Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

(+) Divided By The Pond: Why Genetic Drift Means US Results Can’t Pinpoint the Origin of a British Surname

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Chris Pomery.

Like so many great technological innovations, the use of Y-chromosome DNA testing to unravel the history of a surname was invented in Britain…and commercialised in the USA.

Since the very first published surname project, on the Sykes surname back in the year 2000, the number of Y-chromosome test results has risen to several hundreds of thousands worldwide. FTDNA alone has 165,000 in its database, many within the more than 5,500 surname-based projects registered on its site. In just over a decade we’ve gone from one surname project to a point where a significant percentage of surnames of Western European origin are included within a registered DNA project. And more are being created every day.

(+) What Should Your Society Give Away Free of Charge?

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

If your genealogy society is thinking of creating a web site or improving an existing web site, one discussion is sure to arise sooner or later: how much information should the society place on the web site?

Should the ENTIRE society newsletter be published online? Or should the newsletter be held back as a "benefit of membership" and only made available to paid members?

(+) Are You a Family Historian or a Name Collector?

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

I have a question. None of my living relatives knows the answer to this question. I have not found the answer to this question in any public records, nor have I been able to find the answer in cemeteries. I have read a few magazine articles and Internet pages about the topic, but none of them have directly answered the question.

The question is…  “Why do we study genealogy?”

What makes anyone so curious about his or her family tree? What drives us to dedicate time, effort, and sometimes expenses to go find dead people?

What is it inside of us that makes us spend hours and hours cranking reels of microfilm, then we go home and report to our family members what a great day we had?

(+) Genealogical Networking - Why ISOGG’s successful collaboration with NIST is so encouraging

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Chris Pomery.

The recently announced news that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a common standard for the reporting of Y-chromosome DNA profiles is extremely good news for any male genealogist who has already, or will in the future, take a Y-chromosome DNA test.

During the ten years since this kind of DNA testing was first targeted at family historians, a range of DNA testing firms have marketing tests specifically aimed at you and me. The result they send us back is basically a series of numbers. Compare that series with another man’s series, and you can estimate whether the two of you share a common male ancestor within the past thousand years, the widest historical timeframe that genealogical research can handle, or whether the link between you goes back in time much further.

(+) Strengthen and Protect Your Passwords

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

It's a hostile world out there. Hackers, rip-off artists, and other miscreants want to obtain your personal information. The goal is identity theft: they want to obtain your personal information so that they may pose as you and then drain money from your bank and credit card accounts or to create new accounts with lines of credit.

Luckily, it is easy to foil such thieves. You do not have to give up your online life. There is no need to cancel bank accounts or credit card accounts. All you need to do is to follow a few simple precautions.

(+) The Death of Microfilm

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

Genealogists love microfilm. Visit any genealogy library anywhere, and you will see genealogists in darkened rooms, hunched over microfilm viewers, trying to solve the puzzles of their family trees. I have taken several pictures of genealogists sitting at rows of microfilm readers. However, I suspect that within twenty years those pictures will become collectors' items, recalling an era that exists only as distant memories in the minds of "the old-timers." You see, microfilm and microfiche are about to disappear.

(+) Google for Genealogists - Part 3

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

NOTE: This is the third and final  installment of a multi-part article. Part #1 is available at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=6206 while Part #2 is available at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=6270.

Google Books

If you haven't used Google Books, you haven't used one of the most useful genealogy tools available! In fact, if you haven't used Google Books lately, you are again missing out on a great resource!

(+) Questions to Ask Your Elders

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

For every genealogist who is completely content with the results of his or her efforts, I wonder how many more are nagged by questions they wish they had asked family members when they had the chance. We scour the vital records, consult the census reports, and probe the probate for clues about those lost to us. If you’re lucky enough to have old diaries or letters, you try to piece together their lives to discover what they really thought and felt. We spend hour after hour reconstructing our ancestors’ lives. However, if you have the ultimate good fortune to have older relatives still among you, think of the priceless memories they may have to share today!

"If only I had asked her before she died." How many of us have uttered those words? I know that I have, and I suspect that you have, too. The greatest resource in family history is carried within the memories of our older relatives. Not only are names and dates remembered, but so are the many wonderful stories that were never recorded elsewhere. When someone dies, that information is lost forever.

(+) Living With an All-In-One

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

One of the smaller revolutions of the computer industry almost slipped past me. I have ignored the recent growth of "all-in-one" printers. I have owned and used a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 1320 printer for years, and it continues to perform flawlessly. It even prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. I have it connected to a Macintosh system which, in turn, shares the LaserJet on the network in my home. The laser printer is available to all the computers in my home, as long as the Macintosh is powered up. I can print to it from my Macintosh, Windows, and Linux desktop systems as well as from my laptop, and family members can also print to it from their computers.

Of course, the LaserJet 1320 only prints in black-and-white. Color laser printers are available today but at higher prices. Color inkjet printers are available at rather low prices, typically starting at $40 or so.

I am still happy with my LaserJet's performance, but in recent months I have become aware that I am missing a few things.

(+) Google for Genealogists - Part 2

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

NOTE: This is the second installment of a multi-part article. Part #1 is available at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=6206.

Boolean Logic

All modern search engines use at least some forms of Boolean logic. Named after the mid-19th century mathematician, George Boole, who first defined an algebraic system of logic, Boolean logic allows for the combining of search terms using “elements” or “operators.”

(+) Along Those Lines by George G. Morgan: Entertainment Old and New

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by George G. Morgan.

