Learning genealogy is a process.  It’s easy to mindlessly accept hints on Ancestry without thinking about timelines, locations, and the possibility of individuals with the same name in the same place.  So any time you can add details that are specific to YOUR ancestor, it lends to not only the credibility of your research, but the confidence of knowing you can separate the details of YOUR ancestor compared to another of the same name, in the same location, and even with similar family member names.

My father is Canadian.  Researching his line took me not only out of the United States…it also took me out of my comfort zone.  New country, new laws, new dates of available documentation…you name it!  And, to make matters worse…I’m researching a common name:  RYAN.  In a Catholic family, no less!  So every RYAN family had similar names.  This wasn’t going to be easy.

Unfortunately, I can only trace this line back to my 2x great-grandfather, Dennis Ryan (1829-1920), in Newcastle, Northumberland County, New Brunswick.  And the only evidence readily available connecting him to his parents is his death certificate naming his parents as James Ryan and Margaret Agnes Ryan.  His Census records indicate both his parents were born in Ireland.  I know from DNA that my Irish roots lead to Munster, specifically County Cork.  Like most people of Irish descent, I’d like to trace my family back to Ireland.  Could I be getting closer to finding that “pot of gold” in terms of my Irish roots?

The New Brunswick Genealogy Society has some wonderful resources on researching in New Brunswick, and through their newsletter I learned about using maps and surveys in genealogical research.  I decided to see if I could learn anything about my family by using the Cadastral Maps.

The town of Newcastle is located on Cadastral Map No. 60, below.  What makes these maps unique is that they show the original grantee of the land, and provides clues to where to locate land surveys and grants associated with these lots.

A cropped image of the map with known or presumed family and associates is shown below.  It’s exciting to see all these names, envisioning the connections between the various families, knowing how close they lived to one another, and wondering at the same time who the other people on the map are, and what relationship they may have had with my ancestors.

From researching land deeds in Northumberland County, I knew my RYAN line was connected to “Lot G” in Newcastle.  Lot G (located at the 7 o’clock position from the circle with “430” inside) shows that my 3x great-grandfather, James Ryan, received a grant for 210 acres of land along Chaplin Island Road.  There is also a James Ryan listed in Lot A, just to the left of Lot G, that will need to be researched to see if it is the same James Ryan.  The numbers inside the map give clues to where I can find land surveys and the original land grant, which may provide additional clues for future research.

This is the first time I’ve really looked at maps as a research tool for genealogy, and I’m so glad I did!  This is more than just a map.  It is a visual representation of where my family lived, provides an understanding of how they worshipped at the same church, and offers possibilities for how these families interacted.  It is a foundation to evaluate my previous and future research.  Most importantly, I can look forward to visiting the land in the future, and understand its history.

#52Ancestors – Maps

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In the process of applying for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I learned that my great grandmother, Lutie Mae McShan Twitchell (pictured 4th from the right on the top row) was born in Texas in 1889.  WHAT???  This came as quite a surprise, since everything I knew about my grandmother’s family traced back to Mississippi, Illinois, and Massachusetts.  NOW I’m intrigued!  Could I have roots that trace back to the Texas Revolution?

Many people who join a lineage society get bitten by the “genealogy bug” and become obsessed with finding more ancestors they can prove to an ever-growing number of lineage societies honoring military, civil, and patriotic service, occupations, trades, and crafts, and more.  I’m one of those people.  And it’s the foundation of my genealogy journey.

I started at this photo every time I visited my grandparents (which was often), and yet I never knew who they were.  Nearly a decade after they were gone, I learned who at least some of these people were.  My grandmother isn’t in the picture (she hadn’t been born yet), but her siblings are the children in the front.  Her parents (my great grandparents) are Herman Twitchell and Lutie Mae McShan Twitchell (3rd and 4th from the right on the top).  Other direct ancestors include Lutie Mae’s mother, Anna Thornton McShan (4th from the left on the top row), and Herman’s parents, Jeduthan Twitchell and Amanda/Melvina Daniel Twitchell (the 1st and 2nd persons seated in the second row).

