Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

(+) Create Images of Old Documents and Photos: No Scanner Needed - Part #2

  NOTE: This is the continuation of a two-part article. Part #1 may be found at http://www.eogn.com/blogplus/2007/01/_create_images_of_old_document.html

Use Your Computer BEFORE Snapping That Picture!

Using all the techniques I have described can result in great images of documents. However, I still have experienced frustrations with one thing in almost all of today's digital cameras: trying to focus and making the other required adjustments through the camera's viewfinder. The cheaper cameras use separate viewfinders. Whatever I see in the viewfinder never looks the same as the final photograph. More sophisticated cameras let you look at a tiny screen on the back of the camera, but that never seems to accurately reflect exactly what the camera sees. The tiny back-of-camera display screens are typically very poor at reproducing accurate color and contrast images. I find that I can't make accurate adjustments when using back-of-camera display screens.

East Tennessee History Award Nominations Sought

The following announcement was written by the East Tennessee Historical Society:

The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) is seeking nominations from across East Tennessee for awards of excellence in the field of history.  Each year, the society recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, and interpretation of the region’s history.

ISFHWE Writing Competition Announced

The following announcement was written by the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE ):

The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors is sponsoring its annual “Excellence in Writing” competition to recognize excellence in genealogical columns and articles. The contest is open to all members of ISFHWE, both published and unpublished authors.

Pocket Genealogist Version 3.03 is Released

Northern Hills Software has released an update for the company's very popular Pocket Genealogist for Windows Mobile (also called PocketPC), which runs on handheld computers. The new release adds a few minor updates plus one major addition: support for Windows Vista.

The Second Largest Genealogy Library in the World has Reopened

The Allen County (Indiana) Public Library closed some months ago and was moved to temporary quarters. The plan was to build a new $64 million county library with a huge section of the new facility devoted to genealogy books, microfilms, CD-ROM disks, online access, and more. The plan apparently worked. The new facility has opened on the planned date, and first reports indicate that it is gorgeous.

Two-Way Radios in the Cemeteries

Have you and a friend ever gone "cemetery hunting?" I am referring to a joint effort in which two or more people mentally "divide" a cemetery into sections, and then each person searches through his or her section alone looking for specific tombstones while the other searcher(s) does the same in a different section.

I have conducted joint effort cemetery searches many times and suspect that you have, too. However, upon discovering a particular tombstone, you have to shout to the other person. In a large cemetery, the other person(s) may be some distance away, making shouting impractical. There may even be a safety issue involved with a twisted ankle or insect bites. Yelling loud enough to wake the dead isn't a good solution in a cemetery!

U.K. Surplus Microfilms Offered Free of Charge

Microfilms of U.K. War Cabinet minutes are being offered to anyone who can make use of them.

Following a rationalisation of duplicated surrogate copies in the reading rooms at Kew, the National Archives of the United Kingdom is offering the following batch of redundant microfilms of War Cabinet minutes, free, on a first-come, first-served basis:

Office of National Statistics in London to Move

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) will move from the Family Records Centre in 2008.

The ONS intends to close its public search facility, currently located at the Family Records Centre (FRC) in Islington, and instead to make indexes available at The National Archives (TNA) in Kew. The relocation is expected to be complete by April 2008. The services currently provided by ONS in Islington will then cease.

The news release can be read at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/frc0107.pdf

(+) Create Images of Old Documents and Photos: No Scanner Needed - Part #1

NOTE: This is the first installment of a two-part article.

Genealogists often have a need to make reproductions of old family documents, such as wedding certificates, military discharge papers, immigration documents, and especially of old photographs. Another common requirement is to make copies of pages in a book, be it a published genealogy book or entries from the book of deeds at a county courthouse.

The most common method of making digital copies is to use a computer scanner. Scanners have worked well for thousands of genealogists. However, scanners are not always available at the time of need. Also, the owners of delicate documents, especially bound books, may not want the documents to be handled by placing them in a scanner. Finally, oversized documents, such as deed books and many certificates, are especially problematic. Many of the documents genealogists encounter do not fit nicely into a desktop scanner designed for use with 8-1/2-inch by 11-inch or A4 documents. Luckily, today's technology offers several solutions.

Scanners are not the only way to create digital images. You may already own a great analog-to-digital image conversion tool. Perhaps you even carried it on your last family vacation. It's called a digital camera.

(+) How to Create PDF Files for Little or No Money

I am always amazed at how fast the technology world changes. A few years ago, the only way to create PDF (Portable Document Format) files was to pay $300 for Adobe Acrobat. Indeed, Adobe created a great market for this product when it gave away the reader free of charge and then charged a high price for the matching program that creates PDF files. It reminds me of the story of Gillette making millions by giving away razors free of charge and then making a big profit on the sale of razor blades. For several years, Adobe raked in millions of dollars as the only company that offered a program to create PDF files.