Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Ontario Genealogical Society Establishes Palatine Special Interest Group

The following announcement was written by the Ontario Genealogical Society:

The Ontario Genealogical Society has established a Special Interest Group for Irish Palatines.  They will have the same status as a Branch but will not be tied to a specific Geographic region.  With the inclusion of the Irish Palatines the OGS has a total of 31 Branches across Ontario.

Why Use RSS?

Browse-and-wait, browse-and-wait. Did you ever try to check twenty web sites every day for news? How about fifty? one hundred? Entering all the addresses, clicking on icons, waiting for web pages to display in your browser, and all the other delays makes for a waste of time.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all your web browser's bookmarks could in some way tell you if a site has new data on it since the last time you checked? Your computer would only display the new changes, ignoring any sites that have not changed since the last time? RSS does that and does it well.

MyHeritage Acquires Family Social Network Kindo

MyHeritage is an Israeli-based company that seems to be expanding quickly. Last year, the company acquired Pearl Street Software, producers of GenCircles web site and Family Tree Legends software for Windows. (See the announcement at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/08/pearl-street-so.html.) A couple of weeks ago, MyHeritage announced that it has raised $15 million in additional funding. (See the announcement at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/09/myheritage-rais.html.) Now the company has acquired Kindo, a family social network.

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage:

(+) Planning for Library Research by George G. Morgan

I love libraries! I thoroughly enjoy visiting libraries and exploring the entire genealogical and historical collection. That includes the books, periodicals, city and telephone directories, microfilm, vertical files, manuscripts, card files, research guide pamphlets, and often much more.

Before I visit any library, including my local ones, I always prepare myself with a research plan. A research plan helps me focus on specific research goals and helps prevent me from just wandering through the aisles – and it can help you, too.

This week I want to share some strategies for planning your research in a library.

MacFamilyTree 5.3 Public Beta: New Reports, Bookmarks, Many Improvements

The following announcement was written by Synium Software of Mainz, Germany:

Synium Software proudly announces the availability of version 5.3 of MacFamilyTree. Starting today, Synium starts the Public Beta cycle of this newest incarnation of their Mac genealogy program, making MacFamilyTree 5.3 Beta 1 available for download.

As with their other Public Beta releases, a host of improved or new features becomes available for the user. Most importantly, for version 5.3 the developers at Synium completely redesigned two core components of this highly popular application:

I Want to See THIS Family Reunion!

Here's a great quote from an article by Eilis O'Hanlon, writing in the Independent (a newspaper and web site in Dublin, Ireland):

Trace a line back 600 years and what you have is 16 million ancestors. Go back 80 generations and the figure rises to a trillion trillion (which is actually greater than the total number of people who've ever lived, but that's maths for you).

The US National Centre for Biotechnology Information puts it as bluntly as it gets by pointing out that, if you trace the line back far enough, every single human on the planet would eventually be shown to be related.

New Blog: Family Tree Maker User

If you obtain the new Family Tree Maker 2009, you also might be interested in a great blog dedicated to the program: Family Tree Maker User.

Russ Worthington is the author of this new service and his first five articles show how to use Family Tree Maker 2009's menus to create new data entries. The instructions are supplemented by ample screen shots showing the program in operation. I suspect you will find many more "how-to" articles in future days and weeks.

GenealogyFreelancers.com - A Genealogy "Reverse Auction" Site Helps Find Professionals

I have only looked at this new site briefly and have not yet formed an opinion as to its value. However, I must say that I like the idea and I hope it works out well.

Irbo Inc. is a company with a web site at www.GenealogyFreelancers.com that connects you to a genealogist, researcher, translator and other genealogy specialists in any country of your ancestral roots. These pros are all freelancers, not employees of Genealogy Freelancers. The pros can bid on work projects submitted by anyone and everyone.

For more details, you can visit the site at http://www.GenealogyFreelancers.com as well as read the following announcement written by Irbo Inc.:

Vigo County (Indiana) Records Slated to be Destroyed

A part of Vigo County's history could be just that.. History. Records at the county clerk';s office contain much information about the families of Vigo County. The Vigo County Clerk plans to destroy the records although members of the Wabash Valley Genealogy Society are trying to save the information.

Ahnentafel Explained

One of the fundamentals of genealogy is the various numbering systems used to make quick and easily-read lists of ancestors and descendants. Perhaps the most common method of listing ancestors is to create an ahnentafel. Yet I suspect that word confuses many newcomers. Here is a (hopefully) simple explanation.

