Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

New Online Resource for County Kerry, Ireland Researchers

The Kerry County Council (in County Kerry, Ireland) has placed online the burial records from 140 cemeteries in the district that the council either owns or controls (church and private cemeteries are not included in this collection). In total there are some 70,000 records in the database. The records date back as far as 1898. A typical entry lists the name, age, marital status, occupation and cause of death.

Display Your Ancestry on Progeny Genealogy's Embroidery Charts

This sounds neat! Now you can wear your family tree and attract the attention of possible relatives you’ve never met.

You can embroider two types of charts: Ancestor Fan, and Descendant Fan Charts. Format them in quarter-, half- or full-circle - your choice! The program can render up to 5 generations from your genealogy database on any one Embroidery Chart and still preserve the legibility of lettering.

If you happen to have a computer-compatible home sewing machine, you can do all the work yourself. If you don't have such a machine, Progeny Genealogy can provide a list of companies near you that will perform the work.

Call for 2012 Hall of Fame Nominations

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Genealogical Society:

NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 GENEALOGY HALL OF FAME

Would your society like to honor a genealogist whose exemplary work lives on today? Perhaps there was a notable genealogist in your state or county whose name should be memorialized in the NGS Hall of Fame. If so, the National Genealogical Society would like to hear from you. NGS is seeking nominations from the entire genealogical community for persons whose achievements or contributions have made an impact on the field. This educational program increases appreciation of the high standards advocated and achieved by committed genealogists whose work paved the way for researchers today.

George Washington's Letter to the Congregation of a Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island

An important letter from one of our country's founders was almost unknown, until now. Written in 1790, the letter reassures the Jewish congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, that the budding government of the United States would allow free expression to all religions. Since then, Jews in America have flourished.

You can read more about the history of the letter on CNN at http://goo.gl/08Ees. The full text of the letter may be found at http://goo.gl/n2OX0.

My Visit to Paramus, New Jersey Next Saturday

I am looking forward to next Saturday's "Technologies for Genealogists" seminar sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Bergen County. I have been invited to speak on several technology-related topics at the Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey.

I will make presentations on the following topics:

National Genealogical Society Announces New Director: Teresa Koch-Bostic

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society:

(14 October 2011) The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announces the appointment of Teresa Koch-Bostic, of Mineola, New York, to the Board of Directors. Terry has been appointed to the board to contribute her expertise in strategic planning, brand development, marketing, and communications. She will chair the committee that oversees brand building and communications for NGS.

Terry brings an extensive business background in advertising, marketing, market research, strategic planning, and new product development to her board role at NGS. As a senior executive at advertising agencies in New York, she was successful in helping Fortune 500 companies, including Citibank, Proctor and Gamble, Sterling Drug, Burger King, Thompson’s Water Seal, and BIC, achieve growth and build their brand images. Her expertise in breakthrough creative messages, efficient use of marketing and media budgets, and developing differentiated new products helped her clients increase their market share.

Headstones Reduced to Rubble in St Alfege Park

Greenwich.co.uk has published an appalling story written by Rob Powell. Gravestones that survived for hundreds of years have been reduced to rubble in St Alfege Park in Greenwich, England. Even worse, the damage was done on purpose by the Friends of St Alfege Park.

Old San Francisco Pictures Online

If you or your ancestors ever lived in San Francisco, don't visit this site! It is addictive. You'll spend hours looking at the pictures!

Dan Vanderkam moved to San Francisco in 2007 to work at Google. He became fascinated with his new city’s history and soon found the San Francisco Public Library’s online repository of old pictures. However, he quickly became frustrated by the site's awkward user interface. He thought, "there must be a better way." http://www.oldsf.org/ is the result.

Turn Your Loved One Into Live Ammunition

I've published many stories about tombstones and memorials for cremated ashes, but I'm not sure I can recommend this one. Holy Smoke, based in Stockton, Alabama, boasts a "tribute to your outdoorsman or woman like no other," according to their website. The same website also states, "Now, you can continue to protect your home and family even after you are gone."

For a price, Holy Smoke will turn your deceased loved one’s ashes into bullets. For $1,250, they will turn one pound of human ash into your choice of 250 shotgun shells, 100 rifle cartridges, or 250 pistol cartridges. For an additional $100 per box, you can also get “mantle-worthy, finished, wooden handcrafted boxes with labels.”

I Created a New Blog for Motor Home Adventures

I recently posted an article in this newsletter, entitled On The Road Again, This Time From a Motorhome in which I described my latest adventure. I purchased a second-hand Winnebago "Minnie Winnie" motor home a few weeks ago, and I drove it from Massachusetts to Florida.

I was very gratified by all the comments posted at the end of the article. Many newsletter readers also own motor homes or camping trailers and posted advice. Others offered various suggestions and many simply wrote "good luck" messages. Thank you all! You can read the original article and all the comments at http://goo.gl/7byqK.

In addition, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who wrote messages similar to "please let us know how you make out and tell us about the adventures you have." I'd love to do that, but I also realize that not every newsletter reader cares to read article after article about my non-genealogy adventures. Posting multiple articles about my  adventures in a recreational vehicle (“RV” for short) in a genealogy/computer newsletter is probably not a good idea. The solution is simple: start a new blog.

