Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

NEHGS Library Hours Change

The following is an announcement from the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

Starting September 1, 2004, the NEHGS Library will no longer be open to the public on Sundays. Although we were gratified initially by the response of members and visitors, we have found that very few members took advantage of this time frame, so we have decided to discontinue Sunday hours until further notice.

Taking the Tour at the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty has been reopened for visits again after being closed immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attack. As you might expect, security is heavy on the island. That security even extends to high-tech lockers that open by fingerprints. You might want to know about this new technology in advance if you are planning a visit.

FGS Conference in Austin, Texas

One of the largest genealogy conferences in the world will be held four weeks from now in Austin, Texas. The Federation of Genealogical Societies' annual conference will be held on September 8 through 11. If you can be in Austin those days, I bet you will enjoy this conference. This year's theme is "Legends Live Forever: Researching the Past for Future Generations."

GenData and Battelle Form COPD Biomarker Discovery Collaboration

The first part of the following press release looks like any number of corporate press releases from bio-medical companies. However, as you read on, you will find a strong genealogy and genetics connection:

SALT LAKE CITY and COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 12 -- GenData Research Corporation and Battelle today announced that they have entered into collaboration for the discovery, development, and commercialization of biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

old-computers.com

What kind of computer could you buy for $10,600 only 38 years ago? In 1966, you could purchase a top of the line "kitchen computer" with 4 kilobytes of core memory and a 2.5 megahertz central processor for that price. The Honeywell H316 "Kitchen Computer" did not have any disk drive at all. If you look at the picture at http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=927, you will note that it did not have a keyboard, nor did it have a video display. However, it did come with a built-in cutting board, a book of recipes, and an apron! A teletype machine was available as an option, and I believe that nearly all of the H316 systems were sold with that option.

Family Tree Maker 2005

Genealogy.com, a division of MyFamily.com, recently announced a new version of what is reported to be the best-selling genealogy program, Family Tree Maker. The new version is called Family Tree Maker 2005 and is not just an update, but a complete redesign.

My Least Favorite Genealogy Web Site

This week I decided to publish a "reprint" of an article that I wrote several years ago. The reason that I am publishing it again is because of all the e-mails I have been receiving lately on this topic.

Carmack To Depart NGS NewsMagazine for New Position

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack will be leaving her position as editor of NGS NewsMagazine at the end of 2004. She was offered and accepted the position of editor-in-chief of Colorado Springs Style magazine. The June/July issue of NGS NewsMagazine is being mailed to National Genealogical Society members shortly. Two more issues for 2004 are in production and will follow: September/October and December.

Early Patents Thought Lost in 1836 Fire Have Been Recovered

The U.S. Patent Office opened for business in July, 1790. Each inventor submitted his or her original invention in order to obtain the protection of a patent. Once approved, each patent was signed by George Washington, then later by Thomas Jefferson and still later by others. The system worked well for a few years, but officials soon realized they needed a safer method of storing the records. The building that housed the Patent Office was fire-prone, even though it was next door to one of Washington’s first fire stations.

Changes to "Other Genealogy News"

For years I have published articles that I have written and occasionally articles written by others within my weekly newsletter. The recent change in format has made possible another benefit for both Standard and Plus Edition readers. Now it’s easier than ever to find all the latest genealogy-related news stories as they appear online. Just go to http://blog.eogn.com and get the full stories from the column on the right, headlined "Other Genealogy News."

Retro Cell Phone

Many genealogists live in the past lane. That is, we not only amass old information, but many genealogists also collect antiques, old paintings, books, and other memorabilia. Now you can have the ultimate "old thing:" a cell phone with a handset from years ago.

New Historical County Maps Online

The following is an announcement from the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Project at the Newberry Library:

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Project proudly announces the online publication of our first three interactive state maps: California Historical Counties (IMS), Virginia Historical Counties (IMS), and West Virginia Historical Counties (IMS).

DNA Heritage Expands Into North America

DNA Heritage is an English company well-known in genealogy circles for its free product: Ybase. This public-access database enables genetic genealogists to share and compare their results with others. However, the same company provides other services to genetic genealogists.

The following is an announcement from DNA Heritage:

Please Help Me Define the Future of this Newsletter

Most readers of this newsletter know that I have been experimenting with the newsletter format recently. I have struggled to work around impediments created by spam filters. I cannot measure the size of the problem with precision, but it appears that roughly 30% of the Plus Edition newsletters sent via e-mail never reach the intended addressees. I continue to send the Plus Edition to each subscriber via e-mail every week, but I have also been experimenting with alternative delivery methods for those who cannot receive e-mail versions.

National Archives Names Two Companies to Develop an Electronic Archives

As predicted in yesterday's newsletter, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration is moving into a serious effort to preserve today's electronic information. The Archivist of the United States, John W. Carlin, today announced the two companies that will lead the way in designing a technological solution to the challenge of preserving electronic information across space and time. These design contracts are valued at $20.1 million.

HistoryBuff.com

It is nearly impossible to study genealogy without also studying geography and history. Indeed, most genealogists are "micro historians." That is, they study the world in which their ancestors lived. Genealogists tend to spend less time studying the great politicians, generals, and wars of the day, but more time studying economic issues, the progress of inventions, and other factors that had direct impact on ancestors at home and at work.

Internet Property Values Declining Rapidly

This has nothing to do with genealogy but I find it fascinating and thought I would share this with people here:

Lycos is a very popular Internet portal. Three or four years ago, Terra Corporation of Spain purchased Lycos for $12.5 billion (U.S. dollars). Today, Terra sold Lycos to Daum Communications Corporation of South Korea for $95 million.

I will save you the math: the sale price today is less than 1 percent of the price Terra paid a few years ago.

A Dispute about Black Soldiers in the Revolutionary War

The New York Times has an interesting op-ed story by Maurice A. Barboza and Gary B. Nash that talks about black Americans in the Revolutionary War and their recognition (or lack of recognition) by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

UC Berkeley's Transportation Futuristics

It is always enjoyable to speculate about the future. Of course, our ancestors did the same. They made predictions about life in the twenty-first century. Some of the most interesting predictions were about transportation.

Something Smells at the U.S. National Archives

Something is going on with a political appointment at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Indeed, at least nineteen professional organizations are clamoring for an investigation. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the American Library Association, and even the Society of American Archivists have joined with other groups to protest President Bush's surprise nomination of historian Allen Weinstein as the next Archivist of the United States.