Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Divorce in Canada (1841-1968) is Online

The following is an announcement from the Centre canadien de généalogie, a division of Library and Archives Canada:

Morton Allan Directory

I had a chance this week to read through a new reprint of an old book with a very long title. The Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals For the Years 1890 to 1930 at the Port of New York, and for the Years 1904 to 1926 at the Ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore was originally published in 1931 by Morton Allan. This is the definitive listing of almost all ships that arrived in those years. It has long been one of the standard reference books of genealogy. Now Genealogical Publishing Company has reprinted the book, making it available to all.

Why Shaking the Family Tree can be Bad for your Health

I discovered an online article published by the Telegraph in London with a cute title of Why Shaking the Family Tree can be Bad for your Health. I thought to myself, "This should be a cute, tongue-in-cheek article." Wrong! Author Elizabeth Day is serious.

Ancient Writings are Visible Once Again

Scientists at Oxford University have made a major breakthrough in their study of a large collection of Greek and Roman writings. Many of the documents known as the "Oxyrhynchus Papyri" were found at an ancient rubbish dump in central Egypt. The writing on these documents is meaningless to the naked eye as the papyrus has decayed, become worm-eaten and has also been blackened by the passage of time.

Heredity and Health: Tracking Family History

Newsweek Magazine has an article that should be required reading by all genealogists. After all, we are the ones who keep the family records. Not all of us realize the power that we have. It is not too dramatic to state that genealogists have the power to save or prolong our own lives and possibly the lives of our loved ones, all by simple record keeping and analysis.

New Online Archive of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union

The following is an announcement from Cornell University may be of interest if your ancestors were active in this union:

The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at Cornell University's Catherwood Library is pleased to announce that a digital collection of more than 1,000 photographs documenting the ninety-five year history of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union is now available on the Web.  Drawn from among the 350,000 labor union and work photographs held by the Kheel Center, the images in this database may be browsed or searched at http://www.laborphotos.cornell.edu. Users are able to save selected images for later review and to order reproductions as digital files or photographic reprints.

National Geographic Society launches DNA study of Deep Ancestry

The following article was written by and is copyright by Ann Turner, co-author (with Megan Smolenyak) of Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree. It is published here by permission of the author.

The National Geographic Society, with major funding from IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation, announced an ambitious project to collect 100,000 DNA samples from indigenous peoples around the world. Headed by Spencer Wells, author of "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey," the goal of the five-year project is to detect the migration paths of our ancestors by using markers on the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Details about this "Genographic Project" can be found at the National Geographic site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.

1841 English Census - England's First - now Online

The following is an announcement from the Origins Network:

These are exciting times for genealogists and family historians. Hot on the heels of the 1861 census, the earliest name-inclusive census of England is now available on British Origins at http://www.britishorigins.com. While the ancient Egyptians and the Babylonians were conducting censuses long before Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem for the census there, England had to wait till 1841. English genealogy researchers who had previously to scroll through miles of microfilm can now, with the click of a mouse, take their family trees back another couple of generations.

Ancestry of Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II was lauded by Evangelicals, Jewish leaders as well as Catholics when he passed away April 2, 2005. Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland, his genealogy has been documented. The Polish Genealogical Society published A Study of the Genealogical Lines of the Wojtyla Family more than 20 years ago.

For more information, look at http://pgsa.org.

Charles C. Rich DVD Library

The following is an announcement from Brigham Young University:

BYU Studies is pleased to announce the release of the Charles C. Rich DVD Library.  This unprecedented DVD-ROM contains original documents, biographies, family histories, and photographs of Western American colonizer Charles C. Rich.

Free Access to a Premium Database at NewEnglandAncestors.Org

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

Celebrate Patriots' Day with Free Access to a Premium DB at NewEnglandAncestors.Org

In recognition of Patriot's Day on April 18, the New England Historic Genealogical Society will offer three days of free access to one of our major databases at NewEnglandAncestors.Org. The name of the database and access details will appear in the April 20, 2005, issue of the NEHGS eNews.

Library of Congress Summer Institute

The following is an announcement from the Library of Congress:

Library of Congress Summer Institute
Learning About Immigration - Through Primary Sources
July 20 - 22, 2005
Washington, DC.

We are a nation of immigrants. In the earliest grades we begin teaching the uniqueness, complexity and diversity of the United States, which can be greatly attributed to the immigrant populations that shaped it. This summer, the Library of Congress will provide an opportunity for educators to engage in intensive study and exploration of the topic of immigration.  Full time K-14 educators (teachers, media specialists, technology coordinators or directors, and school librarians) in public, public charter, private or religiously affiliated schools, as well as home-schooling parents are invited to register. 

Orphan Works Being Examined by U.S. Copyright Office

U.S. copyright laws have historically become more and more restrictive with each new piece of legislation added. The result is stifling for genealogists: many genealogy books printed some years ago are still under copyright. As a result, valuable genealogy information is locked up in a few volumes that are not easily accessible to the millions of today's genealogists.

Jewish-LDS Disagreement Over Baptism for the Dead Resolved

Jewish leaders met with leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Salt Lake City on Sunday and Monday. The topic of the meeting was the practice of LDS church members baptizing deceased Jews in the church's rituals.

ISBN Explained

In many of the book reviews published in this newsletter, you will read the words, "It can be ordered at most any book store if you specify ISBN 0-8063-5224-8." The numbers will vary, depending upon the book being described. So what is ISBN?

Canadian Genealogy television show announced

Linking genealogy and travel, Canada's History Television cable channel has put out the call for help with creating a new series. Ancestors Search will be based on the stories of people tracing their family histories.

Summer Camp for Family Historians 2005

The following is an announcement from the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania:

Summer Camp for Family Historians 2005
19-24 June 2005

Attention all genealogists and family historians with interests in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania research opportunities. GSP's innovative summer camp program, presented this year for the sixth time, will again offer participants full instruction and guidance at all the major record repositories in Philadelphia. Join with GSP staff, librarians, archivists and professional genealogists as they introduce you to the extensive holdings in Philadelphia libraries and record offices.

National Archives in Waltham Hosts Open House

The following is an announcement from the U.S. National Archives & Records Administration:

Waltham, MA - The National Archives & Records Administration will host an Open House on Patriots' Day, Monday April 18, 2005 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  The National Archives is located at 380 Trapelo Road in Waltham, MA.

Genealogical Aspects of the Forthcoming Royal Wedding

Gary Boyd Roberts is a noted genealogy expert, specializing in the intertwined family trees of royalty and notable people. He also supplies all the data for a web site devoted to his work: www.NotableKin.org. Gary has now written an article about the forthcoming wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles that has elicited quite the stir in the genealogical world.

Changes to SmartMatches on GenCircles

The following is an announcement from Pearl Street Software, owners of GenCircles:

GenCircles has been around for more than 4 years. In that time, the site has grown tremendously and now represents what I believe is an incredible resource. Unfortunately, what has come with this is a significant increase in our costs to provide this free service. We have reached the point where action needs to be taken in some fashion. I am reaching out to our users to get feedback and look for support for a plan I'm considering to fix this situation. I'd like to see GenCircles continue to exist and provide for genealogists for years to come. We must do something or else we will have no choice but to eventually shut the site down. This is very hard for me to fathom and something I am hoping we can prevent. However, we will need to start charging for something on our site if it's ever going to make it. I have a plan that I'd like your feedback on.