Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Update: HeritageQuest Online

On December 28, I published an announcement stating that the Godfrey Memorial Library in Middletown, Connecticut, is in the process of dropping HeritageQuest Online from its portfolio of offerings. This caused a lot of consternation amongst genealogists, as this had been a very popular offering for the Library.

Many genealogists had joined the Godfrey Memorial Library's membership program for $35 a year solely for the purpose of accessing HeritageQuest Online and its many excellent databases of census records, digitized genealogy and local history books, Revolutionary War pensions, and more. That's a bit ironic as most Americans already could obtain free access to the same databases. The few that cannot find free access can obtain access via several other providers for $35 a year or less.

Ancestral Author 2.5

I am a big fan of programs that are designed to do one thing and then do it well. Ancestral Author is one of those programs. A few days ago, creator Rod Sullivan issued an updated version of Ancestral Author.

Reminder: Genealogy on PBS

The U.S. Public Broadcasting System television network's four part series on African American genealogy starts this week. The official start is on Wednesday, February 1. However, local stations may elect to broadcast it on a different date/time.

See my earlier article at: http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/01/genealogy_on_pb.html

Related post: Genealogy on PBS

Newsweek Cover Article on Genetic Genealogy

In case you haven't seen it yet, the current edition of Newsweek has a cover article on genetic genealogy. "DNA Testing: In Our Blood" is an article by Claudia Kalb that describes some of the successes that genealogists have had when using DNA analysis.

You can read the article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11080815/site/newsweek. It also has links to the PBS series, "African-America Lives," and to testing companies.

(+) How to Create Blogs and RSS News Feeds - Part 3

Two weeks ago I described the easiest method to start a new blog (web log): sign up for a service that hosts blogs on their own servers. The process is simple. You can publish your first articles within a very few minutes after opening an account. The drawback is that people can only read your blog by going to some other company's web server.

(+) Our Ancestors' Dental Care

One has to wonder about dental care as practiced by our ancestors. Ready-made toothbrushes and toothpaste was not available until the mid-1800s. Prior to that, everyone had to make their own.

Throughout the Middle Ages, most people simply rubbed salt on their teeth.

Update: Encyclopedia of Genealogy

A few months ago, I created a free online service for genealogists, called the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. While I'm the person who created the "shell" of this new service, newsletter readers like you write much of the information within it. If you missed the announcement, you can read it at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/12/encyclopedia_of.html.

I must admit that I am quite pleased with the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. Many newsletter readers have offered new content or have corrected existing information within the Encyclopedia of Genealogy. Here is a partial list of some of the articles added or updated by newsletter readers and myself in the past few weeks:

What Kind of Computer Do You Use?

I want to write newsletter articles that are relevant to you. I am also curious.

I am guessing that the number of people still using Windows 98 is dwindling rapidly, as is Macintosh OS 9. If I am correct, I will spend less time writing articles about software that runs on those systems. However, if my premise is wrong, I certainly want to know about it!

You can help me satisfy my own curiosity as well as help me write articles of interest to the majority of newsletter readers. You can do that by filling out a very short (optional) online survey.

A Family Tree that is Out of This World

This isn't a pedigree chart drawn to strict genealogical standards, but it is amusing. This is a "must have" for any genealogist who is also a Star Wars fan.

You can see the Star Wars Family Tree here

World War II Enlistment Records Online

One great resource available from the U.S. National Archives is the World War II Enlistment Records. These records have been transcribed and made available on the National Archives web site. These records are especially valuable as many of the personnel papers of these soldiers and sailors were later destroyed in a fire.

Tennessee Bill to Allow Visits to Cemeteries on Private Land

Many small cemeteries in rural areas are located on private land. In many areas, the present landowners may restrict access to the graveyards. A new bill before the Tennessee state legislature seeks to change that.

More than 90 years later, the question remains ... Who killed Pauline?

A long ago unsolved murder of a young Jewish girl in Durant, Oklahoma has haunted a distant relative.

Pauline Amsel, 14, daughter of Jake and Celia Amsel, was brutally murdered Nov. 11, 1914, in the family's home at 501 N. Seventh Ave. The Amsels were described as some of Durant's prominent citizens who owned the Amsel Store in downtown Durant. Pauline was a student at Oklahoma Presbyterian College for Girls.

The Irish in New York City

This week I had a chance to examine an interesting web site, called "The Irish in New York City." It is a history site, not a genealogy site. Nonetheless, anyone with Irish ancestry in New York City will want to look at this one. It is fascinating.

MyFamily.com, Inc. Launches new Canadian Web Site

MyFamily.com, Inc., has launched a new Canadian genealogy web site: www.ancestry.ca. The site contains Canadian genealogy data, including the first and only fully indexed 1911 Census of Canada.

Searching the 1911 Canadian Census in One Step

Sometimes I think that Steve Morse is God's gift to genealogists. He takes good databases and turns them into great ones. Steve has created excellent indexing tools to the Ellis Island and Castle Garden sites. His search tools generally will perform faster searches with more accurate results than the search capabilities invented by the original database designers.

File Naming Conventions for Family Photos

Sue Phillips asked a question this week. I do not know of a good answer, but I suspect that some of the newsletter readers can help. Here is her question:

EOGN's Search Results

Who Do You Think You Are? - Deluxe Edition for Windows

Gee, I thought I had heard of all the various genealogy programs available today, but here's one that is news to me: Who Do You Think You Are? It is even available as a "Deluxe Edition" although I cannot find any mention of a "Standard Edition." Strange indeed… Yet the screen shots look very familiar.

RootsWeb Mailing List Problems

AOL users who subscribe to various RootsWeb mailing lists reportedly are not receiving their e-mail messages. I can sympathize with this as I have been fighting a similar battle with AOL for years. At various times, AOL has deleted all the issues of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. Nowadays, AOL seems to be content to simply delete some of them.

Build Your Own Network Attached Storage Device in Less than One Hour

I recently wrote an article about how to add a lot of storage space to your in-home or small office network. The best part of all is the price: free, if you happen to have an old PC lying around unused.

The article has nothing to do with genealogy; so, I will not publish it in this newsletter. If you have an interest in adding more computer storage to your in-home network, you can read my article here.

Related posts: Build Your Own Network Attached Storage Device in Less than One Hour, Build Your Own Network Attached Storage Device in Less than One Hour