Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Amazon Cloud Suffers Partial Outage

I have written several times about cloud computing and especially about the high uptimes that cloud computing services provide. However, Amazon had a problem on Monday when some of Amazon's cloud computing servers were offline for a bit. The problem knocked off several popular websites offline. Foursquare said the failure kept it and other services from working for about 2 hours while music-sharing website Turntable.fm reported that it was down for about a half-hour. The outage also clobbered Heroku, Flipboard, and others, according to reports.

The problem apparently affected only a small percentage of Amazon's customers. For instance, this newsletter's web site is partially on Amazon's cloud service and apparently had no problem. Amazon has not yet announced what percentage of its customers experienced the problem nor has it yet provided an explanation of the cause.

Scott C. Steward and Christopher C. Child Earn the Jacobus Award

At its meeting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on 20 October 2012, the American Society of Genealogists voted to give their annual Donald Lines Jacobus Award to The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts, by Scott C. Steward and Christopher C. Child.

Published by the Newbury Street Press of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 2011, this genealogy treats some fourteen generations of Lowells, beginning with their English origins, following a line of descent from Percival1 Lowell to Judge John6 Lowell of Newburyport, and then branching out, treating descendants of John’s six children down to the present day. Generously illustrated, this book begins with short biographical accounts of some of the more renowned members of the family, of which there are many. It then presents 1089 family sketches with meticulous documentation.

 

Ancestry.com To Be Sold to Investor Group Led By Permira For $1.6 Billion

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Ancestry.com Inc. will be acquired by an investor group led by European private-equity firm Permira for nearly $1.6 billion, or $32 per share. Reports added that the $1.6 billion value of the agreement accounts for vesting of outstanding options, with the $32.00 per share price representing a premium of around 40% from where the stock was trading in June.

The Journal reports the buyout is a bet that family-history research is more than a niche market and that the subscriber base can swell with technological innovations, deeper archives and a wider international audience. People familiar with the buyers' plans said that expansion in western Europe is a goal.

You can read more at http://goo.gl/XA5NI.

FOLLOW-UP: The above link points to the Wall Street Journal article. It worked for me and I am not a subscriber. However, some people are reporting that the Journal's web site displays a sign-in form to them. However, you can also go to Google and search there. The story is appearing on hundreds of web sites this morning as the word travels around. You can search by starting here: http://goo.gl/Jyhgb

FOLLOW-UP #2: Here is the press release issued later this morning by Ancestry.com:

Genealogy & Family History Question & Answer Site Now in Public Beta

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the Genealogy and Family History Q&A web site:

Over 200 Avid Genealogists Have Worked for Almost 2 Months to Make This Site Possible

After 20 days in "Definition" phase, 31 days in "Commitment" phase, and 7 days in Private Beta, a new resource for genealogists and family historians worldwide is now in Public Beta and is now open to everyone. Genealogy and Family History Q&A is where you can go to ask questions about genealogy and solve problems you are having in your research and get answers fast from experts in the field and other genealogy enthusiasts.

Canada's Globe and Mail now Available on ProQuest Historical Newspapers

The following announcement was written by ProQuest:

Canada’s “newspaper of record” will be easily accessed and explored in the context of the world’s great newspapers
 
October 22, 2012 (ANN ARBOR, Mich.) -- ProQuest and The Globe and Mail will streamline research of Canadian life and history by making the complete works of Canada’s “newspaper of record” accessible in the powerful ProQuest digital research environment. As part of ProQuest’s Historical Newspaper collection, the archive of The Globe and Mail will be cross-searchable with a worldwide selection of both major and specialty newspapers – from The New York Times and The Guardian to the Chicago Defender and the Jerusalem Post – significantly enhancing productivity and efficiency of researchers and journalists exploring historical events.

(+) How to Access Television Programs and Other Web Content from Other Countries and Simultaneously Foil Hackers

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

Comments posted to this newsletters' website recently have highlighted a common problem: not all the information on the World Wide Web is available worldwide. For example, many television programs are converted to computer videos and made available online. However, the audiences often are restricted. Web users in the United States are blocked from watching the BBC version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" This is because the BBC wishes to restrict access to episodes of "Who Do You Think You Are?" to U.K. residents, and the web server in the U.K. knows whether you are in the U.K. or not by looking at your IP address, the Internet Protocol address your computer is using while you are online.