Homestead Records Become Available on the Internet for the First Time on Footnote.com

The following announcement was written by Footnote.com:

Original Records Documenting the Lives of Early Settlers Offer a Unique View Into 19th Century America

Lindon, UT -- In an event held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Footnote.com along with several partners announced a project to make available hundreds of thousands of original Homestead Records on the Internet for the first time.  This project involved the efforts of organizations including The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the National Parks Service, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and FamilySearch.

2009 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree Dates Changed

The dates for the 40th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree have been changed. The new dates are Friday through Sunday, June 26-28, 2009.

My Ancestors Found is now Renamed: Family History Expos

The following announcement was written by Family History Expos:

Family History Expos.com

In recent years, My Ancestors Found has been a highly successful at organizer and sponsor of events designed to increase knowledge about family history research. These have become known as Family History Expos.

Eric Shoup Becomes Ancestry.com's V.P. of Product

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

Eric Shoup, Former General Manager for eBay Stores, Joins The Generations Network as Ancestry.com's Vice President of Product

Management Leader to Play Key Role in Bay Area Growth of Ancestry.com

PROVO, Utah, Sept. 18 -- The Generations Network (TGN), parent company of Ancestry.com, today announced the hiring of Eric Shoup as vice president of product for the Ancestry.com business unit. As a new management leader, Shoup will be responsible for the product strategy, product definition and design for the global platform of Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource. He will lead the product management and user interface design teams. Bringing more than 15 years of product marketing and general management experience, he will be based in the company's San Francisco office.

MacGenealogist is Back

A few days ago I wrote about a great web site for genealogists who use Macintosh computers. Just about the time I posted the article online, the MacGenealogist web site went offline with server problems. Owner Ben Sayer now says that the site is back online and is healthy.

You can read more about the site, including Ben Sayer's comments, at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/09/macgenealogistc.html.

Video Interview of Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective

I recently had a chance to talk with Maureen Taylor, the lady who is often called the "Photo Detective." She is one of today's recognized experts on identifying the dates and often the approximate locations of old photographs. She also has been very busy lately with a recent appearance on the Today Show and a long article about her in the Wall Street Journal.

Maureen talked about all her recent activities and especially about her upcoming History Channel series, The Photo Detective.

Video Interview of Feargal O’Donnell of the the Irish Family History Foundation

I recently had an opportunity to interview Feargal O’Donnell, Vice Chairman of the Irish Family History Foundation, about the availability of Irish records -- especially new ones. Feargal discussed the existence and non-existence of Irish records. He points out that millions of records are available but many people of Irish descent are unaware of that availability. He also dispels some myths about Irish record keeping in the 1700s and 1800s.

(+) Free or Very Low-cost Online Storage

With the hurricane season upon us in North America, it is perhaps time again to review the concept of computer backups. Of course, we all need to make backups to other disk drives or to CD-ROM disks or to jump drives or to whatever media seems appropriate. However, storing that media at home doesn't provide much protection when a hurricane, tornado, fire, or other major calamity destroys the house and all its contents.

Hopefully, that will not happen to you. However, should you suffer such a loss, are you prepared? Will you be able to save your family photographs? How about your genealogy data or your checkbook information? The only safe way to make backups is to supplement your regular in-home backups with additional off-site storage.

Video Interview of Paul Nauta of FamilySearch

Paul Nauta is the Manager of Public Affairs at FamilySearch. He is actively involved with all the new services being released by FamilySearch and he has been a big help to me in keeping me updated in the past few years about everything that is new. If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know that there is a LOT that is new at FamilySearch all the time.

I had a chance to catch Paul in person at the recent FGS conference in Philadelphia.

70 Years of Canadian Immigration Records Now Online

The following was written by Ancestry.ca:

Ancestry.ca launches Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 - one in three Canadians descended from immigrants listed in this collection

-   The official records of immigration to Canada by ship and overland from the US - indexed and fully searchable online for the first time

-   Detailed records for all major Canadian ports

-   Tommy Douglas, Lord Stanley, Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin among many famous names to appear

TORONTO, Sept. 16 - In a world first, Ancestry.ca, Canada's leading family history website, today launched online the Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, which contains more than 7.2 million names, including 5.6 million of those who travelled from around the world to start a new life in Canada.