Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

FGS/NEHGS Call for Papers

The following is an announcement from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS):

Lecture proposals are now being accepted for the FGS/NEHGS conference, "Boston: Birthplace of American Family History: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Federation of Genealogical Societies," which will take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, August 30 to September 2, 2006.

Government of Canada Introduces Legislation to Enable Access to Census Records

The following is an announcement from Statistics Canada:

OTTAWA, Nov. 2 /CNW Telbec/ - An Act to amend the Statistics Act was
introduced in the Senate of Canada today. The proposed bill would enable
access to both past and future census records.

Woman Casts 20th Presidential Vote

Like millions of other Americans, Mary Foss cast her ballot in Tuesday's presidential election. There is one difference about Mary’s trip to the polls however: it was the twentieth time she has voted for a U.S. President. She cast her first vote for Herbert Hoover more than 70 years ago.

The American Colonist's Library

Rick Gardiner has created a very impressive site, called "The American Colonist’s Library." This Web site contains full-length transcriptions of thousands of documents that were significant to American history.

New Version of Family Historian - 2.3

The following is an announcement from the producer of Family Historian, a genealogy program for Windows:

Family Historian Version 2.3 adds Narrative Reports, a New Unique Copy-and-Paste Feature, Improved Support for Sources, and Much More. It’s Due out on November 5th … and it’s Free.

Unlocking Your Genetic History

Dr. Thomas H. Shawker has recently released a fascinating book for genealogists, entitled Unlocking Your Genetic History. I had a chance to read it this week and must say that I learned quite a lot.

"Witching" Ways to Unmarked Graves

A group of genealogy enthusiasts learned a new skill when Bob Walters taught them how to locate graves left unmarked for decades. Gripping an L-shaped copper rod in each hand, Walters paced up and down a narrow path near the fence of Willmore Cemetery in Clinton, Illinois. Thirty-six passengers on a bus tour of Harp Township watched as the rods in Walters' hands moved from a forward-facing position to a cross -- a sign that a grave was underfoot.

You can read the rest of this story in the Pantagraph.com web site at http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/110104/new_20041101011.shtml

Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850

People of African and Asian origin have lived in Britain for at least two thousand years; but, this aspect of British heritage has been largely forgotten. By presenting a selection of relevant records held by The National Archives and other sources, the Black Presence exhibition aims to reclaim some of this history and make it more widely known.

What is Going On in Canada?

The U.S. Patriot Act is generating a lot of controversy among Americans. In short, the Patriot Act gives the federal government more access to the private information of individuals while simultaneously restricting the rights of individuals to access such data. In short, this is "Big Brother" at its worst. Genealogists already are protesting as new, ludicrous restrictions are being placed on birth records, both recent and those of long ago. Now the controversies are spreading to Canada.