The Life of an American Nomad

As mentioned in another article, today I created a new blog for motor home adventures that will describe my travels and adventures in a motor home this winter. I also expect to write about the sights I see in America and will offer comments about American lifestyles. Today, I posted an article about those lifestyles: The Life of an American Nomad.

If you have an interest in today's nomadic, high-tech lifestyles or an interest in recreational vehicles, you might enjoy reading The Life of an American Nomad at http://rv.dickeastman.com/2011/10/the-life-of-an-american-nomad.html.

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania presents Pennsylvania Family History Day

This sounds like a great event. On November 5 (that's a Saturday), the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania will sponsor an all-day conference in historic Chester County, Pennsylvania. Specifically, it will be held at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, Route 100, in Exton, Pennsylvania. It will start at 8 AM and continue until about 4 PM. The registration fee includes breakfast, lectures, lunch, and access to some of the nation’s top genealogy experts.

Presenters will include:

Find My Past TV Show to Appear on the U.K.'s Yesterday Channel

The FindMyPast.co.uk blog has announced that a Find My Past TV show will soon launch as a 10-part series which unites ordinary members of the public with their ancestors.

Each week, the show will show three members of the public on a journey to discover how they are related to someone from a significant historical event, by searching the records on findmypast.co.uk. The program will show each person as they uncover an ancestor and learn the part they played in history, before uniting the participants to find out how they are connected.

Details may be found at http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/find-my-past-tv/about.html

TheGenealogist.co.uk Releases 1911 Census Releases and a New Marriage Finder Tool

The following announcement was written by TheGenealogist.co.uk:

For the first time you can now find marriages from the 1911 census with just one click of the mouse.

TheGenealogist.co.uk uses the extra detail given in the 1911 census, this census gives how many years a couple have been married and this is automatically linked by our system to the relevant marriage transcripts on our site showing the marriage details in the GRO records.

The spouse’s name was not recorded on entries prior to 1912, but our SmartSearch technology shows you relevant partners based on a variety of details.

(+) Encrypt Your Wi-Fi Internet Connections

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

I may seem paranoid about security, but I worry about my personal information wherever it is stored and whenever it is sent across the Internet. Even worse, I travel extensively. (Last week I was in Denver, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Rapid City, South Dakota. Today I am in Massachusetts. Next week I will spend several days Las Vegas, followed by two days in New Jersey.) I often use public wi-fi connections from hotel rooms, airport waiting areas, coffee shops, and most anyplace else that I can find a connection. The problem we all face with normal wi-fi connections in such public places is that they are easily tapped and monitored using today's software tools. Anyone can easily see the information you or I might be sending and receiving on these wireless connections.

Luckily, there is an easy solution that blocks all the would-be eavesdroppers.

Charles Barkley: 'Tweet is for losers'

Interesting comment (wait for the commercial to complete)

Federation of Genealogical Societies Announces 2011 Election Results

The following announcement was written by the Federation of Genealogical Societies:

New Board Members and Directors Include Kim Kasprzyk, Polly Kimmitt and Angela Walton-Raji

October 12, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the results of its recent election for FGS board members and directors. The election was conducted online September 1 - 30, 2011 with all FGS delegates eligible to vote. Office terms for those elected will begin on January 1, 2012.

With the recent election results, Pat Oxley, President of FGS states, “I'm thrilled to have this talented group of genealogists bring their experience and skills to the FGS board.”

Digital Preservation-Friendly File Formats for Scanned Images

If you want to keep family photographs or even scanned images of documents and books available for use by future generations, you'll be interested in an article by Bill LeFurgy that has been published in the Library of Congress' web site. Digital Preservation-Friendly File Formats for Scanned Images describes the better file formats to use. The article is essentially an introduction to a longer paper with the title, Sustainability of Digital Formats Planning for the Library of Congress Collections.

Quoting from the  article:

"From a preservation standpoint, some digital file formats are better than others.  The basic issue is how readable a format remains over the course of time and successive waves of technological change.  The ideal format will convey its content accurately regardless of advances in hardware, software and other aspects of information technology.

Who is a Cherokee?

More than 170 years ago, the proud Cherokee people in the South were brutally driven into exile in Oklahoma along what became known as the Trail of Tears. Now, an unlikely group of descendants is battling the tribe for its rights. They are the so-called black Cherokees, some of whose ancestors were held as slaves by members of the tribe.

Before the Civil War, some Cherokees owned slaves. After the war, tribal leaders signed a treaty granting blacks, known as “Freedmen,” the rights of native Cherokees. However, not all black Cherokees are descended from slaves owned by tribal members. Some are simply descended from blacks who married or had children with Cherokees and still refer to themselves as Freedmen.

Coats of Arms Enforced by the Silliest, Most Pointless Government Body Ever?

The Daily Mail (a popular newspaper and web site in England) seems to believe that the rules for coats of arms are silly. It recently poked fun at the Court of the Lord Lyon, the government body in Scotland responsible for creating, monitoring, and enforcing the rules for proper coats of arms.

You can read the short article at http://goo.gl/5pPD6.

I think someone has an ax to grind.