Free ancestry search – how to go about it

The urge to find our roots can be compelling and with the right resources, especially if it is a free ancestry search site, you might just be able to trace your family tree into the deep past. In this information era, nothing is impossible. There are so many different ways of going about this, and there are even reference books that have been published to aid you in the quest.

The most important aspect is to stay open-minded and acknowledge the fact that our forefathers could be from anywhere, and one could never know where the search might take us. You might currently live in the US, but your ancestors could be from any distant country that dot the surface of the Earth, who crossed the seas and settled in America. Join forums and social networks to work your way through contacts. Turn to the numerous free ancestry websites available and look for information.

Popular online resources
A number of online resources are effective in helping you find your ancestral roots.

  • FindMyPast.com In this website, all you need to do is to provide the personal information that you have on any of your ancestors to obtain further details to proceed with building the family tree.
  • olivetreegenealogy.com This website conducts a free search for Ships’ Passenger lists, Orphan Records, Naturalization Records or Palatine, Canadian, American Genealogy, Native American Genealogy, or information on Huguenots, Mennonites and more.

FamilySearch, RootsWeb, and WikiTree are similar websites which are a repository of genealogical information. Wiki tree can help arrive at right data using DNA as well as traditional genealogical methods. Once you gather required details from one site, you can work on it using multiple sources. Some of these websites offer more services for a fee, so if required, you may avail the option.

There are various sources that you will have to look into to progress in the right direction. This includes digging into the government databases that maintain birth, death, marriage, burial and other such relevant records. Sift through archived newspapers for pointers. The websites Google News Archives and Fulton History can be helpful in this regard. Most of the information of this sort would be available in public domain, so you would not have to face any problem in this aspect.

If you need any information pertaining to a particular niche, try to find if there is a website for that. For instance, JewishGen, African Heritage Project, Daughters of the American Revolution, British Library India Office, etc. provides information on the relevant areas as the name implies.
Once you start the search, it might just grow on you, as it gets interesting with every new discovery. Carry on with the journey by adding a leaf, then a branch and then the trunk to your family tree till you find the roots! The possibilities are endless, so keep digging!

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  • Caring and maintaining your designer handbag

    Designer handbags are indeed expensive, especially if you want the likes of Prada, Louis Vuitton, Versace, or Chanel. Even if you have picked one up at designer handbags sale, it doesn’t come cheap. When you have spent so much on a designer handbag of your choice, then you need to also take proper care to ensure that it always looks as good as new.

    Usage
    It’s best not to take leather designer bags when it’s raining. When you carry the handbag, ensure that you keep it flat at the base. If you need to put the bag inside a drawer, ensure that there are no splinters that can leave behind cuts.

    Stains on designer handbags are an eyesore. Make sure that you do not spill anything on your handbag. Once you’re back home, wipe off the surface with a clean soft cloth.

    A designer bag, if used carefully can last you for many seasons. For the price that you have paid, be extra careful when you use such handbags. Prolonged usage can make the bag look dull and lose its luster. Condition your handbag with appropriate conditioning products to ensure your handbag remains in the like-new state.

    Storage
    Firstly, you will not be carrying your designer handbag to the local supermarket. It’s reserved for occasions. Proper storage is needed to ensure that the bags stay in good condition.

    Use a dust bag to store your designer handbag. Most high street handbags come with dust covers. Ensure that you store your designer handbags in these dust covers. Pillow cases are also a convenient and easy-to-lay-hands-on alternative.

    Say, you have a fetish for designer handbags and own a collection. While you may put to use one or two bags, the others must be safely kept inside dust covers, with buckles removed and straps loosened.

    Women’s handbags are full of stuff. From beauty products to credit cards, cell phones, cash, keys and much more. Key chains can leave behind scratches on the bag’s inside and loosely capped sunscreen lotions can leave behind stains. It’s best to have bag liners in designer handbags. You get them for about $25 and your designer bag is kept free of scratches and stains.

