Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

(+) Remember Everything

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

Please, no jokes about my advancing age; but, I do have a bit of a problem remembering things. Where did I find that web page about a new online database? What's the password for the web site I am trying to use? Where is the e-mail I received from a distant cousin? What time is my flight to Los Angeles tomorrow? Where are my car keys?

A program I started using a couple of weeks ago probably will not help find my car keys, but it certainly can help with the other questions. It allows me to easily capture information in any environment, using whatever device or platform I find most convenient, and makes this information accessible to me and searchable at any time, from anywhere. I can even enter data on the desktop computer at home and later find my notes on my handheld computer/cell phone.

Genealogy Programs for the Macintosh

NOTE: I publish an update to this article about once a year. In fact, several new Macintosh genealogy programs have appeared in the past twelve months.

Macintosh users can feel smug about using the best operating system available today. The OS X operating system is easy to use, very reliable, and doesn't "get in the way" with all sorts of pop-up messages. In short, "it just works."

However, one major disadvantage of the Mac is that it doesn't have as many genealogy programs to choose from as does the Windows operating system. Or does it? I would contend that Macintosh has MORE genealogy programs available than does Windows.

There are several genealogy programs written for the Macintosh:

FamViewer Version 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch

The following announcement was written by Aster Software:

Aster Software Releases FamViewer Version 2.0, Genealogy Software for iPhone and iPod Touch

LEXINGTON, KY, June 29, 2009 --- Aster Software has announced the release of version 2.0 of its genealogy application, FamViewer. FamViewer allows genealogists to carry their genealogy databases with them on their iPhone and iPod Touch.

Ancestry.ca Celebrates Canada Day With Free Access

The following was written by The Generations Network, parent company of www.Ancestry.ca:

Canada Day is not only a great day to spend with family – it’s the perfect time to get together and learn more about how your family came to be Canadian.  To celebrate our 142nd birthday, for the first time Ancestry.ca is making available the Canadian Passenger Lists free to access  from June 29 through July 3, 2009.

Historic Burial Ground in Connecticut Gets New Life

It may be more than a hundred years after their deaths, but the founding families in Easton, Connecticut are getting renewed attention. The names read like a who's who from the town's early history: Bradley, Wakeman, Fanton, Hill, Wheeler, Nichols, Burr and many, many more. Those are the names etched on marble, granite and other stones marking the graves of these longtime families in the 1.25-acre Center Street Cemetery, which dates back to the 19th century, on Black Rock Turnpike.

Two Days Left to Save on the FGS Genealogy Conference

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) Federation of Genealogical Societies:

Wednesday, July 1st is an important date. That is the last day to register with a savings of $50.00 for the exciting Federation of Genealogical Societies 2009 “Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists.” The September 2-5 event is being held in Little Rock, hosted by the Arkansas Genealogical Society. The hospitality features of this conference will make us all feel right at home!

(+) Along Those Lines By George G. Morgan: Why the Courthouse May Not Have the Records

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

I enjoy visiting and researching in courthouses. I like the sensation of being surrounded by the history of an area in the various indexes, ledgers, record books, files, and loose documents. It is normal to think that all of the county records are going to be held there. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, and there can be a number of reasons for that. Let’s explore some reasons why what you seek may not be in the courthouse you visit.

I've Been Quiet!

I haven't posted any new articles to this newsletter's web site in three days simply because I was so busy at the Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California. I was wrapped up in the events and loved it. I typically arose about six or seven in the morning and stayed busy until ten P.M. every day.

Last night I rode a red-eye flight across the country and then collapsed into bed once I got home this morning. I was exhausted but glad that I made the trip.

The next few articles will describe my experiences at the Genealogy Jamboree in some detail.

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree is a Huge Success

I just returned from a two-and-a-half-day genealogy conference in Burbank, California. The Southern California Genealogical Society held their annual Genealogy Jamboree this weekend, and it was a blow-out success. About 1,500 genealogists attended this year's Jamboree, making it one of the larger genealogy conferences of the year in North America. In fact, the attendance at this annual event has grown so much that it now meets or exceeds the attendance at some of the national events.

Comment: Successes and Failures of Genealogy Conferences

Warning: the following article contains personal opinions.

One thing fascinates me: almost everywhere I go, I hear genealogy society officers moaning and groaning about declining attendance at the events they sponsor. In fact, the two best-known national conferences in North America have had difficulty in recent years attracting attendees. Their numbers bounce up and down a bit from year to year, but neither of them have been able to attract the crowds that they used to attract a decade or so ago.

Sponsors of some local, statewide, and regional events offer many similar reports: some of their conferences are not like “the good old days.” Indeed, I have heard some society officers speculate that interest in genealogy is declining or that there is too much competition from the Internet.

I think we can put those myths to rest.

Wi-Fi at the Genealogy Jamboree

I was amazed at how many wi-fi Internet network connections were available at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Genealogy Jamboree. Whenever I opened my computer’s wi-fi connection screen, one or two dozen wi-fi networks were listed. Most of them were closed networks, and attendees were unable to connect to those; but, a number of free and open connections were also on the list.

