Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

This Newsletter is Sponsored by Footnote, Inc.

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Revolutionary Roots

Did your ancestors fight in the American Revolution 233 years ago? Thousands of men answered the call to arms in 1776. These thousands probably have many millions of descendants today. Many Americans can find a Revolutionary War veteran in the family tree if they expend a bit of time and effort. Luckily, there are a number of online and offline sources to help you in that search.

Finding Revolutionary ancestors isn’t much different than finding anyone else in your family tree. You always start with yourself and then work your way back, one generation at a time. You can search the online databases as well as the traditional resources, such as census records, vital records, and especially, Revolutionary War pension applications. However, you should be aware of several unique sources of records that contain information about Revolutionary War soldiers.

One excellent tutorial to read is "Finding Your Patriot: Basic Sources for Starting Revolutionary War Research" by Curt B. Witcher, available on Ancestry.com (without subscription) at: http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/1561.asp.

Nothing Lives Forever, Especially Newspapers

I always assumed that newspaper articles had an infinite lifetime. Anything printed in today's newspaper would be stored for some time in the newspaper's archives department as well as at local libraries. Eventually, those papers would be microfilmed and therefore preserved forever. Well, I once thought it was forever.

The world is changing.

APG Award Nominations Due July 10

The following announcement was written by the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG):

APG will be awarding its third "Professional Achievement Award" at the Professional Management Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas, September 2, 2009.  Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG received the award in 2007; and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking received it in 2008.

Call for Recommendations - APG Board of Directors

The following announcement was written by the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG):

Call for Recommendations for Nominations for APG Board Positions and Nominating Committee that take effect 1 January 2010.

Deadline for Recommendations: Postmarked or e-mailed by 1 August 2009.

Executive Committee for Two Year Terms for 2010-2011
       President
       Vice President
       Secretary
       Treasurer

Video Interview: Paula Hinkel at Jamboree 2009

In the latest Roots Television interview, Matthew Poe talks with Paula Hinkel, conference co-chair, about the 2009 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree.

Paula and her associates recently produced the largest genealogy conference in the western United States and, indeed, one of the biggest in the country. The Southern California Genealogy Jamboree attracted more than 1,500 attendees and offered more than  100 lectures. In this interview , Paula tells how to organize a large conference that attracts a large attendance. She especially focused on electronic advertising.

(+) From Lloyd's Library by Lloyd Bockstruck: Tapping the U.S. Serial Set

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck.

One of the often overlooked sources for genealogical research is the U.S. Serial Set. It began as a 38-volume set known as the American State Papers. Records were arranged by subject in ten separate series. The more useful ones for tracking ancestors are Military Affairs, Naval Affairs, Public Lands, and Claims. Some of the series, notably the latter two, have been reprinted and improved with an every-name index. Although one can never eliminate in what context an ancestor might appear, the private claims from ordinary citizens are the richest sources for genealogical mining. Genealogists prefer nominal indexes to such records as their first choice and topical indexes as their second.

Preventing Identity Theft with the SSDI

Identity theft is a major concern these days, as it should be. Many legislators seem to think that the problem can be solved by locking up all the birth, marriage, and death records, which, of course, has an impact on genealogists. The legislators apparently have never checked with the security experts who deal with identity theft every day, however. The security experts report that public domain records of birth, marriage, and death are rarely used by identity thieves. Instead, the thieves have easier methods.

First, most ID theft begins at home. A high percentage of identity theft is perpetrated by someone who is personally acquainted with the victim and often is related to the victim. The Better Business Bureau found half of identity thieves caught in 2004 were family members, friends, in-home employees, or neighbors of their victims.

Next, almost no identity theft occurs because of Internet searches. In fact, frequent use of the Internet by consumers can REDUCE identity theft. Javelin Strategy & Research conducted a study by interviewing identity theft victims. The company found that most instances of identity fraud occur through traditional channels and are paper-based, not Internet-based.

