Family Tree - Anniversary Gifts - Forty-Fifth Anniversary

If you're looking at your forty-fifth anniversary and thinking that time flies, well, maybe it does. Certainly, it can't be 45 years that you're married. In any case, you are and this year you're going to pay through the nose because of it. The anniversary gift idea for this special year is none other than the sapphire. If your eyes just bugged out with dollar signs, don't worry, There are actually some sapphire gifts that you can get where you don't have to mortgage your home to get them. If you need help thinking of what they may be, you've come to the right place. We'll give you more than enough ideas to make this anniversary one that you'll both remember for a very long time. We should clarify one thing before we begin. Just because you're not going to have to take out a second mortgage to get these gifts, you are going to have to put a decent sized dent into your wallet. Sapphires aren't cheap. That's why the list makers waited until your 45th anniversary to send you out into the world to get one. For starters, you can get your spouse a sapphire birthstone tree. You can have your family tree engraved into this as well as a couple of sapphires inserted. This is a perfect gift for this anniversary and only costs about $100. Moving up the food chain a bit, you could also get your spouse a nice diamond and sapphire channel ring. The sapphires and diamonds come on a 14 caret gold band. These are some decent size stones and the whole thing is going to cost you about $400 depending on the number of stones and the size of each. If you like, you can go for a single large sapphire white gold and diamond channel ring. The ring has one large sapphire in the center with smaller diamonds surrounding it. It also comes on a 14 caret gold band. This ring will run you about $450, again depending on the size of the sapphire. If the above items are a little out of your price range or if you want to add something to them that doesn't cost a lot of money, you can get your wife a lovely pair of sapphire earrings. Each earring comes with a 2 caret sapphire centerpiece. These earrings go for about $30. Another nice addition to the above items would be a sapphire bracelet watch. This watch is an actual bracelet that just happens to have a timepiece in the center. This makes for a very unusual gift. The good thing is, you can pick up one of these rather cheaply. These watches start at around $20. For the man in your life, you can get him a pair of sapphire studs. The sapphires are about 2 carets and the pair goes for about $10. Your man will look great with these hooked up to his tuxedo shirt if he has the right kind of shirt. The above anniversary gift ideas should be more than enough to make this very special day one that you'll both remember for a very long time. Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Anniversary Gifts Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Family Tree - Genealogy For The Beginner

Genealogy is a popular pastime. It is natural to be curious about one's roots and family history, and genealogy allows all of the information to be compiled and passed along to future generations. The internet has proved to be a powerful tool for genealogists, allowing easier searches of records as well as the sharing of information between genealogists who share a common line. This article will discuss some of the common questions surrounding genealogy and family history that may help you find your ancestors. What is genealogy? Genealogy can be defined as the study and recording of one's family history. The information is recorded in a document known as a family tree. Information that may be documented in the written record includes birth, death and marriage dates, names of spouse(s) and children, and perhaps pertinent historical or medical data. Why is genealogy important? We are ultimately the product of those who have gone before us. In order to understand ourselves better, it is important to understand where we came from. Additionally, genealogy may be used to find lost relatives or trace a line of descendants from a well-known ancestor. Genealogy is also a way to acknowledge the importance and life history of our deceased loved ones. Genealogy can be used to put together the life story of an individual family. I have done all the research I can within my immediate family. Now what? Now it is time to take the information you have compiled and use it to move backward through your family line. Your first step should to be to check with the major research societies and online forums to see if anyone else is researching the same surnames as you are. It is possible that a completed or in-process genealogy will link to yours, so be sure to research any current genealogies that seem plausible. What are some of the problems I might run into when performing genealogical research? The biggest problem that most of us will face is loss or destruction of records. Virtually every bloodline has in its history an era of persecution, flood, fire or other disaster. At a time when all records were on paper, even a small local fire could be enough to destroy all of the town's records. Those who fled persecution often changed their names on the spot and went into hiding in a new location. There will be gaps in your records and you might hit a wall beyond which it is impossible to trace a certain branch of your family. When you run into these problems, think outside the box. Try to connect an ancestor whose trail has gone cold to someone else in your family whose records you have. Odds are good that a connection is there, although it may take some detective work to figure out the link. Patience and perseverance are the keys. Discover more about genealogy from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. We appreciate your feedback at our Genealogy blog. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon

