Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

This Newsletter is Sponsored by MyHeritage.com

RootsTech 2014 is Now Accepting Presentation Proposals

Presentation proposals for RootsTech 2014 are now being accepted online at rootstech.org/proposals. Proposals will be accepted through July 8, 2013. The following was written by the RootsTech organizers:

The fourth annual RootsTech conference, hosted by FamilySearch, will be held February 6-8, 2014, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. RootsTech brings together the best in family history tools and technology to help attendees discover and share their family's connections and stories. RootsTech 2014 will reach thousands of attendees both on-site in Salt Lake City and at remote locations around the world.

Breaking News - 1921 Census of Canada

Elizabeth Lapointe posted the following in her Genealogy Canada blog:

"A reliable source from the LAC has just phoned me to ask that I inform my readers, genealogists, and others interested in their Canadian families, that the 1921 Canadian Census has already been digitized, and has been ready for release since last Wednesday, 12 June, but it is being held back by the federal government before it is released.

Ed Koch's Tombstone Engraved with Wrong Birth Date

Here's a problem for future genealogists. The headstone for former New York City mayor Ed Koch lists his birth year as 1942 instead of 1924. The engraver, Tommy Flynn, of Flynn Funeral and Cremation Memorial Services, says it was "an inadvertent error" and that he feels "terrible." He says he will correct the error.

His former chief of staff, Diane Coffey, remarked, "As Ed Koch used to say, 'It's always important to correct the record.'"

Master the Paperwork at the 1st JGSGB Family History Fair

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain will hold a genealogy fair next month that has several interesting events scheduled. One that caught my eye deals with preservation of paper documents. The following was written by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain:

The De Vere Village Urban Resort hotel in Elstree in is where, on 7th July 2013, you’ll find the JGSGB First Family History Fair, supported by Gold Sponsors MyHeritage and Forces War Records together with Media Partner Jewish News. Also together under one roof, handpicked vendors will be offering everything you need to store and preserve your genealogical paper and card records – certificates, wills, photographs, newspaper clippings – even fabrics  – plus your medals, coins, and so on. The stands you need to visit include CAB Search, My History, and S&N. Tickets for the Fair start at £5 and are available at the door or, in advance, at http://familyhistoryfair.eventbrite.co.uk/#.

Preserving paper means keeping it acid-free as far as possible. Paper can become contaminated with acids from the atmosphere, from contact with everyday materials, and from your skin. So you need to invest in some protective acid-free storage.

(+) How to Protect Files Stored on a USB Flash Drive

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

Flash drives (also called jump drives or memory sticks) are a great invention. I use several of them to store and transport various data files. In fact, you can probably find dozens of uses for a flash drive. Today's flash drives are becoming cheap, and they are rugged—almost impervious to damage, other than driving over one with an automobile. I once accidentally sent a flash drive through the washer, and it continued to work perfectly afterwards. (That is not guaranteed by the manufacturer, however!) Today’s flash drives are generally cheaper, more rugged, and have higher storage capacity than CD-ROM disks.

One of the best uses I know of is to take a flash drive in your pocket or purse when visiting a library or archive. Many libraries and a few archives have scanners and microfilm viewers that will save an image of a book or an old microfilm image to flash drives. Instead of feeding quarters into a photocopy machine, many genealogists prefer to save to a flash drive. Flash drives make it easier to transport the images home, copy them to a computer at your leisure, examine them, manipulate the images to improve readability, and easily insert their contents into genealogy programs, email messages, or that book you are writing.

Boon Hill: A (Future) Computer Game about Tombstones

Matthew Ritter hopes to release a computer game called “Boon Hill” by the end of August. The idea is to present the player with a high number of sparse, moving (and sometimes humorous) stories.

Ritter says it won't be a game in the traditional sense. "You’re not working toward anything; it’s just a vehicle to hopefully experience some kind of emotional interaction with this world that’s created.”

