Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

GenealogyPays.com Offers $30,000 Cash Prize and Free Features for Genealogical Societies

I publish lots of genealogy-related announcements and press releases in this newsletter. However, the one I received today is very different from anything else that I have received in a long, long time. The announcement describes a contest site aimed at genealogists and offering cash prices to both individuals and societies.

Here is the press release from Mattatuck Consulting, followed by a few of my comments. I'd suggest you read the press release closely as this web site is unique:

Trumbull, CT - Organizations serving a growing worldwide interest in genealogy and family history will get a unique boost in their sustained online marketing efforts today as Mattatuck Consulting launches www.GenealogyPays.com - a new service designed to connect family historians with products, services, events, and destinations relating directly to their ancestral pursuits.

A Video Interview with David Nicholson

At the recent Who Do You Think You Are Live/National History Show in London, I had the chance to interview several interesting people. David Nicholson certainly qualifies as "interesting." He is the Director of DNA Worldwide and is a DNA expert. In this interview from RootsTelevision.com, David gives a brief background of the research you can accomplish by using DNA. Would you believe 170,000 years? David also described the services of DNA Worldwide.

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

 

If the above link does not work for you, you can also view it by going to http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid464120989/bclid240119644/bctid987399411

80 Megabytes of Storage for Under $12K!

Sometimes the study of history involves rather recent events. For instance, computer history is usually less than 50 years old. Now Computer World has highlighted a number of computer ads from the past forty years or so. Compared to today's technology, they sound even much older than what they are.

For instance, consider the 1977 ad for "this 80MB disk system for less than $12K -- and even better, 300MB for under $20K!" ($20,000 US). Not irresistible today, but apparently this was a bargain back when the ad was published. So good, in fact, that those prices were valid only for resellers buying at least 40 systems. Today you cannot find disk drives as small as 300 megabytes. In fact, you can now purchase half-terabyte drives (that's 500,000 megabytes) for about $130.

Scottish Family History Workshop Call for Papers

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

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of the North York Central Library will be co-hosting a one-day workshop on Scottish family history research in Toronto on November 10.

We are looking for speakers who would like to be part of the workshop.

You are invited to submit proposals for lectures on any aspect of genealogical research about the Scottish in Canada, in Scotland, or in any part of the world.

DNAPrint Genomics Releases EuroDNA 2.0

The following announcement was written by DNAPrint Genomics:

SARASOTA, FL -- DNAPrint® Genomics (OTCBB: DNAG) has announced the release of the long-awaited EuroDNA(TM) 2.0 (http://ancestrybydna.com/welcome/productsandservices/eurodna/ancestrykit/) ancestry indicator, which complements DNAPrint®'s powerful line of ancestry testing products.

Richard Gabriel, Chief Executive Officer of DNAPrint® Genomics, sees many applications for EuroDNA(TM) 2.0. "Our customers have been requesting a more in-depth test, and we are excited to be able to give them our EuroDNA(TM) 2.0 test, which delivers more specific bio-geographical ancestry categories than our previous tests," Mr. Gabriel said.

Lynchburg, VA Records to Be Available Soon

Twenty thousand pages of burial records for Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery soon will become available, thanks to Tony Gilreath. He creates digital photographs of old archives and puts them on the Internet for genealogical research.  Tony has spent the past week recording more than 20,000 pages of burial records from Diuguid's Funeral Home.

You can read more about this new resource on the WBDJ web site at http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6660418&nav=S6aK.

Weapon Dates Bowhead Whale to 1800s

The wire services are carrying stories about a 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month which had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt more than a century ago. Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3½-inch, arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old.

The bomb lance fragment, lodged in a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time. The bomb lance was patented in 1879 and was used for about twenty years. It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890.

Ancestry.com Enters DNA Genealogy Field

As predicted last night, Ancestry.com is adding DNA information. This morning's announcement was written by The Generations Network, parent company of Ancestry.com:

Ancestry.com Enters DNA Genealogy Field Through Exclusive Partnership With Sorenson Genomics

Combines Three Major Pillars of Family History Research - Historical Records, DNA and Family Trees

PROVO, Utah, June 18 -- A new partnership seeks to reunite families through science. The Generations Network, parent company of Ancestry.com, has announced it will combine its unrivaled collection of online family trees and historical documents with Sorenson Genomics' precision ancestral DNA testing. This unique partnership promises to revolutionize family history by allowing people to trace their roots and connect to distant cousins through DNA at the click of a mouse.

DNA Results to be Added to Ancestry.com

For less than $200 (U.S.) and a cheek-swiped cotton swab, amateur historians apparently will soon add DNA results to family tree Web sites. Late Sunday evening rumors claim that a new partnership is about to be announced between Ancestry.com and Sorenson Genomics, a DNA research firm.

Ancestry.com reportedly plans to launch the DNA testing product by the end of summer, offering customers the possibility of finding DNA matches in the site's 24,000 genealogical databases.

(+) How to Make Money Selling Genealogy Information - Part I

This is the first installment of a five-part article.

The computer revolution, and especially the Internet revolution, has created business opportunities for thousands of everyday citizens. To create and sell goods or information, it is no longer necessary to have a "bricks and mortar" store. Likewise, to launch a mail order business, it is no longer necessary to have a fleet of trucks. In fact, you do not even need to maintain specific office hours when your business is open to the public. All you need is a personal computer and a presence in cyberspace. Your business will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even if you happen to be sleeping at the moment.

