Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Video: I Got Interviewed by the Genealogy Guys

I have recorded a lot of video interviews where I had opportunities to talk with many of the "movers and shakers" in the genealogy world. Recently, the tables got turned. Actually, in this case, the cameras got turned around. I was interviewed.

Drew Smith is one half of the Genealogy Guys team that produces audio podcasts and nowadays includes video interviews. Drew recently took some time to interview me. Drew and I talked about newsletters, blogs, cloud computing, today's technology, and more.

Video: Michael Gandy, Editor of The Genealogist, talks to Else Churchill

The Genealogist is the flagship publication of the Society of Genealogists (in England). The Genealogist is distributed free quarterly to all members. A new video shows Else Churchill, the genealog professional at the Society, as she interviews Michael Gandy who has been the editor for the last ten years. Michael describes the sorts of articles you may find in the magazine.

More on the U.S. Version of "Who Do You Think You Are?"

The Hollywood Reporter has an article about Lisa Kudrow, the Executive Producer of the American version of the television program "Who Do You Think You Are?" The article reports that "Who Do You Think You Are?" is set to air on NBC. The show's producers have made seven episodes for the series that will air in primetime starting in January.

U.S. Version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Inches Closer to Reality

The following was noted in an article in Reuters today:

After securing a product placement deal for the U.S. edition of the television programme Who Do You Think You Are?, Shed Media (SHDP.L) hopes the government will change its stance and allow similar advertising in the UK. The arrangement with NBC and genealogy company Ancestry.com will see each episode make a limited number of mentions of Ancestry.com's research services. For its part, Ancestry.com has made a significant investment in the programme's budget -- both in terms of cash and in kind by carrying out most of the research.

Video: The Human Family Tree

This Sunday, August 30th, at 9 PM on the National Geographic Channel, Dr. Spencer Wells goes to a Queens, New York neighborhood, takes DNA samples from the diverse population there, and traces the very different journeys their ancestors took out of the common “cradle of humanity” - East Africa - to the present day New York borough.

By taking DNA samples on a single day on a single street, Dr. Wells shows how we are all cousins in the family of mankind.

Video Interview: Julie Miller and the NGS 2010 Conference

I recently had a chance to talk with Julie Miller, a professional genealogist, author, lecturer, and newspaper columnist who is well known in genealogy circles.  Julie is also program chair of the 2010 National Genealogical Society's "Conference in the States" to be held in Salt Lake City in 2010. In our conversation, Julie described some of the plans for this major conference, including more than 200 presentations offered in ten simultaneous sessions during most days of this four-day conference.

Roots Television videotaped our conversation and has now made it available online. You can watch and listen right now if you go to http://www.rootstelevision.com/index.html?bcpid=7225568001&bclid=240119644&bctid=31029167001 or click on the image below.

Legend Seekers Nominated for Television Emmy

The following announcement was written by the producers of Legend Seekers:

Chicago, IL – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has nominated the producers of The Lively Family Massacre – a pilot for a documentary TV series titled Legend Seekers – for a regional EMMY in the documentary category.

Video Interview: Tom Underhill

Roots Television has posted another video interview that will be of interest to many genealogists. In this video, Matthew Poe talks with Tom Underhill, Publisher at Creative Continuum about their latest publications.

Video Interview: Illya D'Addezio

Roots Television has released another video interview, this time featuring  Illya D'Addezio, President and Founder of Genealogy Today. In this video, Matthew Poe talks with Illya about the site's new offerings.

You can watch and listen to the video at http://www.rootstelevision.com/players/player_conferences3.php?bcpid=6933799001&bclid=27965007001&bctid=29865721001 or click on the image below.

Video Interview: Eric Keith of Footnote.com

Roots Television has posted another video interview that may be of interest to many readers of this newsletter. At the recent Southern California Genealogical Jamboree, Matthew Poe talked with Eric Keith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at FootNote.com - the resource for original historical documents online.

Video Interview: Bruce Buzbee

Matthew Poe recently interviewed Bruce Buzbee, Founder and President of Roots Magic about his company's latest software release, upgrades, and website enhancements. Roots Television videotaped the interview and has now made it available online.

A Conversation with George Morgan

I recently had a chance to talk with George G. Morgan of The Genealogy Guys. George is a long-time podcaster, author, and a frequent contributor to this newsletter. George is an expert genealogist who has helped thousands of others through his writing and his podcasts.

