Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Mellel 2.0 for Macintosh

Mellel 2.0, the word processor from RedleX, has been released. Mellel is one of the leading word processors for Mac OS X, with a special focus on scholars, writers, technical writing and multilingual word processing. A lot of genealogists use it because of the above advertised features -if you’re writing formal genealogy documents/books, the formatting, footnote/endnote, citation, and layout features are a big plus.

You can read more about Mellel on the Mac Genealogy web site.

GoogleMicrofilm.com

The folks at Google may be up to something of interest to genealogists. The company recently registered the domain names of GoogleMicrofilm.com, GoogleMicrofilm.net, GoogleMicrofilm.org and GoogleMicrofilm.info.

There is a lot of microfilm waiting to be digitized. Does Google have a plan to do that? If not, why did they register those domain names?

Jack the Ripper Mystery to be Solved?

One of the greatest murder mysteries of all time - the identity of Jack the Ripper - may soon be revealed by DNA technology developed in Australia. Scientist Ian Findlay will use the new test on saliva the notorious serial killer would have left behind if he licked the stamps on the envelopes of letters he sent to London police.

Uproar over Fake Family Trees Continues

As I first reported on this newsletter's web site on November 2, a new piece of software is now in use that creates thousands of web pages of bogus genealogy information. Now other news organizations are discovering this new problem, and the uproar is getting louder.

Sorenson Molecular Announces Rewards for Participants in DNA-Ancestry Database

Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), a non-profit research organization dedicated to fostering global family history research and family connections by building the world's largest database of correlated genetic and genealogical information, and Relative Genetics, a leading global provider of genetic testing solutions for private companies, individuals, family organizations and genealogists, have joined forces to reward family history hobbyists who submit DNA samples and ancestry records for inclusion in the Foundation's rapidly expanding database.

The full announcement can be read at http://eogn.typepad.com/announcements/2005/11/sorenson_molecu.html

Vermont Clerks Prepare for Restrictions on Vital Records Access

City and town clerks across Vermont are preparing for a federal law that is expected to restrict public access to birth and death records as part of a tightening of national security.

Add a Terabyte of Storage to your In-Home Network

Would you like to have a terabyte of storage available on your home network? For those not familiar with the term, a terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes. It is also roughly equivalent to all the text contained in the books that fill 30 feet of shelf space. That should be enough to hold all your genealogy data!

Copyright Myths

Here are a few old wives' tales that I have heard recently:

     "I found the information on the Internet, so I have a right to copy it and use it on my own Web site."

     "Everything on the Web is free."

Encyclopedia of Chicago

The Encyclopedia of Chicago is a joint production of the Chicago Historical Society, the Newberry Library, and Northwestern University. The online web site includes thousands of historical resources, including articles, photographs, maps, broadsides, and newspapers, all related to Chicago's colorful and complex history.

Savage's Genealogical Dictionary Online

James Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692 is one of the greatest resources for anyone doing genealogy research in colonial New England. These books were originally published during the U.S. Civil War and still remain today as one of the greatest resources we have. If you do not have easy access to a library copy, however, modern-day reprints cost more than $100. A few years ago the same volumes were digitized and released on CD-ROM disk and are available for under $50.

Free Translations

One of the challenges in genealogy searches is deciphering documents written in the languages of your ancestors. While you may have inherited many physical characteristics from your forebears, language ability probably was not one of them. How can you read documents written in French or Dutch or Italian or Russian? How about Chinese?

Online Genealogy Dictionaries and Lists

In the past few months I have been collecting URLs (Web addresses) of various online dictionaries and lists that are useful to genealogists. These are useful when trying to decode foreign or obsolete words often found in genealogy work. Here are a few of my favorites:

Schmeckfest

If the words Fiegele, Pfeffernuesse Brot, Fleischkuchle, or Kaeseknoepfla mean anything to you, I suspect you will enjoy the Prairie Public Television Web site and video. "Schmeckfest" is the name for "Food Traditions of Germans from Russia."

The Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute

The Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute in New York City is an excellent resource for anyone researching Jewish ancestry. While located in New York City, the Institute collects records from all over Europe, North America, and elsewhere. The Institute provides reference and educational services.

Essex County, Massachusetts, Wills Online

If you have ancestors in the northeastern corner of Massachusetts, you will be interested in Wills of our Essex County Ancestors. This section of RootsWeb.com contains many wills filed before 1850 in Essex County. Each will was transcribed by a volunteer with coordination provided by David Colby Young. The service is open and free of charge to everyone.

Blogs Explained

NOTE: This is an updated version of an article that I wrote about a year ago. The popularity of blogs has mushroomed since this article first appeared. I have added numerous updates to the original article.

The word "blog" sounds like one of those "techie words" that describes some black magic understood only by programmers, systems analysts, and others who regularly invoke incantations not understood by mere mortals. In fact, blogs are actually very simple, perhaps even simpler than the Web page or e-mail message that you are now viewing at this moment. You can read blogs easily, even without a technical understanding of the underlying technology. In fact, if you are reading this article on the web right now, you are already using a blog, perhaps without realizing it. The purpose of this article is to help de-mystify the word "blog" and to explain how you can use the benefits of blogs.

The Adventures of James - A Trip to the Cemetery

I do not often see family history books for young children. In fact, I do not recall ever seeing one written for preschoolers or early school-aged children. This week I did read one, called The Adventures of James - A Trip to the Cemetery, written by Starr Hailey Campbell.

Gene Found In Black Death Descendants Stops HIV

According to research done by Dr. Stephen O'Brien, a mutated gene known as delta 32, which is found in Black Death survivor descendants, stops HIV in its tracks. The discovery was made by combining the sciences of DNA and genealogy.

On the Road Again

I will be traveling for the next week, visiting four countries in seven days. While I will have the laptop computer and various wired and wireless networking gadgets with me, there is no guarantee that I will be online every day. If something appears to be delayed in the newsletter's web site, please sit tight and I'll handle it as soon as I get connected.

Thank you.

Australian Census Information to be Locked for 99 Years

Proposed new laws in Australia will keep all future census records under lock and key for 99 years. Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Chris Pearce says the information will be strictly protected over the period, even banning courts and tribunals from accessing the information.