Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

NGS Conference in Kansas City is a Success

I got home late last night from the four-day conference held by the U.S. National Genealogical Society, co-sponsored by the Missouri State Genealogical Association, the Mid-Continent Public Library, the Northland Genealogical Society, the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) Heartland Chapter, and the Johnson County, Kansas, Genealogical Society. It must have been a good conference as I am exhausted. I slept on the plane ride home and I slept today. That's my yardstick for measuring a conference's success!

The conference in Kansas City was held under sunny skies the entire time. Not that the weather mattered very much; most of the attendees never ventured outside. Those of us who stayed at the conference hotel were able to attend all the lectures and sessions, the Exhibitors' Hall and several restaurants without leaving the hotel. In addition, an elevated pedestrian tunnel connects the conference hotel with another nearby hotel and restaurants as well as a small shopping center with even more restaurants. It was a perfect location for a major conference.

Citizen and Immigration Services Genealogy Fee Increases

The following message was written by Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Public Records Access Monitoring Committee:

Two years ago the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS), formerly called the INS, proposed rules to establish a fee-for-service genealogy program. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on May 15, 2008.  You may view/download the final rule at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-10651.pdf. The final rule goes into effect on August 13, 2008.

NGS Announces 2008 Awards

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

The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 Awards presented in Kansas City at the Conference in the States, 14-17 May 2008.

Fellow
Ann Carter Fleming, CG, CGL, FNGS

President’s Citation
Charles “Chuck” Knuthson

(+) "Hunter or Gatherer?" by George G. Morgan

Prehistoric people began as gatherers, scouting out food and shelter to sustain them. Over time, they learned that they had to adjust their techniques for obtaining their food by hunting, fishing, and trapping. Their very survival in an often harsh environment depended on it. They developed tools, hunting skills, and farming methods, and moved from place to place to take advantage of the available resources, often returning on a regular basis to the locations that consistently provided what they needed.

Video: Eneclann at WDYTYAL?

At the recent "Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE!" exposition in London, I had a chance to talk with Brian Donovan, CEO of Eneclann. Eneclann is a Trinity College Dublin campus company that provides many genealogical and historical Irish records, including many sources that are not well known outside of Ireland. Eneclann is Ireland’s leading historical electronic publishing company, offering information both on CD-ROM disks and online.

FINDMYPAST.COM Launches New Version of the 1901 Census Online

The following announcement was written by findmypast.com:

Leading UK family history website findmypast.com today unveils its brand new version of the 1901 census. Records from the first two counties, Somersetshire and Gloucestershire, are now online and available to search at findmypast.com, and the remaining counties will be added gradually over the coming months.

Applying its trademark meticulous approach to quality control, findmypast has completely retranscribed the 1901 census from scratch, with the aim of providing an industry leading product. In addition, a variety of fields have been transcribed, making it possible to search for an individual using, for example, their calculated year of birth, their age or occupation.

UGA Call for Papers

The following was written by the Utah Genealogical Association:

2008 UGA Family History and Genealogy Conference
“Solving Family Mysteries”
12-13 September 2008

The Utah Genealogical Association invites you to present at our 2008 UGA Fall Family History and Genealogy Conference, which will be held Friday, 12 September-Saturday, 13 September at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This conference is a yearly, highly anticipated event, vital to the welfare of our organization. The Family History Library venue is an attractive, premiere location for your participation with up-to-date technology.  Each presentation will be 60 minutes in length.  You may submit proposals for 1-8 presentations.

Did Your Ancestors Come From canton Ticino?

If your ancestors came from canton Ticino, Switzerland, swissinfo would like to hear from you. The English service of swissinfo plans to produce an interactive, multimedia series of reports on Ticino with descendants of Ticino emigrants as the main target audience.

New Web Site: www.NewYorkAncestors.org

The following announcement was written by the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

NEHGS LAUNCHES NEW WEB PORTAL HIGHLIGHTING NEW YORK RESEARCH TOOLS

NewYorkAncestors.org Features a Wealth of New York State Resources

Boston, MA – May 15, 2008 – New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston today announced the launch of a new Web portal highlighting the wide variety of New York resources available on their award-winning Website, NewEnglandAncestors.org. This new portal, located at www.NewYorkAncestors.org, will direct members to a wide range of databases, publications, and articles focusing on New York state research.

ISFHWE Excellence in Writing Award Winners Announced

The following announcement was written by the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors:

Winners of the 2008 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Contest were announced 14 May 2008 in Kansas City at the annual ISFHWE banquet.

Day #1 of NGS Conference in Kansas City

The annual conference of the U.S. National Genealogical Society opened today in Kansas City, Missouri. This year's event is co-hosted by the Missouri State Genealogical Association, the Mid-Continent Public Library, the Northland Genealogical Society, the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) Heartland Chapter, and the Johnson County, Kansas, Genealogical Society. It's much too early to predict attendance numbers, but I must say that today's sessions were well attended.