I learned from my mom, who lived with her grandmother for a while, that Lutie Mae had once mentioned that her father “had been a physician in Dallas, where he swindled a lot of people out of their money with a claim he had the cure for cancer, and the family got run out of town.”  Interesting!  Could this family lore be true?  I tried in vain to learn more about Lutie Mae’s father, Dr. Francis Adams McShan, but he was — and still is — an elusive character.

When I began this journey, my genealogy skills were limited to Ancestry hints at the time (which we all know are correct, right?), so I set out to start improving my skills.  I took four Genealogy Education Programs offered by the DAR, the Boston University Genealogy Principles course, took numerous niche classes, participated in two Research Like a Pro study groups (which I highly recommend!) and soaked up as much information as I could.

As a result, I’m happy to say I’ve upped my genealogy game since then, able to analyze data, separate individuals of the same name, and evaluate genealogical cousins by combining DNA and traditional genealogy.   So far, I’ve proven more than a dozen different ancestors to as many organizations, and I still can’t get enough!  Learning the stories of my ancestors is both fascinating and heartbreaking, and I want their stories to live on.  I’m thinking that becoming a professional genealogist might be what’s in store for the next chapter of my life.

Stay tuned to learn more about my discoveries about the Good Doctor, my Texas roots, and my genealogy journey.

#52 Ancestors – Foundations

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When something good happens in our life…we share.

When something good happens in someone else’s life…we celebrate.

And when we see something we think someone else would enjoy, we share with them, either by sharing it in a private message, sharing directly to their profile, or tagging them in the post.

What drives me NUTS is when people create a post and then tag everyone they know in the post.  I get messages EVERY DAY that say “Jane Doe was with you and 37 others at…” or “Jane Doe has tagged you and 34 others in a post…”

WHY?

Stop the madness!

So today’s Facebook Tip has two parts:

1.  If someone wasn’t there, don’t tag them.  You may think you’re getting in front of them, but at what cost?  If you irritate the very people you are trying to attract, it’s going to backfire.
2. Since you never know what type of posts you’re going to be tagged in, make sure you set your privacy settings to approve any posts you’re tagged in before they are allowed on your timeline.

For more tips on marketing online, connect with me on Facebook.

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And that makes me sad.  I want to see businesses succeed…online and off.

Now you might think social media marketing simply means sharing a few posts each day, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Create Consistent and Complete Social Media Profiles

After determining which social media platforms are right for your business, the first step is to create consistent, complete social media profiles. Let me repeat that:  consistent and complete profiles.

Ideally, all your social media profiles should have the same — professional — headshot, as well as similar descriptions of who you are and what you do.  I say “similar” because each social media platform has a different amount of space you can use.  Remember to focus on the solutions you provide and the benefits to your customer.

By being consistent, your visitors immediately recognize who you are and what you do.  And they know they’re in the right place when they find you on additional social media platforms.

Social Media Marketing Hosting Live Events

In the past, a “live event” meant “in person.”  While there are still live in-person events, social media has expanded the definition with the invention of “Twitter parties” and live video services like Google Hangouts, Periscope, Blab, and Facebook Live.

These services make it easy to brainstorm, collaborate, educate, train, and share information.  When live events are combined with a custom hashtag for the event, it makes it easy for everyone to find all the information online.

It’s even easier on Facebook, where you can create an event page or host the event in a group.  I think Facebook Live is going to be the one to watch.

FREE TRAINING:

Facebook Live:  Learn how to get started with this brand-new Facebook Live strategy so you can get a head-start over the competition with this 15-page PDF and 82-minute training tutorial.

Periscope:  Learn the best practices and proven techniques for using Periscope to generate leads with this 23-page PDF and 2 hour 27 minute training tutorial.

Congratulate People on Social Media

If you notice anyone having a special day on any of your social media accounts, be sure to congratulate them and wish them well. It’s a good chance to make a connection with someone whom you’re friends with or connected with that you don’t necessarily know well.

While a lot of people may be doing the same thing, people still like to be noticed for their achievements, accomplishments and special days. If you know their mailing address, it’s a good idea to also drop a card in the mail to make it even more special…and help you stand out.

Use More Images on Social Media

Let’s face it:  people love images.  And posts with images get FAR more likes, comments, and shares than text-only posts.  However, you should always include text with the images (for the keywords).

