Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Follow-Up: NARA Proposal to Increase Fees

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has proposed a huge increase in fees charged to individuals who seek copies of documents held by the agency. In the past, NARA's fee increases have been "slam dunk" actions: NARA asks and then NARA receives. Now you have a chance to change that and to convince government bureaucrats that the people they serve really need to be served properly.

Court Hearing on NYG&B's Proposed Building Sale

I have written several times recently about the proposed sale of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society's headquarters building in New York City. Several months ago, the Board of Directors of the Society voted to sell the building for $24 million and then move the Society's headquarters and library to a yet-unannounced location. Some members of the Society have objected to the sale and also to the manner in which ballots were sent to members asking for approval. You can read my past articles about this issue at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/09/nygb_to_sell_it.html, http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/01/attention_nygb_.html and at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/02/nygbs_response_.html.

Now NYG&B concerned member Roger D. Joslyn reports that the process requires approval by a justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Roger asks concerned NYG&B members to write to the justice. The problem is time: you must do so NOW.

Here is Roger's letter:

Immigrant Servants Database now Online

The following announcement was written by Nathan W. Murphy:

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Online Database of Indentured Servants, Redemptioners, and Transported Convicts

PROJECT TITLE: Immigrant Servants Database

PROJECT URL: www.immigrantservants.com

DESCRIPTION: Nathan W. Murphy, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Utah, and employee of Price & Associates Genealogical Services (project sponsor) is using skills he developed as a professional genealogist to reconstruct a passenger arrival list of indentured servants coming to Colonial America. The project will continue for several years. It follows in the spirit of Peter Wilson Coldham's efforts to publish passenger departure lists from sources in the United Kingdom and Ireland for indentured servants and transported convicts, but focuses on tapping American sources of immigrant servant arrivals to complement the UK data.

Dutch Family History Workshop - Call for Papers

The following announcement was written by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society:

The Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch will be holding a day-long workshop on Saturday, August 11, 2007, that will acknowledge the important and very long-standing contribution of people with ancestry from the Netherlands.

We are looking for proposals for presentations on any aspect of Dutch family history, including (but not limited to) sources, research techniques, historical background, Dutch migration or settlement in Canada or other parts of the world, language or paleography, libraries, archives, and online resources.

New Website for Burke’s Peerage

The following announcement was written by The Origins Network:

A brand new website for Burke's Peerage has just been launched.  Specialists in Irish and British online genealogy, The Origins Network (www.originsnetwork.com) have totally re-designed the Burke's Peerage Online service (www.burkes-peerage.net), making it much easier to search the rich genealogical database and to access an extraordinary range of detailed articles and essays on many aspects of the culture and traditions of the British Isles.

The Burke's Peerage Online database includes detailed genealogical information on over 15,000 families (some going back over 1,000 years) whose members shaped the history and evolution of Britain and Ireland and North America.  Over a million family members are included.

MacFamilyTree 4.4.1

Macintosh owners have fewer family tree programs to choose from than their Windows-using cousins. Luckily, two or three of the Macintosh programs are just as good as some of the genealogy programs for other operating systems. One of them is MacFamilyTree, and version 4.4.1 of the program has just been released.

MacFamilyTree is a Universal Binary program, so it runs well on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. The OS X operating system 10.3.9 or later is required. MacFamilyTree features the same kind of easy-to-use interface that Macintosh applications are famous for. It provides a crisp and clean overview of all your relations. It also excels at graphics, printing, and publishing your family tree on the Internet or on CD-ROM disk. MacFamilyTree is entirely based on the GEDCOM standard for easy exchange of genealogical data with other programs - Macintosh, Windows, and Linux programs alike.

Is Your Computer Ready for Daylight Savings Time?

This Sunday, March 11, is the new beginning of daylight saving time in the U.S. and Canada. Some computers will handle the change automatically while others may need to be manually reset. Some alarmists are saying this will be a mini-Y2K with all sorts of broken equipment. I think these folks are over reacting but I would suggest that you be familiar with the issues before March 11, just in case you have to change something.

Geni.com Raises $10 Million in Funding

In January, I wrote about the launch of a new web site that is more of social networking service than a traditional genealogy database. Geni.com has received mixed reviews. You can read my article plus the numerous comments by newsletter readers at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/01/genicom_launche.html. You will note that not all of those comments were positive.

Now Geni.com has raised $10 million in venture capital.

Microsoft Books to Challenge Google Books

Microsoft has launched an online library in a move to compete against Google's controversial project to digitize the world's books. Consumers benefit any time when two industry giants meet in head-to-head competition. In this case, genealogists will benefit as they have even more free genealogy and local history books to search.

(+) Multiple Computers on Your Desktop?

In my recent article on "Hasta La Vista," I mentioned, "I have had this powerful Windows Vista computer sitting on my desktop for a month now, alongside two older Windows XP systems, a Macintosh and a Ubuntu Linux computer." A newsletter reader wrote to suggest that I must have a very large desk in order to hold that many monitors, keyboards, and mice! 

