Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

The GenSeeker Project

The following announcement was written by FamilyLink.com, Inc.:

The GenSeeker Project [is] a unique initiative, recruiting traveling family researchers as "GenSeekers" to introduce local communities throughout the U.S. to GenSeek, a social media website devoted to the monumental task of digitizing and sharing family histories found in small towns.

The Generations Network Becomes Ancestry.com

The company recently known as The Generations Network has been through a long and somewhat circuitous existence. The company started out as Ancestry Publishing, a small publisher of genealogy books. Soon after launching its first web site, the corporate name was changed to Ancestry.com. Since then, the company has changed its corporate name about once every 2 or 3 years. This has been good business for some sign painter in Provo, Utah: frequently updating the sign on the front of the building.

Company officials have announced still ANOTHER name change: this time they are reverting back to Ancestry.com.

More than 90 Gannett Newspapers Now Available from ProQuest

The following announcement was written by ProQuest:

Through an agreement with renowned news publisher Gannett, 85 full-text local and regional newspapers along with 7 military newspaper titles are now available through ProQuest.

Add all Gannett titles to your collection, or customize your selection with newspapers just from your region. Because they will be offered in full-text format on the award-winning ProQuest platform, these newspapers will be cross-searchable with all other titles in ProQuest Newsstand, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Combined, they’ll deliver national news along with local reactions to events at home and around the world.

Brant County, Ontario Local History to go Online

The following information comes from the County of Brant Public Library:

The County of Brant Public Library has hired a professional archivist to create a special local history digital collection.

The County of Brant Public Library is excited to announce that Misty De Meo has joined the library to help create a comprehensive digital archive of Brant’s history. Misty is a professional archivist with a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto. Her specialty is in creating accessible and lasting digital images from the precious historical documents that tell our community’s story.

19th century British Library Newspapers Online

The following announcement was written by the British Library:

June 17, 2009 -- Available for the first time at http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs, The British Library, in partnership with JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has today launched the public version of its 19th century British Library Newspaper website.

Bathing machines, children as young as nine smoking and drinking, Vesta Tilley - London's very own Pop Idol, the banking collapse of 1878 and zero percent income tax are just a few of the fascinating items researchers can now look at online.

FamilySearch Indexing Update: New User Tools and 4 International Projects Added

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

16 June 2009
Overview

Significant updates were made recently to the FamilySearch Indexing application and Web site. Batch Sharing seems to be the most popular of the new features. Following are brief descriptions of the updates:

National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis Opens Agency Civilian Personnel Records to the Public

The following announcement was written by the National Archives and Records Administration:

ST. LOUIS, June 12 -- The National Archives' National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) opened more than 6 million individual personnel files of former federal civilian employees from the mid-1800s through 1951. These records will be of special interest to genealogists, family members, researchers, sociologists, and historians.

Among the records are the files of prominent individuals who worked for the federal government, such as Walt Disney, Ansel Adams, Eliot Ness, Calvin Coolidge, J. Edgar Hoover, Gifford Pinchot, Walker Evans, and Albert Einstein.

EBSCO Publishing Makes Footnote.com Available to Libraries

Access to Footnote.com might now be available for free at your local library. The following announcement was written by EBSCO Publishing:

EBSCO Publishing Becomes Worldwide Library Distributor of Footnote™ Historical Digital Archive and Genealogy Database

IPSWICH, Mass.--EBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) and Footnote have announced a distribution deal making EBSCO the exclusive worldwide distributor of Footnote.com for libraries and institutions. Footnote.com combines original historical documents and personal histories, creating a unique historical and genealogical resource.

Millions of Alien Files to Become Permanent Records at the National Archives

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration:

WHO:  Adrienne Thomas, Acting Archivist of the United States Gregory Smith, Associate Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Jennie Lew, Director of Communications, Save Our National Archives

WHAT:  A joint signing ceremony between the National Archives and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the National Archives will designate as permanent the immigration files created on the millions of aliens residing in the United States in 1944, as well as those arriving since then. These Alien Case Files (commonly referred to as A-Files) document the famous, the infamous, the anonymous and the well-known, and are an historical and genealogical goldmine. The new agreement authorizes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/Department of Homeland Security to send A-files to the National Archives when 100 years have passed since the birthdate of the subject of a file. The National Archives expects to receive the first transfer of A-files later this year, and will store the files at National Archives facilities in San Francisco and Kansas City. Researchers will be able to access the files at these two sites, or request copies of files. An index will be available to support research use.

National Archives Continues Year-Long 75th Anniversary Celebration

The following announcement was written by the National Archives and Records Administration:

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- The National Archives continues its 75th Anniversary celebration in June with special lectures, programs, and films. These events are free and open to the public and will be held in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, located on the National Mall at Constitution Ave. between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. National Archives summer exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m., through Labor Day.

