Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Family Tree DNA Chooses REMP and Tecan for Automated Sample Management

The following announcement was written by Tecan, a supplier of laboratory instruments and solutions for the biopharma, forensic and diagnostic industries.  This is the kind of industry-specific announcement that I normally ignore. However, this announcement provides some interesting numbers concerning Family Tree DNA, one of the leading companies providing DNA service to genealogists. I thought the following quote near the end of the announcement was especially interesting: "Today, Family Tree DNA's database exceeds 210,000 individual test records (roughly 137,000 Y-DNA and 77,000 mtDNA tests)."

DURHAM, NC, Oct 24, 2008 -- Scientists at Family Tree DNA, Texas, USA, have automated their DNA testing services using a REMP Small-Size Store(TM) (SSS) and a Tecan Freedom EVO(R) liquid handling workstation to reliably process and store the hundreds of samples arriving daily.

(+) How to Connect to the Internet From (Almost) Anywhere

NOTE: This article does not contain any genealogy-related information. However, if you are interested in today’s technology, or if you travel with a laptop computer, you may be interested in the information presented here.

I will admit to being a “gadget freak.” I am interested in most any device that either makes life easier or else allows a person to do things that were not possible without the device. I have obtained a gadget that I find fascinating. It allows me to function in areas where I could not do so previously and I save money besides.

In fact, I am using the new gadget now as I write this article, using a laptop computer on a Greyhound bus traveling from Boston to New York City. I do not have any wires connected to my laptop. There is no power connection and no network connection. I am using a wireless network connection but not the so-called “Wi-Fi” wireless. The wireless connection I am using can communicate with cell phone towers many miles away.

New Confucius Genealogy Out Next Year

With a history of over 2,500 years covering more than 80 generations, and the longest family tree in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, the fifth edition of the Confucius Genealogy will be printed in several volumes in 2009, according to an organizer of the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee (CGCC).

Antigua and Missing E-Mail Messages

Hello from Antigua! This is a gorgeous little island. I arrived this morning in a tropical downpour. About five minutes later the skies cleared and we on the cruise ship are now enjoying the Caribbean's finest weather: temperatures about 80 degrees F. and a strong breeze.

I suspect I have some missing e-mail messages although I have no idea why. I normally receive 100 to 200 legitimate e-mail messages per day plus a few hundred spam messages (which I normally never see). This morning I have exactly TWO new messages in the past twenty-four hours.

(+) Yesterday’s News is Today’s Genealogy by Lloyd Bockstruck

Newspapers are one of the alternative sources for coping with a county whose courthouse has been burned. Legal notices of deeds, granting of probates, settling of estates, marriage licenses issued, divorces granted, and lawsuits were regular features of a county’s weekly newspapers. In some states, the clerk of the court had to maintain back files of the newspapers in order to be able to prove that proper legal notices had been published. This requirement may account for better survival of runs of local newspapers in the south than in the north.

World’s Largest Online Collection of Jewish Historical Documents

The following was written by The Generations Network, the parent company of Ancestry.com:

Ancestry.com Partners with JewishGen and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to Provide Access to Millions of Jewish Family History Records for People around the World

Itsourtree.com Releases Free Family Tree Software

The following announcement was written by Itsourtree.com:

October 28, 2008 - The software enables users to edit and create a family tree on their own PC. If desired, they can then upload it to itsourtree.com and share it with relatives and friends. The Home Edition offers state-of-the-art usability and technology at no cost. Besides operating in the standard GEDCOM format the software also allows the printing of various familial lists in an appropriate genealogical standard.

FamViewer, Genealogy Software for iPhone and iPod Touch

The following announcement was written by Aster Software:

LEXINTON, KY, October 28, 2008 --- Aster Software announced today the release of its new genealogy application, FamViewer, that allows genealogists to carry their genealogy databases with them on their iPhone and iPod Touch.

80 Years of Historical Canadian Directories Online – 5.2 Million Names

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.ca:

Ancestry.ca launches pre-telephone Canadian City and Area Directories, 1819-1899

(Toronto, ON – October 28th, 2008) In a world-first, Ancestry.ca today launched online the fully indexed Canada City and Area Directories, 1819-1899, which feature the names and addresses of more than 5.2 million people who lived in Canada during the greater part of the 19th Century.

In total, 19,764 pages of directory pages were scanned and are now available to search online.

WorldHistory.com is Now in Private Beta

The following announcement was written by WorldHistory.com:

WorldHistory.com, a new social history experience, will launch into private beta on October 22nd, 2008. WorldHistory.com offers interactive maps, timelines, videos, geocoded photos, museum artifacts, genealogy and much more. The goal is to compile the history of the world and display it in such a manner that people of all ages and backgrounds can be interested in history.

To learn more, visit www.worldhistory.com and www.worldhistory.com/demo.

OpenOffice 3.0

I have written before about OpenOffice, the free replacement for Microsoft Office and several other office suites. It has perhaps 80% to 90% of the functionality of Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint but has a much better price tag: free.

