Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

How Do You Move 70,000 Delicate Books, Documents and Records?

Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England is getting ready to open a new centre to keep all its archives in one place. But how do you move thousands of documents, some of which date back to 1050?

The cathedral has invested £1.5m (roughly $2.38 million US Dollars) in refurbishing the West Wing of the Bishop's Palace to store its archives and run workshops. However, funds are not available to pay for the delicate task of moving all the items in the Cathedral's archives. The items to be moved include the cathedral's charter which dates back to 1050, when the first Bishop of Exeter, Bishop Leofric was consecrated.

(+) How to Copy Old VHS Video Tapes to Modern Video Formats

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

Last week I wrote about converting 8-millimeter home movies to modern digital formats. (The Plus Edition article is still available at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=19805.) This week, I thought I would write about the conversion of VHS videotapes to modern formats.

Indeed, VHS videotapes are deteriorating. VHS tapes are analog tapes, not digital. Analog tapes are susceptible to noise induced by playing the tapes again and again. In fact, even leaving a VHS videotape in the box and not playing it at all will cause some loss of signal.

Videotape has an expected life of about ten to twenty years if not played back too many times, although that number can vary quite a bit, depending upon the quality of the videotape itself plus the quality of the recording equipment used to produce the recording. Whatever the quality, magnetic instability, tape deformation, and chemical breakdown will eventually cause major problems.

After 148 Years, Maine Man Returns Seized Confederate Flag

As Fort McAllister fell to the Union Army of Gen. William T. Sherman days before Christmas in 1864, one of his artillery officers seized the Confederate flag of a vanquished company of Georgia riflemen. The officer carried the silk banner home to Maine as a souvenir, and it stayed in his family for three generations in a box along with a handwritten note: “To be return to Savannah or Atlanta sometime.”

Nobody knows for sure why the late Maj. William Zoron Clayton wanted his Civil War trophy flag returned to the South. But after 148 years, his wish has been honored.

Who Do You Think You Are? Recap: Helen Hunt

I thought Friday evening's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring guest celebrity Helen Hunt was one of the more interesting episodes I had seen. There were no revelations of slavery or terrible crimes or anything else that was sensationalized. Instead, Hunt's ancestry turned out to be a mix of some wealthy people and some others who lived in poverty. In other words, her family tree is typical of millions of Americans. I could identify with this episode.

Jets’ Tebow Can Trace His Lineage to New Jersey

Tim Tebow has produced a lot of interest in the U.S.lately as the football player has been traded to the Jets, who practice and play in New Jersey. Tebow may or may not be aware of it, but he is apparently returning to his ancestral homeland. His great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather apparently lived in Hackensack.

You can read more in an article by John Branch and Jack Begg, published in the New York Times, at http://goo.gl/tUIKX.

Extracting DNA Information from Postage Stamps

Would you like to obtain the DNA information of an ancestor who died years ago? Do you have any letters that he or she wrote? If so, you may already have the DNA information available.

Postage stamps and envelope flaps have been licked for more than 150 years, with saliva DNA being transferred to the item in question. DNA typing has been possible for about twenty years, but has rapidly developed to an immensely powerful technique for personal identification.

The possibilities of identifying a deceased person's DNA include crime solving, genealogy, and genetic disease identification. Many opportunities for further research exist.

MyHeritage to Offer 1940 Census Images and Index for Free

The following announcement was written by MyHeritage. Note that it says, "The images of the 1940 U.S. Census will be released by the National Archives and Records Administration on April 2, 2012... MyHeritage will then make all images immediately available to the public and begin the gradual process of transcribing them and making the index searchable, pledging a 98% or higher degree of accuracy." In other words, the indexes will not be available until some time after April 2 even though the images will appear on that date:

World’s largest family network pledges to make the 1940 U.S. Census available for free in 38 languages, searchable even on-the-go via mobile, with automatic matching to family trees

PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel--MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, today announced it will be offering the images and a searchable name index of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census completely free of charge, starting April 2 2012. Using sophisticated technology that automatically matches names, facts and relationships in the census to family tree data, MyHeritage will provide an easy and exciting way for families to explore their American heritage. Supporting 38 languages, MyHeritage will enable family history lovers not only in the US, but all over the world, to discover more about the lives of their American relatives during this transformative period in history.

(+) A Prediction About Online Access to U.S. 1940 Census Records

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

The U.S. Census Records will be released online a few days from now. Millions of genealogists are anxiously awaiting these records. I am going to make a prediction: these records will not be available as quickly and easily as everyone had hoped – unless the cloud is working exceptionally well.

Admittedly, one factor may prove my prediction wrong.

Announcing Mocavo's Free Social Security Death Index Advanced Search

I find this announcement to be fascinating. Web sites everywhere seem to be reducing or eliminating access to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). Mocavo.com, best known as a genealogy search engine, is doing the opposite. In my tests of the new Mocavo version of the SSDI, I found more search options than I remember seeing on any other online version of the SSDI. Instead of decreasing access, Mocavo is increasing access to the SSDI for everyone. The full list of search tools are listed below. Best of all, the Mocavo version of the SSDI is available to everyone free of charge.

The following announcement was written by Mocavo:

A Review of Ancestral Quest for Windows

The PCmag web site has published a review of the popular Ancestral Quest genealogy program. The review, written by Jill Duffy, says good things about the program although it also notes that the program is "not visually appealing" and "Old-school gray backgrounds hark back to the early 1990s."

Despite the lack of aesthetics, Duffy gives the program a rating of "very good" and states, "Exacting genealogy hobbyists won't find a better application."

Helen Hunt to be Guest This Week on "Who Do You Think You Are?"

On March 23, the U.S. version of the popular television program, "Who Do You Think You Are?," will feature Helen Hunt. The actress, film director, and screenwriter has won Emmy Awards for her performance in the television program, Mad About You, in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999. In 1998, Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Carol Connelly in the movie As Good as It Gets.

Hunt's biography already states that her paternal grandmother was from a German Jewish family, and her maternal grandfather was born in England. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Fries (née Anderson), was born in Iowa.

Generations Publishes Kids’ Genealogy Textbooks

The following announcement was written by Generations:

Chicago, Illinois – March 23, 2012: Professional Genealogist, Jennifer Holik, of Generations publishes six new genealogy textbooks for kids. Parents, teachers, and genealogical societies looking for a how-to genealogy textbook for elementary through high school-aged students need to look no further. In Branching Out, a new series available from Generations, author and professional genealogist Jennifer Holik provides parents and educators with the tools they need to teach genealogical research skills to children and teens.

Engrave Family Trees on Metal Plaques

I have written often about the risks of storing information on paper. Paper is fragile and is susceptible to deterioration as the years pass. Information that is printed on paper will deteriorate and disappear after a period of time. Even acid-free paper is vulnerable to moisture, mold, tearing and fire. Digitizing images solves some of these problems but also introduces new concerns.

Now one company, Progeny Software, has a new solution: a family tree, preserved forever on a metal plate, will be available centuries from now to tell the story of the family. Centuries? This strikes me as an excellent method of preserving family tree information.

Wanda Sykes' Family Tree Documented Back to 1683

Anyone researching Black American genealogy can tell you how difficult the research can be. Records of Black Americans before 1865 are very difficult to find. A few people have managed to research those records back to 1800. Records back to 1700 are almost unheard of. Professional genealogists hired by the new television show, “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr.,” were astonished when they found documentation of one line of comedian and actress Wanda Sykes' ancestry back to 1683 in York County, Virginia.

Thirty-nine lashes “well laid” on her bare back and an extension of her indentured servitude was Elizabeth Banks’s punishment for “fornication & Bastardy with a negroe slave,” according to a stark June 20, 1683, court document. Elizabeth Banks was a free, although indentured, white woman. The researchers had previously documented Sykes' ancestry back to Banks, her paternal ninth great-grandmother.

FamilySearch Records Update 21 Mar 2012

March 21, 2012

FamilySearch added just over 6.3 million new, free records online this past week for Australia, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and the U.S. Search these diverse collections and 2.5 billion other records now for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records on FamilySearch.org are made possible by thousands of volunteers from around the world who transcribe (index) the information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the amount of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about how to personally help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records as a volunteer indexer at FamilySearch.org.

ISFHWE:Annual Excellence-in-Writing Competition

The following announcement was written by the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE):

The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) annual Excellence-in-Writing competition is now accepting entries.

ISFHWE's primary goal is to encourage excellence in writing and editorial standards in genealogical publishing. This embraces all media, including newspapers, magazines, newsletters, professional journals, books (including compiled family histories), online columns, society and personal Web sites, Web logs (blogs), and broadcast journalism of all sorts.

Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to Debut on PBS

Genealogy television shows are popping up everywhere on the networks. In the latest genealogy addition, hosted by the Harvard University professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. unearths the mystery behind the family lineages of some of America's most prominent figures. Among the black celebrities featured are actress Wanda Sykes, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, civil rights legend and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, singer John Legend and actor Samuel L. Jackson. In addition, Martha Stewart, Robert Downey Jr., Harry Connick Jr., Barbara Walters and Kevin Bacon are among the other luminaries profiled in the series.

Free 4G Wireless Service?

I first saw the headline on this offer and became excited. Free wireless service? That's not the limited-range wi-fi service that only works 100 to 200 feet from a base station. In this case, it is the longer-range wireless service provided by a cell phone company. If you can connect to a cell phone tower, you can obtain free Internet connectivity at roughly DSL broadband speeds. There are some catches, however.

In fact, as I read more and the more, the "catches" cooled my initial enthusiasm. Yet, for some people who only need occasional Internet service, this could be a very attractive offer.

Massachusetts' Older Vital Records to Go Online

Are you looking for the birth records of Clara Barton, Paul Revere, John Hancock, John Adams, or Benjamin Franklin? How about your own ancestors instead? If they were born in Massachusetts, you have an excellent chance of finding such records by using your own computer and logging into Ancestry.com. The new database includes Massachusetts birth and marriage records and, in many cases, death records as well. The years vary but often are from the time each town was founded to about 1850.

The records are those created by the town clerks of each town. The recording of vital records by each town clerk was ordered by the government as early as 1639, although not all towns immediately complied. All of the town clerks' records that have survived will soon be available on Ancestry.com.

Posterous Has Been Acquired by Twitter

Quite a few genealogists host their blogs on Posterous.com. The service is free, easy to use, and quite popular. Now the company has announced it is being acquired by former competitor Twitter.

Details may be found at http://blog.posterous.com/big-news.