Rare Copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence Found

An original first print of the United States Declaration of Independence has been discovered gathering dust after nearly 250 years. The poster size proclamation, which is in perfect condition and is said to be worth about $8 million, is one of only 26 surviving initial copies of the document that changed the course of history.

The interesting thing is that this copy was found in The National Archives. That's NOT the National Archives and Records Administration in the United States. Instead, this copy was found in The National Archives of Great Britain in Kew, West London! Apparently, this copy has been there since 1776 or shortly thereafter.

Tukufu Zuberi at the Genealogy Jamboree

Last weekend I had a chance to interview Tukufu Zuberi, the keynote speaker at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Dr. Zuberi is one of the four hosts on History Detectives, a popular program on PBS. In this interview, he talks about the program and he also ties genealogy and history together in a very personal way.

The folks at Roots Television kindly videotaped the interview and have now made it available online. You can watch the interview right now at http://www.rootstelevision.com/index.html?bcpid=7225568001&bclid=240119644&bctid=28247555001 or by clicking on the image below.

(+) Casefile Clues: Getting Occupational and Spousal Clues from an Estate

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Michael John Neill.

Estate records can do more than tell us an ancestor died and how his property was settled. They can provide clues to an ancestor’s occupation, marital status of his heirs, and much more. Many times what the record tells us is not explicitly stated. We have to look a little deeper. In this column we return to an estate that was looked at earlier in Casefile Clues. Our previous reference to the estate of Peter Bieger in 1850s Illinois focused on his two minor children. We now return to that record to see what additional clues it provided about Peter and his family.

Fairfax (VA) Genealogical Society Call for Papers

The following announcement was written by the Fairfax Genealogical Society:

The Fairfax Genealogical Society is accepting proposals for its General Meetings, Education Classes, Fall Fair, and Spring Conference for 2010-2011. All events are held in Fairfax County which is in northern Virginia, just west of Washington, D.C. Please see the complete Calls for Papers at www.fxgs.org/callforpapers.htm for the exact details and dates. All submissions must be received between 01 July and 01 October 2009.

FamilySearch Record Search Update: 12 New Collections Added--7 International

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

1 July 2009

Twelve new collections were added to the FamilySearch Record Search pilot this week. International collections were added for Argentina, Australia, Mexico, Netherlands, and Spain. New United States collections were added for Delaware, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Utah. Happy searching!

These collections can be searched for free at the FamilySearch.org Record Search pilot (click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot).

FamilySearch Indexing Update: Czech Republic, South Africa, Mexico, and Deutschland Projects Added

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Overview

Indexers waiting for projects from the Czech Republic, Baden, Germany, or South Africa can now get busy. New indexing projects added this week are:

• Czech Republic, Litomerice Kirchenbücher, 1552–1905 [Part 1]
• Deutschland, Baden—Kirchenbücher, 1810-1869
• Mexico DF Registros Parroquiales, 1886–1933 [Part 1]
• South Africa, Cape Province Dutch Reformed Church, 1660–1970
• U.S., Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1916–1922 [Part 2]
• U.S., Massachusetts Marriages, 1896–1897
• U.S., Minnesota 1885 State Census

 (See the chart below for a complete list and current status of all indexing projects).

Jump Drives: Bigger Capacities and Cheaper than Ever

I have written a number of times about jump drives, also called thumb drives, USB drives, flash drives, memory sticks, and a number of other names. They are all about the same, regardless of name used. These devices are great for short-term backups and for transporting data from one computer to another. Want to copy data from your desktop to the laptop computer? Use a jump drive. Want to copy data from your cousin's genealogy database and take it home with you? Use a jump drive.

I suggest that every computer-owning genealogist should own at least one of these tiny devices. You can purchase one for less than five dollars.

More than 90 Gannett Newspapers Now Available from ProQuest

The following announcement was written by ProQuest:

Through an agreement with renowned news publisher Gannett, 85 full-text local and regional newspapers along with 7 military newspaper titles are now available through ProQuest.