Michelle, Malia Ann and Sasha Obama Receive a Genealogy Briefing while in Ireland

The following announcement was written by Eneclann:

At lunchtime Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Malia Ann and Sasha, took part in a private genealogy event about the President’s Irish ancestors at a special exhibit at the Long Room in the Old Library in Trinity College Dublin.

This very personal event was co-ordinated and presented by Fiona Fitzsimons with Helen Moss of Eneclann. Fiona, Research Director at Eneclann, gave an overview of the history of their family, which is better documented than that of other Irish-American presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton or even JFK. The Obamas’ story includes wig and shoemakers, merchants, farmers and (no surprise) politicians. While their deep ancestry (Kearneys, Donovans, etc.) are of Irish origin, an important line, the Benns (or Behn) were continental religious refugees who settled in Limerick before 1700.

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 hours 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 ALWAYS available at: http://www.eogn.com/wp/thisweek.htm. Your email provider cannot block that address so the newsletter is always available to you.

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

(+) Is Your CD-ROM Data Disappearing?

(+) Price Reduction on the (Almost) Unlimited Cell Phone Minutes for only $19 per Month

Handheld Magic Wand Scanner for $23.99

Update: Handheld Magic Wand Scanner for $23.99

Book Review: On Your Own: How to Design and Construct a Family History Book to Inform and Captivate Readers

(+) Is Your CD-ROM Data Disappearing?

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

Genealogists are generally concerned with long-term data preservation. A lot of genealogists believe that the only method of preserving data is to print the information on paper. Yet, many of us have handled old pieces of paper that are decaying, crumbling, or fading to the point that the information is not readable. In fact, most paper manufactured in the past 75 years or so contains acids that will hasten the deterioration of the information you wish to preserve.

Even worse, the inks and laser printer toner we use today will fade in a few years, even if the paper survives. I already have papers in my filing cabinet I wrote or photocopied 25 or 30 years ago that have faded quite a bit. Some are already difficult to read because of faded ink or photocopy toner. Those papers probably will be unreadable in another 25 or 30 years.

As we have seen recently in several places around the world, paper is especially fragile. Paper documents are easily destroyed by fires, floods, earthquakes, or building collapse. On a couple of recent occasions, valuable paper documents have been lost forever due to simple burst water pipes.

Update: Handheld Magic Wand Scanner for $23.99

I purchased a MagicWand handheld scanner about three years ago and have used it frequently. I paid $99.95 for it at a local retail store. Three days ago, I published an article (at http://goo.gl/PNEik) about a refurbished PanDigital Handheld Scanner that appeared to be identical to my MagicWand device except that is is selling for $23.99. The item advertised this week on NewEgg.com is a refurbished unit. I immediately ordered one.

My earlier MagicWand scanner is in the motorhome in Orlando while I am spending the summer in Massachusetts. I also recently retrieved an old family Bible from the safe deposit box and decided I would like to scan the handwritten records it contains. At a price of $23.99, I decided I could afford a second scanner and will probably leave it here in Massachusetts when I return to Florida in the fall. The new scanner arrived this morning.

Update: The Calendar of Genealogy Events

On May 26, I announced a new feature on this newsletter's web site: The Calendar of Genealogy Events at http://www.eogn.com/calendar. The purpose of the calendar is to provide information about future genealogy conferences, seminars, conventions, cruises, trips, and even online "webinars." All information is to be provided by you and other readers of this newsletter.

In the first three weeks of operation, I see that genealogy events have been listed in:

Book Review: On Your Own: How to Design and Construct a Family History Book to Inform and Captivate Readers

The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

On Your Own:
How to Design and Construct a Family History Book to Inform and Captivate Readers
By Elayne and Stephen Denker. 2013. 85 pages.
When you finally sit down to write your family history, you inevitably encounter writer’s block. You recall all the authors who have published such great looking family history books, which they said they wrote using MS Word (it’s the same program you’re using!) and you instantly think, “Wow, this is great, my book’s going to look just like that!”