Most of the articles in this newsletter are written in a Macintosh-specific variation of OpenOffice, called NeoOffice. I have both OpenOffice and Microsoft Office installed on the computer I am using at this moment (a Mac laptop in use on board a cruise ship someplace in the Atlantic), but I prefer to use OpenOffice. It is simpler to use and runs faster. The free program does not have all the capabilities of Microsoft Office, but it does perform all the functions that I need.

Update: CIGO's Campaign to Open the Irish Republic's 1926 Census

The following message was written by Steven Smyrl, Executive Liaison Officer of the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisation and is re-posted here at his request:

Dear Friends of CIGO,

Just a quick note to thank you for your support for the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisation's (CIGO) campaign to open the Irish Republic's 1926 Census. Access to this valuable resource, the first census taken after the foundation of the State, will prove to be of immense help to those seeking ancestors born in Ireland before the commencement of civil registration in 1864.

(+) The Future of Society Publications by George G. Morgan

Genealogical societies are striving to survive in the 21st century. Unfortunately, the coming of age of the Internet has convinced many beginning and amateur family history researchers that everything genealogical just must be on the Web. While this is emphatically not the case, many of them have convinced themselves that they need not join one or more genealogical societies, attend the meetings, and/or otherwise take advantage of all that a society has to offer.

On the Road Again

This is just a "heads up" announcement that I might not be posting newsletter articles every day in the next two weeks. I'll be busy.

I will leave home on Sunday to travel to New York City and board the Caribbean Princess cruise ship. There I'll be a part of the Wholly Genes Conference and Cruise that will leave New York City and make stops in St. Kitts, Antigua, and St. Thomas before ending in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a week later.

I expect that Internet connectivity will be both slow and expensive from on board the ship. I probably won't be writing too many articles while at sea. After all, there will be other distractions!

Glasnevin Cemeteries in Ireland to Build €12 million Museum and Visitor Centre

This sounds like it will be a high-tech cemetery, complete with touch screen access to over 1.5 million burial records. The following announcement was written by the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland:

Oct 24, 2008 – Work commenced today on a new €12 million [roughly $15 million US dollars] museum and visitor centre located at Glasnevin Cemetery. The state of the art building is scheduled to be completed by spring 2010 and will house an underground museum and over 1.5 million archived burial records compiled since the Cemetery opened 176 years ago in 1832. The innovative project, which is being funded entirely by the cemetery owners and operators, Glasnevin Cemeteries Group, is to complement ongoing restorative work at the Cemetery which began in May 2007 under the direction of the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Familybuilder Introduces FamilybuilderDNA

Familybuilder has introduced the lowest-priced testing service available for both YDNA and mtDNA DNA testing. The new service was introduced at last week's Illinois State Genealogical Society conference. Here is the announcement from Familybuilder:

NEW YORK, NY -- October 23, 2008 -- New York City-based Familybuilder (http://www.familybuilder.com), maker of Family Tree, the fastest-growing genealogy service on the Internet, returns from the Illinois State Genealogical Society with tales from the road: Technology is changing the future of genealogy.

New Marketplace Sections Added to the EOGN.COM Discussion Forum

At the suggestion of a member, I have now added a new category to the EOGN Discussion Forum: "Marketplace." The new Marketplace section is divided into two message boards:

For Sale or Trade by Forum Members - FREE Ads
Vendors' Ads - FREE Ads

In short, this is a place for free ads for items you are selling or for those "wanted to buy" ads for things that you are looking for. All ad space is available free of charge.

David Rheins Joins Familybuilder As Chief Marketing Officer

The following announcement was written by Familybuilder:

NEW YORK, NY -- October 23, 2008 -- New York City-based Familybuilder‚ (http://www.familybuilder.com), maker of Family Tree, the fastest-growing genealogy service on the Internet, today announces the appointment of David Rheins as its Chief Marketing Officer.   Rheins is a seasoned leader with 20+ years experience designing and implementing strategies for the dynamic growth of major traditional and new media brands.  An expert in social media and creative marketing, Rheins will bring Familybuilder’s online genealogy services and low-cost DNA test kits for consumers to market.

The National Archives and Records Administration's Role in the Presidential Election

With Election Day less than two weeks away, now is the time to review the operation of the Electoral College. The College consists of 538 electors in all, one for each of the nation's 435 congressmen and 100 senators, and three for the District of Columbia.

Here's a bit of trivia: who runs (or administers) the Electoral College? The genealogist's friend: the National Archives and Records Administration.

(+) Create Podcasts the Easy Way

Podcasting, or audio broadcasts on the Internet, have become very popular in the past few years. There are good reasons for this popularity: the podcasts are easy to create and can be very entertaining for listeners. Indeed, genealogy shows used to be broadcast on a number of radio stations ten years ago. Almost all of these radio shows have now disappeared, having been replaced by podcasts on the Internet. I see this is a major improvement: podcasts serve a worldwide audience, can easily be retrieved and enjoyed at the listener's convenience, and are inexpensive to produce. I suspect more people now listen to audio "broadcasts" on the Internet than ever listened to genealogy radio shows. I suspect there will be many more podcasts created in the future.

Podcasts are digital files stored on web servers. You connect to these podcasts in much the same manner as connecting to most anything else on the World Wide Web. There is one difference: instead of reading information on the screen, you listen to the podcasts as they are played through your computer's speakers or earphones.