Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Free book downloads to be offered by Google

The following is an announcement written by M2 Communications Ltd:

Aug 31, 2006 -- Internet company Google Inc (NasdaqGS:GOOG) has revealed plans that will enable consumers to download and print a variety of books free of charge, using its Book Search service. The new service is part of Google's Library Project, which involves five libraries. The company is digitalising books to make them searchable at http://books.google.com.

American Antiquarian Society Newspaper Collection goes Online

The American Antiquarian Society has one of the finest, if not THE finest, collections of seventeenth through twentieth century newspapers available anywhere in North America. The newspapers are housed in the Society's headquarters in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the beginning of the 2006 FGS conference, the American Antiquarian Society and their partner, NewsBank, announced that many of those newspapers will soon be available online.

FGS Report - Day #1

The 2006 annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies opened on Thursday in Boston, Massachusetts. The event is being held in the Hynes Auditorium, which seems to be a perfect place for an event of this type. The weather was partly cloudy and cool, almost autumn-like. However, not many of the attendees noticed since this convention center is connected by indoor walkways to several hotels, dozens of restaurants and many other facilities. There is no reason to go outdoors!

FGS 2008 Conference to be in Philadelphia

The Federation of Genealogical Societies has announced that its 2008 annual conference will be held in Philadelphia with James Beidler in charge. I had a chance to talk with him at length about the project. Preliminary plans are just being formed right now and nothing is ready for announcement. However, it is clear that Jim and the others are not limiting their thoughts to "traditional ideas."

Online Norwegian Genealogy Resources

Finding information online about Norwegian ancestry can be difficult. However, new sites are appearing frequently. Here is a list of a few sites that I have found. If you have others, please post the information at the end of this article.

ProQuest Launches the Digital Collection of Obituaries

On the opening day of the Federation of Genealogical Societies' annual conference in Boston, ProQuest Information and Learning made the following announcement:

ANN ARBOR Mich., August 30, 2006 — ProQuest Information and Learning announces the launch of ProQuest Obituaries™, offering access to obituaries and death notices from the full runs of major national newspapers dating back to 1851.  ProQuest Obituaries enables users to easily find ancestors and historical figures, and to trace their family histories through a database of more than 10 million names. To familiarize users with the database’s rich content, ProQuest developed “In Passing”, a free weekly e-newsletter that highlights particularly interesting passages from ProQuest Obituaries, the latest addition to the ProQuest Genealogy Center.  Librarian subscribers will be able to use this newsletter to promote the rich rewards of genealogy research during October, which is Family History Month.

The 1798 Rebellion: Claimants and Surrenders

If you have Irish ancestry, you will be interested in a CD-ROM disk available from Eneclann, called The 1798 Rebellion: Claimants and Surrenders. This disk provides information about more than 8,000 people in Ireland at the time, both those who took up arms and those whose property was damaged or stolen. These groups come from every social background, from poor labourers and artisans to aristocratic families.

Shambellie House Museum of Costume

Whether it's seeing what your ancestors may have worn in a bygone age or having a picnic on the lawn, there's plenty to see and do at a marvelous museum in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.  The Shambellie House Museum of Costume is set in a Victorian house in beautiful wooded grounds.

Library of Virginia and ProQuest to Digitize Major Historic Newspapers

The following is a press release written by ProQuest:

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 28 -- The Library of Virginia is partnering with ProQuest Information and Learning on the digitization of historically significant newspapers. The Library is one of six pilot sites to receive funds from the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP -- http://www.neh.gov/projects/ndnp.html and http://www.loc.gov/ndnp), a long- term effort by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress to develop an internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers. ProQuest is working with the Library of Virginia to digitize key titles covering the time period 1900-1910, including The Richmond Times-Dispatch. In addition, the Library of Congress has chosen ProQuest as a partner to digitally convert 10 years of the New York Tribune to NDNP specifications for inclusion in the NDNP repository.

A Peek at MyFamily.com

A press release from an advertising firm reveals a bit of information about MyFamily.com, the parent company of Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, RootsWeb and other genealogy-related sites. As a privately-held company, MyFamily.com does not need to disclose its finances to the public. Yet an article in AdWeek states that the company grosses approximately $150 million annually.

World's Oldest Person Dies at Age 116

Genealogists record dates of birth, death, and other major life events. It seems appropriate that we should take note of those who exceed the norm. Maria Esther de Capovilla, believed to be the world's oldest person, has died at the age of 116. Born on Sept. 14, 1889, the same year as Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler, Capovilla was married in 1917 and widowed in 1949.

The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!

And so are the Irish, the Canadians, the Swedes, and many Americans. They will all be at the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) annual conference being held in Boston on Wednesday through Saturday of this week.

Some of the non-U.S. organizations being represented at this year's FGS conference include:

(+) Find Anything on Your Hard Drive Within Seconds

I always had a difficult time finding things on my computer. I often used to remark, "Now where did I put that?" Old newsletter articles, e-mail messages from two years ago, a web page that I saved earlier this year, the letter I wrote to the local newspaper, and many more items seem to disappear amongst the thousands of items stored on my hard drive. I have been known to search and search for items only to eventually give up without ever finding them.

I have tens of thousands of e-mail messages from the past several years stored on my hard drive. Finding a specific message used to be a rather tedious task. Sometimes I never found the message I was looking for, even though I was certain it was stored someplace on my Windows system's hard drive.

Hannah Dustin Controversy in Massachusetts

A debate is brewing in Haverhill, Massachusetts, over an appropriate symbol to signify the city's rebirth. City fathers have seized upon the story of Hannah Dustin as a symbol of bravery. Others in the city are not so sure she deserves the honor.

Skypecast #3: The Plans Expand

This newsletter's third genealogy "Skypecast" was held on August 24 and 25. This time we had attendees from all over the United States and Canada as well as from New Zealand, Argentina, Austria, and even one person who was in an oasis in the western Sahara Desert, one of the most sparsely settled areas in the world!

Help Wanted in Alexandria, Virginia

The Alexandria Public Library is looking for a Manager of Local History/Special Collections. The person to be hired will be a member of the library's senior level management team.

Roots Television

The following is from Megan's Roots World (written by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak)  and is republished here with permission:

Roots Television Coming Soon!

(+) Update: A Robust Document Management System for Genealogists

Several people asked questions about my recent article describing my experiences with a Document Management System. I thought I would post my answers and comments here where everyone can read them.

Diversity Brings Breadth to U.S. History

American students often get the impression from history classes that the British got here first, settling Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. They hear about how white Northerners freed the black slaves, how Asians came in the mid-1800s to build Western railroads. The lessons have left out a lot.

Residential Genealogy Online

Would you like to know who lived in your home many years ago? Or perhaps you want to find the home of your ancestors in the 19th century. A new online site can help. Historic Map Works has unveiled a new way to link people and places throughout history.