I brought my wi-fi networking hardware and offered free wi-fi connections to attendees all day long in the exhibit hall. The "EOGN-free-wi-fi" signal was strong in the hall and even provided a useable signal in the "relaxation area" with tables and chairs outside the hall. Anyone with a laptop or a handheld computer with wi-fi capabilities could sit and check e-mail at no charge. Similar free wi-fi networks were also available in the adjacent Marriott hotel's lobby and in restaurants across the street.

New Historical Newspapers Titles from ProQuest

The following announcement was written by ProQuest:

ProQuest has added two newspapers to the ProQuest Historical Newspapers program:

• ProQuest Historical Newspapers - The Baltimore Sun (1837-1985)
• ProQuest Historical Newspapers – St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1874-1922)

The Baltimore Sun was founded by Arunah Shepherdson Abell as a people’s paper reporting the news that mattered most to the residents of Baltimore and the nation including Washington D.C. politics, the slave trade and the Civil War, immigration, commerce, Americana, and literature.

Izard County, Arkansas Historian Journal on CD

The Izard County Historian journal on CDs — issues 1970-1989 — are again available from Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society. Each two-volume set is $30.

For 20 years, Helen Lindley was editor of the quarterly Izard County Historian. Before she died, her son Sam Lindley scanned the 80 issues, complete with photos, ads and covers, onto CDs, which can be opened in Adobe. Proceeds benefit the Trimble House Project — renovation and removal of the 1815 cabin from Dolph to the grounds of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Calico Rock.

On the Road Again

If you read this newsletter regularly, you already know that I travel quite often. By the time you read these words, I should be on a coast-to-coast flight en route to the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree being held this weekend in Burbank. I am looking forward to this trip: I was at the same conference last year and loved it. I suspect this year's event will be at least as good, if not better.

I am flying on Thursday. The conference is being held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hooray! A conference that is held on both weekend days! I'm taking a red-eye flight back Sunday evening, leaving at midnight, and should arrive home early Monday morning.

The Southern California Genealogical Society goes "all out" on their annual Jamboree and usually attracts 1,000 or more attendees. The facility used at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center is just about the right size for an event of this type.

Live Roots Search Experience, Release Two

The following announcement was written by Genealogy Today:

BURBANK, Calif. - June 25, 2009 - Genealogy Today announced the second release of the Live Roots search experience. Included in this release are project management tools to help visitors keep track and organize the genealogical resources that they discover while using the search engine.

Throughout the Live Roots search experience, registered members will now see Follow, Comment, Record and Share buttons. These buttons let the members conveniently interface with the new project management tools. Follow is an active bookmarking feature; Comment allows members to post comments on resources; Record lets members make entries in a dynamic research log; and Share is a way to send notices about resources to friends and family via e-mail.

Blog Your Family Tree

Wikipedia's definition of a blog states, "A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order."

Indeed, a blog is an easy-to-use web site where you can quickly post thoughts, interact with people, and more. Blogs can be personal, written by one person, or they can be produced by the marketing departments of multi-billion dollar corporations. A blog is simply an easy-to-use process that allows anyone, including you, to "get the word out." A blog is a great method of publishing whatever you wish to tell the world.

Ancestry.com Announces “Expert Connect”

I think this new service is going to be a winner. Today I had a chance to talk with Todd Godfrey, Senior Director at The Generations Network. He is one of the managers involved in Ancestry.com's brand-new service, called Expert Connect. In fact, the service is so new that the web site went live during the middle of our telephone conversation.

Expert Connect is a new "clearinghouse" that allows individual genealogists to find and hire genealogy professionals. When you, the individual family history researcher, have exhausted all your resources, you probably need to find the next level of support. Typically, you need to find someone who is intimately familiar with the ethnic groups where your ancestors originated or who may even reside in the area where your ancestors lived.

Brant County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society Has a New Home

Brant County family historians have a new home thanks to the generosity and determination of Helen and Floyd Doctor. The mother-son duo have erected a new building to house the office and research library of the Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, at Smokey Hollow Estates Retirement Village on Powerline Road, northeast of Brantford.

Grand opening ceremonies will take place on Sunday at 2 p. m. with awards, recognition of founding members, speeches and a ribbon cutting by Brant Mayor Ron Eddy.

(+) From Lloyd’s Library by Lloyd Bockstruck: Journals and Diaries for Genealogists

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck.

Family papers such as diaries and letters are important genealogical sources. Not many family historians have such treasure troves among their possessions. Illiterate ancestors could not generate such records. A record that exists in a single copy has a precarious lifespan, so many such records did not survive. Migrating families also faced the reality of discarding non-essential personal property on their removals.

Simply because you do not discover personal papers of your ancestors does not mean, however, that they do not appear in the diaries and correspondence of others.

TGN (Ancestry.com) Partners With MyLife.com

The Generations Network (TGN) is the parent company of Ancestry.com and several other web sites. The company has now partnered with MyLife.com, an online "people search" service. The announcement is full of highly-positive, "forward looking" statements but I was interested in the words "enhance the people search experience for consumers." It sounds like some new services will soon be available for Ancestry.com subscribers. I do assume that MyLife finds living people, not deceased ancestors.

Perhaps the most telling was the last paragraph that describes some of TGN's "numbers," especially: "Ancestry.com users have created 10 million family trees containing 1 billion profiles and 20 million photographs and stories."

Here is the announcement in full: