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

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

Things that might require the magic of a legendary man and his army of elves:

1. For people I have messaged about DNA to respond, especially those few I have approached to see if they would take a Y-DNA or mtDNA test if I covered the cost.

2. For the update of the mitochondrial haplotree at FTDNA to finally arrive

3. For some cousin of my uncle’s to do a Y-DNA test and bring his terminal haplogroup into the last few centuries.

4 For Canton Valais to put parish registers online

Comments

I feel you on #1! Don't give up hope though. I finally had a DNA match respond a year and a half after I'd originally messaged them and he turned out to be the key to unlocking my biological father's side of things.

---

I have hope that some of these, at least, are just a matter of waiting. You give me some hope

Answer 2

Time.

To do research.

To make profiles better.

To find missing links.

Time to do all that and more.

Answer 3

Time to do more research.

Answer 4

An opportunity to chat with my late grandparents, if even for a moment, to just listen. Stories and wisdom that won't ever find themselves in a records database.

Answer 5

To have a better and faster internet connection. So much of my time on the my computer is spent waiting and often no connection.

Answer 6

Where do I start?

1. For there to be matches when we get my husband's Y DNA test results back. There is a story that an ancestor changed his surname and I would love to prove/disprove this story.

2. For the Jane Doe to be identified from a 1981 cold case.

3. To organize all my geneology paperwork and scan all the photos.

Answer 7

*Do better on bio's in mine and other profiles I created or helped.
* Connect my brick walls in my family to the BIG TREE
* Improve my CC7 and lower my Watchlist.
* More connections to the BIG tree via my CC7 and others on my Watchlist.

Answer 8

My gift was already answered when my two brothers and two nieces agreed to spit for me! I can't wait to see their results!

Answer 9

The ability to stay focused more on the closer people in my tree rather than continually going down distant branches because I saw somebody interesting and "might as well continue down the branch!"  I spend a lot more time doing that than I should! Each time I do that I end up with maybe 1,000 more distant relatives in the tree ... numbers but not quality.

Comments

I can so relate to this. It’s hard to have self-discipline when presented with information! Best of luck to you 

Answer 10

I'd love help with finding more information on one of my great grandfathers. I'd also love to do an mtDNA test.

Answer 11

As a gift from any little elf who knows the answer, I would like to know the identity of my 2x great grandfather, the father of Theodore Ceruti (Ceruti-35).

So far, no little elf has come forward with this information, (although some of them must know ;-) )

Answer 12

I wish I could resolve my brick wall, which I have been working on for 2 years.

I wish I understood German Location categories better, especially for the state of Württemberg

Answer 13

Oh wouldn't it be nice if I had the time, concentration and insights to deal with the Unconnected Profiles on my WatchList, esp. those 58 (yes, fifty-eight!) who don't have a single connection. Poor lonely souls 

A few examples who are dear to my heart:

• John Singleton Darling (1898-1945) who is buried at the Colonial Cemetery in Kondoa (I lived in Kondoa from 1997 to 2006) - no parents, no documents, no nothing …
• Uri Avnery (1923-2018, born Helmut Ostermann, then fled to Israel in 1933, notable Israeli journalist and politician) - his uncle is likely Max Ostermann, but no sourced connection yet …
• Paul Schaller (1881-1950), probably the brother of my mother-in-law's paternal grandmother Minna Schaller Dähne (he was a witness at her wedding), yet to be proven, sourced and connected ...

Well, I'll leave it at those three but there are 58 ... 

Comments

Have added a link to a possible baptism on familysearch to John Singleton Darling's profile. You may have already eliminated this one, but if not, the familysearch profile has two siblings, parents and grandparents for him which lead you back to Ireland.

---

Thanks L!

I hadn't seen that one (FS search functions being beyond me), and with full name and birth year and month fitting, I think your find is spot on the money. Thanks bunches!

---

Looks like, John Singleton Darling can be connected to the Common Tree: His uncle James F. Darling had a profile created in 2022 already. James's widow Hilda married again, and her second father-in-law, Charles Marshall, has been on WT since 2022. And Charles's father-in-law, Sir Frederick Pollock, has been on WT since 2019. Only two people missing: Hilda's second husband, notable entomologist Sir Guy Marshall, and Sir Pollock's daughter = Charles Marshall's wife Laura Frances (1846-1912).

Anyone ready, set, go for those couple of profile creations? 

Answer 14

I need to know about my great grandfather.

Charles Herman Noak.  Born in Germany.  My grandmother Anna Pauline Krattiger - Maternal Krattiger - Paternal Noak was first generation American born after her father came from Europe,

Answer 15

To understand the ins & outs of wiki tree. I have been on wiki tree since late 2017 after neurosurgery & not able to grasp all of the ins & outs on the site. 2ndl  ly to thank the many people who have helped me regards my Maternal line of "Houstons'"from Renfrewshire,Scotland. Also those who have helped with Paternal line of "Dreppenstedts'"! 3rdly that wikitreer stays free & also to thank techies with all the additions even though I can not figure them out.

Answer 16

I would love any help finding my great grandparents Buxton side. The parents of Alford Franklin Buxton. Please Santa, I’m not good at this technology and just need some leads! It’s a BRICK WALL!

Thank you in Advance

Answer 17

I would love someone to clean up my direct line profiles. Making them look nice. Also, check my DNA lines, as well.

Merry Christmas.

Answer 18

I wish to find the maiden name of my 3x paternal great grandmother. I have her husband - my 3x great grandfather - and I have her connected to him in records but no maiden name.

My second wish is to find out the identity of another 3x great grandmother on my maternal side. I have a complete time line on her husband but only Sarah as her first name.

Answer 19

I began to research my family tree 17 years ago, when we still had dial-up internet lol I would love to have more time for and perhaps some more advanced assistance with researching my Irish great-great-grandparents going up my paternal line. I am also hindered with not being able to afford subscriptions to any siteslike MyHeritage or Ancestry.co.uk to access records/trees there due to the exchange rate for my country, though I have found a lot on FamilySearch but need access of the actual record/s.

I would also love for myself and one or 2 of my family members to have DNA tests done, though I would have very limited results due to all 4 of my grandparents having passed away, my mother only has a sister, and my father only has a brother. It would still make for amazing results, especially if it can confirm a few uncertain connections I have in my tree :D

Answer 20

time to research, and a good chart to write info.