G2G: Question of the Week: What genealogy gifts are on your wishlist? [closed]

Question

Is there anything genealogy-related that you would love to receive as a gift this holiday season?

Is it a wish that one of our Secret Santa Elves could grant?

Please tell us with an answer below. You could also answer on Facebook or use the question image to share your answer with friends and family on any social media.

Answer 1

FamilyTree DNA tests

• Big Y-700
• mtDNA

WikiTree:

• {{Event ...}} template
• standardized place names

Answer 2

I can't be the only one on WikiTree with a brickwall that I wish was solved:

Who are the Prussian born parents of my maternal great grandfather, Charles Hoefer (1830 - 1902)?

Comments

Oooh my people are Hannover-based (while Prussia was overlapping with it) but it's a big place! I could try to look into other Hoefers in that region though.

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I have a brick wall as well. It’s my great grandfather on my dad’s side. What little information my family has basically comes from the censuses he was around for. Some time after the birth of their 4th child, he left without a word. One of his sons, swears he worked with him later in life. But I have no information on his family or where he died. I don’t even have a real birthday. I really just want to know his family so I can connect that piece of the puzzle.

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It seems like there's a part of me missing not knowing about my ancestors origins. I've learned a lot about life from studying genealogy.

Answer 3

Time and organized space in my house to store physical memories and catalogue them correctly. I'm willing to entertain the offer of a new house from a Secret Santa Elf.

Answer 4

I would love to confirm the father of my paternal 2nd Great Grandfather, Leo. It's an Armstrong somewhere in Sauk County, Wisconsin. I just don't know which one. Y-DNA indicates a paternal origin of Ireland/Scotland.

Comments

Have you had an autosomal DNA test at Ancestry?   That would help you pinpoint your 2nd great grandfather.  Also testing any older generations that are still living, great uncle or aunt maybe?

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Both my father and I have taken autosomal tests through FamilyTreeDNA. I do need to compare the matches between us.

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By researching your shared matches and adding them to your tree, you can identify your third great grandfather.  Feel free to email me privately.

Answer 5

I wish I had a Secret Santa Elf  that was fluent in the Czech language that could help me find relatives from Bohemia.

As for what's on my Christmas list : Part 1 & Part 2 American Migration Routes by William Dollarhide & Leland Meitzler

Answer 6

Credits to Scotlands People - will be going heavy on some investigations on Family in Scotland this year as I dig deeper into some of my family members pre arrival in Canada History as well as I am working on a side project where I am investigating a mystery I found where a whole Township of Scots were cleared and boarded on a ship but were never heard from again.  (The ship didn't sink as I found records of it's existence afterwards)

Comments

I'm intrigued. Can you share a few details like the shire or town or do you want to do a big reveal later? My Scottish interests tend towards Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.

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I will be posting my first video in a series on this on my youtube channel (HowWeGotHereGenealogy) before the year's end I've been busy recording - recording and editing still not satisfied but want to get it done as I plan it as an ongoing hunt through the year and will hopefully be able to come to a conclusion.  If you are interested in learning more reach out to me

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Thanks. I just subscribed. I loved your short "welcome video on your main page at https://www.youtube.com/c/HowWeGotHereGenealogy

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It was my attempt at humor.  And wanted something to grab people's attention

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The 1st Part of the Video I mentioned was uploaded today  it's here https://youtu.be/ukWKKCEGpAY

 

Answer 7

I have two that will never be answered unless Elon Musk throws billions of $$$ at it.

1. Time machine - To go back to see what really happened.

2. Teleporter - To go to a place to check out the local document holdings 1,000s of miles away, bypassing the airports!

That's it.... just these two things 

Comments

I concur with the time machine: Go back and sit/work at the house of my 3xggmother, just to get to know the name of the man she was living with. They had 8 children, in the church books it's only "illegitimate". :(

Answer 8

I would love to have more resources about my Folk ancestors, they are from La Carlota, Spain, I and can't move to there, so I appreciate any kind of information.

Answer 9

I would LOVE to know the final resting place of my 3X Great-Grandmother, Antis Canaday Joiner.

She was born 1835 Bradford County, PA and Married (Oliver) Bennett Joiner in 1855 in PA.  The 1885 Census shows her living in Little Blue, Nebraska.

One person, on Ancestry found that there was a burial plot purchased by B. Joiner.  This was at Spring Ranch Cemetery, Clay County, Nebraska, Lot #77, but there is no record that it was ever used.  ALSO the same person states that Antis died 1887 in Jasper County, Iowa.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Canaday-414

Comments

You can ask the Cemetery to do a pole test (I'm almost positive that's what my Cemetery called it) on the plot. Basically, the Cemetery worker takes a long pole and sticks it in the ground in several places to see if there's a coffin in the plot. I went to the Cemetery office, spoke to a worker, and it took less than 10 minutes to find the coffin. If  you can't get ahold of the Cemetery, call City Hall, mine was aware of the ability to test for plot occupancy.

Answer 10

AncestryDNA test

More records uploaded from the Napoli archives.

The ability to figure out what my ancestors records say in Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Polish and Yiddish.

Comments

Have you joined the Italy Project? They can help with the Italian records.

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Yes I've already joined the Italy project.

Answer 11

Newspapers dotcom for me. DNA tests for my parents.

Answer 12

One item that is on my wish list is to finally solved my Butter(s) lineage in England and Scotland. And that research is my Christmas present from my husband this year. I have sent the info to a recommended researcher and she will tackle it in mid-January.