Add all Gannett titles to your collection, or customize your selection with newspapers just from your region. Because they will be offered in full-text format on the award-winning ProQuest platform, these newspapers will be cross-searchable with all other titles in ProQuest Newsstand, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Combined, they’ll deliver national news along with local reactions to events at home and around the world.

California Considers Restrictive Marriage Records Access

The following announcement was written by Liz Stookesberry Myers of the California Alliance of Genealogical Societies:

Assembly Bill 130 will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee very soon.  It was introduced by  Kevin Jeffries (Republican ) of the Temecula area.  The Bill was presented at the request of the Recorder Association of California.  They want to be able to handle Marriage Records the same as Birth and Death Records.  That means that they can black out the Mother's Maiden name, if the County Recorder chooses.  The Recorder also has the option of sending out an informational copy only.

The main concern is what the Recorder of each county may or may not choose to do.  At least that is the way it is written today.

$15 Off for an NEHGS Membership

The New England Historic Genealogical Society is holding a "special" for the month of July: $15 off the price of an annual membership.

The normal NEHGS research membership is $75, but is now available for only $60 for the entire month of July. A family membership, normally priced at $90 (for 3 members of a household) is discounted to $75.

Ancestral Atlas Adds Life Maps

Ancestral Atlas has added a very cool new feature. At the touch of a button you can create a map that links the event locations of a particular person from birth through to death (personal Life Map) and also create maps that link an individual to all ancestors and/or descendants where a location is recorded. The ancestor/descendant maps locate the earliest recorded event location of all descendants/ancestors and then draws a line on the map to these events from the person you are searching against, thus mapping your heritage.

Upcoming Events

The Upcoming Events section of this newsletter is published as a newsletter article once per month, usually in the first week of the month. However, you can also view the latest list of events at any time by clicking on "Upcoming Events" in the Navigation menu near the upper right corner of the page at http://www.eogn.com.

Each event is listed with the name, location and dates. Click on the name to see the details, including a link to the event's web page or to an e-mail address of someone who will provide still more information. The EOGN list of Upcoming Events is also available as an RSS newsfeed at http://www.trumba.com/calendars/eogns_calendar.rss.

Burke's Peerage to Include Illegitimate Children

Burke's Peerage and Gentry is finally succumbing to the demands of the 21st century.

The guide, which lists the genealogy of every royal and aristocratic family in the Europe and the U.S., is to include illegitimate children for the first time. As part of a major shake-up, the book will also list offspring in order of when they are born, rather than males first, which has been tradition.

(+) Remember Everything

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

Please, no jokes about my advancing age; but, I do have a bit of a problem remembering things. Where did I find that web page about a new online database? What's the password for the web site I am trying to use? Where is the e-mail I received from a distant cousin? What time is my flight to Los Angeles tomorrow? Where are my car keys?

A program I started using a couple of weeks ago probably will not help find my car keys, but it certainly can help with the other questions. It allows me to easily capture information in any environment, using whatever device or platform I find most convenient, and makes this information accessible to me and searchable at any time, from anywhere. I can even enter data on the desktop computer at home and later find my notes on my handheld computer/cell phone.

Genealogy Programs for the Macintosh

NOTE: I publish an update to this article about once a year. In fact, several new Macintosh genealogy programs have appeared in the past twelve months.

Macintosh users can feel smug about using the best operating system available today. The OS X operating system is easy to use, very reliable, and doesn't "get in the way" with all sorts of pop-up messages. In short, "it just works."

However, one major disadvantage of the Mac is that it doesn't have as many genealogy programs to choose from as does the Windows operating system. Or does it? I would contend that Macintosh has MORE genealogy programs available than does Windows.

