiring a Professional Genealogist You Can Trust

As you’re tracing your family history, you’ll at least occasionally find that you need the help of a professional genealogist to make the progress you want. This can be due to time constraints in your own life, a need for verification of your work, dealing with a foreign language, or searching for an ancestor who left little written history behind. Whatever the reason, when it’s time to hire a professional, it’s important that you find one who is trustworthy and whose work will last for generations to come.

When you’re trying to decide who to hire, whether a full-service genealogy company or an individual freelance genealogist, you’ll want to use three tools to evaluate them: work samples, public reviews, and credentials.

Work Samples

Before you hire a genealogist, it’s very important to first review a few samples of her work so you understand what to expect from her. A genealogist’s core product is adding information to your family tree, and the basis of this information is communicated to you through a genealogy research report. Different genealogists and companies vary on the other products or features they offer in addition, but the report is the fundamental element of a finished product in almost all instances.

After you review a few samples from the genealogist you’re considering, there are two things you’ll want to evaluate – the genealogist’s use of the Genealogical Proof Standard, and her effective use of time.

Does the Genealogist Meet the Genealogical Proof Standard?

The Genealogical Proof Standard, or GPS, was formalized in 2000 by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, whose goal is to ensure that genealogists meet a minimum standard when seeking to prove ancestry.[1]

The first component of this standard is that a genealogist must perform a reasonably exhaustive search of pertinent record sources before making a conclusion regarding ancestry. This means that the genealogist you hire shouldn’t spend his time only in online, indexed sources but should also access microfilmed, unindexed records when needed, and should even be willing to call up an ancestor’s funeral home or send someone to an onsite church to get information.

The second part of the GPS ensures that a genealogist has correctly cited the sources he accessed so that those same sources can be obtained and evaluated in the future. When you hire a genealogist, you want to feel certain that the work he does will be useful and accessible to your children and their children as well. The source of his or her information is as important as the actual information itself.

The final components of the GPS explore the importance of evaluating conflicting evidence and communicating the resolution of those conflicts effectively. Since many people hire a genealogist to help them break through genealogical brick walls – which likely exist because of conflicting (or sparse) evidence – hiring a genealogist who can effectively navigate those issues and arrive at a reasonable conclusion is paramount.

Does the Genealogist Use Time Efficiently?

Efficient genealogy should generally follow the same pattern: first, cast a wide net seeking helpful information in readily available records (think internet and indexed sources); second, use slower but necessary searches in microfilm and other less accessible records; third, network with others to access onsite records at repositories you don’t have access to.

Beware of a sample report that involves early ancestry (generally pre-1850) and utilizes only “easy” sources such as other online trees or compiled sources – generally this indicates a genealogist’s lack of motivation to track down clues and an improper reliance on the unproven work of others.

As you go through a genealogist’s work samples, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I feel comfortable with this researcher’s pace?
Does she skip ahead to the next generation without thoroughly meeting the GPS?
Or on the other hand, does she take too long to reach a conclusion and confidently move ahead?

Public Reviews

Since most of us don’t have friends who have recently hired a genealogist, and at any rate it’s not obvious if they have, getting a recommended genealogist is unfortunately not as easy as getting a recommended hair stylist. Fortunately, you can utilize online reviews to get a view into what your experience will be like if you hire the genealogist you’re considering, based on the experiences of others.

There are several great review sites available and you may find your prospective genealogist or genealogy company there. Some of these are the Facebook, Google, Angi, and Yelp. One quick shortcut for finding reviews on the genealogist you’re considering would be a Google search of the name plus “reviews.”

Credentials

You’ll see two main credentials in genealogy, an AG (through ICAPGen) and a CG (through the Board for Certification of Genealogists). Let’s talk about each of these as well as a few additional types of credentials.

Accredited Genealogist®

An Accredited Genealogist (AG) is someone who has passed several levels of testing through ICAPGen (The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists).[2] This testing is geographically specific, meaning that someone with an AG after their name has tested for at least one region within the United States or for one region of the world. If you’re set on hiring an AG, you’ll want to ask about the geographic region(s) in which they were tested and make sure it covers the area you need. Receiving a genealogy accreditation also includes providing an acceptable four-generation research report (demonstrating that a person can do genealogy in earlier, harder time periods), a written and oral exam, and adherence to a code of ethics.