    Everyday activities like cosmetic usage can cause damage to your exposed designer handbag. Lotions and creams can stain the bag. Stuffing the unused bags with bubble wrap, undoing strap buckles, and storing the chain handle separately to avoid surface scratches are simple tips that can safeguard the bags when they’re not in use. For regularly used designer handbags, use of leather conditioner will ensure that the bags remain well maintained.

    Most top design houses offer a free maintenance service provided the authenticity cards are kept intact. Make sure that you keep them safe.

  • 3 Notable Features of Modern Manufactured Homes

    Given the current standing of the economy, finding an affordable house is quite challenging and time-consuming. One solution for home seekers is to choose manufactured homes. Some significant advantages of manufactured homes are that they use high-quality materials, meet all safety codes and regulations needed for safe living, offer customizable aspects based on the buyer’s needs, and are energy efficient as well as eco-friendly. As large-scale manufacturers build such homes, they are quite affordable too.

    Three notable features of manufactured homes are:

    • Safe and secure
      Each manufactured home has to satisfy some HUD codes, and all manufacturers are aware of the consequences of violating these norms. These HUD codes for manufacturing a ready-made home carry a string of performance-related standards that include plumbing, heating, thermal and electrical systems, construction, structural design, air conditioning, energy efficiency, fire safety, and even the mode of delivery and transportation from the manufacturer’s base to the customer’s location. Getting a red seal stamped on the manufactured home indicates that the house has undergone rigorous inspection at various stages.
    • Customization and incorporation of amenities
      The production process for manufactured homes has undergone tremendous changes over the years, and these houses have become highly customizable according to each buyer’s taste. A buyer can pick between a regular floor plan for their manufactured home, or they can customize a new floor plan that not only suits their budget and lifestyle needs but also contains amenities like porches, decks, fireplaces, etc. A buyer can also choose to install top of the line appliances from the best brands in their manufactured homes.
    • Energy savings and eco-friendly amenities
      One of the key areas that manufactured home builders focus on is the sustainability of the products. They try to maximize this sustainability in such a way that the homes are truly eco-friendly and energy efficient in all aspects. In comparison to regular houses, a manufactured home cuts wastage by almost 90% and sometimes even more. One can attribute this to the technologically advanced design and building practices that manufacturers follow. Picking a zero to low VOC paint, integrating double flush toilets and low flow faucets, use of materials with higher insulation, cutting down on temperature controllers, using modern green practices such as rainwater harvesting and greywater systems, all lead to efficient energy consumption and low risk to the environment. At the same time, these systems do not dull a customer’s satisfaction in any way.
  • Latest iPhones and their notable features

    At this year’s much-awaited tech event, Apple released three iPhones along with a host of other Apple gadgets including an iPad and a new Apple Watch series. At their flagship event on September 10, the tech giant released the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

    These latest iPhone models have been expected to deliver advanced performance to those who want the best from their smartphones. The new iPhones boast a stunning display, a powerful A13 Bionic chip, and a cutting-edge three-camera system, which is a very first for the iPhone. Moreover, the new iPhones are available in a fresh palette of colors and are powered by longer battery life.

    The new iPhones are available for pre-order from September 13, and available in stores from September 20. Here are some of the basic things to know about iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

    Upgraded display
    The iPhone 11 has a 6.1-inch LCD display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, True Tone, 1792×828 pixels, 1,400:1 contrast ratio, 79.0% screen-to-body ratio, and Dolby Vision / HDR10. Comparatively, the iPhone 11 Pro has a slightly smaller screen size with 5.8-inch OLED display.

    Similar to iPhone 11, the Pro also has True Tone, Dolby Vision / HDR10, and the same aspect ratio. The screen resolution, however, is more at 2436 x 1125 pixels with 2000000:1 contrast ratio. Thus, the Pro has double the aspect ratio with 15% more efficiency. Furthermore, the screen-to-body ratio is 82.1%.

