Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Gwen Szychter, R.I.P.

Historian and researcher Gwen Szychter of Richmond, British Columbia, a longtime advocate for the preservation of the community's heritage values, passed away last Friday after a courageous battle with cancer. Szychter wrote several publications and had been involved with the Delta Museum and Archives and Delta's Heritage Advisory Committee.

She was a recipient of the Heritage Conservation Award of Honour by the Heritage Society of B.C. and one of the first recipients of the Corporation of Delta's Friends of Heritage Award

This Newsletter on Google+

You can now follow this newsletter's articles on Google+ at http://gplus.to/eogn.

This new feed is in addition to existing feeds on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#dickeastman and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/dickeastman.

(+) Use Old MS-DOS Programs on Windows or Macintosh

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

Do you prefer an older genealogy program, written before the days of Windows or Macintosh? Would you really like to keep using Roots-3 or an early version of Personal Ancestral File or perhaps one of the better genealogy programs of twenty tears ago, called The Family Edge?  Perhaps you prefer an older MS-DOS version of Family Tree Maker or The Master Genealogist.

One lady wrote to me recently to say that she has a new Macintosh computer, but she keeps her old MS-DOS computer as well, simply so that she can use Roots-3, a program written by CommSoft that was popular in the 1980s. She hasn't found any other programs that she likes as well as Roots-3. She wanted to know how to use Roots-3 on her modern computer. This article is my answer to her – and perhaps to other readers, too.

Swedish American Genealogist Online

The Swedish American Genealogist is a quarterly journal devoted to Swedish American biography, genealogy, and personal history. The journal was founded in 1981 by Nils William Olsson and is currently edited by Elisabeth Thorsell. This online collection is now available free of charge to the public and contains issues published as recently as 2007.

The Swedish American Genealogist collection was donated by Augustana College and is now a part of the CARLI (the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) Digital Collections.

Historic Ebbw Vale, Wales Building Set To Re-Open as a Genealogy and Visitor Centre

The former general offices of Ebbw Vale steelworks in Wales is set to re-open after a £12 million restoration. The building will be used to house the Gwent Records Office (GRO), The Works Archive Trust and a genealogy and visitor centre called 3000 degrees – The Valleys Genealogy and Heritage Experience.

The GRO is scheduled to open this month, while the south wing, comprising the genealogy visitors’ centre, will open later this year.

Northern British Columbia Ghost Town Resurrected on Facebook

Here's one way to document the residents of a town: seek help on Facebook!

Ramona Rose is the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) head of archives and special collections. Using Facebook, she’s been rebuilding the town of Cassiar as a virtual community. Cassier was a mining town east-northeast of Juneau, Alaska.

UNBC inherited 1,800 boxes of containing at least 4,000 old photos and documents detailing the town’s history and people but most pictures were unlabeled and the former company town has since been abandoned. With the help of a former resident who ran a website for the community, Rose and her student assistant, Megan Heitrich, began putting the mystery photos on Facebook.

PortableApps.com: Portable Windows Software on a USB Flash Drive

This is for Windows users. PortableApps allows you to carry your favorite computer programs and all of your bookmarks, settings, email, genealogy data, and more with you on a portable device (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, CD, etc) and use them on any Windows computer. It is a great tool to use when traveling, as you can use any Windows computer at a library or at a friend's house, all without leaving any personal data behind.

I have also known people to use PortableApps both at home and on their own "netbook" or laptop computer. It can also be useful for seasonal homes: take your favorite computer programs and all of your bookmarks, settings, email, and genealogy data with you when you head south for the winter or north for the summer.

Who Do You Think You Are? Encore Presentations to Begin Saturday Night

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com:

If you missed any of the intriguing and emotional episodes from Season 2 of Who Do You Think You Are? then you’ll have a second chance to enjoy the journeys of America’s favorite celebrities starting this weekend. Throughout the summer, NBC will begin airing encores of the eight original episodes from earlier this year and we couldn’t be more excited. Last season’s premiere episode will air this Saturday, July 16 on NBC at 8/7c. Ashley Judd’s episode will repeat the following Friday, July 22 at the same time. The remainder of the episodes will run on Saturday’s at 8p/7c with a few exceptions. Check your local listings for the latest information or visit www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are for more weekly information.

Do You Think Our World is Changing?

Consider these facts:

If Wikipedia were made into a book, it would be more than 2.25 million pages long.

Last year, more e-books were sold than printed books.

Source: These facts and many others are available on www.socialnomics.com at http://www.socialnomics.net/?p=3573.

What to Do With Floppy Disks?

Do you or someone you know have lots of files saved on floppy disks? A lady contacted me this week and asked how she could read her old floppy disks that she had saved from many years ago. It seems her present computer does not have a floppy disk drive in it. I suggested she do something NOW to save the disks. Before long, floppy disks will be about as useful as buggy whips.

