Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Today's Newsletter is Sponsored by Ancestry.com

brightsolid Online Technology Video

brightsolid, a division of D.C. Thompson, is the company that produces Friends Reunited, Genes Reunited, findmypast.co.uk, findmypast.com.au, findmypast.ie, 1911census.co.uk, 1901censusonline.com, ancestorsonboard.com, ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk, the (online) British Newspaper Archive, and censusrecords.com. The company also has several other Internet businesses not related to genealogy, including cloud hosting. The brightsolid data center in Dundee, Scotland serves about 20 million users. As you might guess, the company has a very large data center with about a hunded racks of servers and has recently added even more capacity. Now a YouTube video provides a peek into all the hardware that users never see, even though they use it often.

Oregon Teens Work to Preserve an Historic Cemetery

Just in time for Memorial Day in the U.S., an article by Lori Tobias in The Oregonian Newspaper describes the work of a group of teens taking care of a historic cemetery next to their school. The article also has a link to the Oregon Commission on Historical Cemeteries. I'd suggest that all teens should read the article at http://goo.gl/q08f7 about contributing to your local community.

My thanks to Dee Passmore for telling me about the article.

Employees Who Worked for Britain's Royal Household to be Documented Online

A brief mention on the BBC web site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18183157 states that the Royal Archives has also undertaken an online partnership project with website Find My Past to enable the public to trace ancestors who have worked for the royal household. No other details were provided.

 

Queen Victoria's Private Diaries Now Available Online

The complete collection of Queen Victoria's private diaries is being made available to the public online for the first time. The 141 volumes, running to 43,000 pages, provide a picture of her life from the first entry at the age of 13 until 10 days before her death aged 81 in 1901.

Details may be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18183157.

 

findmypast.ie Conducts Poll to Determine World’s Greatest Leaders with Irish Roots

Irish genealogy site findmypast.ie conducted an international poll and asked who are (or were) the world’s greatest leaders with Irish roots? I have one question: Who knew that Che Guevara had Irish ancestry?

The following was written by findmypast.ie:

Obama trails JFK, Reagan but trumps Che Guevara in vote for history’s greatest “Irish” leader: poll

Obama voted world’s third greatest leader with Irish roots, behind JFK, then Reagan: international poll for findmypast.com

Barcode Everyone at Birth?

Science fiction writer Elizabeth Moon argues that everyone should be given a barcode at birth. “If I were empress of the Universe I would insist on every individual having a unique ID permanently attached - a barcode if you will; an implanted chip to provide an easy, fast inexpensive way to identify individuals. It would be imprinted on everyone at birth. Point the scanner at someone and there it is."

There are many obvious advantages to her proposal, from preventing the switching of babies at birth to identifying combatants in war. However, I suspect privacy advocates, such as myself, will object.

Massachusetts Town Reconnaissance Survey Reports Online

If you have ancestors from Massachusetts, you might be interested in the Reconnaissance Survey Town Reports, produced for the Massachusetts Historical Commission's Statewide Reconnaissance Survey between 1979 and 1987.

These reports provide the historical development of each of the Commonwealth’s municipalities. Each report contains an historic overview, a description of topography, and political boundaries. Each report evaluates the town’s existing historic properties inventory, highlights significant historic buildings and settlement patterns, and presents threats to these resources. A bibliography lists key secondary resources.

A Gigabit-per-Second Broadband Project Unveiled

We think of "broadband" as being high speed but, of course, everything is relative. A standard DSL connection to the home might be as slow as 256 kilobits per second although the more common speed is 768 kilobits. (A kilobit is usually written simply with the letter "k" such as 768k.) Cable modems typically run at faster speeds, such as 2 megabits per second up to 5 megabits. FIOS fiber optic cable connections default to 10 megabits per second but, for more money, you can obtain even higher speeds.

Now a new Ohio start-up company, called Gigabit Squared, has raised $200 million to fund a gigabit-per-second broadband project.

(+) 1960 U.S. Census Myths and Facts

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

The U.S. Census is very much in the news these days, and for good reasons. For the first time, the 1940 census was recently released in electronic format only. It reminds me of the controversy about the 1960 U.S. Census.

