Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Keeping Up with Data Rot

Computer formats come and go leaving some users with data no longer compatible with software or hardware. As David Pogue reports, this is called data rot.

This CBS News video gives a great overview of the problems associated with preserving audio, video, and computer data. The story also describes briefly how to preserve electronic data with data migration.

Muncie, Indiana History and Genealogy Center to Close

When the Local History and Genealogy Center closes this summer, Muncie Public Library hopes to rent the downtown building, the newest of all the Muncie library facilities. The center, at 210 S. Jefferson St., just behind the Carnegie Library, was built in 2003 at a cost of about $900,000 and includes about 7,000 square feet. But it will close this summer, as budget cuts have forced the library board to close both the center and Conley Library.

Melinde Sanborn: Tree Climber

The Manchester Union-Leader has a great article about professional genealogist and prolific author Melinde Sanborn, FASG. It describes how she became interested in genealogy. Sanborn scrapped her aspirations of being an archaeologist and decided she would become a genealogist.

The same article also provides a bit of information about the upcoming New England Regional Genealogical Conference to be held in Manchester, NH on April 22 to 26.

Data Preservation and How Ancient Egypt Got It Right

Subtitle: Rocks Don't Need to Be Backed Up

Henry Newman has written an interesting article for the Enterprise Storage Forum web site that describes the decline in data lifetime:

"In some ways, the Egyptians with their simpler approach were far better off than we are at recording and saving information. Just look at the well preserved [Egyptian] obelisk as you consider all the formats you probably have lying around that can no longer be accessed, from 5.25-inch floppy disks to 8-track tapes and old home movies. What would it take to preserve those for 3,500 years?

Computing in the Clouds

The newest technology these days in computers is called “cloud computing.” Indeed, we already see several examples of this in today's genealogy software and I am certain we will see even more within the next two or three years.

Cloud computing refers to Internet-based software and databases. The Internet itself is “the cloud.” In almost all drawings of Internet applications, the Internet is shown as a “cloud” into which various computers are connected. The cloud is used as a graphic to represent all sorts of servers, routers, and high-speed connections that are invisible to the user. In short, the user does not need to know where the equipment is located nor what kind of equipment is used. All the user needs to know is how to connect to “the cloud” and access the resources available. “Cloud computing” is simply the next evolution of remote computing.

Genealogical Society Treasurer Indicted for Theft

A 67-year-old woman has been indicted for bilking the non-profit she volunteered at out of thousands of dollars, according to Licking County (Ohio) Prosecutor Ken Oswalt.

From Jan. 1, 2007, through Dec. 10, Karen L. Ray, last known address 561 Hudson Ave., Newark, Ohio, allegedly stole about $4,300 from the Licking County Genealogical Society, the indictment and Oswalt state. She is charged with fifth-degree felony theft.

Meeting Records for Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York Located

The following is an extract from the TimesUnion web site:

Lee Traver was in the basement sorting through a box of family items when he came across two very worn brown books written in beautiful quill penmanship.

"I had no idea what they were when I first found them," said Traver, a farmer who lives off Route 43. "I didn't think they were anything special but would never think of throwing them away."

He found the books contained meeting records of a bygone town called Greenbush. The records were from 1796 to 1802.

Cologne Archive: After the Disaster

The collapse of the Cologne city archive three weeks ago (see http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/03/colognes-archives-building-collapses-3-missing-many-escape.html and http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/03/cologne-archive-collapse-disaster-for-historians.html) wasn't just a personal tragedy for the historians and contributors involved, it was a disaster for Germany's cultural history, says Bettina Schmidt-Czaia, director of the municipal depository. Evacuated from the building mere seconds before it caved in, she describes watching northern Europe's largest collection of documents and artefacts, many of which date back to Roman times, disappear into rubble.

NGS Conference Early Registration Deadline

The (U.S.) National Genealogical Society sent out a notice saying that the registration deadline for the early-bird lower conference rate for the NGS Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina is approaching. Make your conference registrations by Tuesday 31 March 2009 to save $35!

Internet Genealogy – It's Just the Tip of the Iceberg

The  California Genealogical Society and Library Blog has a great article concerning the design of a new graphic that tells newcomers something that the "old-timers" have known for years. Click on the image to the right to see a larger graphic.

Perhaps the best line in the article is a quote from Lisa Gorrell: "What would be nice is to have a poster of it in every research facility – especially those with computers – to remind them that so little of their research will be found on the internet."

You can read the complete article at: http://calgensoc.blogspot.com/2009/03/internet-genealogy-its-just-tip-of.html.

(+) Casefile Clues: Polya's 4 Step Process by Michael John Neill

The following article was written by and is copyright by Michael John Neill.

George Polya was a mathematician at Stanford University, where he developed a four-step process for solving mathematical problems. I'm doubtful that he was a genealogist. However, the process he outlined to assist math students in solving problems can easily be applied to genealogical situations as well. This week we discuss the process and see how it can be applied to a specific problem. In this case, it is a problem to which I fortunately have an answer already!