CBC to Offer "Qui êtes-vous?", a French-language adaptation of "Who Do You Think You Are?"

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will broadcast the French-language "Qui êtes-vous?" during the Holiday season. The format of the program will be similar to the BBC's "Who Do You Think You Are" adaptation. The series will consist of six one-hour episodes, starring Normand Brathwaite, Dominique Michel, Guy A Lepage, Pénélope McQuade, Marina Orsini and Patrice L'Ecuyer.

Details may be found (in French) at http://goo.gl/WLWGc and a machine-generated translation is available from Google at http://goo.gl/Ml6FI.

Susan Doak Named as Nebraska's Genealogist of the Year

Susan Doak of McCook received the Genealogist of the Year award at the 2013 Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Nebraska State Genealogical Society offers the award to one genealogist or family historian each year for exceptional and outstanding service to his or her local genealogical society and the genealogy community as a whole. Details may be found in the McCook Daily Gazette at http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1977822.html.

FamilySearch Obtains Permission to Digitize Vital Records in France

FamilySearch, an arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as the Mormons), has now obtained permission to digitize images of records about persons born more than one hundred and twenty years ago, as recorded in French civil acts.

FamilySearch already has a collection of microfilm images of vital records and church records obtained under an agreement reached in 1960 with Archives France. However, that agreement did not include permission to publish images on the still-to-be-invented Internet. In recent years, FamilySearch has asked for permission to publish the images online and that permission apparently has now been granted.

U.K.'s Who Do You Think You Are? 2013: New Celebrities Revealed

The Who Do You Think You Are? television program originated in the United Kingdom and remains very popular there. The television program has also spawned an accompanying magazine. Now that magazine has revealed the list of celebrities who will be featured in the new season's program.

Michael Savoca Presented with Freeman Student Grant at SCGS Jamboree

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Award:

Michael Savoca, a college student from Toms River, New Jersey was awarded the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Award at the Scholarship Breakfast on 9 June 2013 at the annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank, California.

The Freeman Student Grant was established by family and friends in 2010 in memory of Suzanne Winsor Freeman, family historian and life-long volunteer, and an enthusiastic annual attendee at the SCGS Jamboree. Each year, Jamboree has included a complimentary full-registration package for the recipient.

Priceless Madison County, Alabama, Records Returned 60 Years After They Disappeared

After 60 years of mystery, thousands of pages of Madison County historic documents from the territorial days and even some Civil War era records are back in the hands of county record keepers. Historian James William Bragg Sr. borrowed the records in the 1950s as part of his studies for a master’s thesis. He had permission from a probate judge and other local officials. Unfortunately, Bragg unexpectedly passed away before returning everything to the courts.

Three descendants of James William Bragg Sr. now have delivered the first 8 boxes of documents that “disappeared” from the courthouse in the 1950s. More boxes will be returned as soon as officials can process them.

Library and Archives Canada’s Secret Book Deal Generates Angry Responses

Controversy continues to swirl around Library and Archives Canada. The latest scandal is a secret deal negotiated with Canadiana.ca, a private high-tech consortium, to give away millions of publicly-owned books and documents to Canadiana.com which, in exchange, will get a 10-year exclusive license to sell the books and documents in sophisticated digital formats.

The deal was reached in secrecy with no public hearings or even announcements. Critics say the deal amounts to selling back to Canadians what they already own. In the House of Commons, NDP heritage critics Andrew Cash and Pierre Nantel again challenged Heritage Minister James Moore, who agreed that Canadians shouldn’t pay to access their own archives.

You can read more in an article by Chris Cobb in the Canada.com web site at http://goo.gl/gjED8.

UPDATE: Ian Wilson agrees that this is a very bad idea. Wilson is Canada’s former chief librarian and archivist. He says it smacks of “desperation” by the federal government. Details may be found in the Ottawa Citizen at http://goo.gl/nIS4U.

