Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Jacqueline Depelle - The Hat Lady

You HAVE to see this lady's hat. This is another interview from the recent National History Show in London. Jacqueline certainly had the most interesting hat at the show. She carries her genealogy on her hat.

You can see this video by clicking on the link below:

To view the video, click on the above image. If that does not work for you, you can also view it by going to http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid464120989/bclid240119644/bctid931731244.

More Web Site Service Providers Team with FamilySearch

FamilySearch is announcing still more content providers that will be offering data through local FamilySearch Centers near you and through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Note that all the providers listed below except for two have been announced previously in this newsletter and elsewhere. The new additions are: Heritage Quest/ProQuest and Kindred Konnections.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch (formerly Genealogical Society of Utah), a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Popular web sites available for free through local Family History Centers

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH-FamilySearch has announced the addition of more popular online genealogy services available for free through worldwide family history centers. The expanded services are in keeping with FamilySearch's goal to provide increased access to records that will assist individuals in family history pursuits. New resources include:

Boston Streets: Mapping City Directory Data

Tufts University has a web site that will interest most anyone researching ancestors or studying history in the city of Boston. "Boston Streets" combines city directories, maps, and photographs to tell the story of Boston over the last 160 years.

The web site provides zoomable maps from 1844, 1867, 1874, 1898, 1928, 1950, and 2001. These maps are combined with searchable city directories from 1845, 1855, 1865, 1870, 1872, 1875, 1885, 1905, and 1925. While these directories are only a sample of the many directories printed over the years, you will find more than 2 million unique entries. You may be able to find your ancestors listed in a city directory, then plot their location on the maps. Older maps often showed ward boundaries—very handy for anyone working with Boston census schedules.

The End of the Palm Operating System

The Palm Pilot was the first wildly successful product that enabled us to walk around with a small computer in our pockets. Palm and the Palm OS (operating system) have been very popular. Likewise, GedStar Pro has become a very popular genealogy program for the Palm operating system, used by thousands of genealogists to carry their databases in a pocket or purse.

Numerous reports now claim that the new Treo 755p, just released by Sprint Nextel Corp., will be the last product to ship with the Palm OS.

Society Names Irvin's Place in History

There's the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame -- and now the Virgina V. Irvin Volunteer Hall of Fame for the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society.

Those who have a hall of fame named after them usually have done something so extraordinary that a mere place in a hall of fame isn't enough. More than 220 members of the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society recently named their hall after Virgina Irvin.

An Interview with Paul Blake

This is one of a continuing series of video interviews conducted recently at the National History Show in London. I had the opportunity to talk with Paul Blake, co-author (with Maggie Loughran) of Discover Your Roots as well as numerous magazine articles. Paul is also a frequent lecturer. In this video, Paul talks about how to research British ancestors, even if you live in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand or some other location that is distant from England.

The interview was videotaped by Roots Television and you can watch it right now on your computer by clicking on the icon below.

To view the video, click on the above image. If that does not work for you, you can also view it by going to http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid464120989/bclid240119644/bctid909829571

2008 NGS Research Trip to Salt Lake City

The following is an announcement written by the U.S. National Genealogical Society:

Sunday 24 February – Sunday 2 March 2008

The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce a research trip to the Family History Library in February 2008. This is the ninth annual trip sponsored by NGS and as in previous years, the trip will be co-led by Dereka Smith, MLS and Shirley Langdon Wilcox, CG, FNGS.

Ancestry.com Launches Largest US Military Records Collection Available Online

The following announcement was written by The Generations Network, parent company of Ancestry.com:

Ancestry.com is announcing it has launched the largest collection of U.S. military records available and searchable online, featuring more than 90 million names that span more than four centuries of American history from the 1600s through Vietnam.

This U.S. Military Collection includes exclusive record sets such as the only complete collection of WWI draft registration cards and commemorative military yearbooks and newspapers. Combined, the records bring to life the stories and sacrifices of the millions of brave men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Resources (Revised)

Elizabeth Shown Mills is well known in genealogy circles for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is her excellent book, Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian. This book is the definitive guide about how to cite sources in any genealogy work. I wrote a review of this book when it first appeared ten years ago, and I was very impressed with it. I have used it often ever since.

Almost two years ago, Elizabeth produced a condensed QuickSheet that is equally valuable. It consists of four laminated pages. It focuses on online sources, a subject that has grown in importance since her book "Evidence!" was published. A lot of information is crammed into these four pages. A revised edition of the QuickSheet is now available.

An Interview with Maggie Laughran

While at the recent National History Show in London, I had a chance to interview Maggie Laughran. Maggie is the Administrator of the Federation of Family History Societies, one of the largest genealogy organizations in England. Maggie described the activities of the organization and provided a lot of information about resources available in England.

The interview was videotaped by Roots Television, and you can watch it right now on your computer.

To view the video, click on the above image. If that does not work for you, you can also view it by going to http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid429035835/bclid240119644/bctid900702978