Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

What Are Those goo.gl Links?

A newsletter reader wrote today and asked, "I keep seeing web addresses like http:/goo... They are new and strange to me anyway. Would you do an article about these new "prefixes?"  This is the article she suggested.

In short, those "goo.gl" links are part of a great new service from Google. The Google URL Shortener at goo.gl is a service that takes long URLs (web addresses) and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link easier to share, tweet, or email to friends.

Over the years, I have experimented with a number of URL shortening services, including TinyURL.com, bit.ly, ShortURL.com, and others. However, when I first tried Google's new service, I quickly dropped the others.

RedNotebook - a Personal Diary and Quick Journal

I have been exploring a new piece of software that shows some promise as a genealogy research log and note-taking application as well as many other uses. RedNotebook is a free, open source program for Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux.

RedNotebook may be compared to a blog and a wiki combined. The major difference, however, is that all the information you create is stored on your computer's hard drive, not on the Internet.

Click on the image to see a larger screenshot.

Bozeman, Montana Museum Receives Grant to Digitize Historic Photo Collection

The Pioneer Museum, home of the Gallatin County Historical Society, is now digitizing its collection of more than 17,000 historic photographs, thanks in part to a $131,251 federal grant. The museum is using the money to buy computer equipment and pay an additional staff member to scan and digitize the museum's entire collection of Gallatin County, southwest Montana and Yellowstone National Park photographs, according to Pioneer Museum Executive Director John Russell.

Copies of the museum's photo collection fill 82 large black binders that line a bookcase in the museum's research center. But Russell said the time had come to digitize them.

Mozy 2.0 for Mac Speeds Up Backups

I have written a number of times about Mozy, an excellent off-site backup program for both Windows and Macintosh systems. You can read some of my past articles if you start at http://goo.gl/T4lOF. I wrote about Mozy 2.0 for Windows at http://goo.gl/b6lkl. In that article, I wrote: "Mozy 2.0 is a free download for Windows systems only, with a Mac 2.0 version promised to follow 'later this year.'" The company made good on the promise: Mozy 2.0 for Macintosh is available now.

Rosie O'Donnell to Appear on "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Rosie O'Donnell was seen in Jersey City, New Jersey yesterday to film for an appearance on the genealogy reality show, "Who Do You Think You Are?" She visited the Jersey City Free Public Library's main branch third floor to do research.

Neither O'Donnell or any NBC representatives would answer questions about O'Donnell's New Jersey connection. The episode is not slated to air until next fall, and O'Donnell's genealogical journey is supposed to be a surprise.

Ten Commandments of Genealogy

In the course of writing this newsletter, I get to see a lot of genealogy information. Most of what I see is on the Web, although some information is in books or in e-mail. Some of what I see is high-quality research. However, much of it is much less than that. Even the shoddiest genealogy work could be so much more if the compiler had simply spent a bit of time thinking about what he or she was doing.

Creating a first-class genealogy work is not difficult. In fact, it is expected. It should be the norm. Please consider the following "rules." If you follow these guidelines, you, too, can produce high-quality genealogy reports that will be useful to others:

From the Archives: Two-Way E-Mail On Your Belt

The following is an article that I published in this newsletter on September 16, 1996. I described the latest high-tech tool of the time. Looking at the advances in technology since then, this article describes an "antique" by today's standards but I was very impressed with it at the time.

Compare the technology of this text-only gadget of only fourteen years ago with today's iPhones, Android phones, and other wireless handheld devices we see everywhere today. A lot has changed in fourteen years! I wonder what electronic devices will be common fourteen years from now, in 2024?

Written September 16, 1996:

I have been using SkyTel’s newest two-way pocket pager for 4 weeks now. It has been invaluable on this week’s trip. I have sent and received e-mail while seated in a restaurant. I also rescheduled a business meeting at the last moment while driving a rental car to the meeting. I checked the weather report back home even when I was in Ohio. All of this was done with a tiny wireless device that is smaller than the proverbial pack of cigarettes.

MyHeritage.com Partners with Generation Maps to Produce Stunning Online Family Tree Charts

Here is an excellent partnership that should interest many genealogists. I have written about both companies several times in this newsletter (Generation Maps at http://goo.gl/qGFTn and MyHeritage.com at http://goo.gl/uTRa3) and the two companies seem to have excellent, complementary products. Now they have combined forces.

"It is wonderful that MyHeritage users will now be able to simply and easily print genealogy charts straight from their family sites on the database," says Kim Hovorka, president of Generation Maps. "Again, a simple built in feature for printing means that the user won't have to find a large scale printer that understands the genealogist's needs, he can simply order what he wants for a chart and it will arrive on their doorstep."

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage.com:

A Lot to Be Thankful For: FamilySearch Adds 15 Million New Indexed Genealogical Records

The following was written by FamilySearch:

18 November 2010

A Lot to Be Thankful For: 15 Million New Indexed Genealogical Records

Digital images and indexes include 34 collections from 13 countries

The collection of indexes and images available on FamilySearch’s beta website continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with the addition of 34 collections of genealogical records. These records include 15 million indexed records and 2.5 million images. The bounty of information covers 13 different countries around the world: Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Jamaica, Canada, and the United States. Search these records now at Beta.FamilySearch.org.

See the chart below for the complete list of newly added or updated collections.

New Online Tools for Immigration Records at Library and Archives Canada

The following announcement was written by Library and Archives Canada:

Ottawa, November 18, 2010 – Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce the launch of new tools to facilitate the consultation and use of its immigration records, one of the largest and most consulted by genealogists. Transcriptions of headings of different forms used to record the names of immigrants arriving in Canada between 1865 and 1935 are now accessible on the Library and Archives Canada website. Links to different databases and websites offering nominal indexes or digitized images of immigration records have been regrouped on a single web page.

