Showing posts with label The Genealogy Squad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Genealogy Squad. Show all posts

Monday, June 1, 2020

35,000 Members in The Genealogy Squad!



The Genealogy Squad Facebook group has just passed another milestone. We now have over 35,000 members and continue growing. 

The mission of the Genealogy Squad Facebook group is to provide a positive space for the sharing of appropriate and reliable methods and resources to assist genealogists at all levels. We focus on answering questions and solving problems, while demonstrating best practices in all aspects of genealogical research. We do not discuss DNA in this group. Rather, Questions relating to the use of DNA testing are better suited for the Facebook group, Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques.

To join The Genealogy Squad, visit the site and request to be added. You'll be asked to answer a few questions to confirm that you are not a robot. The Administrators will then approve you. Please do not invite others to the group. Each person must personally request to join. Invited persons will be deleted.

Our Administrators are The Genealogy Guys (George G. Morgan and Drew Smith), Cyndi Ingle (of Cyndi's List), and Cari Taplin, CG. Our combined experience and expertise can answer questions, help with difficult challenges, and provide resources to extend your research.

We hope you will join us!

Thursday, May 7, 2020

The Genealogy Squad Facebook Group Celebrates First Anniversary




We are so happy and proud to be celebrating the One Year Anniversary of The Genealogy Squad! We are so proud of all the research help, genealogical advice, and family history education that has been shared here with more than 33,000 members over the past year. 

Thank you for helping to make the Squad such a rousing success! Please be sure to copy and share this graphic with your friends and let them know we would love to have them join the Squad too!

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Genealogy Squad IS for You!

Start your New Year off right! 
Join The Genealogy Squad on Facebook at 

The mission of The Genealogy Squad Facebook group is to provide a positive space for the sharing of appropriate and reliable methods and resources to assist genealogists at all levels. We focus on answering questions and solving problems while demonstrating best practices in all aspects of genealogical research.

The administrators are George G. Morgan of The Genealogy Guys Podcast, Cyndi Ingle who created and maintains more than 337,000 links at Cyndi's List, and Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., JD, the world's leading lecturer on DNA and principle of DNA Central. (Questions relating to the use of DNA testing are better suited for our sibling group, Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques at https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques.) We have two fantastic moderators working with the team at the moment too! They are Mia Bennett of England and Samantha John of Australia. They are experts in their areas and abroad too!

Membership in the group, which launched on 6 May 2019, is currently approaching 27,000. The members, administrators, and moderators answer your questions or they point you to excellent resources. TGS is the friendliest and most helpful Facebook group there is to help you with your genealogical questions.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad to join. Just answer a few quick questions and you'll be approved and in The Genealogy Squad in almost no time! And if you're already a member, tell your friends and members of the genealogical societies to which you belong!

The Genealogy Squad is here to help!







Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Surpasses 25.000 Members!


We're celebrating today! The Genealogy Squad is now 25,000 members strong! Since we started in May we've had more than 9,800 posts with 230,000+ comments. That means there have been more than 10,000 genealogy questions answered and pieces of brick walls have been chipped away! We are all smarter researchers and better genealogists than we were 6 months ago. Better yet, we're a tight-knit community ready to help our friends. Please share this group graphic and the address with your genealogy friends so that they can join in the fun!https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/

We urge you to join The Genealogy Squad by requesting to become a member at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/, answering a couple of questions to prove you aren't a robot, and we ask you to read and follow the simple rules yo make this a great Facebook site.


Join us for a great experience!

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Passes the 20,000 Member Mark!

The Genealogy Squad, the newest Facebook membership group for genealogists, just passed its 20,000 member milestone today!


Launched on 6 May 2019 by Administrators Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph. D., J.D., (of DNA-Central), Cyndi Ingle (of Cyndi's List), and Drew Smith and George G. Morgan (of The Genealogy Guys Podcast), the new group has experienced astronomical growth. And it doesn't show any signs of slowing down!
The group provides a friendly place to get expert research help from the admin staff and to share and collaborate with other genealogists from around the world. DNA discussions are best discussed at its sibling group, Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques/. In tandem, these two groups are your go-to destinations for all things genealogy!

Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad and request to join The Genealogy Squad. You'll soon see why it is the fastest-growing Facebook site for your general genealogy discussions!

Sunday, June 16, 2019

The Genealogy Squad: You Are Not Alone

The Genealogy Squad Facebook group launched on May 6, 2019, and was an immediate success. At this moment there are 14,376 members and the group is fast approaching what we believe will be 15,000 members this coming week.