For years I have heard stories about the 1960 U.S. Census. The stories vary a bit on each telling but usually say something like, “The 1960 U.S. Census was stored on a computer media for which there no longer was any equipment to read it. The census data has been lost because of the change in technology.”

I always doubted that story. I was just starting my career in computers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and I remember well the tape drives of that era. I spent many hours repairing those half-inch and three-quarter inch tape drives that weighed 800 pounds each! I think I still could disassemble and reassemble a Honeywell 204B-9 half-inch tape drive while blindfolded. That device was a maze of electronics (without integrated circuits), disk brakes, a big vacuum pump, and numerous solenoids. Those are the tape drives shown in the background of the picture above, showing a Honeywell H-200 computer circa 1970. I used to repair and maintain those computers on customer sites.

Click on the image to see a bigger picture.

Since I am familiar with both the old and the new technologies involved, I decided to investigate the 1960 census story.

Death by Cholera

The Hartlepool (England) Mail has a grim reminder of the realities our ancestors faced in their daily lives. Reporter Chris Cordner did a bit of research and found that cholera was a common cause of death of some of his ancestors. Indeed, the same is probably true for all of us as cholera was common well into the early twentieth century.

Cholera was a terrible disease. It was an infection of the small intestine. Sufferers would develop symptoms such as abdominal cramps, a dry mouth, dry skin, excessive thirst, glassy or sunken eyes. But the most profuse signs were vomiting and diarrhea. It was caused by the contamination of food and water, usually through poor sanitation.

1940 U.S. Census Community Project Nearly Halfway Complete

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

22 May 2012

The halfway point for indexing the 1940 U.S. census is fast approaching.
 
Congratulations and thank you to all of the volunteers participating in this unprecedented genealogical community effort. Currently more than 20 states are at or above 85 percent complete. Six states—Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia, and New Hampshire—are now indexed and searchable by name, location, and family relations. And thanks to the efforts of more than 100,000 volunteers, more states will be added in the coming weeks. Follow the day-to-day indexing status at the1940census.com dashboard and search completed states at familysearch.org/1940census.

NEHGS Wins Two Top Awards for Lowell Genealogy

The following announcement was written by the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

Scott Steward and Christopher Child Share Top Prizes from NGS and CSG
 
Boston, MA – May 22, 2012 – The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) announced today that one of its latest Newbury Street Press titles, The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts, by Scott C. Steward and Christopher C. Child, has won top honors from both the National Genealogical Society and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. The awards were handed out at recent ceremonies hosted by each organization.

Joan Ferris Curran, R.I.P.

Friends of Joan Ferris Curran will be saddened to learn that she passed away at home on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

Jo made her home in Kansas City, Missouri since 1952. She became a Certified Genealogist who specialized in the writing and editing of family histories.

With her deep roots in both new and old England, Jo had served periodically since 1979 as a trustee and officer of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and, more recently, the Board of Certification of Genealogists and the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History. She was a member of the Mayflower Society in Kansas, Flagon and Trencher, and the most rigorous of all societies, the Descendants of Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of Kings of Britain (affectionately known as the Royal Bastards). Her various publications attest to far broader ethnic interests, however - ranging from Descendants of Augustin LeClercq (a French émigré in 1790 Ohio) to Jewish family life in Jonas and Betty (Kohn) Wollman and their Descendants. She published 10 genealogy books and pamphlets.

Census Bureau says 2010 Count was Mainly Accurate with a Possible Error of 0.01%

The U.S. Census Bureau says it probably overcounted the total U.S. population in the 2010 census by 0.01% or about 36,000 people, an improvement from the 2000 census, which had an overcount of 0.5%. In contrast, the 1940 census is estimated to have undercounted the total population was as much as 5.4%.

The 2010 census had the same problems it usually has in dealing with minorities, renters and young males. The 2010 count was short by about 1.5 million people, including about 2.1% of African Americans and 1.5% of Latinos.

You can read more in an article by Michael Muskal in the Los Angeles Times at http://goo.gl/T7uye.