BillionGraves.com adds FamilySearch Tree Connect

BillionGraves.com has added a new feature: FamilySearch Tree Connect. It allows you to attach BillionGraves tombstone images to records on FamilySearch.org. Visitors to FamilySearch.org can then find a record of a deceased individual and then click on a link to view the tombstone image (if available) as stored on BillionGraves.com. The image is accompanied by a text description, the name of the cemetery, and the location. Best of all, it is very easy to use.

I would suggest this is the best source citation possible: instead of a bit of text that refers to where someone found the information, an image of the source strikes me as being far better. Clicking on a location will then display a map and a satellite image as found on Google Maps.

Belfast, Maine's Grove Cemetery Records are now Online

Steve Boguen recently finished digitizing the roughly 8,000 handwritten burial records of Grove Cemetery where he has served as superintendent for 34 years. He started the indexing project 10 years ago.

Boguen noted that the card indexes are generally more accurate than the tombstones themselves. People sometimes were buried in family plots without an accompanying memorial. Some headstones have deteriorated or disappeared completely. In other cases, a headstone may have been placed in the cemetery "in memory of" someone who had a connection to Belfast but is not actually buried here.

Free Guide to Pennsylvania Ancestors

The Family History Library staff have now completed a project to improve the Pennsylvania section of FamilySearch Wiki. Special emphasis has been placed on the county pages. Users will find lots of links to online church records, naturalizations, and wills.

In this guide, you will find a series of research articles packed with helpful ideas for tracing ancestors in big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as 67 counties throughout the state. Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records will help you quickly discover what is available online. In Pennsylvania, birth, marriage, and death records generally do not begin until the late 1800s and early 1900s. Church records are a valuable substitute for birth, marriage, and death records if you are searching in an earlier time period. In the county guides, such as Berks County, a great deal of effort has been made to determine which church records are available online at sites such as Ancestry, FamilySearch, and USGenWeb.

You can find the updated guide at https://familysearch.org/blog/en/free-guide-pennsylvania-ancestors/.

Handheld Magic Wand Scanner for $23.99

I have written several times about the Magic Wand Handheld Scanner. You can find my earlier articles by starting at http://goo.gl/Y0pKR. I must admit that I love this little scanner that slides into an overcoat pocket or a lady's purse. It scans up to 600 dots per inch and supports pages up to 8½"x14". Being self contained and battery powered, it operates independently, without the need for PC. I have used mine to scan dozens of documents found at archives and many pages from books found in libraries. (Always ask permission first before scanning anything.) I find it to be much more convenient than feeding quarters into a photocopy machine. Best of all, instead of a paper photocopy, the scanner provides a high-resolution scanned image that can be saved, printed, or imported into almost any genealogy program or word processor, uploaded to a web page, or sent by email to friends and relatives.

When the Magic Wand Handheld Scanner first appeared in the marketplace, I paid full retail price: $99.95. The price has dropped since then, however, with different merchants offering different discounts. However, the lowest price I have seen is now on the NewEgg.com web site: $23.99, Best of all, unlike my earlier purchase, that price even includes a rechargeable battery, a memory card, and free shipping.

Historical Will Books from New South Wales to be Published for the First Time by findmypast.com.au

The following announcement was written by Findmypast.com.au:

Findmypast.com.au secures government contract to display NSW will books online

12 June 2013 – Leading family history site, findmypast.com.au, has secured the rights to publish all of the registered wills from New South Wales from 1800 to 1952. As the only genealogy site displaying this information, the tender win is a major coup for findmypast.com.au as it consolidates its strong presence in the Australian market.

The collection of will books will be available later this year and will include handwritten copies of the original wills, from about 1800 to 1924, and typed copies of wills from 1924 to 1952.

Ancestry.co.uk adds an Index to the North Nottinghamshire Register of Voters, 1885

Last year, Ancestry.co.uk launched images of the North Nottinghamshire Register of Voters for 1885. However, there was no index at that time. The only method of finding people in the Register was to click through the images one at a time, similar to using microfilm. The register has now been updated with an index, meaning it is now possible for users to search the records.