I talked with George about a number of his activities and especially about his new update to his book, "How to Do Everything Genealogy." He also described his involvement with libraries and talked about his concerns with current library funding being slashed all across the country.

Dougie MacLean’s Genealogy Mystery to be Revealed

Scottish musician Dougie MacLean will discover if he has any skeletons in his closet when his family’s roots are revealed at a special event on Friday.

Caldeonia singer MacLean has been working with Dr. Bruce Durie from Strathclyde University, which is hosting the International Genealogy Festival this week, to delve into his Scots past. STV has placed an interesting video interview online, featuring Dougie MacLean and Dr. Bruce Durie.

Video Interview of Katherine Hope Borges

Writing a genealogy newsletter has lots of benefits. For one, I get to meet and talk with many interesting people. Roots Television recently recorded a conversation I had with Katherine Hope Borges, Director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy. In this recorded video, Katherine described DNA testing as a genealogical research tool. She did show how to provide a DNA sample. (Hint: You don't provide blood.) She also addressed the issue of privacy.

Video: Burr Oak Cemetery Desecration

I wrote a few days ago about the illegal actions of workers at Burr Oak Cemetery near Chicago. The workers apparently dug up graves, discarded the bodies, and then sold the burial plots,  pocketing the cash. The discovery has outraged those who had loved ones buried there as well as the American public. WGN Television and the Chicago Tribune have now released a news video of this tragedy.

Video Interview: Drew Smith

I recently had a chance to talk with Drew Smith, author of the recent book, Social Networking for Genealogists. I described Drew as a "high energy guy" because he is involved in so many genealogy-related activities. He is a genealogy expert, president of a local genealogy society, a prolific author and lecturer, podcaster, editor of the FGS Voice (published by the Federation of Genealogical Societies), and he frequently makes presentations at genealogy conferences all over the country. He is also well-known for being one-half of the team (with George G. Morgan) that produces The Genealogy Guys podcasts.

In this interview, Drew talks about the strengths of local genealogy societies and some of the resources they provide. He also describes the many activities of the umbrella organization: the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Video Interview: David Rencher

I recently had a chance to interview David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch. Roots Television videotaped our conversation and it is now available online.

In this video, David describes the responsibilities of the new position. He also talks at some length about FamilySearch.org, the web site sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That genealogy web site receives millions of "hits" per day and contains millions of records. All information on that web site is available free of charge. David is responsible for guiding much of FamilySearch's planning and coordination efforts.

David also talked about several other projects underway, including a massive effort by volunteers to index millions of records of genealogical interest.

The Generations Project - A New Cable Television Genealogy Program

John Searcy stood wide-eyed in front of a TV camera on Thursday at the Manatee County (Florida) Agricultural Museum, learning about his family’s past and his heritage.

The Indiana resident traveled through Palmetto with a TV crew at his side as he learned about his great-grandfather — his namesake — and the mysteries behind a man he grew up knowing very little about. His experience was being filmed for a new cable TV series called “The Generations Project.”

Video Interview: Andrew Wait of Ancestry.com

One of the things I love about attending genealogy conferences is the experts that you meet there. Indeed, there are all sorts of genealogy experts, DNA experts, and senior executives from companies in the genealogy business. At the recent Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, I had a chance to meet and talk with Andrew Wait, senior vice-president at Ancestry.com. He worked in the Ancestry.com booth, talking with conference attendees.

I had a chance to pull Andrew to one side for a few minutes and we got in front of a television camera being operated by a Roots Television cameraman. I asked a few questions and Andrew offered insights into the company's latest offerings, including Expert Connect, as well as a new collaborative network that is yet unannounced and unnamed.

A Video Interview of Dear Myrtle

I recently had a chance to sit down and interview a long-time friend. Pat Richley is better known in the genealogy community as "Dear Myrtle." She is a prolific author, blogger, and lecturer.

Roots Television recorded our conversation and has now made it available on RootsTelevision.com.

Pat has been writing blogs since 1995. Her writing has now grown to three separate blogs. She records audio "podcasts," performs online training, writes about genealogy on Second Life, and writes about articles published in several magazines. She also writes about "unusual sources" of genealogy information, such as searching the U.S. Patent database for information about ancestors. She has a strong focus on topics of interest to genealogy newcomers.