(+) Converting Google Books to Text Files that can be Saved or Searched

The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

A newsletter reader wrote and asked, "How can I download books from Google Books and convert them to text that I can search or save on my hard drive?"

The quick answer is, "You cannot do that easily." However, the longer answer is, "It is possible to do that if you have time, money, and computing power." Today I thought I'd describe the steps required.

On the Road Again and Headed Home

For several years, every time I went traveling to a genealogy event, I posted an article here entitled "On the Road Again" to warn readers that I would be a bit busy and not posting as many articles as usual. However, I have done that less recently as I have been traveling continuously for five months. Instead of a title of "On the Road Again," I could have written "I Am Still on the Road." On January 2, I moved into my motor home and drove to Florida. Since then, I have stayed at a number of RV (recreational vehicle) resorts around the state.

I have also frequently locked the doors of the motor home, jumped in the Mini Cooper, and driven to a nearby airport. While supposedly residing in a motor home in Florida, in the past five months I have taken "side trips" to England, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, New York, and Alberta. Two and a half weeks ago, I left Florida, driving the motor home and towing the Mini Cooper behind, to visit Ohio. I have attended the National Genealogical Society's annual conference held this year in Cincinnati and, a week later, the national ham radio conference, called the Hamvention, held in Dayton.

After five months of continuous travel, I am now headed home. Once again, for the next few days the number of articles posted here may be a bit less than normal.

Colorado Genealogical Society's Computer Interest Group at the Annual Spring Seminar Next Weekend in Denver

If you live in or near Denver, Colorado, you are invited to spend next Saturday with the Colorado Genealogical Society's Computer Interest Group at their Annual Spring Seminar. The seminar is being held on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I will be there also and will be giving several presentations on a variety of topics.

The Chart Chick's Quick Insider's Guide to Salt Lake City

Are you planning a trip to Salt Lake City? Do you know the best restaurants in the city? How do you find the best hamburger in Salt Lake City? How about the best Mexican food?  You can find all that and more in the free 22-page booklet entitled, The Chart Chick's Quick Insider's Guide to Salt Lake City.

For those of you who are not familiar with the "Chart Chick," that is a pseudonym used by Janet Hovorka. She and her husband Kim run Family ChartMasters, the company that produces the beautiful wall charts for genealogists. If you are not familiar with Family ChartMasters, you need to look at https://familychartmasters.com. Even though the web site shows numerous examples, you cannot appreciate these charts until you see them in person. The small image on your computer's screen doesn't do justice to these large charts.

Ohio Genealogical Society Annual Conference Call for Papers - April 25-27, 2013

The following was written by the Ohio Genealogical Society:

The Ohio Genealogical Society is accepting proposals for their 2013 Annual Conference at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Deadline for submissions is 30 June 2012. Lectures will be one hour long, including a ten-minute question and answer period. Submissions for workshops, especially for Thursday afternoon, will be considered.

We are specifically looking for speakers with proposals showing how technology can benefit your research. In addition, proposals are being sought in a variety of areas including beginning genealogy, Ohio-specific topics, ethnic groups (German, African American etc.), Genetics and DNA, methodology, writing / publishing, emigration / immigration, military resources, transportation (canals, rivers, railroads), online newspapers, and proof standards. Previous speakers are encouraged to submit new or new to the Ohio conference proposals.

findmypast Adds 3.5 Million Plymouth and Devon, England, Records Online

The findmypast blog describes a huge new set of records added to the company's offerings:

Search new Plymouth and Devon parish records covering 3.5 million people and five centuries on findmypast.co.uk

These records include baptisms, marriages and burials from 1538 to 1911, making it easier than ever before to trace your Devonshire ancestors before the first census and the start of birth, marriage and death records in the 19th century.

Bay Area Immigration Records, Once Destined for Destruction, will be Released Tuesday

Tens of thousands of old West Coast immigration records the government once sought to throw away will instead become publicly available on Tuesday at a Bay Area archive.

