Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Scribd as a Publishing Tool

If you create genealogy information, you probably want to share that information with your close and even with distant relatives. There are many methods available for sharing documents. You can publish the text itself on your website, assuming that you own such a site, or you can provide a download link for the document. You could email a copy to those you know might be interested. You can even embed a PDF file or Powerpoint presentation in a web page. But those publishing methods won’t carry your words very far beyond your existing audience.  Perhaps the easiest and simplest method to publish to both your existing audience and to future, unknown audiences is to use a free service called Scribd.

Personal Ancestry Writer II Version 83 for Macintosh

Howard H. Metcalfe has released an updated version of Personal Ancestry Writer II (PAWriter II), a free genealogy program for Macintosh systems. Two versions are available: one for the OS X operating system and another for OS 9.

Personal Ancestry Writer II is modeled on the old LDS Personal Ancestral File program (PAF) for the Macintosh (for which all development stopped a few years ago after release 2.3.1). However, Personal Ancestry Writer II now contains features that never appeared in Personal Ancestral File  for Macintosh, such as automatic generation of web pages in HTML, word processing files in RTF for AppleWorks and other word processors, and desktop publishing files in MML for FrameMaker. The generated report files include genealogical dictionaries, registers, ahnentafels and lineages, as well as a variety of text files and pedigree charts.

FamilySearch Adds Over 40 Million New Records

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Since the last update on January 5, 2009, FamilySearch added over 40 million new records to its Record Search pilot.  Individuals with international roots from Argentina, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, and the Philippines will find some nice surprises in the newly added collections.

(+) Casefile Clues: Behind the Quitclaim Deeds by Michael John Neill

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Michael John Neill.

There is usually a reason; it is just a matter of finding out what it is.

Mimke Habben died in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1877, leaving his real estate to his widow, Antje. Twenty-three years later she died, and her family “settled up the farm” with a deed after her death. Fairly typical. I thought the case was pretty “cut and dried,” similar to others I had seen in a variety of time periods and locations. But there was a difference. A thorough search of land records for the Habben farm located two additional quitclaim deeds for Antje's property. Other people signed these deeds “selling” Antje's property while Antje was still alive and the actual owner . How could they sell land when the owner still was alive? And more importantly, why would anyone pay money for such a deed?

Boston Public Library’s Online Old Boston Photographs

Sometimes you find historic and genealogical information in the strangest places. For instance, on Flickr, the photo-sharing site.

The Old Boston Collection, a series of late 19th century photographs of historic Boston sites, was rediscovered by the Boston Public Library (BPL) in 2007. Although the origin and early history of the collection remains a bit of a mystery, BPL employees believe that the prints represent the work of photographers affiliated with the Boston Camera Club. Most of the photos were made between 1850 and 1898. Indeed, one photograph clearly shows an 1898 calendar hanging on the wall.

Pequot Library Reopens Family and Local History Collection

The Pequot Library in Fairfield, Connecticut has reopened its Family and Local History Collection, which had been in storage during the library's recent renovation. The collection, part of the library's nationally known Special Collections, is a genealogical resource for the region, including an array of local histories from parts of New England and of others of the 13 original colonies dating from the mid-16th century to the late-20th century. The genealogical collection is now back on the library's shelves in a controlled environment and ready to open.

Back Home

If you have been reading this newsletter recently, you know that I have been on a trip to Salt Lake City, a one-day unplanned stay in Los Angeles, and then I spent more than two weeks in New Zealand where I attended two different genealogy events and took some holiday time as well.  It has been grand.

I am now back home. However, I've been up for more than 36 hours, traveled more than 9,000 miles in the past 28 hours, and spent the last 28 hours riding three different airplanes or waiting in airport lounges. I'm going to bed. New newsletter articles will appear later today.

The National Archives and Footnote.com Launch Online African American History Collection

The following announcement was written by Footnote.com:

Over a million pages of original documents, letters and photos, most digitized for the first time.

Lindon, UT - January 29, 2009 – In celebration of Black History Month, Footnote.com is launching its African American Collection.  Footnote.com has been working with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., to digitize records that provide a view into the lives of African Americans that few have seen before.

GRHS Youth Essay Contest

The following announcement was written by the Germans from Russia Heritage Society:

The Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) is sponsoring a “Youth Essay Contest” for students. The purpose of this contest is to encourage students to learn about the history of the German Russian ethnic group. This year’s theme is: “Germany/ Russia/Americas…Giant Steppes toward Freedom”.