GenealogyBank.com Offers Free Access to Millions of Military Records

The following announcement was written by GenealogyBank.com:

Naples, FL May 21, 2009 -- GenealogyBank.com, a leading online provider of newspapers and historical documents for family history research, announced today the release of thousands of U.S. Military records. The historical documents collection at GenealogyBank.com now features over 200 years and millions of U.S. Military records and reports. In honor of Memorial Day, the list of officers that served in the Revolutionary War is now free online at www.genealogybank.com/free/.  

Genealogy Freelancers Enters Final Phase

The following announcement was written by IRBO, Inc.:

IRBO, Inc. parent company of Genealogy Freelancers.com announced today that their groundbreaking service that connects experts in the field of genealogy to those seeking their family history has begun the final stage to their successful pilot program initiated in May of 2008.   The announcement follows the company’s yearlong quest for qualified international ancestry specialists and the launch of their pilot site in September 2008.  The final phase has been based on the success of the program and the readiness of the site.  “We’ve spent the last year networking with professionals who have a passion for genealogy and the qualifications that bring security to the seeker of their family history” said Jack Irwin, co-founder of Genealogy Freelancers.  “It’s been a monumental task, because we not only recruited through the US, but internationally as well. We have a huge pool of experts now and it’s growing daily.  Everyone is really excited to move forward”.

OneGreatFamily.com Announces “GenealogyCloud”

The following was written by OneGreatFamily.com:

OneGreatFamily.com is now offering “GenealogyCloud” – a full-featured API providing access to a web-based genealogy system. OneGreatFamily has spent more than 10 years and invested approximately $10 million refining its powerful family tree engine. OneGreatFamily.com provides family history enthusiasts with a genealogy program for building a family tree, storing memories and facts, and extending family tree branches by connecting into research that has already been done by others. This web-based functionality has recently been termed “cloud computing,” meaning that the software being accessed by users is not housed on their own computers but in the “cloud” of the internet.

FamilySearch Indexing Update: Austria, Germany, Indiana, New York, and UK Projects Added

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Diligent FamilySearch indexers made quick work of the New York 1892 and the Rhode Island 1925 State Censuses. Those projects are now complete and will be prepped for publishing online.

New indexing projects added this week are:

Announcing the Devon Wills Project

The following announcement was written by the Devon Wills Project:

The Devon Wills Project, a co-operation involving the Devon Family History Society, the Devon Record Office, GENUKI/Devon, and the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, will it is hoped result in the creation of a very important additional resource for Devon genealogists - BUT, this will depend on enough volunteers stepping forward to help out. Hence this message.

The Project has been set up in an attempt to compensate, as far as this is possible, for the disastrous loss of Devon wills that occurred when the Exeter Probate Office was destroyed by fire during World War II.

Ancestry.com Marks Milestone in User-Generated Family History Content

The following announcement was written by The Generations Network (TGN), parent company of Ancestry.com:

Members Add More Than 1 Billion People and 10 Million Family Trees to the Web Site in Less than Three Years

PROVO, Utah, May 12 -- Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, today announced that its members have added more than 1 billion people to more than 10 million user-generated family trees on the site since the tree-building and -sharing tools debuted in July 2006. Within just the last two years, members have more than tripled the number of people and family trees, and Ancestry.com members continue to benefit from the site's content.

National Famine Memorial Day 2009 – Eneclann raises funds for Gorta and commemorates two Skibbereen Doctors

The following announcement was written by Eneclann:

Dublin, Ireland – Saturday 9 May 2009 – To coincide with the inaugural National Famine Memorial Day in Skibbereen (events taking place between 10-17 May 2009) Eneclann, the Dublin-based history and heritage company, is commemorating the work of two local doctors during the Famine, as well as raising money for Gorta to aid present day famine victims.

NEHGS and TAG Announce New Partnership

The following announcement was written by the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

Early volumes of premier genealogical journal now available online

Boston, MA – May 8, 2009 – NEHGS is pleased to announce a new collaboration with The American Genealogist (TAG), one of the premier scholarly genealogical publications in the country. The Society is digitizing back issues of the journal and making them available on its award-winning Web site, NewEnglandAncestors.org.

American Flag of Faces™ Launched Online

The following announcement was written by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation:

Will Be Featured Exhibit at Ellis Island

Ellis Island, NY (April 2009) – The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. today announced the official launch of its new American Flag of Faces™ website at www.FlagOfFaces.org. This interactive website invites all Americans to submit photos of their families, their ancestors, even themselves to become a part of this living, ever-changing American mosaic.

Pharos Adds Four New Teachers

Pharos is a British genealogy company that offers online genealogy classes. You can read my earlier articles about Pharos at http://www.google.com/cse?cx=003715150024579880844%3Aulyzue1ivzu&ie=UTF-8&q=Pharos&sa=Search. Now the company is expanding with the addition of four more teachers: