The DAILY genealogy technology newsletter for genealogy
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the vendors like it or not!
Last September, I wrote a brief article that stated (in part), "Genealogists researching Cook County, Illinois ancestors will be interested to learn that many of the records they seek will soon be available online." Anyone who has been waiting for those records will be pleased to learn that the prediction has come true: birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates are now online.
The Genealogy Unit of the Cook County Clerk's Bureau of Vital Records provides non-certified versions of birth, death, and marriage records for the purpose of genealogical research. Records found on the site are for Chicago and Cook County, dating back to 1872.
The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding is a genealogy program that runs on a web server. Indeed, TNG functions in much the same manner as any other genealogy program: it has most all the features one expects in any modern genealogy program, including a powerful database, easy methods of adding new data, relationship charts, timelines, and more. The major difference is that TNG is installed on a Windows, UNIX, Apple or Linux web server. It also is multi-user: multiple people can access the database and even add new data simultaneously.
I have written before about Personal Ancestry Writer II (PAWriter II), a free genealogy program for Macintosh. I find it to be a great program, especially considering its price tag of zero. PAWriter runs on all PowerMacs and Intel Macs under all MacOS versions, including Leopard 10.5.2. (A 100% compatible OS 9 version is also available for older Mac systems.)
Roots Television took a camera to the recent Southern California Genealogy Jamboree held in Burbank, California. They made a number of videos of the events and people there, and those videos are now being placed on the company's web site. If you did not attend the conference, you might like to watch these to get an idea of what this conference is all about.
If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you may know that Roots Television and I have found many interesting genealogists. I have been fortunate enough to interview a number of people as the video cameras rolled. Together, Roots Television and I have traveled the world to capture the thoughts and images of many genealogists and other experts in related topics.
At the recent Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California, Roots Television turned the tables on me, and I became the interviewee. Matthew Poe interviewed me on Roots Television. I must say that I enjoyed being on “the other side” of an interview.
The following announcement was written by The Generations Network, the parent company of Ancestry.com:
Ancestry.com today launched a brand-new homepage that logged-in members will see the next time they visit the site. This new page combines the best of the old homepage with all of the personalized features and tools formerly in the MyAncestry tab. The result is quick, central access to the resources each member searches most.
You may have noticed that I haven't posted many new articles in the past few days. I am also late in sending out the weekly Plus Edition newsletter by e-mail. The reason is simple: I've been busy. On Thursday, I flew 3,000 miles to join 1,200 other genealogists over the weekend in Burbank, California, for the annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. I loved it. I think all the other attendees enjoyed themselves as well.
The Jamboree opened on Friday at the "under renovation" Burbank Airport Marriott. Some parts of the hotel looked like a war zone with carpenters and others tearing the place apart. The sounds of hammers and power saws were audible throughout the hotel although not in the nearby convention hall. The presentation rooms and the exhibit hall were mostly untouched. A large part of the parking lot had also been blocked off, which created an inconvenience: there weren't nearly enough parking spaces for a crowd of this size. While a few people did grumble a bit, most seemed to take it in stride.
Footnote.com continues to add more and more features to its web site. Perhaps the most powerful new feature is the "Watch List." When you find something on the site that you are interested in, look for the Watch button on the same page and click it. The item will be added to your “Watch List” in Your Account, and Footnote.com will automatically send you future e-mail messages whenever that item is updated.
Keep in mind that Footnote.com contains nearly 40 million images of original records, some of them supplied by Footnote.com and others uploaded by users. Roughly two million new images are added every month. Many of these images also have accompanying text, annotations, and conversations describing the contents. Keeping track of your favorite topics used to be challenging . Now you can use the new "Watch List" to know when something you’ve been looking for has arrived at Footnote. You can add a Watch for any image, Story Page, or Spotlight, and Footnote.com will let you know when those items are updated, annotated, commented upon, etc.
Nigel and Sue Bayley are the co-owners of S&N Genealogy Supplies, the largest genealogy supply service in the United Kingdom. They sell more than 20,000 family history products, including software, CDs, books, charts, and much more. They specialize in support of the products they sell, and they also produce their own CD-ROM disks containing images of census records and many other records of interest to genealogists. Nigel and Sue also help local societies publish their own records online.
I had a chance to talk with Nigel at the recent Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE exhibition in London. Nigel talked about the online and offline products they sell. I already knew about many of these products but I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the products available. He also described the information about seven million non-conformist records at Neigel's related website.
Within the last month, two friends have contacted me with different questions on the subject of engaging professional researchers to help with different types of genealogical work. Over time, each of us reaches a point at which we want or need outside help to solve a problem or advance our research. It usually isn't until that time that most people pay attention to the process of properly engaging that assistance. Let's explore the subject and some excellent resources that can help you when and if the time comes to seek professional assistance.
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