Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

The Loss of an Old Friend: WinZip

Almost everyone using Windows computers finds a need to extract compressed ZIP files. For years, I used WinZip, a very popular ZIP file compression/decompression shareware program written by Niko Mak. I registered (paid for) WinZip more than ten years ago. Since then, I have compressed and decompressed thousands of files with WinZip.

Genealogy Help Wanted in Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The Bartlesville Public Library is now receiving applications for a full-time Genealogy/Local History Librarian. This professional position requires an MLS degree from an ALA-accredited institution. State library certification is required within 6 months of hiring.

Last American Survivor of the Titanic Dies

Lillian Gertrud Asplund, 99, the last survivor of the Titanic who remembered its sinking, died Saturday at her home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Asplund was 5 years old when she and her family boarded the ship in Southampton, England, on their way back to Massachusetts. However, the experience of the voyage would remain etched in the little girl's memory for another 94 years. She remembered the icebergs and the pandemonium, and she also remembered saying good-bye to her father and three brothers - including a fraternal twin. She never saw them again.

(+) Commentary: DNA and Lineage Societies

Earlier this week I published an article about a recent DNA study. The study proves that a widely believed legend about Indian chief Blue Jacket is just that: a legend without any truth to it. It is but one more example of science improving the accuracy of genealogy studies. However, the repercussions may be huge to many societies.

PR Budget = $0.00

Long-time readers of this newsletter know that it is private project of mine. It's not part of some publishing empire's stable of publications. It's just Pam and me. I write the articles and do most of the technical, behind-the-scenes work. Pam edits all the articles that I write, converting them to proper grammar with correct punctuation marks. She is also an expert genealogist and a trusted business advisor. Together, she and I pick the topics of new articles.

Another Method of Using FamilySearch.org

Newsletter reader Sandra Quinn sent an e-mail describing her new web site. She has found a user-friendly method of using Batch Numbers. Sandra writes:

ProQuest Reportedly is in a Fight for Survival

I have written articles about ProQuest a number of times recently. The company is well-known in genealogy circles for its product HeritageQuest Online. The company produces online databses of U.S. census records, more than 25,000 local and family history books with every word indexed, Revolutionary War pension records, Freedman's Bank records and more.

Now the Ann Arbor (Michigan) News says that ProQuest is in a fight for survival.

DNA Study Debunks Indian Genealogy Myth

The origins of Shawnee Indian chief Blue Jacket have been debated for years. According to legend, a young man named Marmaduke Van Swearingen, wearing a blue coat, was captured and adopted by the Shawnee around the time of the American Revolutionary War. His younger brother, Charles, watched him being taken, but was allowed to live. The legend also claims that years later, after earning the trust of the Shawnee and rising to the position of war chief, the white man, now viewing himself as an Indian, killed his brother in battle.

(+) The Ultimate Convenience in Data Storage

Would you like to carry your genealogy data with you at all times? How about your e-mail messages, checkbook data, family photographs, and much more, all stuffed inside a tiny device weighing a couple of ounces? When visiting a local Family History Center near you, would you like to quickly and easily copy data from their computers onto a tiny data storage device that you can carry in purse or pocket? Best of all, it is cheap and easy to do so.

Duplicate full-color CDs for just $1.00 each

Many genealogy programs allow you to "publish to CD." That is, your information can be stored on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, suitable for presentation to family members. If you decide to publish information for your family or for your genealogy society, the question quickly arises, "How do we make the disks?"

Update: 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy

The schedule is now on-line for the 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy to be held at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, August 13-18. This six-day genealogy conference will feature about 280 lectures, computer labs, SIG meetings, Birds-of-a-Feather meetings, luncheons, and visits to nearby museums and Jewish cemeteries. Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, will address the 26th Annual conference on Sunday August 13, 2006.

The conference is expected to attract attendees from all over the world. This may be the largest genealogy conference of the year in North America.

(+) No More Excuses: Best Backup Bargain

Computer malfunctions can destroy your data at any time without warning. The most common cause of data loss, however, is human error. More than once, computer users have exclaimed, "Oh @#$%^&*, I didn't mean to delete that!"

Having a recent backup available is the best way to recover from both manmade and other file losses. Computer experts will also tell you to store backup copies of your files "off site" to protect them from major catastrophes, such as fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, or other damage that can destroy computers and backups alike.

The National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region Atlanta

It is a pleasure to introduce another "guest author." The following was written by newsletter reader A. G. Conlon. This article is copyright 2006 by A.G. Conlon and is used here with his permission.

A recent Atlanta business trip permitted time to pursue my genealogical addiction. I spent a wonderful morning within the National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Regional Archives, Atlanta research rooms located in Morrow, GA. The Morrow Georgia facility is fairly new. The facility first opened its doors at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 1, 2005.

RLG to combine with OCLC

Two of the world's largest membership-based information organizations have agreed to join forces. The result will affect many libraries, archives and museums, including libraries with significant genealogy collections.

Update: Daily E-Mail Version of the Standard Edition Newsletter

A couple of weeks ago I announced that the e-mail notifications of the Standard Edition newsletter would be changing from weekly to daily updates. I now have experience with the new daily updates and am generally pleased with them.

The first few days saw formatting changes nearly every day as I learned how to optimize this new bulk mail service. I think that task is done for the time being. 

The new format is much "cleaner" and simpler than the previous weekly newsletters. There is less boilerplate wording, fewer colors, and fewer font changes. The daily update e-mail messages are also very short.

Seeking a roommate for the 2006 FGS conference?

The following is an article written by Bobbi King:

The FGS Boston conference is shaping up to be a great one!

Have you been thinking that having a hotel roommate would help defray your costs in attending this conference? Well, help is on the way: FGS is offering a roommate-finding service.

FGS/NEHGS Conference Registration Online

The Federation of Genealogical Societies has now implemented a new online conference registration system for the upcoming "Birthplace of American Genealogy" conference to be held August 30-September 2, 2006 in Boston.

Family History and Genealogy Conference at BYU

The 38th annual Brigham Young University Family History and Genealogy Conference will be held August 1-4, 2006, in the BYU Conference Center.

More than 100 classes will be offered throughout the conference allowing participants to gain new skills and helpful information. Classes will focus on Beginning Family History, Family History Center Support, Computers and New Programs, Europe/Nordic Research, British Research, U.S. Research, Methodology, and Publishing Family Histories.

The College of Arms

On my recent trip to London, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my hotel was only a few steps from the College of Arms on Queen Victoria Street. This is the organization that grants coats of arms to individuals in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth Countries and to their descendants. I snapped a few pictures of the building, even though the place was closed on the Sunday I was there.

Old-Time Diseases are Back in Style

Our ancestors suffered from many medical problems, especially what we think of as childhood diseases. Mumps, measles, whooping cough, and rickets were common in the past, but doctors started vaccinating widely in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, those diseases have almost been eradicated.

Or have they? Now you have an "opportunity" to share the same diseases that were so prevalent years ago.