Not really. In fact, I have one monitor, one keyboard, one mouse, and five computers.

Free Online Storage Services

Online storage services are a great way to store off-site backup copies of your most critical information. I have written about such services a number of times. In the prestigious Extreme Tech web site, Michael W. Muchmore describes six such services. There is one difference between my articles and Muchmore's: his review discusses only the online storage services that are available free of charge.

NGS Announces a New UpFront Newsletter Editor

The following announcement was written by Jan Alpert, NGS President:

Congratulations and thank you!

It is with mixed emotions that I congratulate Liz Kelley Kerstens on her new position as executive director of the Plymouth (Michigan) Historical Museum (www.plymouthhistory.org). As a result of her new responsibilities, Liz has resigned as editor of UpFront following this issue. I want to thank Liz for stepping up when we needed help with UpFront. Liz, we wish you much success in your new role with the Plymouth Historical Museum.

Comments about NGS' New UpFront Newsletter Editor

You may have read the recent announcement from the U.S. National Genealogical Society about a change in newsletter editors. Liz Kerstens has done a great job in recent years but has new opportunities that she wishes to pursue. All I can say to Liz is, "You did a great job!"

I was delighted to learn that Pam Cerutti has been named NGS Newsletter Editor. In the NGS announcement, there was a statement, "Pam Cerutti is the editor of another well-known electronic newsletter and previous editor of an award winning family newsletter." I'll spill the beans: Pam has been editor of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter for more than eleven years.

NGS announces Scholarship for Home Study Course

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society:

The National Genealogical Society will be awarding one scholarship for American Genealogy: A Home Study Course. The scholarship will cover the cost of all three CDs as well as the grading of assignments and comments provided by experienced genealogists. This represents a value of $475.

All NGS members pursuing a career in genealogy are encouraged to apply. The course is an in-depth learning opportunity aimed at the intermediate to advanced researcher. Applicants should have previous experience with recording genealogical information, using family and published sources, vital records, and writing some citations for birth, death, and marriage information.

A Computer Keyboard Just Like Granddad's

Well, maybe that is a stretch. However, one enthusiastic fan of retro equipment has created a keyboard for his PC that looks like it was manufactured about a century ago. It is gorgeous. If your home is decorated in the retro style of a century ago, this would be the perfect addition to your computer room.

You can see pictures and even a video of how to make your own retro keyboard at http://steampunkworkshop.com/keyboard.shtml.

NOTE: Machinists' skills and access to machinery is required to duplicate this effort.

Southern Claims Commission 1871-1880 Online

Disclaimer: This article describes a new offering from Footnote, Inc., the sponsors of this newsletter. There is a possibility that I am displaying some bias in favor of the sponsor, although I honestly don't think that is the case. I'll simply mention the possibility and then let you judge for yourself.

One of the most valuable sources of genealogy for anyone with southern U.S. ancestry went online a couple of months ago. The Southern Claims Commission records can provide a wealth of information not found in census records, church records, tax lists, or elsewhere. In fact, for many people who lived in the southern states during and after the Civil War, the Southern Claims Commission records often are the only source of family relationships that still survive today. Surprisingly, many genealogists with southern roots are not even aware of this valuable resource.

Hasta La Vista

Are you thinking of upgrading your Windows system to run Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system? "Don't do it!" says Tim Weber, Business Editor of the BBC News website. He tried and had huge problems.

Says Weber, 'It took me one day to get online. The detail is tedious and highly technical: reinstalling drivers and router firmware didn't work, but after many trial and error tweaks to Vista's TCP/IP settings, I had internet access. Once online, Creative's website told me that my sound card was a write-off. No Vista support would be forthcoming.'"

Win a Free Registration to the NGS Conference

The following announcement was written by Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc:

Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc. is giving away a free registration to the National Genealogical Society national conference "Rediscover Virginia" being held May 16 - 19, 2007 at Richmond, Virginia. To enter, visit the Fun Stuff web site: http://www.FunStuffForGenealogists.com and click on the link on the front page. Simply send an e-mail as directed. One entry per person. Winner will be drawn on Thursday, May 3rd. This is for a full registration and does not include travel, meals or hotel stay. See the web site for more details.

Reunion Version 9

Reunion is probably the most popular genealogy program for the Macintosh. Now Leister Productions has released a major update: Reunion version 9.

The company's web site says that version 9 adds many new features, including:

Barack Obama's Ancestors Owned Slaves

Wire services carried an article a few days ago describing the relationship of the families of segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Now another politician has been linked to slavery in a manner that may surprise all. It seems that Barack Obama's ancestors owned slaves.

Mr. Obama's immediate ancestry is well known. His father is a black man from Kenya, and his mother is a white woman from Kansas. William Addams Reitwiesner, who works at the Library of Congress and practices genealogy in his spare time, spent time researching Obama's ancestry and found that his mother's family owned slaves, according to census records.