Polya's process has four steps:

Gems in the Rough: A Success Story

Michael Pollock is publishing the Methodist Episcopal Church records for Gloucester County, Virginia (a severely burned and very old county). He contacted me recently to describe a recent success and suggested that his experience be published in this newsletter as an example to others. I agreed and asked him to write the article as only he could. He kindly agreed.

The following was written by Michael Pollock:

I have always been of the mind that one should NEVER publish something one knows to be false – not just because once it is published it can never be fully retracted, but more significantly, the longer it remains around and the wider its circulation, the greater the chances of a false statement coming to be regarded as truth, no matter the evidence to the contrary.

400 Years of London History Launches Online

The following announcement was written by The Generations Network, parent company of ancestry.co.uk:

1 in 2 Brits with ancestors in collection, including J.K. Rowling, David Beckham and Patsy Kensit

77 million records when complete, including workhouse, parish, school

Famous names include Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Pepys and William Blake, as well as ancestors of contemporary celebrities JK Rowling, David Beckham, Patsy Kensit and Britney Spears

An estimated 165 million people around the world has an ancestor in the collection, including more than half of the British population

Society of Genealogists Offers Online Training

The following announcement was written by the Society of Genealogists:

The Society of Genealogists and Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd are pleased to announce a new joint online course called I’m Stuck!  How can the Society of Genealogists Help Me? starting 28th May 2009 and repeated from 2nd July 2009.  
 
In this short two week course, Else Churchill of the Society of Genealogists will guide you through the steps needed to help you think logically about research problems and how to solve them.  She also introduces you to records and indexes, held by the Society of Genealogists, which can be used to break down those brick walls, and demonstrates how these resources help you extend your family tree.  Emphasis is also placed on learning how to apply research techniques to solve your problems.

Footnote.com Releases Great Depression Collection

The following announcement was written by Footnote.com:

Collection includes the first-ever Interactive 1930 US Census, and becomes the gathering place for America’s story

Lindon, Utah - March 26, 2009 – Footnote.com, the premier history website for original content, announced today the launch of its Great Depression Collection, which provides unique insights into life’s struggles and the financial challenges Americans faced during the 1930s.

Commentary: Footnote's Interactive 1930 Census and the Great Depression Collection

In a separate article today, I republished Footnote.com's announcement of the company's new Great Depression Collection. The mention of the first ever interactive 1930 U.S. Census caught my eye. This looks like a great resource for genealogists.

Of course, Footnote.com is a sponsor of this newsletter, so I always closely watch any new announcements from the company. Even so, I think the info about the Interactive 1930 Census would have caught my eye even if the company was not a sponsor. Other companies already offer the 1930 Census images, so one might think this is simply a duplication of what other companies have done. However, a quick look at the "interactive" features shows that Footnote's new offering is quite different from anything seen before.

The New California Gold Rush

Now you have a chance to follow the steps of your ancestors, assuming they went to California in 1849 to find gold. Geologists estimate that during the gold rush of 1849 in California, about 80 percent of the gold was never found. Today, with the price of gold soaring and the economy falling, the idea of panning, digging or diving for precious metal has become serious business. In fact, significant amounts of gold can be found within an hour's drive of downtown Los Angeles.

A New Home for the Archives of Ontario

The Archives of Ontario is moving to a new public service facility located on York University’s Keele campus.  The environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art building will help the province preserve its heritage for future generations.

The Archives will be closing the doors at the 77 Grenville St. location at 5:00pm today, March 26th. The Archives will re-open with full service at the new facility (address below) on Thursday, April 2nd at 8:30 am.

New Address:

Archives of Ontario,
134 Ian Macdonald Blvd,
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2C5

Telephone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.

Now Showing on TV: Legend Seekers

I just watched the pilot of a new genealogy television program: Legend Seekers. This show is good! If you are in Indianapolis or Champaign, Illinois, or Macomb, Illinois, or Bloomington, Indiana, or most anywhere in Nebraska, you can see it, too.

Legend Seekers aims to show the interesting stories in family trees of every-day Americans, not celebrities. If the pilot episode is any indication, these will be interesting stories.

The episode that I watched is called, "The Lively Family Massacre" and shows the search for information that one family started. With the help of a professional genealogist and an archaeologist, the family members were able to find the homestead location and even the graves of a family that was massacred by Indians in 1813. Luckily, the family's 8-year-old daughter was not at home at the time, and she was unharmed although her parents and all her brothers and sisters were killed. She later grew up, married, and had eight children of her own. Some of her descendants had heard the family stories and wanted to check the accuracy. A camera crew and show hostess Madonna Davis from Legend Seekers followed the process.

(+) From Lloyd’s Library: Reading and Writing Sources by Lloyd Bockstruck

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

The Latin expression “caveat lector” [let the reader beware] must be espoused by everyone involved in genealogical research. Failure to do so can either deny one the truth or cause the reader to graft into a pedigree which has no connection to the one being researched.