Actually, many other web sites do the same, even if they are not providing television programs. For instance, web users in Australia are frequently blocked from accessing some of the books on Google Books in the USA. In this case, the reason for the blockage is that Google Books has to deal with copyright laws in all countries, and those laws vary from one country to the next. Google doesn't always know all the laws in all the countries; so, the company takes a conservative approach. Google typically complies with U.S. laws and therefore allows U.S. residents to access all content. Users in other countries often are blocked from some books because Google cannot guarantee compliance with all copyright laws in each country.

A Day in Saratoga Springs

My thanks to Heritage Hunters in Saratoga Springs, New York. The society invited me to make four presentations at their meeting yesterday and I must say that I enjoyed the experience. Of course, an extra highlight was that two of my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War nearby so I stopped by to see the battlefields. It was fun, even in the heavy rain.

Heritage Hunters is a society dedicated to the study and preservation of genealogical and historic materials in and around Saratoga County, New York. Regular meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month at the Town of Saratoga's Town Hall. Meetings frequently include classes, lectures, workshops, seminars, and/or committee meetings.

I saw John Wilkes Booth shoot Abraham Lincoln

I am always fascinated by the historical items that appear online but this one really surprised me. YouTube now has a video from a man claiming that he was an eyewitness when John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

Samuel J. Seymour was five years old when his godmother, Mrs. George S. Goldsboro, took him to the theater to see “Our American Cousin.” They sat in the balcony opposite Lincoln’s box and had a great view of the President and Mrs. Lincoln. Seymour noted that he saw the President waving and smiling at people. Later, during the noise and commotion, Mr. Seymour did not realize Lincoln had been shot, only that he saw a man jump from the balcony.

Saved from Dumpster: an Amazing Map Collection

The occupant of the 90-year-old cottage had died in February. Matthew Greenberg's job was to empty the home so it could be demolished and its 18,000-square-foot lot divided into two parcels. His clients had told him to rent a Dumpster and throw away whatever he found inside.

But Greenberg couldn't bring himself to do that, especially after he read a recent Los Angeles Times article about the Central Library's map collection. The small cottage contained roughly one million maps. Instead, he invited the Central Library's map librarian, Glen Creason, to Mount Washington to look at the trove.

Creason called the find unbelievable. "I think there are at least a million maps here," he said. "This dwarfs our collection — and we've been collecting for 100 years."

Georgia’s Archives to Remain Open

 The following announcement was written by the office of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (and is available at http://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2012-10-18/deal-kemp-keep-georgia%E2%80%99s-archives-open):

Gov. Nathan Deal and Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today that the state will restore $125,000 to Kemp’s budget to keep the Georgia State Archives open to Georgians for the remainder of the budget year.

“Georgia’s Archives are a showcase of our state’s rich history and a source of great pride,” said Deal. “I worked quickly with my budget office and Secretary Kemp to ensure that Georgians can continue to come to Morrow to study and view the important artifacts kept there. I appreciate Secretary Kemp’s commitment to work with me to find a solution.”

(+) Turn Vacations into Genealogy Fact-Finding Trips

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

"If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium."

Where will you go on your next vacation trip? A trip to New England? Washington, D.C.? Salt Lake City? How about to the beach? Or how about a European vacation? How about taking a trip to the town where your grandparents grew up or visiting the country of your ancestors? What if you could actually walk the same streets as your great-great grandfather or see the home where your grandmother was born? This is something you want to put on your bucket list.

A trip back to the old home town or to "the old country" can be an immensely satisfying experience. Those who prepare for the trip usually report they have great memories and photographs of the experience.

New Samsung Chromebook: a $249 Laptop

Samsung and Google have unveiled the next generation Chromebook. The 11.6-inch Chromebook weighs less than two and a half pounds and is priced at a ground-breaking $249.

I purchased the previous generation Google Chromebook made by Samsung and have been quite happy with it. You can see my previous articles about my Chromebook experiences if you start at http://goo.gl/degQ2. I used the  3¼-pound Chromebook frequently until I purchased the two-and-a-half-pound MacBook Air which is a much more powerful computer although with a much higher price tag. I haven't used the Chromebook much since then.