Photographs, letters, health records, interview transcripts and other historical documents were destined for a recycling bin or a remote Midwestern storage facility. Archivists credit the advocacy of the late U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, and his successor, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, for helping to save the collection. The documents will be housed in San Bruno, at the National Archives at San Francisco, and open to the public beginning Tuesday. The records are not digitized at this time.

NGS 2013 Family History Conference Plans Announced

It is never too early to start planning! The annual conference of the National Genealogical Society was held only last week in Cincinnati but plans for next year's event have already been posted to the society's web site.

The NGS 2013 Family History Conference will be held at The LVH-Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mark your calendars for 8–11 May 2013.

Ancestry.com to Collaborate with Family History Information Standards Organisation to Define Community Standards

The following announcement was written by the Family History Information Standards Organisation, Inc.:

Gilbert, AZ USA—May 17, 2012—Family History Information Standards Organisation, Inc. (FHISO) announced today that Ancestry.com, Inc. has finalized its plans to become a founding member of the organisation. FHISO is a newly-formed international organisation created to develop standards for the digital representation of family history and genealogical information. As a founding member, Ancestry.com will designate five organisational member representatives to participate with other FHISO members from the global genealogical community.

St. Louis Genealogical Society Completes Indexing 1.6 Million Burials

The following announcement was written by the St. Louis Genealogical Society:

St. Louis Genealogical Society Completes Indexing 1.6 Million Burials

Do you know what these people have in common? Engineer, James Eads; Blues hockey player, Barclay Plager; Negro Leagues baseball player, James "Cool Papa" Bell; sports broadcaster, Jack Buck; slave, Dred Scott; poet, Sara Teasdale; educator, Susan Blow; and humanitarian, Tom Dooley?

They are just a handful of the 1.6 million people buried in St. Louis City or St. Louis County, Missouri, who have been indexed by the St. Louis Genealogical Society. This unique project was completed entirely by dedicated volunteers who donated thousands of hours to finalize this massive task. With the publication of its fourth and final cemetery CD, the society has now indexed every known cemetery with only one exception in St. Louis City and County.

The Tables Get Turned: I Receive Visitors

When writing articles for this newsletter, I often get to visit with other genealogists. Last Friday, the tables were turned. Several genealogists came to visit me. In fact, they dropped by my motor home that is parked in an RV (recreation vehicle) resort in the suburbs of Cincinnati.

The group included Daniel Horowitz, Mark Olsen, and Schelly Talalay Dardashti (all from MyHeritage.com), Pamela Weisberger (from Los Angeles), Elise Friedman and Alex Yi (from FamilyTreeDNA.com), and Chris Mueller (from Albuqerque).

(Photo courtesy of Mark Olsen.)

All 1940 US Census Images and Six States' Indexes Now Published Online

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

20 Million Records for 21 Other Countries Also Added

The 1940 US Census Community Project, which includes FamilySearch, Archives.com, Findmypast.com, NARA, and ProQuest.com, have now published browsable images online for 1940 U.S. Federal Census and the completed searchable indexes for six of the states. Online volunteer indexers have indexed 35% of the census. At current rates, they anticipate wrapping up the indexing by late summer. Follow the progress online at the1940census.com/dashboard or search the records on FamilySearch.org/1940census. FamilySearch also published new, free records online for Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States, Venezuela, and Wales. Search these diverse collections and 2.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

British Columbia Man Seeks Descendants of Soldier Killed in World War I

A man from Surrey, B.C., faces a big challenge unlocking a First World War mystery that's landed on his doorstep. Curtis Unger, who says he believes in honouring soldiers' memories, has recently come across a memorial plaque from the Great War. The plaque, called a Death Penny, bears the name of a 20-year-old English private named Walter Ryles.

"I was thinking of framing it and putting it on a wall, but I realized that this is a memorial. It's like a tombstone. It deserves to be handed down the generations of Ryles' family," he says.

Unger says he wants to get the story out in the hopes that one of Ryles' descendants will come forward and claim the plaque.

Ancestry.com Adds New Board Member: Dr. Paul R. Billings

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com Inc.:

PROVO, Utah, May 16, 2012 -- Ancestry.com Inc., the world's largest online family history resource, today announced that renowned genomics expert Dr. Paul R. Billings has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors, increasing the Board's size to nine members. Billings was also appointed a member of the Company's Audit Committee.

"Dr. Billings makes a great addition to our Board at a time when our focus on genetic genealogy is just at its beginning stages," said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. "Paul's addition shows our company's reinforced commitment to the science of DNA that we are convinced will provide a new way for customers to make amazing discoveries that they can share with family and friends."

(+) 129 Million Books Online and Growing

The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

Google’s plan to digitize the world’s books into a combination research library and bookstore is progressing at an impressive rate. It is expected to become the largest and most comprehensive library in the history of the world. Google has scanned more than 129 million books from the start in 2002  and the latest published number is now more than 129 million. Best of all, this number includes thousands of books of interest to family historians. [The 129 million number is from article at http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2010/08/books-of-world-stand-up-and-be-counted.html.]

Google claims its mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” The result is a huge library that is available on your computer, an attractive offering for many people. Most books also can be downloaded to Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and other e-reader devices.

Maine Man Who Cared for Famed Old Tree Dies at 103

This has nothing to do with genealogy, but is a heart-warming story that I think should be shared.

Frank Knight's decades-long battle to save New England's tallest elm served as an inspiring tale of devotion, so it is fitting that he will be laid to rest in a coffin made from the tree he made famous. Knight, who died Monday at 103, had affectionately referred to the 217-year-old elm nicknamed Herbie as "an old friend." The massive tree succumbed to Dutch elm disease and was cut down two years ago.

Wood from the tree was made into a casket, a secret that was kept from Knight, who will now be buried in that casket.

Mocavo Raises Another $4 Million in Venture Capital

I have written a number of times about Mocavo, the genealogy search engine. My past articles may be found by starting at http://goo.gl/MtdPs. Mocavo has now announced it has raised $4 million in its first round of funding in a bid to help people find their ancestors through its search engine.

This morning, Mocavo COO Ryan Hunter wrote on the Mocavo blog:

19th Century Graveyard Found Below California Construction Site

Construction at a portion of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has stopped in San Jose, Calif. because crews have unearthed pine boxes filled with the bodies of those whose families couldn't afford their proper burials. The pine boxes date back to between 1875 and 1935, and were discovered in February when construction crews were doing seismic survey work.

There may be as many as 1,445 bodies on the site.

Wal-Mart and the Slave Cemetery

The graves of about 80 slaves in Florence, Alabama are being threatened by a planned new Wal-Mart store. The slaves were owned by Gen. John Coffee, a friend of President Andrew Jackson and a surveyor who drew the state’s border with Mississippi. There is archaeological and historical evidence that suggests his slaves’ graves may be precisely where Walmart plans to pave a driveway to the new store.

Walmart says it will avoid harming any burial grounds, and has pledged $25,000 to restore the crumbling cemetery. But determining the graveyard’s boundaries has proved challenging. Walmart says it will redraw construction plans in any way necessary.

Free Anti-Virus Software for Macs

Once upon time, such as last year, any time you discussed the subject of computer viruses, the Mac owners would always say, "Macs don't get viruses!" They were mostly correct. To be sure, there were a few esoteric Mac viruses floating around online, but they were so rare that Mac owners never worried about them and apparently never became infected. A lot has changed in the past twelve months.

Mac viruses now are growing. Viruses are still unusual in the Macintosh world and not often encountered by Mac owners. However, the numbers have grown enough to the point that a Mac owner should think about adding anti-virus and anti-malware software to his or her system. While still rare, a few Mac owners I know have encountered malware. Luckily, several companies have produced anti-virus and anti-malware products for the Mac.

Genealogy for Juniors Program Class in Youngtown, Arizona

Perhaps we should see more classes like this one. The following announcement was written by the West Valley Genealogical Society:

The West Valley Genealogical Society, 12222 N. 111th Ave., Youngtown, AZ, invites young people, ages 10-16, interested in learning about their family history and finding their ancestors, an opportunity to enroll in a four week Genealogy for Juniors Program.  The class will include the Scouting requirements for a Genealogy or Family History badge.  Scouting membership is not required.

RootsTech 2013 Call for Presentations

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the RootsTech 2013 conference:

March 21-23, 2013
Salt Lake City, Utah

The world of genealogy is changing at an ever-increasing rate through the development of new technologies. Millions of people are passionate about discovering their roots. They share an interest in learning about the latest technologies and methods to help them in this pursuit. The third annual RootsTech Conference brings together thought leaders and consumers who want to share and experience the latest trends in genealogy and technology. Building on the success and growth of previous years, RootsTech 2013 will reach thousands of participants on site and around the world. RootsTech includes engaging, interactive sessions that promote learning and the free exchange of ideas on improving the way genealogy is done. Genealogists and technologists attending this conference share a stance that is progressive and forward thinking. They are interested in the application of technology to simplify and improve the family history experience.

Last Remaining Revolutionary War POW Camp Has Been Saved

The last undeveloped Revolutionary War era prisoner-of-war camp has been saved from encroaching development. Camp Security is surrounded by residential neighborhoods just east of York, Pennsylvania. Between the summer of 1781 and spring of 1783, the camp housed more than 1,000 British and Canadian prisoners, who were guarded by members of the York County Militia and Convention troops. During the war there were very few camps like this constructed, and all have been destroyed by development – all except for Camp Security.

FBI Wants to Read Facebook, Gmail, Skype Messages, and More

This article has nothing to do with genealogy. However, I do believe every American should read this, or similar, articles.

I admit to being a bit of a privacy nut, but this proposal really bothers me. What do you think?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently proposed a change in the U.S. law related to wiretapping. If passed, the change would allow government monitoring of Facebook, Skype, and some email services. The idea is to change the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which currently doesn't give investigators the right to monitor and intercept communications. The proposed new law forces telecommunications providers to set up their services in a way to allow wiretapping by the FBI and other unnamed government agencies.

Latino Ancestry is the Focus of Sunday's Season Finale of "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr."

The following announcement was written by the folks at the Finding Your Roots television program on PBS:

What does it mean to be Latino? This Sunday, the season finale of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the PBS TV series that explores race and identity through the genealogy of some of America’s best-known personalities, seeks to answer that question. Through the family histories of actors Michelle Rodriguez and Adrian Grenier, and Linda Chavez, an author, syndicated newspaper columnist and political analyst for FOX News, viewers will discover that Latino identity emerged from the tangled histories of European, Native-American and African peoples.

Introduction to Digital Preservation Concepts Class in Indiana

I wish I could attend this session!  If you are in or near Indianapolis, perhaps you can do so. The Indiana State Library, the Indiana Commission on Public Records, and the Indiana State Historic Records Advisory Board are working together to provide a 6 hour hands-on workshop at the Indiana State Library on May 31.

Details may be found at http://goo.gl/wUwto.

Six Generations of Women, All Under One Roof

How many families can make claims like this one? Mother's Day has special meaning to Mollie Wood, who celebrated her 111th birthday last month. The family matriarch still lives at home, along with her daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, great-great-granddaughter, and with 7-week-old Braylin Higgins, her great-great-great-granddaughter.

That is an amazing six generations of daughters.

Ancestry.com Inc. Stock Drops 13.7%

Valued at $26.16 at the opening of trading this morning, Ancestry.com Inc.'s stock price dropped $3.59 during the day to close at $22.57 per share. That's a drop of 13.7% in one day. The only obvious reason for the drop is the company's announcement yesterday that NBC canceled “Who Do You Think You Are,” the TV program Ancestry.com was sponsoring.

See http://goo.gl/0n43A for yesterday's announcement.

A New Project to Build an Online Hub for Archival Materials

Imagine a central clearinghouse for letters, manuscripts, and other pieces of evidence used by genealogists, historians, and many academics. A new online hub that researchers can consult to find archival materials is now being proposed.