Ancestors of American Presidents, 2009 Edition

Gary Boyd Roberts is well-known for his tracing of family trees of politicians, movie stars and other notables. Now he has updated his previous work, Ancestors of American Presidents. The following is from the announcement:

(+) From Lloyd's Library: What's in a Name by Lloyd Bockstruck

The following article was written by and is copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck.

Whether a genealogist is sitting down at a keyboard using on-line sources or at a courthouse or archives, she or he is conducting a search for the names of ancestors whom she or he never met and to whom he or she has never spoken. Therein lies an extremely complex problem.

NBC to add "Who Do You Think You Are?" Genealogy TV Show in April

I have written many times about "Who Do You Think You Are?," a very popular British television that has since been exported to other countries. Each country produces their own shows, featuring local television personalities and stories. Now NBC will bring the television program to American viewers, starting April 20. The program will air on Mondays at 8 p.m.

Footnote Adds Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940

Footnote.com continues to add a wealth of historical- and genealogical-relevant material. A new addition will interest many people who are researching American Indian ancestry: Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940.

According to the Footnote.com web site, most of the records include the English and/or Indian name of the person, roll number, age or date of birth, sex, and relationship to head of family. Beginning in 1930, the rolls also show the degree of Indian blood, marital status, ward status, place of residence, and sometimes other information.

Genealogy is No Longer Just for the Elderly

Candy Spiegel, niche products editor for the Livingston County (Michigan) Daily Press & Argus, has written a great article entitled, "Genealogy is No Longer Just for the Elderly." She points out genealogy appealed to the elderly only because they had the time available to do the research. The advent of the Internet has changed all that.

Ancestry.com Offers $79 DNA Testing

Ancestry.com Offers $79 DNA Testing

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

Provo, Utah, January 27, 2009 -- Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online resource for family history, has reduced the prices of its genetic genealogy DNA tests, allowing consumers more affordable access to the family history information provided by these tests.

Effectively immediately, the 33-marker paternal lineage test is now only $79 (down from $149). The paternal lineage test analyzes DNA in the Y chromosome, which is passed virtually unchanged from father to son. Advanced paternal lineage tests, maternal lineage tests (which looks at mitochondrial DNA passed from a mother to her children), and combination paternal and maternal lineage testing options are also part of the product suite.

GenealogyBlog.com is Back Online

Leland Meitzler's popular Genealogy Blog has been offline for several months. (See http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/09/genealogyblogco.html for an explanation.) However, it is nice to see that it is now online once again.

You can read Leland's latest articles at http://www.GenealogyBlog.com.

Wholly Genes Announces a "Land Cruise"

Wholly Genes, Inc. is well known in the genealogy world for several products and services. The company produces The Master Genealogist, a powerful genealogy program for Windows. The company also has become well-known in the past few years for producing very successful annual genealogy cruises. Now the company has announced something new: a "Genealogy Conference and Land Cruise" will be held later this year instead of spending a week on a cruise ship.

Here is the announcement from Wholly Genes, Inc.:

(+) Along Those Lines... by George G. Morgan: Examine the Pieces of Your Genealogy Puzzle

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by George G. Morgan.

Your genealogy is unquestionably a large and often confounding puzzle. Strong methodology is the cornerstone of successful genealogical research. The act of locating information is only one part of the research process. You must examine each piece of documentary evidence you uncover, and that means obtaining an exact copy of the original so that you can examine it for yourself. You cannot rely on transcripts, extracts, and/or abstracts; there are too many chances for errors or omissions.

My Thanks to the (Auckland) Genealogical Computing Group

I'd like to offer a special "thank you" to the Auckland, New Zealand branch of the Genealogical Computing Group, a special interest group of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. I was invited to address this group on Saturday afternoon and a rather large crowd showed up. I don't know if they enjoyed it or not but I must say that I certainly did.

Genealogy In Time - A Free Online Genealogy Magazine

This newsletter has a new competitor! The following was written by MissingLink Software Corporation:

Ottawa, Ontario - January 22, 2009 -- MissingLink Software Corporation announces the official launch of its new web site Genealogy In Time™, a free online genealogy magazine containing genealogy news, articles and links.