Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

PSSST! Want to Buy a Title?

A thousand years of feudalism in Scotland has ended officially with the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act 2000 that came into force this week. Some fear that the result may be a rush of people claiming bogus titles, such as the Baron John Smith. The legal status of such titles is in question.

The Red Book, Third Edition

Years ago I purchased the 1989 version of the Red Book when it first appeared. It was the definitive reference for genealogy research within the United States. It listed all major genealogical resources in each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

My copy of the first edition of the Red Book is dog-eared from frequent use, as is the Second Edition that I purchased shortly after its appearance in 1992. This week I obtained the newly-released Third Edition. I suspect this new book will also be well-used in my home.

Trace Your Roots with DNA

Genetic typing is the newest tool for amateur genealogists and one that has been described in this newsletter many times. (Click here to see several.) Now two leading genealogy DNA experts have collaborated on a new book. This week I had a chance to read Trace Your Roots with DNA, written by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner.

Genealogy and Family Heritage Jamboree 2005

St. George, Utah will be the place to be on February 11 and 12, 2005. This is the first ever conference of this type and magnitude in southern Utah. The Dixie Convention Center in St. George will host genealogy vendors and speakers from all over the United States.

Could DNA Tests Solve the Mystery of Miles Standish?

In 1620, Miles Standish led 101 other Mayflower colonists ashore in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. He battled Indians, took part in the first Thanksgiving and inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic poem about his unrequited love for a Pilgrim maiden. Although historians recorded much about the feisty old soldier, he took one piece of vital data to his grave 348 years ago: the whereabouts of his birth. His descendants have been guessing for years where he was born. Now DNA testing may be able to solve this 400-year-old mystery.

1874 Historical Atlas of Sandusky County Reprinted

The Sandusky County, Ohio Genealogical Society (Kin Hunters) has just released a reprint of the 1874 Historical Atlas of Sandusky County. The atlas includes maps, history, portraits, sketches, lithographic views, county history, business directory and a surname index. The original 1874 publication did not include a surname index.

Read This Newsletter in My Yahoo

Yahoo members may be pleased to learn that this newsletter and many others can easily be added to My Yahoo, a personalized home page service offered by the online portal giant.

Stop Using Internet Explorer!

I have written several times about the high risks of using Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser. The security problems just keep coming and coming. If you were surfing the web last Friday night or Saturday morning and you were using Internet Explorer, there is a chance that your Windows computer became infected with an Internet "worm." This happened even if you did not directly visit an infected site.

More on Everton Publishers: Magazine and Library

There is still another twist to the ongoing events of Everton Publishing's demise, resurrection, and multi-million dollar library donation to the city of Logan, Utah. Now, as a final agreement is drafted to get the Everton Genealogical Helper magazine back in print, alleged conflicts of interest and questions over the city's cost to maintain the collection surround the deal.

Enjoy Free Access to NEHGS' Register Online

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

NEHGS is pleased to offer free access to its New England Historical and Genealogical Register database on NewEnglandAncestors.org over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Normally only available to NEHGS members, the Register database will be accessible to everyone from Thursday, November 25 through Sunday, November 28, 2004. We encourage all NEHGS members to spread the word about this offering, and we hope that those of you who are not members find a veritable feast of ancestors in the Register database!

US National Archives To Offer Old Newspapers Online

The government has announced that anyone with a computer will have access within a few years to millions of pages from old newspapers. Available in 2006 will be the first of what's expected to be 30 million digitized pages from papers published from 1836 through 1922.

New Origins Network Collections: London/Kent and Middlesex 1871 Census Records

The following is an announcement from Origins Network:

London/Kent and Middlesex 1871 Census records: Half a million new names available to British Origins and Total Access Subscribers

Yad Vashem Central Database of Holocaust Victims to Go Live

Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, Israel, will hold a major press event Monday, November 22, 2004 to announce the uploading of its historic Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names to the Internet.

Want to Buy Your Family's Coat of Arms?

Many people like to purchase Christmas gifts that are "personal." What can be more personal than one's name? I bet that thousands of people will give presents this year that depict a family coat of arms printed on paper, suitable for framing. They also may give coats of arms on t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf jerseys, stationery, coffee mugs, or even key chains. There is only one problem: almost all of them are bogus!

HeritageQuest Online Adds Revolutionary War Pensions

HeritageQuest Online has now added a great new collection of records to the company's online service: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files. Previously available only on microfilm, these are some of the most popular records for those researching 18th and early 19th century ancestors. Best of all, these are not transcribed records. This database allows you to view the original, hand-written records on your screen and to print them on a local printer.

Blaine and Jennifer Schmidt's New Addition

Blaine and Jennifer Schmidt are well known in genealogy circles as the owners of Appleton's Books & Genealogy, an Internet genealogy bookstore. Their friends will be interested to learn of their latest addition: Victoria Elizabeth Schmidt. 

U.K. National Archives Database Swamped by Success

The U.K. National Archives launched a new Web site last week in the days leading up to Remembrance Sunday. The site lets families read their ancestors' First World War medal records. The new site is swamped, receiving more than one million hits in its first few days of operation.

(+) Information Management Made Simple

This week I had a chance to use a Windows program that is billed as "online information management made simple." Indeed, it does seem to live up to that name. It gathers and organizes information, records it with APA, MLA, and Chicago Style bibliographies, and even allows you to send the information via e-mail to friends and relatives.

If you are gathering information about your ancestors from various web sites, e-mail messages, genealogy programs, and a host of other sources, you may have difficulty organizing the information in a logical manner. If so, this may be the tool for you.

A Better Web Browser than Internet Explorer

The Firefox Web browser was officially released this week. The program has been available as a beta test product for some time and has drawn rave reviews. Now the official version 1.0 for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS X is available for everyone. The consensus of almost all those who have tried it is that Firefox is a much better web browser than Internet Explorer.

Did I mention that it is free of charge? And that it has no advertising?

RootsWeb Mail Server is having Conniptions

RootsWeb.com operates thousands of genealogy mailing lists. You can subscribe to a mailing list about any of a myriad of genealogy-related topics, then sit back and watch all the information roll into your e-mail in-box. At least, that is the way it is supposed to work.