Certified Genealogist®

Becoming a Certified Genealogist involves similar requirements as the Accreditation with a slightly different focus.[3] The CG is not geographic specific, but instead takes a closer look at a genealogist’s ability to interpret documents and resolve contradictory evidence. Since this is what a genealogist is often hired for, I find a lot of value in the qualifications required by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

Additional “Credentials”

Many people don’t know this, but there is a full undergraduate bachelor’s degree program in Family History – Genealogy available at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I completed this degree in 2003 and took numerous courses on genealogy record sources and history, paleography (reading old handwriting), writing classes, case studies, and more. This degree can provide a good foundation for a career as a quality genealogical researcher.

There are a few other types of “credentials” you may want to consider when hiring a genealogist. These are additional certificates and degrees offered through online university programs (two major ones are through Boston University and BYU-Idaho), genealogy institutes (usually week-long courses), and years of experience. These things can also help in evaluating a genealogist’s involvement and ability.

Overall, credentials are useful guideposts when hiring a professional genealogist but they aren’t the end-all. As the president of a large genealogy company, I’ve evaluated many genealogists with credentials who were great, and I’ve evaluated some who were not.

Conclusion

As you try to predict the success you’ll have with a particular genealogist or genealogy firm, the three main categories we’ve talked about – work samples, public reviews, and credentials – can help you feel more confident that you’re hiring someone who will give you quality results. Keep in mind that what you are buying isn’t a straightforward product; sometimes for a variety of reasons (record loss, privacy laws, and other restrictions), the answers are legitimately not available despite the genealogists’ best efforts. Rather than a guarantee of certain information, you’re getting a pledge that a genealogist will use paid time effectively and search for information in the best way possible.

What you can expect after hiring a quality genealogist is detailed information on your family’s history that will be treasured for generations.

Legacy Tree Genealogists, professional genealogy research company

We have carefully selected the members of our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to make sure they each meet these standards. We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free consultation.

[1] “The Genealogical Proof Standard,”Board for Certification of Genealogists, undated. http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html.

[2] “Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist ® Credential,” The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists, undated. http://www.icapgen.org/guide-to-applying-for-an-accredited-genealogist-credential/.

[3] “How to Become Certified,” Board for Certification of Genealogists, undated. http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/index.html.

maj 20, 2016 by Jessica - Legacy Tree Genealogists President 6 Comments

Legacy Tree Genealogists at NGS 2016!

NGS header

Our team sure enjoyed our participation at the NGS (National Genealogical Society) Conference this month! Although the event takes place in a different location every year, this year’s conference was held in a convention center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – a beautiful location right on the coast.

The conference began with a keynote address by Dr. Connie L. Lester, who is an associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida and is also the editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly. Ms. Lester focused her thoughts on the “ordinary” settlers of Florida – how they contributed to shaping Florida’s history and how to learn about them, which is similar to what we do for so many clients who want to learn about their often “ordinary” ancestors.

Dr. Connie L. Lester, NGS keynote speaker. Courtesy of the National Genealogical Society.

The rest of the conference was full of top-notch speakers, teaching attendees how to really analyze sources, how to find elusive records, and how to use the historical backdrop to fill in holes in our knowledge of our ancestors’ lives. Many courses focused on Southern and particularly on Floridian sources, which was a great service for local attendees. There were also a handful of courses focused on DNA analysis – for example, Legacy Tree’s Paul Woodbury was happy to help visitors figure out chromosome mapping in hands-on workshops.

Here are a few more of the conference’s excellent speakers and topics which we found insightful:

Problem Solving in the Problem-Riddled Carolina Backcountry, by Elizabeth Shown Mills
Mapping Apps for Genealogists, by Rick Sayre
Separate but Unequal: Slave Laws and their Records, by Judy Russell
Irish Immigration into the Southern States, by David Rencher

Our team spent most of our time in the exhibit hall, where four of us offered free consultations all day during the 4-day conference. It was great to be able to spend time one-on-one with people who were battling brick walls in their family trees – helping them analyze what they already knew, giving them additional record sources to try, and helping them understand how DNA testing could help them bridge gaps.

