Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

NGS appoints Pamela K. Boyer Education and Publications Director

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Genealogical Society (NGS):

Janet A. Alpert, president of the National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela K. Boyer, CG, CGL, Education and Publications Director, effective 31 March 2008. Boyer will work at the NGS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

During a strategic planning session in 2007, the Board of Directors decided to establish the position of Education and Publications Director, which is necessary if we are to deliver on our mission statement “to serve and grow the genealogical community by providing education and training, fostering increased quality standards, and promoting access to and preservation of genealogical records.”

New York Times Comments on Presidential Candidates’ Distant Relationships

The New York Times has published an article about the various distant relationships of the presidential candidates. Writing in "Six Degrees (at Least) of Contenders for President," New York Times reporter Cate Doty noted, "In other words, the revelations did what they were meant to do, which was to spread a little publicity for a nonprofit group that revels in historic minutia...".

I was pleased when the reporter also quoted me in the last paragraph of her article.

(+) “The New Genealogical Society” by George G. Morgan

In case you haven’t looked recently, genealogical societies have been changing. I recently asked a friend what she thought about the typical genealogical, lineage, or heritage society. Her response almost floored me. She said that her image of the members was of elderly ladies wearing suits, hats, and gloves, convening for tea and sandwiches and a droll presentation about one of their ancestors. “How boring!” she said. It took me a while to explain that the 1950s meetings were very much a thing of the past. I shared with my friend the things that make genealogy societies vital and exciting.

Celebrate Your Scottish Heritage in New York City's Tartan Day Festivities

Let's pack the kilt and head to New York City! The 10th Annual New York City Tartan Day Parade will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008. The Tartan Day and a big parade celebrate Scottish history, culture and the many great contributions Scots and Scottish Americans have made - and continue make - to the US and the world.

This year's parade promises to be the largest and best to date! In 2007, there were more than 1800 proud participants in the parade, including:

• Pipe Bands
• Individual Pipers
• Individual drummers and Drum Majors
• Scottish Clans and Societies
• Scottish Terriers
• West Highland Terriers

Arlene Eakle’s Virginia Genealogy Blog

Arlene Eakle is a prolific genealogy writer with more than 90 titles completed. She has been writing a general-purpose genealogy blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress for nearly two years now. Now Arlene has started a Virginia genealogy blog.

2008 Artistry of Genealogy Awards Announced

The following announcement was written by the Photo Preservation Center:

IRVINE, Calif.--Preserving family history through genealogy is an art with millions of stories to share. The 2008 Artistry of Genealogy Awards (AGA) were announced today by The Photo Preservation Center (PPC) to showcase outstanding genealogy websites and recognize excellence in preserving family history through genealogy. The categories and winners were selected by families across the nation who had their photo memories digitally preserved by ScanMyPhotos.com as part of the process of recording and studying the ancestry of family trees.

An overview of the AGAs is available at PhotoPreservation.org. Comprehensive information on each category and award recipient is detailed at “Tales from the World of Photo Scanning” (Blog.ScanMyPhotos.com).

Back to the Future: 2008

Forty years ago, in 1968, Modern Mechanix carried an article entitled, "What Will Life Be Like in the Year 2008?" It probably was interesting reading in 1968, but it’s much more fascinating today.

The November, 1968 article was rather accurate in some of its prognostications:

Money has all but disappeared. Employers deposit salary checks directly into their employees’ accounts. Credit cards are used for paying all bills. Each time you buy something, the card’s number is fed into the store’s computer station. A master computer then deducts the charge from your bank balance.

Crusaders Left a Genetic Legacy

Our ancestors traveled widely. Scientists have detected the faint genetic traces left by medieval crusaders in the Middle East. The team says they found a particular DNA signature, which recently appeared in Lebanon and is probably linked to the crusades.

RootsTelevision.com Wins Four Telly Awards in Its First Year

RootsTelevision.com is an exciting "genealogy television channel on the Internet" that has often been mentioned in this newsletter. You can see many of the episodes if you start at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/video/index.html. Now the television service has received new honors:

PROVO, UT, March 26, 2008 – RootsTelevision.com, an online channel dedicated to all aspects of genealogy and family history, has been recognized in the 29th Annual Telly Awards for four of its original productions.  Selected from more than 14,000 shows were “DNA Stories: A Tale of Two Fathers” (documentary), “Heir Jordan: Extreme Genealogy” (entertainment), “Roots Books: Psychic Roots” (talk show), and “Flat Stanley’s Family Tree” (children’s audience).

Results of Groundbreaking Slave Genealogy Research to be Released March 29

The following announcement was written by the owners of the Lowcountry Africana website:

The results of groundbreaking genealogical research to reconstruct family lineages of enslaved communities on Drayton family plantations in the United States and Barbados will be released Saturday, March 29 with the launch of the Lowcountry Africana website (www.lowcountryafricana.com).