Two others are brick walls: Rebecca Phelps married James Jackson about 1771. Her father is supposedly Aaron Phelps who died in Wilkes County, NC about 1790. Who is he?

Thomas Clarke, Rev Soldier, died in Franklin County, Georgia in 1846. His wife when he died was Sarah. Who was she? No LNAB has been found throughout any of his papers during his lifetime - her name only appears when she collected his last pension payment.

Those are my wishes!!

Answer 13

I would love to have a membership to PRDH (Quebec ancestors), a crystal ball or some new sources in order to be able to break down some brick walls in Ireland, and more information on a Hessian soldier Friedrich Christian Knapp who settled in Quebec then eventually moved to Ontario. My Santa wish is to solve a DNA mystery once and for all.

Answer 14

Time without 400 people pulling me in a thousand different directions at the same time. I was under the impression that life slowed down in retirement. I was hoping. It apparently is busier than a house full of two year olds! I don't even have time to even breathe these days.

Beyond that, I would love to know who my real mtDNA line 3rd great-grandparents are. I say "real" because many people have parents listed for them, but those people with a daughter with the same name is not my 2nd great-grandmother. While both their Maggie and my Maggie allegedly were born in Alabama, their Maggie died in Alabama in 1922 (I think) and my Maggie died in South Carolina in 1926.  I have a digital copy of her death certificate showing my great-grandfather (her son-in-law) as the informant, so I know that I have the correct death certificate for the correct woman.

I have either tested or uploaded to the main 4 - Ancestry, 23andMe, MyHeritage, and FTDNA (upload of Ancestry test) as well as the highest level mtDNA test on FTDNA. We apparently have a rare mtDNA haplogroup - U6b2, recently further refined to U6b2a.  I only have one gen distance 0, and his brickwall is with his grandma.

I can't find any marriage records for my 2nd great-grandparents. I have the probate pkg and will for my 2nd great-grandfather's mother. She mentions him (her son) and his children by name (married names, too), but does not mention his wife at all.

None of my Leeds columns appear to point to her. At this point, I am beginning to wonder if she is truly an alien, or if maybe my 2nd great-grandpa had been previously married and my great-grandma came from that earlier marriage. But I have found no marriage records for him at all.

Of course, the 1890 census, which could answer some questions, had to go and get destroyed <grumble grumble).

There is more I could say about this hair-pulling ancestor, but I will stop for now.

The genealogy-related Christmas gift that I'd love to have is her true identity and, as said at the beginning, TIME!  

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Answer 15

A years subscription to Ancestry since their prices have gone up beyond my finances

Answer 16

Thank you Secret Santa Elves for this opportunity. I would dearly love a year's subscription to FindMyPast and any information on Edward Clarke [Clarke-13945]. I have Hugh Clarke as his father but this may not be correct.

Answer 17

Dear Santa, since you are magic, I would like:

* The 1890 US census

* An online, indexed, fully searchable database of the collected records from all the French Archives Départementales 

* For you to use your time-traveling powers to let my German ancestors know that naming their sons the same five given names, just in a different order, and then being whimsical and inconsistent about which names and what order they are used on each and every government document they encounter in life makes untangling them when they inevitably get conflated a near-impossible task

* For all my DNA matches on Ancestry and 23&me to create full, public family trees that help me break through my brick walls

* For Find a Grave to correct every time a burial date is listed as the death date when both events did not actually happen on the same day

* The ability to see the glaring typos and incorrect autocorrects before I post on G2G or do a full save on a profile.

* A copy of Evidence Explained

Comments

Enjoyed your list. Please send me a copy of the 1890 US census when you get it.

Answer 18

I have several "Wishes" some probably never be solved but thought I would list them in case some may just another set of eyes , others just hoping one day they will be 

MtDNA test from Family Tree DNA 

1# Brickwall , Charles Ishmul Williams Sr is my mother's father,  Harry Williams is suppose to be Charles father but they are questions, stories , that he is probably not , I do have what information I have on their profiles , I do have  a bit of DNA info where some male members took a 23 n me test got partial Y segments  but noone is willing go further with it find out more ,  My DNA Information  , this page also has info on where my oldest daughter took a 23 n me got a partial MtDNA so I know the Maternal Haplogroup but would like to know more some day on my maternal side , Mary Moore Shockley Miller  which is my #2 wish 

#3 wish is someone able to clean up and source my Paternal ancestors Hans George Eisenmann (1688 - 1749) siblings, I know George's is my ancestor but his siblings listed is from Gedcom some of them not sure are reliable its beyond my capabilities , 

#4 another brickwall Samuel Galloway

#5 another brickwall James Evans

I know that all these are long shots, but if just one of them was solved would be wonderful 

Answer 19

An African ancestry test. I’ve taken an Ancestry test and My Family Tree test. All of my relatives are from Pender County as far as I have been able to track. I would love to find Janey and Tuni (Toonie, Toney) surname Batts. Our family story says that they were purchased by a man named John Batts but goes by the name of Jack, between 1845 and 1848 in Virginia. They were the first two slaves that started the Black Battses in Edgecomb, North Carolina. (Not to be confused with Edgecombe county) The farthest back that I’ve been able to get is the last will and testament of their son Demce Batts in 1888. It would make the rest of my years if i can find them. Thanks

Answer 20

I have enough brick walls that I should open a brickyard. (Or maybe a corn maze, only made of bricks.) But recently I started to list the brick wall ancestor for each of the surnames I'm tracking, so Santa has lots of names and places to choose from.