These registers list the names of North Nottingham residents who were eligible to vote in elections in 1885. Registers of eligible voters were kept on an annual basis beginning in 1832. This database contains the register for North Nottingham for the year beginning 1 January 1885 and ending 1 January 1886. Included is the voter’s name, place of abode, type of property that qualified him, and location of the property. This may be the same as the place of abode, or it may be a rental or some other property. Names of tenants or landlords may also be included.

Library and Archives Canada to Start Charging Fees?

An internal document from Library and Archives Canada suggests the department is considering a paywall to help pay for digitizing its content, but that plan has been delayed until at least the fall. Part of a plan posted on an archivist's Tumblr blog involves a 10-year agreement with non-profit group Canadiana.org.

"The agreement … provides for 10 years of exclusive rights for Canadiana to monetize the collections in exchange for making them accessible online," the document said.

Details may be found in an article on the CBC News web site at http://goo.gl/5JFfq.

(+) Price Reduction on the (Almost) Unlimited Cell Phone Minutes for only $19 per Month

In the January 6, 2013 edition of this newsletter, I wrote about a cheap cell phone service that costs $19 a month for (almost) unlimited use. In addition, the customer also had to pay $249 for the cell phone. The company has now reduced the cell phone's price to $199.

I made some changes to the original article to reflect the new pricing. Plus Edition subscribers can read the article at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=23432. A Plus Edition user name and password will be required.

 

Record Your Life with ParaShoot

At first, I didn't think this device had much use for genealogy purposes. Then, after a bit of thought, I realized it could be one of the most powerful tools available today for leaving a legacy for my descendants, telling them what my life was like. In fact, I wish that my ancestors had something like this available during their lives!

ParaShoot is a proposed (not yet available) HD video camera that you wear around your neck like a necklace or as a pin attached to your clothing. It is tiny, 1.9 inches by 1.2 inches by less than a half inch thick (48x30x11mm) and weighs only a few ounces. It records your life in full motion video with accompanying audio. You can see a ParaShoot camera in the photo of the producer's CEO at the right.

Several hours of video can be stored in the camera and later copied to your computer. Even better, encrypted video can also be uploaded to the cloud as it is being recorded without attaching it to anything else. The encrypted video is safe from prying eyes and is saved in a private, online account where you can retrieve it at any time, then watch it on most any computer, smartphone, or (with additional electronics) a television set. If you wish, the video can also be shared via email and social media platforms.

(+) Obtain an ISBN Number for Your Self-Published Genealogy Book

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

"ISBN" stands for "International Standard Book Number." An ISBN number is an ISO standard and normally is found in all books published in the United States since 1970 and on many books published in other countries as well. Technically, an ISBN number is not a requirement for any book; you may publish books without such a number. However, experience has shown that an ISBN number is required if you want the book to be listed in the many indexing and cataloging systems available. Also, an ISBN number is required for all books that are to be sold by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Border Books, and most any other major bookseller. These booksellers use the ISBN numbers to order, inventory, and track books.

Only the smallest self-published and self-marketed books can survive without ISBN numbers.

Book Review: The Philadelphia Nativist Riots

The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

The Philadelphia Nativist Riots
By Kenneth W. Milano
Published by The History Press, Charleston, SC., 2013. 160 pages.

In May of 1844, in Kensington, near Philadelphia, the Irish Catholics and the Nativists tangled in a three-day conflict that left destruction and death in the Kensington neighborhood. At the time, the Protestant Nativists prevailed in the reading of the King James Version of the Bible in the local public schools, and when the Catholics eventually pressed for the reading of the Douai, the Catholic version of the Bible, in the schools, a fierce clash of cultures erupted into carnage and bloodshed.