Up, Up and Away

I'd like to thank newsletter reader Carol Conroy and Ron Thornton for a great Saturday morning experience. Carol read an earlier article in which I mentioned that I have a pilot's license and love to fly tiny aircraft. It seems that Carol and Ron own a hot air balloon. They offered to take me and newsletter editor Pam Cerutti for a ride.

How could I say no?

La Kermesse Festival in Biddeford, Maine

A 25-year-old annual tradition of celebrating Biddeford's Franco-American heritage will take place on June 21 through 24. This year's festival is "Anniversaire d'Argent" (Silver Anniversary) for La Kermesse. "C'est le temps de celebrer notre 25ieme," says Priscille Gagnon, chairman. Translation: "La Kermesse is Biddeford's Franco-American celebration."

Tourtiere and baked beans are popular dinner selections at La Kermesse. I must admit that I haven't enjoyed tourtiere since I was a child. (Tourtiere is a meat pie, usually pork. It also contains potatoes, onions, cinnamon, cloves and perhaps other spices as well.) My French-Canadian grandmother was a tourtiere expert.

"Cream of Wheat" Man Finally Gets Grave Marker

A man widely believed to be the model for the smiling chef on Cream of Wheat boxes finally has a grave marker bearing his name. Frank L. White died in 1938 in Leslie, Michigan, and until this week his grave in Woodlawn Cemetery bore only a tiny concrete marker with no name.
On Wednesday a granite gravestone was placed at his burial site. It bears his name and an etching taken from the man depicted on the Cream of Wheat box.

An In-depth Look at Footnote.com - Part #3

Footnote.com: You Are in Control

NOTE: This is the third and final part of an article that looks at the many services available at www.footnote.com.

If you have read the two earlier articles in this series, you already know that Footnote.com contains images of millions of historical documents, as well as thousands of member-contributed web pages of text, images, ideas, opinions, and discoveries. Most of the site is now available to you free of charge; the only fees are those required to view the images of original documents placed online by Footnote.com. Even user-contributed images can be viewed at no charge.

In this, the final article, I will describe how your privacy is protected and some of the methods used to keep all pages focused on history.

Vermont History Expo

Would you like to visit 150 Vermont historical societies, museums, and heritage organizations? Even better, would you like to do so in one afternoon? Still better, you can also taste Vermont foods, listen to old-time music, and participate in a number of other activities in the same afternoon.

The annual Vermont History Expo will be held on June 23 and 24 in the metropolis of Tunbridge, Vermont. The Expo is held at the same site as the annual Tunbridge World's Fair.

Here is a note to anyone who has never been to Tunbridge: that's an inside joke. Tunbridge has a population of about 1,300 people for most of the year, increasing by several thousand for two days each June for the Vermont History Expo and again in September for the Tunbridge World's Fair. Actually, the Tunbridge World's Fair is a county fair that has run for 136 years, but organizers decided years ago to call it a "world's fair" to attract more people. The name stuck.

Online Database of U.S. WW II Missing in Action and POWs

The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) has created the first electronic listing of missing personnel from the Second World War. The records came from two historical sources: Rosters of Military Personnel Whose Remains Were Not Recovered, 1951-1954, and The World War II Rosters of the Dead (All Services). POWs and MIAs are listed as well as those buried at sea. Entries on this website were created by corroborating names and service numbers that appear in both sources.

A Video Interview with Beau Sharbrough

I met Beau Sharbrough at the recent Who Do You Think You Are Live/National History Show in London. Beau is the Senior Director of Content Strategy and Acquisition at Footnote.com. He is also a good friend of mine and a person I love to talk with. The Roots Television crew also had a camera crew nearby and they were kind enough to videotape my conversation with Beau.

In this interview, Beau gives an overview of Footnote.com's many offerings and mentions some of the features that are not well known. He talks extensively about the features that will appeal to genealogists and also goes into some detail about how anyone can contribute even more information to the site.

Personal Ancestry Writer II 69 for Macintosh

Personal Ancestry Writer II is an excellent, but somewhat lesser known, genealogy program for Macintosh systems. It is capable of holding more than 2 billion individual entries, each of which can hold more than 2 billion characters of text (and up to 10 spouses/partners with up to 30 children each). It features a user interface that is easy to use. In fact, entering data is a snap.

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness Partners with FamilyLink.com

The following announcement was written by Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) and FamilyLink.com:

Volunteers from Around the World to Benefit from New Social Networking Site

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) has recently partnered with FamilyLink.com, a new social networking site for genealogists.

Provo, UT, June 14, 2007 -- Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), a global volunteer organization in which volunteers perform various genealogy-related tasks for researchers who live far away, has recently partnered with FamilyLink.com.

"We are excited about this opportunity to join forces with FamilyLink.com as we continue to expand our resources in support of genealogists and their research," said Bridgett Schneider, Program Administrator, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.

An 1890 Census Substitute for Tarrant County, Texas

The 1890 U.S. Census was destroyed by fire, and genealogists have long suffered from "record deficiency" as a result. Indeed, it can often be difficult to find anyone between 1880 and 1900. Now a new CD compiled by the Fort Worth Genealogical Society serves as a census substitute.