Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Raising the Bar for Record Managers

Dan Lawyer has written an article that will be of interest to many genealogists. In fact, I would suggest that it be required reading for programmers who write genealogy software.

Dan states that, when entering data in most genealogy programs, "the user experience and complexity is on par with filing your taxes." He then goes on to list his "Top 10 Innovations Needed in (Genealogy) Record Managers."

SwissRoots.org

IgoUgo has developed an interactive, online community called Swiss Roots www.swissroots.org which has its headquarters at the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York. The website was launched on March 29, 2006, and allows "Swissophiles" from around the world to share their Swiss affinity and explore their potential Swiss heritage.

You can read the full announcement at http://announcements.eogn.com/2006/03/igougo_creates_.html

Why Is Anyone Still Using Internet Explorer?

This has nothing to do with genealogy, but it affects millions of computer users, including the majority of subscribers to this newsletter.

I have written before about the multitude of security problems in Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Now eWeek, one of the most widely read and respected computer publications in the world, has published an article by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols on the same topic.

Family Bibles Sold on eBay

Newsletter reader Brenda Roberts wrote this week to describe a fascinating resource for genealogists: eBay. Brenda wrote:

Dear Dick,

I have enjoyed your newsletters for four years. I have learned a lot through your editorials.

Thus, I want to give back something interesting, in which I found by browsing through eBay.

Clooz 2.0 Final Beta

Clooz 2.0 is now in final beta testing. If you'd like to try the new version, visit www.clooz.com.

A Tattoo of Your Family Coat of Arms

I recently received an e-mail from someone who has the same last name as my own. She had searched the web and found that I often write about genealogy and occasionally about coats of arms and crests. She sent me an e-mail that said (in part), "I am looking for a copy of the Eastman family crest because my son would like to have one."

New Ancestry.com Blog

Ancestry.com has joined the list of genealogy bloggers. The company's new 24/7 Family History Circle appeared online on Monday and appears to be off to a good start with a number of articles already online.

The new e-publication replaces the previous Ancestry Daily News that was sent by e-mail and also available on the web site. The good news is that the editor hasn't changed: Juliana Smith remains in charge. She promises to include articles from family history columnists George G. Morgan, Michael Neill, Megan Smolenyak, Maureen Taylor, Paula Warren, and Sherry Irvine, as well as the occasional guest columnist.

Andrew Wait named as Senior Vice President at MyFamily.com

MyFamily.com, Inc. announced today the appointment of Andrew Wait as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Andrew was most recently Senior Director of Marketing, at Kodak Gallery (formerly known as Ofoto), an online photo printing and sharing network.

You can read the full announcement at http://announcements.eogn.com/2006/03/andrew_wait_nam.html

Related post: Andrew Wait named as Senior Vice President at MyFamily.com

(+) Tools for Presenters

As your genealogy expertise increases, you may find yourself in demand as a speaker at genealogy meetings and conferences. If you become knowledgeable about researching a particular ethnic group or the records of a particular area or a genealogy program, others will seek your advice. In fact, being asked to speak on a topic is flattering to the speaker and can also provide a service to those in the audience. The words you speak may help others accomplish tasks they otherwise might never attempt.

Of course, public speaking brings with it many challenges. By far, the biggest obstacle is the butterflies in the stomach. Next, learning how to make public presentations can be a challenge. Finally, in most cases, you need to have "presenters' tools." Nowadays, that means a laptop computer, presentation software, a projector, a laser pointer, and more.

Personal Ancestry Writer II version 50

Personal Ancestry Writer is a free genealogy program for the Macintosh that has been around for years. I first wrote about it nine years ago in the February 10, 1997, edition of this newsletter. (You can read that article at http://eogn.com/archives/news9706.txt). Now author Howard Metcalfe has released version 50. Yes, that's fifty releases.