Actually, there are THREE separate problems:

The first problem is that floppy disks were never designed for long-term storage for years and years. The manufacturers usually stated ten to twenty years' life expectancy for floppies if they were stored in ideal conditions. A typical residence isn't ideal.

Geni Named One of “Best Free Web Apps of 2011” by PC Magazine

The following announcement was written by Geni:

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – July 14, 2011 – Geni, the collaborative family history community and home of the “World Family Tree,” is proud to announce that once again PC Magazine named it one of the “Best Free Web Apps of 2011.” Noted in the Fun/Home category, Geni is lauded for its ability to “connect in every way possible.”

This is the fourth year in a row PC Magazine awarded Geni a “top app” designation. In regards to the growing popularity of using the Web versus desktop software, the publication notes, “Not only are they free, you can run these apps on any computer over the Web—no installation needed. Maybe it's time to do your work in the cloud.”

Unclaimed Persons is Moving to a New Home

Writing in Google+, Janis Martin has announced, "Unclaimed Persons is proud to announce our new home! We will no longer be working cases on Facebook starting tomorrow (Friday)."

She also wrote, "The new forum is for our VOLUNTEERS - those who help research cases. It has a public area for guests with information about UP, and a private area for our volunteers where we post the cases and helpful information for our members."

Windows XP's Demise: 1,000 Days And Counting

Microsoft has reminded Windows XP users that the operating system will lose security support from the company in under 1,000 days' time. Stephen Rose, community and social media manager for Microsoft, wrote a blog post to mark the system's deadline. He said that "Windows XP had an amazing run and millions of PC users are grateful for it. But it's time to move on."

(+) The New Digital Currency

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

NOTE: This article contains no information relating to genealogy. Instead, it is a computer and financial topic I find interesting and I would suggest that it may interest many other computer owners. I decided to share it here in case anyone else is interested.

A new form of digital currency has appeared recently. It has been available for about two years but was previously known to only a handful of hard-core computer enthusiasts. In the past few months publicity has increased, and now thousands of computer users are using this new payment method to purchase everything from coffee and doughnuts to illegal drugs or to pay for charitable donations or for online gambling, an area where the U.S. Government is already trying to control the actions of private citizens.

Wolfram Genealogy & History Research Assistant for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch

The newly-announced Wolfram Genealogy & History Research Assistant claims to be "the only tool that lets you discover what was going on while [your ancestors] lived. Map family relations and expand on what you already know about any of your ancestors with a simple, easy-to-use interface. It’s as if you’re traveling through time with the tips of your fingers."

I haven't had a chance to use this new application yet but the announcement looks "interesting." It apparently is not a tool to trace the individuals in your family tree. Instead, it provides information about the world in which they lived. Here are some excerpts from the announcement:

What Kind of a Scanner Should I Buy?

A scanner is a very useful tool for a genealogist. With so many available on the market today, how do you know which is the best fit for your needs?

James Tanner has just published the first of what he promises to be a series of articles about selecting a scanner for your genealogy needs. He promises to discuss scanners in general, opening with the issue of price and the types of scanners available for purchase.

I'd suggest this is recommended reading.

Australian Immigration Collection 1788-1923 is now Online

Australia’s immigration records from 1788 to 1923 are going online for the first time as a package charting more than 14.5 million journeys to the new colony. Included on the Ancestry.com.au web site are passenger lists, musters, census information and other documents from the period, assembled from microfilm in state record offices and archives.

National Ice Cream Month

According to Wikipedia, Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month in 1984. He also appointed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day. Reagan recognized the popularity of ice cream in the United States (90% of the nation's population consumes ice cream) and stated that these two events should be observed with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

This Sunday, July 17, my family and I will be holding "appropriate ceremonies and activities" at the Kimball Farm (http://www.kimballfarm.com/). I suggest you hold similar "ceremonies and activities" at your favorite ice cream place.

What Skills Does a Digital Archivist or Librarian Need?

Bill LeFurgy has written an interesting article that has now been published in the Library of Congress' The Signal - Digital Preservation.

He writes, "Archives, libraries and other collecting organizations are in the midst of a staff revolution. The digital age is driving a demand for employees who are comfortable and creative with technology. As someone who hires and supervises staff in a digitally-oriented environment I know this first hand."

Salvation Army Looking For Owner Of A Donated 1920s Bible

The Salvation Army needs your help finding a family that got separated from its Bible. Liz Brown, the manager of the Salvation Army Select Store in Greensboro, North Carolina, found the nearly 100-year-old Bible at the bottom of a bag of donated clothes. Writing in the Bible shows it was given to Nannie Finison by her oldest son. She documented the births of her children and some of their deaths inside the Bible.

Brown wants to return it to Finison's family. I would hope that genealogists could find living descendants of Nannie Finison.