There are lots of ways to create great looking images using websites like Pixlr and Canva, or smartphone apps like Word Dream and Typorama.  You can do something as simple as a quote on a nice peaceful background and see a huge difference in the amount of engagement from your connections.

Recommended Resource:   My absolute FAVORITE book on visual storytelling – specifically on social media – is The Power of Visual Storytelling:  How to Use Visuals, Video, and Social Media to Market Your Brand.  (I highly recommend getting the physical, paperback version, as it is a reference you will turn to again and again.)

Use Social Media to Survey Your Audience

A great way to use social media to help get more engagement is to use it as a way to survey your audience to find out what they really need and want.  Just don’t give them too many choices.

Think of it like getting a child ready for school…give them two (or three) choices: this or that? Give your audience a choice between two (or three) different logos, packaging designs, videos you can create, or webinars that you will host. Then, ask them to vote or decide.  Some social media platforms have a polling feature, while on others you can simply ask “A, B, or C?” and have people respond in the comments.

Finally, if you want to maximize your social media marketing it’s important to be truly engaged. Don’t put everything on automatic or hire someone to do your engagement for you…to be truly YOUR brand, you have to inject your personality into your profile.  Make intelligent and purposeful comments, share freely, and you’ll begin to maximize your social media marketing efforts.

P.S.  Need some ideas to jump-start your social media engagement?  Get more than 100 post ideas in my free guide, Social Fuel: Your Guide to Launching Social Media Engagement.

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These days it seems like I hear that question multiple times a day.

Because most people are.

And most small business owners are, too.  And some of these business owners have abandoned the idea of creating their own website because they’re on Facebook.

HUGE MISTAKE!

Facebook may be the “800 lb gorilla” of the social networking world, but having a Facebook presence alone is not enough in the online marketing world.  You need a MUCH bigger presence.

Here are four of the top reasons why:

Your Online Presence Needs Many Entry Points

Your prospects aren’t all the same.  And they aren’t all on the same social media networks.  Heck,  t’s likely they aren’t even all on social media!

Just like in fishing you need to “cast a wide net” to catch the most fish…to attract the largest audience of potential customers, you need several places where they can find you. You need social media like Facebook, along with your website.

Your website should be considered the primary source for all your social media sharing. Your entire focus with social media should be to drive traffic, increase engagement, and improve the ranking of your website.

Facebook Is Not Set Up To Provide Information In A Cohesive Way

If someone wants more information after seeing a post on Facebook, even if they go to your Facebook Page it is very hard to find information. Posts get hidden in the crowd. You can’t search the Page for information.  Facebook algorithms are always changing the way information is displayed…  The list goes on.

However, you can lead them to your website.  Your audience will be able to contact you easier, and get more information on your website than they can on even the best, most optimized Facebook Page.

You Need To Build An Email List

While people may communicate with you via your Facebook Page, you also need to build an email list. You’ve heard it said that “the money is in the list” and that is not an exaggeration. Building an email list is an important factor in any business’s success or failure. Communicating with your audience only through Facebook isn’t enough; you must also build a targeted email list, capturing their information and sending up-to-date information to subscribers often.

Even with all the social networks and communications technologies, email lists are still the best forms of direct marketing that exists.  While the primary way you will build your email list is from your website, there is an easy way to enhance your Facebook Page AND build your email list, with this innovative technology.

You Don’t Own Your Facebook Page

That’s right!  You don’t own your Facebook Page — or ANY social media site — and you can’t back it up. You could be shut down for any reason on any given day.  “Facebook Jail” is real, my friend!

Furthermore, not every person who “likes” your page sees your updates…in fact, changes in Facebook algorithms in the past few years have ensured that very few people see your updates in their newsfeed…unless you “pay to play.” Yep.  Now you have to pay for “sponsored posts” so people who have already “liked” your page will actually see your posts!

So why would you do that? Should you do that?  Facebook is an important part of online marketing, but it’s not the only part of online marketing. In fact, it’s not even the most important part.

The Most Important Part Of Online Marketing

The most important part of your online marketing efforts is your website. You own it.  You control it.  And you won’t be shut down just because someone else decides your content isn’t good enough…isn’t appropriate…or they just don’t like it (or you).  So the most important thing you can do for your online marketing is to have a self-hosted website to where you drive traffic from social media…including Facebook.

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