One-on-one time with an expert at the Legacy Tree booth. Visitors spent time with LTG employees Jessica Taylor, Paul Woodbury, Kate Eakman, and Terra Costin. — One-on-one time with an expert at the Legacy Tree booth. Visitors spent time with LTG staff members Jessica Taylor, Paul Woodbury, Kate Eakman, and Terra Costin.

We were also privileged to teach at the MyHeritage and FindMyPast booths each day. Legacy Tree President, Jessica Taylor, taught about MyHeritage’s research partnership with Legacy Tree and how we help clients discover their heritage. For FindMyPast, Jessica walked visitors through a case study explaining how we discovered details about a World War I veteran and Londoner, Alma Summers, using FindMyPast records.

Paul Woodbury, Outreach Manager and a Legacy Tree genetic genealogist, taught MyHeritage guests about DNA testing and how to use it in genealogy.

Outside of the regularly scheduled events, one highlight for many of the partners and exhibitors in the genealogy community was a dinner cruise planned by MyHeritage. These guys know how to throw a good party!

FamilySearch Chief Genealogical Officer David Rencher and LTG president Jessica Taylor sailing away!

Our team also enjoyed meetings with other groups in the genealogy community over breakfast, dinner, or desserts: The NextGen Genealogy Network, Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist), the Genealogy Business Alliance, and the Association of Professional Genealogists. Conference luncheons are always a highlight as well. We mingled with conference-goers and presenters at the luncheon for the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the FGS-sponsored luncheon, and a luncheon provided by FamilySearch. The Florida State Genealogical Society also provided a fun “Taste of Florida” with samples of many delicious things to try!

Jessica Taylor chatting at the NextGen meetup.

A full table at the Genealogy Business Alliance dinner.

The last evening of the NGS Conference featured a large banquet with David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer of FamilySearch, talking about what “don’t matter” and what does matter in genealogy, utilizing the It Don’t Matter restaurant as a theme.

David Rencher highlighting the "It Don't Matter" restaurant. Photo courtesy of the National Genealogical Society. — David Rencher highlighting the ”It Don't Matter” restaurant. Photo courtesy of the National Genealogical Society.

All in all, it was a beautiful conference in a beautiful location! You just can’t beat walking out of class to see this!

If you need help finding your ancestry, Legacy Tree Genealogists would love to help. Brick walls, DNA analysis, foreign/onsite research, translation, probate, adoption, and immigration are all specialties of ours. Our trained and educated professional researchers are ready and waiting to help you solve that family mystery. Contact us today for a consultation.

februari 5, 2016 by Jessica - Legacy Tree Genealogists President 5 Comments

RootsTech and a DNA Contest

The Legacy Tree Genealogists team is having a great time here at Salt Lake City's RootsTech 2016. Attendance is expected to hit 25,000 and we're loving the opportunity to talk all things genealogy and mingle with others who love genealogy research {almost} as much as we do!

One thing we love talking about is DNA and its use in genealogy – breaking brick walls, finding biological parents, and connecting with cousins. To deepen these connections, Legacy Tree is developing software that will allow us to connect grandparents and grandchildren in a wonderful way. With three tests – an individual and a grandparent on each side – we can find out which of an individual's four grandparents gave the most DNA to a grandchild and exact percentages of each grandparent's genetic contribution. We can also map exactly where DNA between a grandparent and a grandchild overlap on each chromosome – leading to exciting discoveries about who may have passed on those blue eyes or big nose.

To kick this off, we're offering an amazing contest. A lucky winner will get these three DNA tests free, along with a genetic inheritance chart and report – worth $500! To enter, post a public selfie to Facebook – or a picture of your grandparent, parent, child, or grandchild – along with hashtag #legacytreedna. The contest will run through Sunday February 7 (Mountain Time).

genetic-inheritance-chart-legacy-tree-genealogists

Official Rules:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN

Purchase does not increase chance of winning.

The prize:

One Genetic Inheritance Chart and report and three DNA tests provided or paid for by Legacy Tree Genealogists, Inc. (”Sponsor”); total value US $500. No cash or other prize substitution permitted except at Sponsor's discretion. The prize is nontransferable except at Sponsor's discretion (winner may test a parent, parent in-law, and child if the winner does not have any living grandparents or grandchildren themselves). Any and all prize-related expenses, including without limitation any and all taxes shall be the sole responsibility of the winner.