    The iPhone Pro Max is larger than the other two phones with a display size of 6.5 inches. The resolution of Pro Max is also higher at 2688 x 1242 pixels with a screen-to-body ratio of 84.4%.

    Heavier design
    Compared to their earlier versions, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max are heavier. The iPhone 11 Pro measures 144 x 71.4 x 8.1 mm (5.67 x 2.81 x 0.32 in) and weighs 188 g (6.63 oz). The earlier version, iPhone XS measured 5.7×2.79×0.3 in and weighed 174 g (6.14 oz).

    The Pro Max measures 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches) and weighs 226 grams (7.97 oz.). The earlier version iPhone XS Max measured nearly the same but at a lower weight of 7.3 oz. or 208 g. However, the iPhone 11 is nearly the same as iPhone XR at 5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 in and weighs 194 g (6.84 oz).

    Another difference between iPhone 11 and the Pro is the material of the chassis; the iPhone 11 has an aluminum chassis while the Pro, as well as Pro Max, has a stainless-steel chassis. Also, the iPhone 11 has retained the glass back of the earlier versions, while the Pro and Pro Max have a matte finish, thus far lesser smudges. All the three phones have screens with a rating of IP68 for water resistance for up to 30 minutes to a depth of 4 meters.

    Furthermore, the color palette of the finishes is quite wide. The iPhone 11 is available in six colors— Product (Red), black, white, yellow, green, and purple. The iPhone Pro and Pro Max are available in toned-down shades of space grey, silver, midnight green, and gold.

    Camera
    Apple has stepped up its game with an ultra-new camera system in the new iPhones. The iPhone 11 sports a two-camera system with a primary camera and an ultrawide camera, while iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max has a three-camera system with primary, ultrawide, and telephoto camera. The cameras are grouped in a rectangular hump in the back. While considering aesthetics, the rectangular camera humps may look bulky, but the phones promise to deliver high-definition and high-intensity photos, whether shot in daylight or at night. Also, the phones have a brighter True Tone flash than the previous iPhones. The specs of the cameras are as follows:

    • Front Camera: 12MP ‘TrueDepth’ module, f/2.2 aperture
    • Primary Camera: 12 MP, f/1.8 aperture, 26mm, 4K 60fps video
    • Ultrawide Camera: 12 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 13mm
    • Telephoto Camera: 12 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 52mm (telephoto), 2x optical zoom

    A notable feature of the latest iPhones is the ability of the ultrawide camera that let users shoot action videos. Moreover, the primary camera lets users shoot videos in 4K. Despite multiple cameras, the phones have the feature of easily zooming between each of the cameras. Another first for the latest iPhones is that they let users record videos without switching out of Photo Mode with a simple feature known as QuickTake.

    Performance
    The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max come loaded with Apple’s new A13 Bionic chipset. This chipset has been known to have the fastest CPU and GPU ever in a smartphone; thus, making the new iPhones powerfully efficient. Additionally, the A13 chip is far more energy-saving than the previous A12 chipset, at nearly 40%. This gives a big boost to battery life.

    Battery life
    One of the most important positive points of Apple’s 2019 iPhones is their long battery life. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max can reportedly last for “4 hours” more than the previous version of iPhone, that is iPhone XS; the iPhone 11 runs 1 hour longer than the iPhone XS. The battery specs are as follows:

    • iPhone 11 – 3110 mAh
    • iPhone 11 Pro – 3190 mAh
    • iPhone 11 Pro Max – 3500 mAh

    Price
    The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max are available in three variants based on storage, each priced accordingly.

    • iPhone 11The 64GB model is priced at $699, the 128GB model is priced at ($749), and the 256GB ($849).
    • iPhone 11 Pro
      The 64GB model is priced at $999, the 256GB model is priced at $1,149, and the 512GB model is priced at $1,349.
    • iPhone 11 Pro Max
      The 64GB model is priced at $1,099, the 256GB model is priced at $1,249, and the 512GB model is priced at $1,449.