Family Tree - Add New Information To Your Family Tree In Just 15 Minutes

Could you spare 15 minutes to add to your family tree? Try some of these methods today! (1) Go through your family file and fill in those empty death dates. There are 77.7 million records in the Social Security Death Index. The SSDI is available at Rootsweb. It is free. Or, you can look at Ancestry. (2) Find your immigrant ancestors by going to Steve Morse's site One Step Web Pages There, you can decide quickly what search forms are right for you. Or, if you have more time, you can also go to the Ellis Island site. (3) Get on a mailing list. If you haven't had a chance to visit before, now is the time to check out Rootsweb. You can do a search for a list about your surname, or a location. Rootsweb is much more than mailing lists though, so you might want to bookmark it and come back for a more detailed search. (4) Do you think you have a Revolutionary War Patriot in your family? The volunteers with the DAR would be happy to do a lookup for your ancestor. Go to their site, and fill in the form. Also, if you are already a member of the DAR, you can login and search the database for free too. (5) Go back through your notes from the last time you went to the library. Check your downloaded emails for new clues too. Sort through your piles of papers and get them into family groups. After staring at names and dates for hours the last time you did some research, it may have boggled your mind and clouded your thinking. Taking a fresh new look might make the information more obvious. (6) Search with your genealogy program. If you are using Family Tree Maker it's as easy as highlighting your family member's name and clicking on the Web Search Results button. The program knows your female ancestor's maiden name, and will do a search for that, as well as her married name. (7) Use those lookup volunteers! If you use the USGenWeb to research family in locations you already know, don't forget to click on the link labeled "lookup volunteers". These kind-hearted souls have their own books or resources and are willing to help you out. Please though, do be polite and ask for one name at a time, and remember to thank them. (8) Order military records. You can order the records online, or download a PDF file and mail it in. Either way, you will have to show a signed signature to get the records. If the veteran is deceased you have to sign. I have done it using both methods and it is very easy to do. (9) If you do not already have a genealogy program, and you have a limited budget, you can download Personal Ancestral File (PAF) for free from Family Search (LDS). Registration is free, and does not generate spam. (10) Privatize and then upload your family tree. This can be done at WorldConnect, Ancestry, or GenCircles. (11) Scan some of your old family photos. Think that might take more than 15 minutes? Most flatbed scanners can accomodate multiple photos (depending on size, of course) so instead of doing them one at a time, do 4 or 6. Save that file and then go back later, when you have more time, and using your photo editing software, select each photo from the batch, and copy and paste it into its own file. (12) Search the database at Heritage Quest. Not a member? You might be. If you have a library card you might be able to search HQ's database through a link on your library's webpage. Scroll down and look to see the list of states and the libraries that have links. You might also check your online state library to see if they have a link too. Or, call the reference desk at the library and ask about access to Heritage Quest. (13) Are you looking for family information in The United Kingdom or Ireland? Try looking at GenUKI. If you do not live in the UK, before you get started on their page, make sure you check out Researching from Abroad (14) Do a simple search in Google (or your favorite search engine) for 'surname' family tree. Change surname to the surname you are looking for, and you will probably come up with many, many hits. I have a very obscure family name: Osgathorpe. I just did a search in Google and found (to my surprise) while writing this article, that there is a website devoted to that family name. (15) Are you looking for an ancestor who might have served in the American Civil War? You can do a search at the CW Soldiers and Sailors System. You will not only be able to search soldiers and sailors, but also look up regiments, prisoners, cemeteries, battles, medals and parks. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_Wilkerson

Family Tree - The Uses of Genetic DNA Testing

Genetic testing or DNA testing is a relatively recent development due to advances in scientific knowledge that has many and varied uses including paternity testing, testing for various genetic diseases during pregnancy, or for forensic investigations. In this article we are going to be discussing some of the uses of genetic testing and how they work. The first use of genetic testing is called paternity testing and is used to verify who the biological father of a child is. When there is a doubt about who the biological father of a child is this can hold not only implications for the relationship both between the parents and between the father and child; but also legal and financial implications (for example, who is responsible for meeting the child's financial needs as they grow up). Genetic testing in this instance can be done through collecting a sample of the father's, mother's and child's DNA which are then compared at various points. This method of verifying paternity is a lot more accurate than older methods and is also painless as a DNA sample can be collected from a swab of the cheek. Another use of genetic testing is to help create your family tree and verify family history. In this case parts of the Y chromosome that don't tend to change down through the generations will be compared to others. People who have a common ancestor will show similar characteristics in certain places of this specific chromosome and so will help establish ancestral lines. This is also related to genetic testing for ancestry, or what percentage of each race group you have in your DNA. By doing an ancestral genetic test through laboratories that offer this service or home packs to test your ancestry you are able to determine your race history. There is a story, for example, of a man who thought he was African American most of his life, only to discover that he had no African American blood in him but a mixture of other race groups including Indo-European and Native American. Prenatal genetic testing may also be used to discover a number of diseases or health problems before a child is born. Many diseases may be related to an abnormality in the DNA which can be discovered through DNA testing in order to warn the parents of this possibility so that they can do what is best for their child. There are a number of uses for genetic testing and the above are just a couple of uses for personal genetic testing including paternity testing, genetic genealogy, ancestry testing and testing for possible health problems in an unborn child. Genetic testing is generally non-invasive and painless as DNA swabs can be taken from the cheek for comparison instead of having to take blood. These DNA swabs are then analyzed in a laboratory to compare different DNA segments and so determine the results of the above tests. Learn more about dna genealogy testing on our site. You'll also find other information such as finding DNA test labs and DNA paternity test. FirstHearingAids.com is a comprehensive resource for people suffering from hearing loss to get information on hearing aid options, prices and maintenance. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Fuller