HB 1357 Will Close Marriage Applications in Colorado

Writing in the Colorado Genealogy Blog, Julie Miller warns:

On Wednesday, 22 March 2006, the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee passed HB 1357 and sent it to the Senate for vote. This bill will close access to the marriage applications in Colorado. We do not know when the HB 1357 will come up for a vote but think that it may happen very soon.

The Colorado genealogical community needs to act NOW! I encourage everyone to take the following steps:

South Dakota Officials Rushed to Judgment on Open Records

"If it weren't true, it would be funny -- but the reasons used by public officials who pushed closing records of marriage licenses, births and deaths to public view are ludicrous."

So states the opening of an editorial in the Madison, South Dakota Daily Leader web site. The article goes on to describe the comedy of state officials trying to lock the public out of public records. The actions were conducted in the best Keystone Cops tradition.

All genealogists, and all state officials, should read the article.

Jamestowne Ancestors 1607-1699

Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis has recently published a new book with the full title of Jamestowne Ancestors 1607-1699 - Commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the Landing at James Towne 1607-2007. This week I had a chance to examine the new book and found it to be an excellent genealogical reference work.

A Piece of American History May Go Up for Sale

In 1629 colonists landed in what is now Salem, Massachusetts. They took possession of the land because they had been granted a Royal Charter of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. The Charter granted permission ''for the planting, ruling, ordering, and governing of Newe England in America." The document was in the possession of John Endicott, the original chief executive of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when he arrived in 1629.

That Royal Charter became a foundational document in U.S. history. Now the Charter could be up for sale to the highest bidder.

ProQuest introduces new Genealogy Center

The following is an announcement from ProQuest Information and Learning:

ProQuest Information and Learning introduced its new Genealogy Center program at the Public Library Association's biennial conference. Genealogy Center resources allow libraries to pick and choose from ProQuest's genealogy databases to create a resource tailored to its community's needs. Among the choices are ProQuest's HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition--which provide such research as census data and vital records--as well as other "clue-rich" databases of newspapers, maps, military records, and archival magazines.

Full story

Related post: ProQuest introduces new Genealogy Center

ProQuest launches British Periodicals

The following is an announcement from ProQuest:

ProQuest launches British Periodicals, containing landmark British texts from across four centuries

In May, ProQuest Information and Learning will launch the first phase of British Periodicals, a suite of new digital collections that will ultimately offer researchers facsimile page images and searchable full text for nearly 500 British periodicals published from the late 17th century to early 20th - a total of around six million pages.

Full story

Related post: ProQuest launches British Periodicals

Brian W. Hutchison Genealogical Scholarship

The Alberta Family Histories Society is pleased to once again announce the availability of the Brian W. Hutchison Genealogical Scholarship of up to $500 to be awarded annually to a Canadian resident, towards the cost of tuition and books, for the recipient to study the field of genealogy and family history in a recognized educational or accreditation program.

Full story

Related post: Brian W. Hutchison Genealogical Scholarship

Frozen French Couple Go Up In Smoke

Genealogists spend lots of time in cemeteries, so perhaps we are all a bit more familiar with the dead than the average citizen. However, I don't know how to handle cryogenically frozen bodies in my genealogy database. How do I record a death event of "temporarily dead?" That's what the proponents of cryogenics would have you consider.

Well, it didn't work out for cryogenics pioneer Doctor Raymond Martinot.

MyFamily.com opens Bellevue, Washington Office

MyFamily.com is based in Provo, Utah, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. The company also has an office in Hammersmith, London, England. Now the company is opening a new sales and marketing, design and engineering office in Bellevue, Washington.

NHPRC Funding Alert

The following is an announcement from the Council of State Archivists Advocacy Committee:

In February the National Historical Publications and Records Commission was again "zeroed out" in the President's proposed budget for FY 2007. No money at all for grants, no money for the administration of NHPRC. The Society of American Archivists, the Council of State Archivists, and the National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators are, therefore, advocating a funding level for NHPRC of $20 million.