The Nativists were “native-born” families with established American residency before the Revolutionary War and who resisted the assimilation of the immigrant Irish newcomers into the local culture, considering the migrant refugees as alien, ignorant, and hostile. 

2013 FGS Conference Early-Bird Registration Ends July 1

The Federation of Genealogical Societies has sent the following reminder:

“Journey through Generations – A Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists

June 10, 2013 – Austin, TX.  Discounted early-bird registration for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will continue only until July 1. Early registrants receive a $50 discount for the full four days, or a $20 discount for any single day. Details at http://www.fgsconference.org.

The conference will be held 21-24 August 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. This year’s conference theme is “Journey through Generations, and the local hosts are the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI). Platinum sponsors are FamilySearch, FindMyPast.com and Ancestry.com.

Heritage Minister Considers Restoring Some Funding To Library And Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada has been in chaos for the past year or more. Budgets have been slashed to the bone and even into the bone, making it impossible for the government agency to perform its mandated tasks. Employees have been "gagged," not allowed to talk about the agency in any public in-person or online forum without advance permission. Charges of incompetence and financial impropriety have been made. The head of Library and Archives Canada recently was forced to resign. (You can find my recent articles about Library and Archives Canada if you start at http://goo.gl/8qzHz .)

Now there is a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered agency: Heritage Minister James Moore will ask Library and Archives Canada to consider restoring a program eliminated during recent federal budget cuts that helped hundreds of small museums across the country preserve local history.

You can read more at http://goo.gl/4TLmH.

Do You Own Your Genealogy Data?

Overheard at a genealogy conference yesterday (repeated from memory so the wording might not be exact):

Person #1: "I won't put my genealogy information online because I am afraid someone might steal it."

Person #2: "Where did you obtain all that information?"

Person #1: "From freely available public records, including census records, birth and death records, newspapers, and such."

OK, now let me add my own comments and questions: All of those records are always available to everyone else. What is person #1 trying to hide?

Friday at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

As I mentioned in yesterday's article, "Family History and DNA" Day at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, this year the conference organizers added a "pre-event" on Thursday that focused on the use of DNA for genealogy. Therefore, I don't know if I should refer to Friday's activities as "Day #1" or as "the second day" of the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Either way, I can tell you it was a good day.

In short, everything continued as planned. Attendees enjoyed cool but sunny California weather and the crowds grew bigger. Workshops were held, the exhibits hall opened, meals were held, and moire than 30 presentations were made. I didn't see a bad presentation.

There were far too many presentations being held at once to be able to attend all of them. However, the ones I did attend were all good. I also chatted with a number of other attendees and heard similar reports: nobody mentioned any presentation they found to be disappointing.

Announcing "PROJECT 1950" for US Census Locational Searches

Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub are at it again: adding even more search capabilities to Steve Morse's great One-Step web site. Here's a quote from an email received from Joel Weintraub:

If you wondered how we produced free locational tools for the opening of the 1940 census on the Morse One-Step site, wonder no more and be part of the team to do the same thing for 1950.  We have opened up "Project 1950" to prepare searchable ED definitions and street indexes for the opening of the 1950 Census in 2022. With the help of about 125 volunteers we produced our 1940 tools, and now are looking for about 200+ volunteers to help with Phase I (transcription of Enumeration District definitions) and Phase II (creating urban area street indexes) for 1950.  An explanation of the two Phases and what needs to be done can be found at: http://www.stevemorse.org/census/project1950intro.html.  It may seem too early to be doing this, but it took us over 7 years to produce the 1940 tools that were used by the National Archives, the NY Public Library, Ancestry.com, and millions of researchers.

Joel Weintraub
Dana Point, CA

Steve Morse
San Francisco, CA

Did Your Family Lose a 95-Year-Old Teddy Bear?

An antique teddy bear was found more than a year ago in the departure lounge of the Bristol Airport in the west of England. The bear was accompanied by a photograph dated 1918. Airport authorities believe someone accidentally left the items behind and would like to return them to the loving family where they belong.