How to enter:

You may enter the Sweepstakes by posting a public picture of yourself, a grandparent, parent, child, or grandchild to Facebook with the tagline #legacytreedna. Private Facebook posts will not be entered. Participants may enter between 8:00 am Mountain Time February 4, 2016 and 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time February 7, 2016.

Limit: One entry per person during the Promotion Period. All entrant information is subject to the respective Privacy Policy of the Sponsor. Alternate means of entry:

Mail a 4″ x 6″ card with the following information:

 Your full name

 Your complete address

 Valid email address (if you do not have an email address, print ”no email address”)

 Valid telephone number

 The words ”#legacytreedna”

Mail entry to:

Legacy Tree Genealogists, Inc.

10 W. 100 S., Suite 200

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Only one entry will be accepted per person. All entries become the exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Terms and Conditions

1. By submitting an entry, you fully and unconditionally agree to and accept these Official Rules.

2. Prize specifications. The prize winner and all prize participants being tested (or their legal guardians) must agree to Sponsor’s Terms and Conditions (http://www.legacytree.com/terms-service/), including agreement to DNA testing and acceptance of the possibility of surprise outcomes. DNA tests must include an individual, a grandparent from the individual’s paternal side, and a grandparent from the individual’s maternal side. Prize winner agrees to submit a photo of themselves (or individual being tested) with at least one grandparent or grandchild for Legacy Tree Genealogists’ use. They also agree to allow Legacy Tree Genealogists to use their genetic chart, report, web page, and other outcomes for marketing and training purposes (names will be removed or changed).

3. Sweepstakes are subject to any governmental approval that may be required. Sponsor reserves the right to, without prior notice and at any time, terminate the Sweeps takes, in whole or in part, or modify Sweepstakes in any way, should any factor interfere with its proper conduct as contemplated by these Official Rules.

4. Eligibility. Must be of legal age to enter according to local/federal government regulations. Employees, officers, or directors of Sponsor, and their children, parents, spouse, and members of their household are ineligible to participate. No purchase necessary. A purchase does not enhance your chance of winning.

5. Effective date of entries. Entries made online will be effective on the day received. Entries submitted by mail will be effective on the date Sponsor receives and processes the entry. All entries become the exclusive property of Legacy Tree Genealogists, Inc. and will not be acknowledged or returned. You are responsible for your costs of entering, including online access charges, long distance telephone charges, and postage.

6. Selection of winners. Winners will be determined by random drawing from all eligible entries received. Drawings will be held as soon as is commercially reasonable. Winners must agree to the use of their names for the purpose of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

7. Notification of winners. All decisions are final and binding. Sweepstakes winner will be notified through Facebook if applicable or by phone or mail if necessary. A message will be sent to the winner within one week after the drawing. A follow-up message will be sent 2-3 days later if necessary. Winners must contact the Sponsor within 7 calendar days from the date the notification is sent by Sponsor to claim their prize. Failure to contact Sponsor within that 7 day period will result in immediate disqualification of the selected entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for and shall not be liable for late, lost, misdirected, or unsuccessful efforts to notify winners.

8.Odds of winning. The odds of winning any drawing will be determined by the number of eligible entries received.

9. In the event of a dispute regarding who submitted an online entry, the entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email account.

10. Venue. Facebook is in no way affiliated with or responsible for this Sweepstakes or its outcomes.

10. Other conditions. Sponsor, its agents and representatives, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies and legal advisors are not responsible for and will not be liable for (I) late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, unintelligible or postage due entries; (II) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet or computer malfunctions, failures or difficulties of any kind; (III) failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions; (IV) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor that may cause Sweepstakes to be disrupted or corrupted; (V) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of the Sweepstakes, or from participation in the Sweepstakes; or (VI) any printing or typographical error in any material associated with the Sweepstakes.

11. Indemnification. You agree to release and hold Sponsor, its employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives, parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies, and legal advisors, harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the Sweepstakes, including without limitation, personal injury, death and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy.

12. Choice of law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of you and Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes, will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of Utah, U.S.A.