The mission of the Genealogy Squad Facebook group is to provide a positive space for the sharing of appropriate and reliable methods and resources to assist genealogists at all levels. We focus on answering questions and solving problems, while demonstrating best practices in all aspects of genealogical research. Questions relating to the use of DNA testing are better suited for our sister group, Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques at https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques/.

The founders and administrators of The Genealogy Squad are Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., Cyndi Ingle (of Cyndi's List), and Drew Smith and George G. Morgan of The Genealogy Guys Podcast. We have a combined total of more than 150 years of experience with genealogical research and want to provide high quality, helpful, and friendly assistance to our members.


Where Are Our Members?

A significant number of our members have asked about the make-up of our membership, primarily because there seems to be an assumption that The Genealogy Squad is only for and composed of U.S. members. That assumption is far from accurate. Our members are from all over the world, and there is a wonderful excitement to help one another. Here is an image from the FB statistics about our members as of this morning. The origins and numbers change as membership grows but it is important that you know more about your fellow members.


The Genealogy Squad members as of June 16, 2019
(Click the image to enlarge.)

The chart above doesn't include every place; we know there are members in other countries, such as Israel, Italy, France, South Africa, and elsewhere. However, this graphic gives you a little feel for larger clusters of members.


Think Globally!

You can help other people by being more precise about the places - including country and other geopolitical jurisdiction - in your posts here. Remember that there is more than one London and more than one Madison; there is an Essex County in New Jersey, one in Massachusetts, one in the UK, and one in Ontario, Canada. 

This may be a little change in your mindset, but it's really very helpful to begin thinking and researching with a more global perspective. You'll help yourself *and* you'll help other members in this great FB group!

Spread the Word

If you are not a member of The Genealogy Squad, go to the FB page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/ and request to be added. You have to answer two quick questions so that we know you're not a robot and so we can know a little more about you. We'll approve you pretty quickly. 

If you are already a member, tell your friends and genealogical society members about us. Give them the link, but don't use the FB Invite function. We decline invited people because we want everyone to join on their own volition. (After all, we all dislike being added to an email distribution list without our choice. The same thing holds true here.)

We look forward to having you join us. We know you will learn a lot, and you'll be able to share with and help people from all over the world. 


Tuesday, May 21, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Passes the 10,000 Member Mark!

The Genealogy Squad on Facebook just passed the 10,000 mark this morning. Since its launch on May 6, 2019, people from around the world have joined the group to take advantage of this new genealogy resource.


Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D, Cyndi Ingle, Drew Smith, and George G. Morgan are the principals behind this new Facebook group and its administrators. Visit the site at https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/ to join and to become part of this remarkable new facility!

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Launches to Huge Response

The Genealogy Squad, a new Facebook group, launched on Monday, May 6, 2019, to a huge response. The Genealogy Squad is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/. Its mission is "to provide a positive space for the sharing of appropriate and reliable methods and resources to assist genealogists at all levels. We focus on answering questions and solving problems, while demonstrating best practices in all aspects of genealogical research."

Principals who are administering the group are The Genealogy Guys (George G. Morgan and Drew Smith), Blaine T. Bettinger (DNA Central), and Cyndi Ingle (Cyndis List).

In the first week, more than 8,000 people have joined the group from around the globe and the dialog has been very exciting.



While DNA and genetic genealogical methodology are hot topics, The Genealogy Squad encourages those discussions in our sister group, Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques at https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques/.

Visit The Genealogy Squad group and join to experience the best resources on Facebook!



Monday, May 6, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Debuts with more than 5,000 Members in 15 Hours!

The Genealogy Squad, the new Facebook group administered by The Genealogy Guys, Blaine Bettinger, and Cyndi Ingle, made its debut today (May 6, 2019) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad/. More than 5,000 members joined in the first 15 hours! When are you going to join?





