Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

D. Brenton Simons Named Executive Director of NEHGS

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

D. Brenton Simons Named Executive Director of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, nation's oldest genealogical organization

Special RSS Newsreader for Newsletter Subscribers

If you have heard of RSS and blogs but do not know how to start using this technology, a new opportunity is available for you. All Windows users reading this article right now are invited to download and install a free RSS newsreader that is customized for the readers of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

Graves4Sale.com

I thought I had seen all sorts of "real estate" advertisements, but a new one caught my eye this week. This online real estate service advertises very small plots of land for sale. Very small.

Dick Eastman leaves NEHGS

This is a quick note to many of my friends who know where I (used to) work. Effective now, I am no longer employed at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

It has been a very enjoyable two years, and I will miss my many friends there. I have had an opportunity to work with some great people at the society, and I wish them well.

Vital Records Access Bills Before Massachusetts Legislature

The following is an announcement  from the Massachusetts Genealogical Council:

The Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC) is calling on genealogical researchers in Massachusetts to take action in support of a bill before the Massachusetts legislature.

Family Tree Registry

Logan Kleinwaks has just created a free genealogy website that he hopes will become a useful new tool for genealogists and genealogical organizations. Indeed, the site does have unique features.

Quoting from Logan's description:

Saskatchewan Genealogy Searches Now Available Online

The following is an announcement from the Saskatchewan Department of Health:

People around the world now have access to their early Saskatchewan family history from their home computers with Saskatchewan Health's new online Genealogy Index.

Ground Breaking Ceremony Held for new Church History Library in Salt Lake City

Church leaders broke ground on a new Church History Library for the "recordmaking and recordkeeping people" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite rumors floating around in e-mail, this is not a new genealogy library. Instead, it is to be a replacement for the current history library in the Church Office Building, a high-rise building one block from the Family History Library.

New Orleans Public Library Lays Off 90% of Staff

In the September 16 daily edition of this newsletter, I wrote about the New Orleans Public Library and described how that library had been spared by hurricane Katrina. Damage to the library was minor and the city's precious archives and the special collections department housed in the library's subbasement were undamaged. It looked like patrons would soon have access to those materials again. However, another force bigger than a hurricane has intervened: public officials.

Famous DNA

The study of genetics promises to revolutionize genealogy. That won't happen overnight; it may take a decade or two to accomplish. However, one more indication of the upcoming revolution has just gone online.

"Famous DNA" is a section of a web site operated by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). As the name implies, "Famous DNA" lists mtDNA (mitochondrial) Haplogroup and mtDNA sequences for famous people in history. By comparing the numbers against your own mtDNA numbers, it is possible to see if you are closely related to these people.

Learn to Be a (Better) Professional Genealogist

The following is an announcement from the Association of Professional Genealogists:

Learn to Be a (Better) Professional Genealogist
At a One-Day Conference in Boston Aug. 30;
Early Membership Registration Closes Dec. 31

1851 England and Wales Census Soon to be Online

Ancestry.com has announced that the 1851 Census of England, Wales, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man will soon be available to subscribers. The census consists of more than 17 million names and will be fully indexed for easy online searching.

Census Taker Burned Forms

A census taker in Japan burned census forms last week after reportedly becoming angry with uncooperative people. The man was assigned to collect census forms from about 70 households in the Nakazato district in Bando. He called the Bando municipal government Thursday morning, complaining that some people were not cooperating.

"I can't deal with people who live in apartments. Can I just burn all the forms?" he reportedly said in a phone call to city hall.

One and a Half Terabytes of French-Canadian Genealogy Information

I recently had a chance to use the world's largest database of images of original French-Canadian genealogy records. You'll have to pardon me if I get enthusiastic. After all, my own ancestry is 50% French-Canadian. Within a few minutes of sitting down at a computer connected to this database, I was able to find many of my ancestors. I suspect I could find all of them within a very few hours. Even though I have researched those ancestors for more than twenty-five years, this new database quickly found numerous records that I had never seen before.

No more "Missing Links" Column

The following was written by Gordon A. Watts, Co-chair Canada Census Committee:

Genealogy researchers in Atlantic Canada, and those having family connections there will be saddened to learn that Sandra Devlin, writer of "Missing Links," has published her last column. Sandra has been diagnosed with terminal Cancer, and its effects have forced her to give up her syndicated column.

Irish Database will not appear on Schedule

The annual report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of Ireland has highlighted a number of areas of financial mismanagement in the government, resulting in a waste of taxpayer's money. Among the issues raised were:

Embla: A Business Opportunity in Genealogy Software

Last year I had a chance to use a very good genealogy program called Embla Family Treasures. I was very impressed with this genealogy program for Microsoft Windows and I later demonstrated it at some of my talks at genealogy conferences. Sadly, the program lasted little more than a year in the marketplace. Embla, the producing company, has gone out of business.

There may be a silver lining in this cloud, however. New owners have obtained the rights to the code and are developing a new release. The new owners are also looking for distributors in the United States and in the United Kingdom.

Rochester and Monroe County NY City Directories are Online

The following is an announcement from the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County NY:

The Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County NY is very pleased to announce the availability of its early city directories online.

BYU's Annual 2006 Computerized Genealogy Conference

The following is an announcement from Brigham Young University

The ninth annual Computerized Genealogy Conference at Brigham Young University has been scheduled for Friday and Saturday March 10-11, 2006.  This conference is designed to be a how-to guide for everyone, including beginning, intermediate, and advanced researchers.  The focus of the conference is to learn how new computer programs and advancements in existing programs can help you be more effective in genealogy and family history work.

Hugh Hefner Claims to have Puritan Roots

It may seem out of character, but Hugh Hefner of the Playboy empire says he had to reinvent his identity to leave his Puritan roots behind. Hefner told Time magazine that he is a direct descendant of William Bradford, a Puritan who came over on the Mayflower.

Gee, I don't know how to break the news to you Hugh, but there were only two Puritans on the Mayflower, and William Bradford wasn't one of them.