(+) Create Better Pictures and Scanned Images

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

Digital cameras are perhaps the most universal technology of today. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe own and use digital cameras – not bad for a technology that barely existed fifteen years ago. In fact, you do not need to be an electrical or optics engineer to produce good pictures from a digital camera. You don’t even need to own a computer, although a computer will allow you to accomplish a lot more than what you can do with just the camera alone.

Most people use digital cameras like the old box cameras: point and click. Very few people spend the time to learn how to obtain the best pictures possible. Indeed, “point and click” works well; but, there is so much more that one can do.

Descendants of the Shipwrecked Isidore Sought

On November 30, 1842 in a blinding snowstorm, a spectacular shipwreck occurred at Bald Head Cliffs in Cape Neddick, Maine. It was to be the worst maritime disaster in Maine’s long seafaring history, and all 16 local men on board perished in the frigid waters. Due to the eerie circumstances of the wreck, the powerful story of the crew’s premonitions of disaster, and lingering reports to this day by local fishermen of a ghost ship, it was said to be the most widely told tale in Maine a century ago.

Built on the shore of the Kennebunk River at the Landing in Kennebunk, the Isidore was set to launch from Kennebunkport wharf at 10 a.m. on Nov. 30, 1842 on its trip to New Orleans, according to Harvey Reid, in his book, The Wreck of the Isidore. But somewhere between when it was built and its actual sail date, bad omens began to crop up around the ship and its voyage.

Ancestry.com Improves Search Forms

Writing in the Ancestry.com blog, Anne Mitchell describes changes that will be made in the company's web site search forms, starting tomorrow. She writes:

Over the course of this year, we have been making incremental changes to our new search forms in response to your comments and suggestions. We’ve added name and place filters and changed the way you could do searches that included family members.

Anti Smartphone Cell Phone Introduced

I have written a number of times about the latest smartphones: cell phones that also include handheld computers and offer a plethora of features. I like to use genealogy software on a smartphone so that I have my genealogy database with me everywhere I go. Apparently, not everyone is as interested in such functionality as I am.

John Doe is the appropriate name of a full-service advertising agency in Amsterdam. The company has announced the world's "simplest phone" designed for users who are fed up with smartphones and their hi-tech functions. It does not provide any hi-tech features. No apps. No Internet. No camera. No text messaging. All you can do is call, talk and hang up.

Ancestry.com's Growth May Attract a Suitor

Writing in TheStreet.com financial newsletter, Jake Lynch suggests that Ancestry.com my become a traget for takeover. The best possible candidate? Lynch suggests Google.

Surprised? I am. However, Lynch makes a strong argument for the possible takeover. You can read the article at http://www.thestreet.com/story/10924150/1/ancestrycoms-growth-may-attract-a-suitor.html

Video: Archivist of the U.S. David Ferriero on A View From Washington

Archivist of the U.S. David Ferriero recently talked about the National Archives, and especially what he has done to improve them in his first year, and his vision for the future. "A View from Washington" was the annual Richard G. Hewlett Lecture of the Society for History in the Federal Government. The talk was videotaped and is now available online. You can view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djqctFUqLBM or click on the image below.

(+) Use an Old Computer as a Backup Server

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

Back in the old days of home computers, say five years ago, most of us had one free-standing computer in the house, and the whole family shared it. Those days are now long gone. Many families, perhaps most, now have multiple computers. As computers have become more affordable, portable, and necessary, it’s now common to find multiple computers scattered throughout a home. There is often one computer per family member. With today's technology, the computers are easily connected together by a network, sharing one Internet connection.

If you already have a broadband connection with a router, you probably already have a network installed whether you know it or not. If you have wi-fi installed at home, you definitely have a network.

Association of Professional Genealogists Announces Election Results

The following announcement was written by the Association of Professional Genealogists:

World’s Largest Professional Genealogical Association Names 10 Board Members and Two Committee Members

WESTMINSTER, Colo., November 16, 2010—The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) announced today the results of its 2010 election of new board members and committee members. In a general election voted upon by APG members, 10 board members were elected for two-year terms, 2011 –2012. Two nominating committee members were chosen for the 2011 term. The newly-elected board members include:

Rhode Island Genealogists on Danish Television’s Who Do You Think You Are?

The following is extracted from an announcement concerning Danish Television’s Who Do You Think You Are?:

Danish Broadcasting Company’s recently aired Who Do You Think You Are? with Danish celebrity Anne Marie Helger, featured the work of two Rhode Island genealogists, Cherry Fletcher Bamberg and Shellee Morehead. Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, a fellow of the American Society of Genealogists and editor of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society’s quarterly magazine Rhode Island Roots, and Shellee Morehead, PhD, a professional genealogist specializing in RI and Italian immigrant family history, researched Ms. Helger’s immigrant relatives in Boston and Providence. Dr. Morehead was involved in the filming this summer, when the Who Do You Think You Are? crew from Denmark and Miss Helger were in the U.S. She appears in segments filmed at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Old North Burial Ground, in Providence, describing the lives of Otto Sonne, his wife Harriet Rothe and their children.

Ancestry.com Creates Alliance With National Geographic Digital Media

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com:

PROVO, Utah, Nov. 16, 2010 — Ancestry.com is pleased to announce it has created a strategic alliance with National Geographic Digital Media to help individuals make new discoveries in their family history. As part of the relationship, NationalGeographic.com will host a family history experience online, developed by Ancestry.com, which enables visitors to learn more about researching their genealogy and provides specific tools for them to search their ancestral roots located on the Genographic Project website.