Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Florida Confederate Pension Application Files Online

The Florida State Archives has digitized its collection of Confederate pension records with over 13,000 pensions now available online. This is a great resource for anyone researching Florida ancestry after the Civil War.

AT&T Archives are in Danger

This isn't about genealogy; it is about business mergers, archives, and history. However, a casual attitude at any repository of historical significance is a cause for alarm for all who are interested in preserving history.

U.K. National Photo Album

Hewlett Packard has created a "National Photo Album" of the United Kingdom, in which any member of the public can upload photos to. The website says:

Camilla Parker Bowles: the first Princess Consort

Camilla Parker Bowles will become the first Princess Consort in British history when Prince Charles becomes King.

Genealogy Cruise

The following is an announcement from Wholly Genes Software:

ANNOUNCING THE 2005 GENEALOGY CONFERENCE AND CRUISE
November 6-13, 2005
Hosted by Wholly Genes Software

You're invited to join us on a grand adventure, an educational experience, and a fun-filled voyage through the Western Caribbean while we learn about genealogical research methods, tools, and technologies from some of the most popular speakers and authorities in those fields.

Canadian Post-1901 Census News

The Canadian National Archives wants to lock up census records forever, to never make them accessible to the public. Genealogists, historians and other groups are balking at the idea. The whole topic has gone to the legislators in the House of Commons and the Senate.

1890 Census Fragment is Available

Experienced American genealogists all "know" that the 1890 U.S. census is unavailable as it was destroyed in a fire in 1921. Sure, everyone "knows" that because it has been repeated time and again in print ever since.

On January 9 of this year, I wrote a Plus Edition article entitled, "The 1890 U.S. Census: Not Everything Was Destroyed." Since then, I have found that even more records from the 1890 U.S. census are available today.

New Book Explores Colonization, Plantations, and More in South Carolina

The following is an announcement from Xlibris, a subsidiary of Random House, Inc.:

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Merlene Hutto Byars is widely known for her love of preserving history and by the books she has authored about the state of South Carolina -- its past and evolution. But her new book Colonization, Plantations and More in South Carolina is distinct from the rest. Here, she presents an intelligent exploration of how America developed and advanced despite political and religious odds and the role South Carolina played in all this.

A Genealogy Research Tour to Ireland

The following is an announcement from Celtic Quest, LLC:

Imagine researching your Irish ancestors on their own turf. Imagine finding solutions to your pesky research dilemmas. Imagine sharing your successes with fellow researchers over a pint in an Irish pub.

DNA Helping to Untangle Roots of Family Trees

Bob Batz Jr. of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has written an interesting story about Megan Smolenyak and her involvement in applying DNA to genealogy studies. You may recall that I recently reviewed the book, "Trace Your Roots With DNA" that Megan wrote with Ann Turner. (You can read that book review at http://eogn.typepad.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/11/trace_your_root.html.)

In this article Batz writes, "Say you get to visit the old country to explore your ancestry. You might think to take something to give your relatives. But would it be a DNA test?

ICAPGen Elects Commissioners

The following is an announcement from the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists:

The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists, also recognized as ICAPGen^SM , would like to announce the results of recent elections.  Karen Clifford, AG^®, and Judith Wight, AG, CGRS, were elected to serve three-year terms as Commissioners.  Both bring extensive experience to the Board.  Karen will also continue to serve as First Vice President.

Tape Recordings are now Obsolete

Technology changes quickly, as we all know. However, a short article this week surprised me. It seems that U.S. government agencies are being forced to stop recording meetings, talking books, and other archival documents on audio tape. The reason is simple: they can no longer buy recording tapes!

Book develops the history of photography in N.C.

A new book, "Photographers in North Carolina: The First Century, 1842-1941," published by the state Department of Cultural Affairs and compiled by Stephen Massengill, explains that the state's earliest photographers were mostly vagabonds. They traveled in wagons and pitched photo tents close to where most people congregated, the town square.

Genealogy and Family Heritage Jamboree 2005

St. George, Utah will be the place to be this weekend, February 11 and 12. 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. The theme of the jamboree is "Hunting for Ancestors."

The Irish Ancestor 1969-1986

The Irish Ancestor was the name of a semi-annual printed journal that was published from 1969 to 1986. The aim of the journal, which was produced on a non-profit making basis, was the collection and publication of original source material and other items of interest concerning Irish genealogy, biography, and domestic history. The Irish Ancestor was edited by Rosemary ffolliott. (That is not a typo error: her name begins with a double-F and is normally written in lower case.)

What Did You Do in the (Cold) War, Daddy?

If you have relatives in Poland, you now have an opportunity to perhaps learn more about them than their immediate families know. A list of 240,000 names of Polish secret agents, informers, secret service employees, and victims of persecution during the Communist era was leaked on the Internet in the last few days and has become an instant hit. Finding a relative's name there may explain why that person left the country suddenly or perhaps why that person did not leave when the rest of the family emigrated.

Super Bowl Ancestry

It is Super Bowl weekend, and every minute piece of information about every player is being examined in great detail in the press. I thought I would do my bit by mentioning the ancestry and relationships of one of the better-known players.

First a note to newsletter readers in countries where football is played with a round ball: please bear with us. American football creates a certain hysteria that is difficult to explain to residents of other countries.

Whatever Happened to OtherDays.com?

OtherDays.com is (or was) a major online provider of Irish genealogy information. The site contained more than 100 databases on Otherdays.com. The databases include Griffith's Valuation; Placenames of Ireland; census and census substitutes; a variety of different types of directories; newspapers; gravestone inscriptions; vital records; wills and deeds; and land and property records. The centerpiece of OtherDays.com databases is the Griffith's Valuation of Ireland from 1847 to 1864.

Bill Wyman: Amateur Historian and Would-Be Archivist

This article is not genealogy-related but it does deal with history. I also found it interesting.

65-year-old Bill Wyman is an amateur historian and a metal detector enthusiast. He and a co-author have even written a book about using metal detectors to find historical artifacts in the British Isles.

George A. Purdy Jr., R.I.P.

The Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society lost its treasurer Saturday when 60-year-old George Purdy died of complications from cancer.