There are several genealogy programs written for the Macintosh:

FamViewer Version 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch

The following announcement was written by Aster Software:

Aster Software Releases FamViewer Version 2.0, Genealogy Software for iPhone and iPod Touch

LEXINGTON, KY, June 29, 2009 --- Aster Software has announced the release of version 2.0 of its genealogy application, FamViewer. FamViewer allows genealogists to carry their genealogy databases with them on their iPhone and iPod Touch.

Ancestry.ca Celebrates Canada Day With Free Access

The following was written by The Generations Network, parent company of www.Ancestry.ca:

Canada Day is not only a great day to spend with family – it’s the perfect time to get together and learn more about how your family came to be Canadian.  To celebrate our 142nd birthday, for the first time Ancestry.ca is making available the Canadian Passenger Lists free to access  from June 29 through July 3, 2009.

Historic Burial Ground in Connecticut Gets New Life

It may be more than a hundred years after their deaths, but the founding families in Easton, Connecticut are getting renewed attention. The names read like a who's who from the town's early history: Bradley, Wakeman, Fanton, Hill, Wheeler, Nichols, Burr and many, many more. Those are the names etched on marble, granite and other stones marking the graves of these longtime families in the 1.25-acre Center Street Cemetery, which dates back to the 19th century, on Black Rock Turnpike.

Two Days Left to Save on the FGS Genealogy Conference

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) Federation of Genealogical Societies:

Wednesday, July 1st is an important date. That is the last day to register with a savings of $50.00 for the exciting Federation of Genealogical Societies 2009 “Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists.” The September 2-5 event is being held in Little Rock, hosted by the Arkansas Genealogical Society. The hospitality features of this conference will make us all feel right at home!

(+) Along Those Lines By George G. Morgan: Why the Courthouse May Not Have the Records

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by George G. Morgan.

I enjoy visiting and researching in courthouses. I like the sensation of being surrounded by the history of an area in the various indexes, ledgers, record books, files, and loose documents. It is normal to think that all of the county records are going to be held there. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, and there can be a number of reasons for that. Let’s explore some reasons why what you seek may not be in the courthouse you visit.

I've Been Quiet!

I haven't posted any new articles to this newsletter's web site in three days simply because I was so busy at the Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California. I was wrapped up in the events and loved it. I typically arose about six or seven in the morning and stayed busy until ten P.M. every day.

Last night I rode a red-eye flight across the country and then collapsed into bed once I got home this morning. I was exhausted but glad that I made the trip.

The next few articles will describe my experiences at the Genealogy Jamboree in some detail.

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree is a Huge Success

I just returned from a two-and-a-half-day genealogy conference in Burbank, California. The Southern California Genealogical Society held their annual Genealogy Jamboree this weekend, and it was a blow-out success. About 1,500 genealogists attended this year's Jamboree, making it one of the larger genealogy conferences of the year in North America. In fact, the attendance at this annual event has grown so much that it now meets or exceeds the attendance at some of the national events.

Comment: Successes and Failures of Genealogy Conferences

Warning: the following article contains personal opinions.

One thing fascinates me: almost everywhere I go, I hear genealogy society officers moaning and groaning about declining attendance at the events they sponsor. In fact, the two best-known national conferences in North America have had difficulty in recent years attracting attendees. Their numbers bounce up and down a bit from year to year, but neither of them have been able to attract the crowds that they used to attract a decade or so ago.

Sponsors of some local, statewide, and regional events offer many similar reports: some of their conferences are not like “the good old days.” Indeed, I have heard some society officers speculate that interest in genealogy is declining or that there is too much competition from the Internet.

I think we can put those myths to rest.

Wi-Fi at the Genealogy Jamboree

I was amazed at how many wi-fi Internet network connections were available at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Jamboree. Whenever I opened my computer’s wi-fi connection screen, one or two dozen wi-fi networks were listed. Most of them were closed networks, and attendees were unable to connect to those; but, a number of free and open connections were also on the list.