Social Networks and Archival Context Project, or SNAC, is a collaboration between researchers and developers at the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, or IATH, at the University of Virginia, the University of California at Berkeley's School of Information, and the California Digital Library. The project recently finished its pilot stage with the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Another grant, from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will support the project through another two years as it adds millions more records and begins beta testing with researchers.

Announcing FamNet's Database of Your Peer Reviews of Open-Source Books

A few days ago, I wrote and published an article of Peer Review of Open-Source Books: An Opportunity for Genealogists? I proposed a free and open review of new and old genealogy books be created online. I envisioned it would operate as a mix of CyndisList, eBay, and the University of Minnesota online catalog of open-source books. However, it would be strictly limited to reviews of genealogy books. You can read the entire article at http://goo.gl/Du7sC.

I was delighted when Robert Barnes of FamNet not only volunteered to construct such a service, he actually built it and placed it into operation! It is available TODAY to the genealogy community. You can access it now.

Plus Edition Newsletter Has Been Sent

To all Plus Edition subscribers:

The weekly Plus Edition weekly update notification was sent to your e-mail address a few minutes ago. If you have not yet seen it in your in-box, check your spam folder. If it is not there, please contact your e-mail provider to see why it was blocked. This week's entire Plus Edition newsletter is also available at: http://www.eogn.com/wp/thisweek.htm.

Here are the articles in this week's Plus Edition newsletter:

(+) The Paperless Genealogist

The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

Too many genealogists are addicted to paper. In this day and age, that's sad. I have no statistics about the amount of paper, ink, and toner consumed by genealogists every year, but I am sure we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars purchasing printers, paper, and supplies. That's a huge waste of money, in my opinion. I wonder how many filing cabinets are sold to genealogists for in-home use. I will suggest there is a better way to store personal copies of genealogy records and related information.

EOGN Readers' Dinner Held in Cincinnati

After the end most major genealogy conferences, I usually host a Saturday night dinner for readers of this newsletters as well as their friends, families, and anyone else who wishes to join in. Despite the short notice of this week's event in Cincinnati, 42 folks joined me at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, just two blocks from the convention center where we had spent many hours this week. I think the dinner was a success.

The dinners are a tradition started years ago with an informal "pick up" dinner at a local restaurant. The dinners have since grown into far bigger events, now held in hotel or restaurant banquet rooms. The dinners are always completely informal with no presentations or speeches, except for a few welcoming remarks by myself.

Who Do You Think You Are? to be Canceled

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com Inc.:

PROVO, Utah, May 13, 2012 -- Ancestry.com Inc., the world's largest online family history resource, today commented on NBC's decision not to renew the Who Do You Think You Are? television series for a fourth season.

"We want to thank NBC for their support of this terrific series, which over the last three years has inspired many viewers to follow their passion to learn more about who they are and where they come from," said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. "We have a great partnership with the show's producers, Is or Isn't Entertainment and Shed Media, and we look forward to exploring other avenues of distribution."

2013 NGS Conference to be Held in Las Vegas

I have been writing all week about this year's annual conference of the National Genealogical Society. The conference ended on Saturday afternoon. However, I am already excited about next year's conference as it is being held in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is one of my favorite cities, even though I am not a gambler. I was there just three weeks ago but never put a nickel in a slot machine during my visit. However, Las Vegas has the best shows, great restaurants, and reasonably-priced hotels. The airfare to and from Las Vegas from almost every city in the U.S. is also reasonably priced, as it is a very competitive route for the airlines. The "people watching" is probably better in Las Vegas than in any other city. In short, it is a great place to hold a conference of any sort. I suspect the genealogists will love it.

NGS2012 Conference - Fourth and Final Day

The annual conference of the U.S. National Genealogical Society wound down on Saturday. Most of the day continued in much the same manner as the first three days, which I wrote about previously.

Most everyone I talked with seemed happy with the conference. The biggest "complaint" I heard was actually a compliment: it was difficult to find space in some of the presentations. On a number of occasions, all chairs were filled fifteen minutes or even earlier before the start of the presentation. I consider this a compliment to the organizers and to the presenters: it is an obvious statement about how good the presentations were. The better-known presenters were in great demand!