Our ancestors sought entertainment in many ways, depending on the time period and their location. They attended fairs and carnivals and they flocked to see traveling shows of many types. They may have participated in singing groups and choirs, or they may have played an instrument. A piano was an exceptionally popular item to have in a home, and people rushed to buy sheet music for the latest songs. Families spent leisure time singing around the piano or home organ. Some families had a more economical accordion instead, and that instrument enjoyed such nicknames as “squeezebox” or “kitchen piano.” Attending musical recitals was a popular social and cultural activity.

(+) Google for Genealogists - Part 1

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

NOTE: This is the first installment of a multi-part article that will be published over the next two or three weeks.

Google is an immensely powerful tool used daily by millions of computer owners all over the world, including genealogists. A complete tutorial on the use of Google could fill hundreds of pages. Indeed, such tutorials have been written and are available at your local bookstore.

I decided to write about the most common functions of Google that will interest the majority of genealogists. This article will not be as long as the printed books; but, by publishing electronically, the information will be current when published and can also be easily updated in the future as Google adds and changes its many offerings.

(+) What I Use for Long-Term Data Storage

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

A newsletter subscriber asked, "What is your media of choice today (and for the next few years)? Do you use gold DVDs for your backups?" I then decided to share my answer with all Plus Edition subscribers.

In short, I think the high-cost DVD-ROM and CD-ROM disks make for a waste of money when your only concern is backup storage. To be certain, if you would like to make sure that you can read your data tomorrow or next week, then good quality media is probably a good idea. But if you plan to read that disk five years from now or twenty-five years from now, no disk is going to do that reliably. This is true regardless of how much money you spend. Neither will any DVD or CD disk, jump drive, ZIP drive or any other form of electronic media that I can think of.

(+) From Lloyd’s Library by Lloyd Bockstruck: A New South Carolina Resource

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck.

Unlike Spain and Portugal, where the monarchies sponsored voyages of discovery and the planting colonies in the New World, England relied on private enterprise and the nobility for underwriting the cost and risking their own wealth for the benefit of the nation. 

There were eight Lords Proprietors who were the owners of the colony of South Carolina. They did so until 1719, when the King took over the colony. For another decade the Lords Proprietors still owned all of the vacant lands in South Carolina. In 1729 South Carolina became a royal colony, and first royal governor was appointed in 1731. He began to exercise his royal authority to granting lands the next year.

The original Royal land grants are in thirty-seven volumes.

(+) Hard Times in Genealogy Publishing

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

Stop the presses!

Genealogy publishing has always been a difficult business, but it strikes me that today's economy makes such efforts even more difficult. Traditional publishing certainly is going through turmoil; newspapers and book publishers are closing down everywhere we look. Genealogy publishers are doing the same.

(+) Eighteen Hundred and Froze To Death

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

Growing up in New England, I heard a number of my older relatives talk about the year, "eighteen hundred and froze to death." I thought it was a cute phrase but otherwise never paid much attention. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned that there really was such a year: 1816. In fact, none of the relatives who had mentioned that year to me were even alive in 1816; none of them were born until many years later. They obviously had heard about it from their older relatives. Being at least five generations removed from 1816, I became curious: what was so severe about this year that it left a mental imprint so strong that stories would be handed down in my family for generations?

(+) “Along Those Lines” by George G. Morgan: Three Great Book Reviews

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by George G. Morgan.

I attended the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago in July. Imagine 30,000 librarians in one place at one time! The stereotype of the little grey-haired lady wearing pince-nez and telling people to “Shush!” is way out of date. Modern librarians are vibrant, enthusiastic information providers who encourage their customers to use the facilities and to talk and exchange information, verbally and electronically. The exhibit hall for the ALA Conference was held in the mammoth McCormick Place, and there were hundreds of publishers and equipment vendors on hand. It appears that the publishing industry is alive and well, and that is great news for everyone.

(+) From Lloyd’s Library by Lloyd Bockstruck: Three Book Reviews

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Lloyd Bockstruck. Please do not forward this article to others without the author's permission.

The sixth edition of Elizabeth Petty Bentley’s The Genealogist’s Address Book has just been released. As with past editions, she has solicited data by electronic and regular mail, printed sources, and those found on the Internet. She features libraries, historical societies, genealogical societies, archives, and other organizations. She provides the name of the organization, its address, telephone and FAX numbers, websites, name of contact person, titles of periodicals, and specialties.

(+) A New Fad Sweeps the Country in the 1870s

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

We all know about popular fads: the hula hoops of the fifties, the pet rocks of the sixties, and body-piercing jewelry of the present time. The young people generally embrace fads with open arms while older generations wring their hands and wonder what the younger generation is coming to. However, we generally do not think about fads in the times of our ancestors. A quick bit of historical study shows that our ancestors were just as enthusiastic about new ideas and fashions as are any of their descendants. Some of these fads had far-reaching effects on future generations. In fact, some of us might not be here today had it not been for one of these fads.

(+) What is an ISO file and What Can I do With It?

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

Those of us who have been using computers for some time have become accustomed to a variety of file extensions. A file extension is the series of letters that is added to a file name after the period. It is often three letters long although it could be longer or shorter. In the Windows world, a file extension of .EXE indicates an executable file (a program), while .ZIP indicates a file that is compressed in ZIP format, .MP3 is a music file, .TXT is a text file, .DOC indicates a word processing document in the format used by Microsoft Word, .JPG is a graphics file, and so on.