I brought my wi-fi networking hardware and offered free wi-fi connections to attendees all day long in the exhibit hall. The "EOGN-free-wi-fi" signal was strong in the hall and even provided a useable signal in the "relaxation area" with tables and chairs outside the hall. Anyone with a laptop or a handheld computer with wi-fi capabilities could sit and check e-mail at no charge. Similar free wi-fi networks were also available in the adjacent Marriott hotel's lobby and in restaurants across the street.

New Historical Newspapers Titles from ProQuest

The following announcement was written by ProQuest:

ProQuest has added two newspapers to the ProQuest Historical Newspapers program:

• ProQuest Historical Newspapers - The Baltimore Sun (1837-1985)
• ProQuest Historical Newspapers – St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1874-1922)

The Baltimore Sun was founded by Arunah Shepherdson Abell as a people’s paper reporting the news that mattered most to the residents of Baltimore and the nation including Washington D.C. politics, the slave trade and the Civil War, immigration, commerce, Americana, and literature.

Izard County, Arkansas Historian Journal on CD

The Izard County Historian journal on CDs — issues 1970-1989 — are again available from Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society. Each two-volume set is $30.

For 20 years, Helen Lindley was editor of the quarterly Izard County Historian. Before she died, her son Sam Lindley scanned the 80 issues, complete with photos, ads and covers, onto CDs, which can be opened in Adobe. Proceeds benefit the Trimble House Project — renovation and removal of the 1815 cabin from Dolph to the grounds of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Calico Rock.

On the Road Again

If you read this newsletter regularly, you already know that I travel quite often. By the time you read these words, I should be on a coast-to-coast flight en route to the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree being held this weekend in Burbank. I am looking forward to this trip: I was at the same conference last year and loved it. I suspect this year's event will be at least as good, if not better.

I am flying on Thursday. The conference is being held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hooray! A conference that is held on both weekend days! I'm taking a red-eye flight back Sunday evening, leaving at midnight, and should arrive home early Monday morning.

The Southern California Genealogical Society goes "all out" on their annual Jamboree and usually attracts 1,000 or more attendees. The facility used at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center is just about the right size for an event of this type.

Live Roots Search Experience, Release Two

The following announcement was written by Genealogy Today:

BURBANK, Calif. - June 25, 2009 - Genealogy Today announced the second release of the Live Roots search experience. Included in this release are project management tools to help visitors keep track and organize the genealogical resources that they discover while using the search engine.

Throughout the Live Roots search experience, registered members will now see Follow, Comment, Record and Share buttons. These buttons let the members conveniently interface with the new project management tools. Follow is an active bookmarking feature; Comment allows members to post comments on resources; Record lets members make entries in a dynamic research log; and Share is a way to send notices about resources to friends and family via e-mail.

Blog Your Family Tree

Wikipedia's definition of a blog states, "A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order."

Indeed, a blog is an easy-to-use web site where you can quickly post thoughts, interact with people, and more. Blogs can be personal, written by one person, or they can be produced by the marketing departments of multi-billion dollar corporations. A blog is simply an easy-to-use process that allows anyone, including you, to "get the word out." A blog is a great method of publishing whatever you wish to tell the world.

Ancestry.com Announces “Expert Connect”

I think this new service is going to be a winner. Today I had a chance to talk with Todd Godfrey, Senior Director at The Generations Network. He is one of the managers involved in Ancestry.com's brand-new service, called Expert Connect. In fact, the service is so new that the web site went live during the middle of our telephone conversation.

Expert Connect is a new "clearinghouse" that allows individual genealogists to find and hire genealogy professionals. When you, the individual family history researcher, have exhausted all your resources, you probably need to find the next level of support. Typically, you need to find someone who is intimately familiar with the ethnic groups where your ancestors originated or who may even reside in the area where your ancestors lived.

