Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

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 The contest is open to all members of ISFHWE, both published and unpublished authors.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.

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

(+) 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.

Attention NYG&B Members

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society recently held a special meeting to decide whether or not to sell the society's building at 122 East 58th Street, New York City, as proposed by the Society's management and the Board of Directors. The proposal went to the membership for an approval vote on October 12th, 2006.

Some members have since asked questions about that meeting and the vote. One question revolves around a possible glitch in the mail merge function for the notices that were sent to members. Such a glitch may have resulted in some members not receiving notice of the Special Meeting. 

Everton’s Genealogical Helper To Be Available Online

The following announcement was written by WorldVitalRecords.com:

Provo, UT, January 25, 2007 -- For the first time ever, all of Everton’s Genealogical Helper issues, more than 10,000 pages, will be online January 31st at WorldVitalRecords.com.

“Since 1947, long before the Web, Web 2.0, and community websites, Everton’s Genealogical Helper magazine has been connecting family history researchers and printing their research results, offering an invaluable aid to millions of other researchers,” said Walter Fuller, President and Publisher, Everton Publishers.

Scottish Images of Old Parochial Registers (OPR) are now Online

The Scottish equivalent of the English parish registers have been searchable online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk for some time now, but the website has now added images of the pages. This is a major enhancement of the service for anyone with Scottish ancestry.

St. Vincent & the Grenadines Genealogy Website Changes URL

The following announcement was written by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Genealogy Research Web:

North Little Rock, AR -- 23 Jan., 2007 --  The St. Vincent & the Grenadines Genealogy Research Web has announced its new web address. Formerly located at sv.usaroots.com, the website is now found at svgancestry.com. The niche website debuted in October 2004 offering datasets of records, research tips and historical information for this remote corner of the Caribbean.

Immortal Computing

According to a recent patent application, Microsoft is working on a project they call "immortal computing," which would let people store digital information in durable physical artifacts. The goal is to preserve the information for future generations - and maybe even to future civilizations.

The artifacts would be designed to make the process of accessing the information clear by means of instructions in multiple languages or hieroglyphics. In one possible use, messages for descendants or interactive holograms might be stored on tombstones.

250,000 Utah Death Certificates now Online

The following announcement was written by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - FamilySearch(tm), in conjunction with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Utah State Archives and Records Service, announced today that the state's free online index to death certificates is now linked to original images of the historic documents.

The integration of the index with free digital pictures of the death certificates issued from 1905 to 1954 by the state will open doors to additional information for family historians and genealogists with Utah ties.

Oprah and Ancestry on TV

You might be interested in watching Oprah's Roots tonight on PBS in the United States. It will show the search for her ancestors and will also feature Tony Burroughs, a person mentioned often in this newsletter. He is also the author of Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree.

Ancestorsonboard.com Announces Online Genealogy Database

The following announcement was written by Ancestorsonboard.com:

The Start of the Journey - Americans and Canadians Can Now Trace Their European Ancestors' First Steps Away From Their Homeland

From today U.S. and Canadian citizens can carry out a full online search of all ship passenger records for vessels leaving British ports (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) on voyages to North America and the rest of the world. The easily-searchable, user-friendly database covers journeys taken between 1890 and 1960 and can be accessed at www.ancestorsonboard.com.

House Passes Lantos Bill to Preserve Family Records of Descendants of Slaves

The House of Representatives has passed legislation by Congressman Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo, San Francisco) to ensure that many of the genealogical records involving the families of former slaves in this country will be preserved, digitized and cataloged.

Ancestry.com Appoints Megan Smolenyak as Chief Family Historian

The following announcement was written by The Generations Network:

PROVO, Utah, Jan. 23  -- Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, today announced the appointment of Megan Smolenyak as Chief Family Historian.

Ms. Smolenyak, an award-winning professional and author/co-author of four books, has an impressive background in the family history industry with several decades of experience.  Ms. Smolenyak most recently rewrote history by uncovering the true story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant to come through Ellis Island.

Family History Library Goes Wireless

Rumor has it that the technical staff is now installing a Wi-Fi wireless network in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The installation reportedly started last Thursday.

The LDS Church has long had wireless networks available in other church buildings in Salt Lake City. However, all networks in the past have been fully encrypted and cannot be accessed without an encryption key. The encryption information is never given to visitors.

Will the new network in the Family History Library be open and available for patron use? Stay tuned…

New Library in Fort Wayne Wows Visitors

It won’t open officially until Saturday, but some patrons got to tour the new Allen County Public Library on Sunday. The Library has long been famous for having one of the largest genealogy collections in the country. A new building has been constructed and will be open on Saturday.

During the pre-opening tour, Rudy Wuttke scanned through volumes in the genealogy section of the library and said, “I feel like a kid with a new toy in here.”

Parents Win Dead Son Sperm Case

I am curious how the following scenario should be written in the family genealogy records following the birth of a child:

An Israeli couple won the right to use their dead son's sperm to inseminate a woman he never met. Their lawyer says the case is a boost for family rights. Irit Rosenblum told the BBC the landmark ruling meant family lines could continue, even without the written consent of the male prior to death. The dead man, soldier Keivin Cohen, was killed in the Gaza Strip in 2002.