Out for a Weekend Ride

In the 1920s and later, daredevil motorcycle riders worked at carnivals and circus side shows on the "wall of death." These were small, circular race tracks built with vertical walls. The riders started driving at the bottom and, as they accelerated, were able to go up the walls and drive round and round as fast as 80 miles an hour while perpendicular to the crowd that look in from atop the track.

You will notice the picture to the right features not only a motorcycle, but also an automobile with a lion in a sidecar, driven by a lady with no crash helmet. I suspect there was no seat belt for either the lady or the lion. You can click on the image to see a larger picture.

FindMyPast.co.uk Permanently Reduces the Price of the 1911 Census

The 1911census.co.uk blog, sponsored by FindMyPast, has announced, "We always try to give you the best possible value for money, so we’ve permanently reduced the price of the 1911 census. From now on, you can view a 1911 census original image for 5 credits (previously 30) and a transcript for 5 credits (previously 10)."

The brief announcement may be found at http://goo.gl/eWfVV.

Newsweek to Convert to All Digital

I have written often about the trend of books, magazines, and newspapers to stop publishing on paper and to expand their digital publications. Now another major publisher is making the transition.

Newsweek will switch to an all-digital format in early 2013. As part of this transition, the last print edition in the United States will be the December 31 issue.

Dropbox Makes the Easiest Way to Send Photos

E-mail, Facebook, texting, etc. are all good ways to share new digital stills and videos; but they’re typically an image-by-image, select-and-send process. Dropbox can eliminate those extra steps with its Camera Upload option, available on Android and iOS devices. Writing in the Windows Secrets newsletter, Lincoln Spector describes a simple method of sharing photos with friends and relatives.

Quoting from the article, "if you’re connected to the Internet, Dropbox immediately uploads the image to its servers, then downloads it to a folder on your computer and to other Dropbox-capable devices. Once the photos are on your computer, sharing them with friends and family can be just as automatic."

I've been using Spector's method for some time. Actually, I use Dropbox to automatically upload all photos from my handheld "smartphone" camera to my desktop and laptop computers within seconds after the pictures are taken. I then later select only the better photos to share with friends and relatives, although the method of using Dropbox still makes it simple.

Shipping Next Week: the Microsoft Surface Tablet Computer

Microsoft is about to release its competitor to Apple's iPad. Called the Surface, the new tablet looks like an ideal tool for a genealogist, assuming appropriate software becomes available. It is small, easily tucked under your arm or in a large purse, and carried to libraries, archives, cemeteries, or any place else a genealogist goes on research trips.

The picture to the right shows Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with the Microsoft Surface. You can click on the image to view a larger picture.

We Are All Related! So Get Over It.

Have you noticed all the news stories lately about various politicians and Hollywood personalities who are related to each other? I have one reaction: "Ho hum, so what else is new?"

Of course, most every person in North America whose ancestors have been here for several generations is related to most everyone else in North America whose ancestors have been here for several generations. In fact, you and I are probably related, and we are also probably related to Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, and the local mailman.

Searching for Chinese Workers Who Built the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad

Between 1865 and 1869, thousands of Chinese migrants toiled at a grueling pace and in perilous working conditions to help construct America's First Transcontinental Railroad. At any given moment during construction, 10,000 to 15,000 Chinese workers were on the job. And yet remarkably, not a single document created by one of these workers – not even a letter – has ever been found.

Two Stanford scholars are leading a multi-year, transnational research endeavor that aims to finally give a voice to the Chinese laborers whose blasting techniques and sheer fortitude built the railway across the inhospitable mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

Internet Archive Celebrates 10 Petabytes Online

The Internet Archive is a huge collection of all sorts of information. In fact, it is a great resource for genealogists, containing thousands of digitized books, many of which are difficult to find elsewhere. It also contains all the U.S. census records, although without indexes. The Internet Archive also contains movies, videos, historic photographs, music, and web pages.


I have written about The Internet Archive several times. You can see my past articles if you start at http://goo.gl/vQWH4. You can also watch my video interview of Brewster Kahle, founder of The Internet Archive, at http://goo.gl/20X1z. Now The Internet Archive is hosting a public event on Thursday, Oct. 25, starting at 6:30 p.m., to officially mark the organization reaching an important milestone – 10 petabytes worth of digital material stored. You can read about the Ten Petabyte Party at http://blog.archive.org/2012/10/10/the-ten-petabyte-party/.