Brant County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society Has a New Home

Brant County family historians have a new home thanks to the generosity and determination of Helen and Floyd Doctor. The mother-son duo have erected a new building to house the office and research library of the Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, at Smokey Hollow Estates Retirement Village on Powerline Road, northeast of Brantford.

Grand opening ceremonies will take place on Sunday at 2 p. m. with awards, recognition of founding members, speeches and a ribbon cutting by Brant Mayor Ron Eddy.

(+) From Lloyd’s Library by Lloyd Bockstruck: Journals and Diaries for Genealogists

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck.

Family papers such as diaries and letters are important genealogical sources. Not many family historians have such treasure troves among their possessions. Illiterate ancestors could not generate such records. A record that exists in a single copy has a precarious lifespan, so many such records did not survive. Migrating families also faced the reality of discarding non-essential personal property on their removals.

Simply because you do not discover personal papers of your ancestors does not mean, however, that they do not appear in the diaries and correspondence of others.

TGN (Ancestry.com) Partners With MyLife.com

The Generations Network (TGN) is the parent company of Ancestry.com and several other web sites. The company has now partnered with MyLife.com, an online "people search" service. The announcement is full of highly-positive, "forward looking" statements but I was interested in the words "enhance the people search experience for consumers." It sounds like some new services will soon be available for Ancestry.com subscribers. I do assume that MyLife finds living people, not deceased ancestors.

Perhaps the most telling was the last paragraph that describes some of TGN's "numbers," especially: "Ancestry.com users have created 10 million family trees containing 1 billion profiles and 20 million photographs and stories."

Here is the announcement in full:

Kodak Kills Kodachrome

Remember the mid-1970s song by Paul Simon, with the catch-phrase: "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away?" It's time to have a talk with Mama.

Eastman Koadak has announced the company will no longer sell Kodachrome film, ending its 74-year run. Kodachrome is a complex film to manufacture and requires a complicated process to develop, and today there is only one lab left in the country that processes the film.

Genealogy Programs for the iPhone

If you own an iPhone or an iPod Touch, wouldn't you like to carry your genealogy database with you? Apparently many newsletter readers are interested in doing just that. I recently wrote an article describing one genealogy program for the iPhone or iPod Touch and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of interest it received. That article was only posted yesterday but has already generated 18 comments and a number of e-mail messages. Apparently quite a few newsletter readers are interested in genealogy programs for the iPhone.

I am aware of no less than five different genealogy programs for iPhone owners to choose from. All of them can be downloaded and installed within seconds from the iPhone App Store. However, you do need to choose carefully as two of the programs will only work in conjunction with specific desktop genealogy programs.

I have decided to write reviews of all five programs and publish them in this newsletter over the next few weeks. The first was already published yesterday and the others will follow soon. However, here is a brief description of the available genealogy programs for the iPhone and iPod Touch:

32nd Annual Acadian Festival in Madawaska, Maine

The 32nd Annual Acadian Festival will take place June 25-28 in Madawaska, Maine. The festival celebrates the culture and heritage of the Acadians who, driven from Nova Scotia during the 18th century, ultimately arrived in the St. John Valley and established settlements that later became American and Canadian towns.

Much of the Festival will take place at St. David Church on U.S. Route 1. I paid close attention when I read about that location as I have many ancestors who were christened, married, or eulogized in that church. I have been to the church myself for a couple of family weddings. If you don't know where Madawaska is, get out a map of Maine and look at the northern part of the state, the very northernmost tip. That's where you'll find Madawaska.

Price Changes at Footnote.com

Footnote.com (one of the sponsors of this newsletter) is increasing the company's annual membership fee.  On August 1, 2009, the cost of a Footnote Annual Membership will increase by $10 (about 83 cents per month).  This slight increase should help the company to continue to add more valuable content to Footnote and make things easier to find and use. 

However, there is an opportunity to keep your membership costs lowered.