The picture, produced as a postcard from the studio of Dura Ltd., shows a teddy with two small children in light dresses. The older one, her hair tied in ribbons, has her arm around the bear. On the back is written: "With dearest love and kisses to our darling Daddie from your loving little daughter & Sonnie. Dora & Glyn." Also written is: "Taken on baby's birthday March 4 1918, one year and 5 months old."

Treelines Announces First Family History Storytelling Contest at SCGS Jamboree

The following announcement was written by Treelines:

June 7, 2013 - Treelines, the winner of the 2013 RootsTech Developer Challenge, will announce tomorrow at the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree its first family storytelling contest on the theme of “Getting Started Stories.”  Everyone with a fascination for their family’s history, regardless of their level of experience, is invited to share the story about they first got interested.

All entries must be composed and published using the Treelines storybuilder, currently available for free to all registered users of the site.  “Treelines’ unique site brings storytelling to a new level of expression by combining words with photos and family history,” said Maureen Taylor, the internationally recognized photo identification and family history expert.  “It’s a perfect way to present and share your family history a picture at a time.”

Genealogy Grant Awarded to Daviess County Public Library

The Daviess County Public Library in Owensboro, Kentucky has been awarded a Seton Shields Genealogical Grant. Details are available in Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's Roots World Blog at http://goo.gl/YE76H.

Drew Smith Appointed Chair of FHISO

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

Date: 8 June 2013

Family History Information Standards Organisation, Inc. (FHISO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Drew Smith as the first Chair of FHISO, effective 1 July 2013. Drew is currently the Organisational Member Representative to FHISO from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).

Early Bird Pricing Ends This Week for the NGS Guided SLC Research Trip

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society:

ARLINGTON, VA, 8 June 2013: Don’t miss out on the Early Bird pricing for the NGS guided research trip to the world renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City from 15–22 September 2013. NGS offers a substantial discount with early bird pricing if you register by 15 June 2013. The hosts for the trip are Sandra MacLean Clunies, cg^sm, and Shirley Langdon Wilcox, cg^sm, fngs.

"Family History and DNA" Day at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

The Southern California Genealogical Society's annual Jamboree is always one of the largest regional events of the year. In fact, with 1,600 attendees (plus or minus a bit) most years, this three-day event often is larger than some of the national conferences. This year's event was stretched: a fourth day was added. I had an opportunity to attend the new, fourth day yesterday. I wasn't alone: more than 300 people from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and China were registered amongst the attendees.

The "Family History and DNA" addition was labeled as a "pre-event." Indeed, it seemed to me to be a totally separate conference. While it was held at the same facility in Burbank, California and certainly was a part of the Jamboree, the one-day "Family History and DNA" event was very different from past Genealogy Jamboree conferences I have attended.

The "Family History and DNA" event was jointly produced by the Southern California Genealogical Society and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). As the title suggests, the one-day event focused on the use of DNA within genealogy with presentations offered for newcomers, intermediate researchers, and experts alike. I attended a couple of lectures for intermediate DNA DNA-using genealogists and one for beginners. I will say they certainly were worth the trip.

The two best-known speakers of the "Family History and DNA" Day were opening speaker Dr. Spencer Wells and luncheon speaker Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Queensland (Australia) Historical Birth, Death, and Marriage Records are Now Online

You can now search indexes for Queensland histrical birth, death and marriage records from your computer. If you find an entry in the index that you wish to view, you can download (for a fee) an image of the original register (if available). You also can order printed copies to be sent to you by post.

You can learn more at: https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/BirIndexQry.m
 
You also can find tips on how to use the search at https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/mainMenuSubmit.m?main_menu=Tips

On the Road Again

It's travel time again. So what else is new? If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know that I travel often.

I am presently in Burbank, California, attending the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. I have been to the Jamboree before and have always found it to be a great event. I suspect this year's edition will be the same. You can read more about this year's Southern California Genealogy Jamboree at http://genealogyjamboree.com.