Wednesday, May 1, 2019

The Genealogy Squad Facebook Group Is Announced


A new Facebook group for genealogy, The Genealogy Squad, is being launched at https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad on Monday, 6 May 2019. The mission of the Genealogy Squad Facebook group is to provide a positive space for the sharing of appropriate and reliable methods and resources to assist genealogists at all levels in their research activities. The principals and administrators are:

·      Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D. J.D., is an internationally recognized genetic genealogy expert, lecturer, and author of two landmark books about DNA. His DNA Central subscription site provides educational information about genetic genealogical research tests, tools, and methodologies.
·      Cyndi Ingle is the creator of the award-winning Cyndi’s List, the categorized, searchable directory of more than 336,000 online genealogical resource links. Cyndi, a genealogist for more than 39 years, has an expertise in using technology for genealogy and research in the United States. Cyndi's favorite topics bring together traditional methodology with organization, computers, software, and the Internet. She is the author of 3 books and numerous articles, and she is a popular genealogical speaker for seminars and conferences worldwide.
·       George G. Morgan is the president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., an internationally recognized genealogy expert, lecturer, author of 14 genealogy books, writer for four magazines, and author of hundreds of online columns and blog postings. He is co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast, the longest-running genealogy podcast since 2005, and his company produces the Genealogy Connections podcast. He is author of The Genealogy Guys Blog.
·      Drew Smith is the genealogy librarian for the University of South Florida Library in Tampa, an internationally recognized genealogy expert, lecturer, and author of three books. He is the 2016 winner of the Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship, presented by the National Genealogical Society. He is co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast and host of the Genealogy Connections podcast.

The Genealogy Squad will focus on answering questions and solving problems, while demonstrating best practices in all aspects of genealogical research. The extensive combined knowledge and experience of the four principals in all aspects of genealogical research allows them to respond and share the highest quality information and suggested research paths.

“We believe that our many decades of combined experience and research strengths will make us the best “go-to” genealogy group about genealogy research and resources,” said George G. Morgan. “Each of us is familiar with all aspects of quality genealogical research and, between us, we can offer excellent guidance or referrals to reliable resources and tools to help group members solve problems.”

People interested in this new group must personally request to join, beginning on May 6. 2019, and the administrators will respond as promptly as possible. We are very excited and expect this new FB group to be an instant success.




About the Principals

Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph. D, JD, began researching his family history in 1989 with a middle school assignment. Although he currently specializes in DNA evidence, he has been actively researching his family history for more than 30 years. He became a genealogy educator in 2007 with the launch of The Genetic Genealogist (www.TheGeneticGenealogist.com).

Blaine lectures internationally and teaches week-long courses at genealogy institutes across the United States. Blaine is also the founder of Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques), one of the world’s largest genealogy forums.

In 2018 he launched DNA Central (www.DNA-Central.com), the first membership site specifically dedicated to DNA education. DNA Central offers online courses, webinars, resources, and a twice-monthly newsletter providing information about the latest developments in the world of DNA. Members of The Genealogy Squad can join DNA Central using the coupon code THESQUAD for $20 discount off a new one-year membership (normally $99).

Cyndi Ingle is the creator and innovator behind the award-winning and globally recognized CyndisList.com, a free categorized list of more than 336,000 links for genealogical research. Cyndi’s List was founded 23 years ago and is the “go-to” website for quality, reliable, and up-to-date resources worldwide. 

Cyndi has been a genealogist for more than 39 years and has expertise in using technology for genealogy. Additionally, her many active years in genealogy have also resulted in a specialty for research in the United States with particular focus on homesteaders, the Civil War, the Plains States, the Midwest, the Old Northwest, and beyond. Cyndi's favorite topics bring together traditional methodology with organization, computers, software, and the Internet.

Cyndi is the recipient of several awards and honors, she has served in several capacities for genealogical organizations, she is an internationally-known guest lecturer, and she has authored numerous articles and three books. 


George G. Morgan began his family research odyssey in 1962 when a grandmother got him interested in his Revolutionary War and other ancestors. He is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., and an internationally recognized genealogy expert, a popular genealogy lecturer, and a prolific author. George has fourteen books to his credit including the fourth edition How to Do Everything: Genealogy (McGraw-Hill). He authored a chapter in the new Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards, and has written chapters for four other books. He is a regular writer for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and four commercial genealogy magazines. He was won writing awards from the Association of Professional Genealogists and the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

George is the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast, author of The Genealogy Guys Blog, and his company produces the Genealogy Connection podcast. He has served on the boards of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Florida State Genealogical Society, the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa), and others.


Drew Smith is the genealogy librarian with the University of South Florida Tampa Library and is the 2016 winner of the Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship, presented by the National Genealogical Society. He has served on the boards of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Association of Professional Genealogists. He is past president of the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa).

Drew is the host of the Genealogy Connection podcast, and the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast.

Drew is the author of the book Social Networking for Genealogists, is the co-author of the book Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques and has written extensively for a number of genealogical print and online magazines. His latest book, Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies and Solutions for Every Researcher, was published in 2016 by Family Tree Books.