A Hands-On Review: Family Tree Maker 2010 Platinum

The Epoch Times has published an article by Joshua Philipp that describes Family Tree Maker 2010 in depth, or so he claims. The interesting thing is that the 2010 version isn't yet available. I suspect he really meant the 2009 version. In any case, he writes:

Everyone has some interest in their family tree. By looking into our past we can gain a deeper understanding of our origins, and perhaps a greater insight into ourselves. Now there is a new computer program that helps research your ancestry—Family Tree Maker (FTM) Platinum 2010 from Encore. But just how effective is it?

This is the most popular genealogy software on the market for a reason. Without question, it places a powerful research tool at your fingertips that truly allows users to delve as far back into the past as records will allow.

Jewish Genealogy Seminar Calls for Papers

The Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) and the Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA) announced a call for English or Hebrew academic papers in advance of the fifth annual Jewish Genealogy Seminar. The December 1 seminar will take place at the Museum of the Diaspora on the Tel Aviv University campus. This year’s theme is “Preserving Memory: Family and Community” and will discuss various methods of recording and transmitting family and community history.

US Tries to Stop Geronimo Lawsuit

According to the BBC, US officials have moved to block a legal bid by descendants of Apache leader Geronimo to have his remains reburied. Geronimo's relatives say some body parts were stolen almost 100 years ago by members of a society linked to Yale University to keep in their clubhouse.

The relatives want to rebury the warrior, who died in 1909, near his birthplace in New Mexico. But the justice department has asked a federal judge to dismiss their lawsuit.

The society, known as Skull and Bones, is alleged to have stolen some of Geronimo's remains from a burial plot in Oklahoma in 1918.

Government lawyers want to remove the U.S. goverment as a defendant in the case, saying that the government was not involved in the alleged theft of bones. The same lawyers have no objection to the lawsuit's claims against the other defendants: Yale University and the Order of the Skull and Bones.

Plus Edition Newsletter Sent

To all Plus Edition subscribers:

The weekly Plus Edition newsletter was sent to your e-mail address a few minutes ago. It should have arrived by now. 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. (That happens often, especially to AOL, Comcast, cox.net and sbcglobal.net customers.)

If you have any questions, please contact me at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy//contact-us.html.

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

Shrubs: a Genealogy Program for the iPhone

I like to carry my entire genealogy database with me at all times, and now I can do so with nothing more than my cell phone. My database is sitting inside my iPhone, the cell phone from Apple. If I owned an iPod Touch, I could use the same program on it. Any time I want to look at something in my genealogy database, I can grab the iPhone, enter a few "clicks" with my finger, and find what I want within seconds.

I find that having my database with me at all times is a great convenience when at a library, a courthouse, or even at a local genealogy society meeting or a genealogy conference. Many times I've run across an ancestor that I wasn't researching at the moment and knew that we were related but couldn't remember the connection. Perhaps I met someone else who is researching the same family or the same county, and I wanted to compare notes. I've found that having all the info at my fingertips lets me do a quick query and know for certain if "John Doe" is really my John Doe or someone else's.

Still Another Concord Coach

I have always been interested in Concord Coaches, long considered to be the best stagecoaches ever built. I certainly am not an expert, but I have done some reading and have been fortunate enough to see several of these beautiful stagecoaches in various museums. A few weeks ago I interviewed Tom Howard, who IS an expert on Concord Coaches. You can watch and listen to that interview at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/05/video-interview-tom-howard-and-the-concord-coaches.html.

You can imagine my surprise today when I walked into a small, privately-owned museum about ten miles from my house and found a Concord Coach on display. This is a real Concord Coach, manufactured circa 1867. This one is not an immaculate museum display piece; it was a bit dirty and had grease smeared all over the axles. The upholstery is just a bit frayed. This is a working coach that is brought out several times a year to participate in parades and other events in the area. Even more interesting to me is that this particular Concord Coach is on loan from the Wayside Inn, a historic restaurant that is about five miles from my home. I never knew there was a Concord Coach in this area!