National Library of Wales Identifies Fire-Damaged Archives

The National Library of Wales suffered a fire on Friday, April 26, which gutted a section of the library's roof. The fire was caused accidentally by workers using a blowtorch. Sadly, some 140 crates of material were badly damaged by water and smoke.

Three boxes of 19th Century chapel records from Carmarthen had already been identified as destroyed. Other archival records that were damaged beyond repair included papers relating to Welsh football and the Wales Green Party. Archivists are still opening crates and storage boxes to find anything else that has been damaged or destroyed.

Details may be found on the BBC News web site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-22770260.

“Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” Conference to be Streamed on the Internet

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) and the Southern California Genealogical Society have announced that four sessions of the “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” conference will be live streamed on a pay-for-view basis and available for viewing by genetic genealogists around the world.

1921 Census of Canada to be Available to Researchers in the Next Few Weeks

The 1921 Canadian Census was taken on June 1, 1921. It was locked up by Statistics Canada 92 years under the Statistics Act to protect individuals’ private information. That time has now expired and Statistics Canada has given the records to Library and Archives Canada. The census data is being indexed so it can be mined for historical and genealogical research as soon as possible.

The following is an extract from the Library and Archives Canada web site at: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2013/1921-census.aspx:

What I Use Now for Backups

I write frequently about the need to make frequent backups of any computer information. After all, you don't want to lose what you worked so hard to create, do you? I guess I haven't written about it in a while as a newsletter reader sent a note today asking, "How about an update on what you use for backup now??"

This is my reply:

Well, I never backup to only ONE place!  Having only one backup is almost as dangerous as having none.  I always make at least three backups of my desktop system and store them in at least three different locations. I probably backup more than that on the two laptop computers I use (Windows and Macintosh).

Update: The Calendar of Genealogy Events

On May 26, I announced a new feature on this newsletter's web site: The Calendar of Genealogy Events at http://www.eogn.com/calendar. The purpose of the calendar is to provide information about future genealogy conferences, seminars, conventions, cruises, trips, and even online "webinars." All information is to be provided by you and other readers of this newsletter.

In the first week of operation, I see that genealogy events have been listed in: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado (several events), Connecticut (multiple events), District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois (multiple events), Indiana (multiple events), Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky (multiple events), Massachusetts (multiple events), Nevada (multiple events), New Jersey, New York, North Carolina (multiple events), Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (multiple events), South Carolina (multiple events), Tennessee, Texas (multiple events), Utah (multiple events), Washington (multiple events), Manitoba, United Kingdom (multiple events), Australia (multiple events), and New Zealand. I also see one online webinar listed.

Not bad for the first week!

For Sale: a Used Morgue Refrigerator

The state of New York has an unusual item for sale: a morgue refrigerator. The fridge looks like it is a prop on the set of “CSI.”

The  ad lists the huge silver appliance, equipped with four doors for body storage, as having “signs of cosmetic wear” but being “fully operational.” It is 8 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and has four drawers for its contents. It previously held corpses for the Office of Mental Health at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, New York City. Somehow, this has to have a genealogy or family connection but I am not sure how. Perhaps great-uncle Marvin "slept" here.

The Tragic Murder of Stonecutter Elia Corti

Several newsletter readers asked about the picture of a tombstone that I used a few days ago in another newsletter article. It is a picture of me standing beside the elaborate tombstone of Elia Corti in the Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont. Pam Cerutti, editor of this newsletter, was the photographer. I am reproducing the photo again here, and you can click on it to view a larger image.

I didn't know anything about Elia Corti before I saw his tombstone. I immediately became interested in this man. I wondered why a man who was obviously a laborer had such a large and elaborate tombstone. It is an outstanding piece of memorial art. I decided to learn more about Elia and soon found that he was a murder victim. I also found that the lives of immigrants in the early 1900s were difficult, sometimes harsh, and even occasionally violent.