The conference opened at 8:00 AM to a “packed house” with awards, introductions, and various speakers. When asked how many people were attending their first national genealogy conference, several hundred people stood up. Robert M. Sandfort, Ph.D., gave the opening session talk on Emigration to the Mouth of the Missouri – and Beyond.

Arphax Publishing Announces New Texas Land Survey Maps Series

Many announcements are being made at the annual National Genealogical Society conference held this year in Kansas City, Missouri. Here's one of those announcements, written by Arphax, THE company known for publishing land survey maps:

Kansas City, Missouri, May 14, 2008. Arphax Publishing of Norman, Oklahoma is pleased to announce the publication of its first three books in its new series of books, the Texas Land Survey Maps.

“This represents the result of nearly three years work,” says Greg Boyd, creator of the series. “Similar to my Family Maps series of books, I’ve taken land-ownership, transportation, and geographic data from a multitude of sources and melded it into something unique and totally researcher-friendly.”

Arphax chose this year’s National Genealogical Society Conference in the States to unveil this latest addition to its burgeoning list of historical-map titles.

400 Years of Surrey Wills Go Online

The following announcement was written by Origins.net:

"Dung to Diamonds: 400 years of wills go online" * Major New Collection on British Origins - Surrey Will Abstracts

The Surrey Will Abstracts  are among the most valuable research sources for the county of Surrey, and for family and social history generally.  Dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, these fully indexed abstracts of all 28,000 wills proved in the Archdeaconry and Commissary Courts of Surrey (and known still to exist) are now available online exclusively on British Origins [at http://www.britishorigins.com].

A Nation's Chronicle: The Canada Gazette Online

The following announcement was written by Library and Archives Canada:

(Le texte français suivra)

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the launch of A Nation’s Chronicle: The Canada Gazette, a project funded by the Canadian Culture Online Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Gazette Directorate.

Often referred to as “the official newspaper of the Government of Canada,” the Canada Gazette has been an important instrument in the Canadian democratic process for more than 160 years. It has informed Canadians of the operations of government and encouraged them to participate in the legislative process.

Ancestry.com Global Content, Product, and Marketing Update

To mark the first day of the 2008 National Genealogical Society Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, The Generations Network CEO Tim Sullivan has published a rather lengthy letter addressed to the genealogy community. He highlights several recently released content collections and product enhancements on Ancestry.com, and gives insights into some new projects on the horizon.

He starts off with:

A Video Interview with Ken Martindale of Black British Heritage

At last week's Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE! event in London, I had a chance to talk with Ken Martindale, founder and executive director of Black British Heritage. Ken talked about the history of Black people in Britain and the role of the efforts of the Black British Heritage organization.

Ken is also a professional photographer and his exhibit displays much of his work.

Help Wanted: Genealogist - $82,961.00 to $107,854.00 Per Year

The Department of the Interior is looking for a professional genealogist to work full-time researching Indian ancestry. The position is in Washington, D.C. The salary will range from $82,961.00 to 107,854.00 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Quoting from the job posting:

Legacy Family Tree 7.0 (Pre-Release Edition) to be Released at NGS this Week

The following announcement was written by Millennia Software, producers of Legacy Family Tree for Windows:

If you are going to be at the National Genealogical Society Conference this week in Kansas City, Missouri, we invite you to visit the Legacy Family Tree booth where we will be displaying the new features in Legacy Family Tree version 7.0.

Geni Adds GEDCOM Import

The following announcement was written by Geni:

Geni Enables Genealogy Community to Build Family Trees From GEDCOM Files In Bid to Become #1 Family Networking Site

Top rated genealogy and family networking site Geni.com announced today that genealogists can now import their family history into Geni using the popular GEDCOM format. The launch of this features makes it easy to move their research into Geni to easily share it with their family.

Los Angeles, Calif. - May 12, 2008 -- Geni (www.geni.com), the popular social network with a genealogy twist, today gave genealogists the ability to upload their family history from other programs to the Geni site using the industry standard GEDCOM file format. GEDCOM is an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication and is used to exchange data between genealogy applications.

(+) Where’s the Body Buried? by George G. Morgan

Cemeteries have held my fascination for as long as I can remember. My childhood friends thought I was strange because I always wanted to cut through the cemeteries along the way as we walked home from school. They would have none of it, so afraid of ghosts they were. As I strolled through the several graveyards along the way again and again, the stone markers and the names inscribed on them became familiar. As I grew up, I learned more about the families and the people who were buried there. My curiosity caused me to become interested in their stories. Perhaps that’s why the idea of working with RootsTelevision.com (http://rootstelevision.com) on the series, Down Under Florida, was so attractive to me. I often encounter a marker and somehow feel drawn to learn the story about the person interred there.