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• Most Topular Stories

• MGP Study Group: Countdown 10 days and counting

  DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  23 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  DearREADERS,The much heralded Mastering Genealogy Proof (MGP) Study Group begins in 10 days. Here's how you can participate:1. Obtain your copy of Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones, Ph. D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGAfrom the National Genealogical Society.2. Read any four of the Reading List articles, locations summarized here: http://tinyurl.com/MGPreadinglist3.  Print out or digitally post the class session schedule located here:http://tinyurl.com/MGPclassSchedule4. WATCH DearMYRTLE's new "VIEWers Guide: Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group"located here:…

• Found Newspaper Articles for Linda's Parents in 1937 in San Francisco

  Genea-Musings

  Randy Seaver

  22 May 2013 | 4:04 pm

  I wondered if any of the online newspaper collections had articles about my wife's parents marriage, or the deaths of her grandfathers, in the San Francisco area.I checked the GenealogyBank collection for San Francisco newspapers, and noted that they have the San Francisco Chronicle from 1/1/1937 to 12/31/1942.  I did find an engagement article, a marriage application notice, a marriage license notice, and a wedding announcement article in 1937.The engagement article (dated 10 January 1937):2)  The Marriage Application notice (dated 1 September 1937):3)  The Marriage License…

• Casa Roma aka Eastbrique Tower

  kinexxions

  Becky Wiseman

  22 May 2013 | 7:54 am

  In July 2008, I posted Home Sweet Home as a contribution to "Smile for the Camera : Celebrate Home" that was hosted by footnoteMaven. In that post, I talked a little about the house I lived in while attending Indiana State University (1979-1982) in Terre Haute, Indiana and included the photo below. "Eastbrique Tower on Fruitridge Avenue, Terre Haute, Indiana. I lived here 1979-1982. I don't know when the house was built but it was quite old. The owner was remodeling it and turning it into apartments. I lived in a little efficiency apartment located in the left corner, first floor. I was…

• Billy

  George Geder

  9 May 2013 | 11:41 pm

  William Emmett Geder, Jr. 1939 - 1990; my BrotherHow far back can trace your lineage?That’s one of those questions designed to take you as far away from discovering who you are as possible. It takes you out of yourself, out of your family, out of your community, out of your world, and out of your mind.The service for my brother at Christ Episcopal church was like any other until the new priest, who actually didn’t know him, pointed to a spot in the choir where Billy once stood some forty years prior. It came crashing down all around me that I was somehow in that spot. I was never in the…

• Ireland’s General Register Office Records Finally to Go Online

  Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

  Dick Eastman

  23 May 2013 | 8:14 am

  I received the following note from Steven C. Smyrl FIGRS, MAPGI, the Executive Liaison Officer for the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations: The Irish government has announced that indexes to birth, death & marriage records which date from 1845 are soon to be made available through its genealogy portal www.irishgenealogy.ie. This is terrific news, announced in CIGO’s 21st year, the year in which it ‘comes of age’. Founded as the GRO Users Group, but soon after renamed the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, CIGO began life as a direct response to the 1992 government…

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  DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog

• MGP Study Group: Countdown 10 days and counting

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  23 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  DearREADERS,The much heralded Mastering Genealogy Proof (MGP) Study Group begins in 10 days. Here's how you can participate:1. Obtain your copy of Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones, Ph. D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGAfrom the National Genealogical Society.2. Read any four of the Reading List articles, locations summarized here: http://tinyurl.com/MGPreadinglist3.  Print out or digitally post the class session schedule located here:http://tinyurl.com/MGPclassSchedule4. WATCH DearMYRTLE's new "VIEWers Guide: Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group"located here:…

• VIEWer Guide to Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group VIDEO

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  22 May 2013 | 12:39 pm

  DearREADERS,Are you finally ready to go over to the Google+ side of things so you can participate in our upcoming Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group? Today, Ol' Myrt here and Cousin +Russ Worthington created a 23 minute video discussing:CalendaringWhat's the differences between a Google+ "Hangout" and a "Hangout on Air".What's a JOINer?What's a VIEWer?Is the live "Hangout on Air" recorded for later viewing?Where do I go to VIEW a class session?Where do I go to post comments?How to get to DearMYRTLE on YouTube.How to get to DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Community. How to VIEW the video in one…

• Help digitize MD State Archives Wills and Archives

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  20 May 2013 | 5:04 pm

  DearREADERS,Now's your chance to pay it forward! There is a new joint venture between FamilySearch and the Maryland Archives. Beginning in June, FamilySearch will digitize the Wills and Probate Records located at the Archives building in Annapolis. Records from Caroline, Carroll and Baltimore counties will be imaged. Some of these county records span from the mid-1800's to mid 1900's.  Screen Shot: Maryland State Archives website.Screen Shot: FamilySearch Maryland Archives Volunteer website.  Gary and Carol Petranek, Co-Directors of the Washington DC Family History Center, are…

• Genealogy webinars, chats and hangouts next week

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  18 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  DearREADERS,Thanks to the centralized calendar at GeneaWebinars.com, genealogists interested in learning more about our craft may register for these online seminars coming up this week. Be sure to verify the time in your neck of the woods. If you need a time zone converter see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.htmlMost of these webinars are held using the services of GoToWebinar.com. You don't need to have an account since the webinar organizer has that. As an attendee, you merely need to register, then click on the link in your confirmation email at the time of the event…

• Genealogy webinars, chats and hangouts next week

  Pat Richley-Erickson

  11 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  DearREADERS,Thanks to the centralized calendar at GeneaWebinars.com, genealogists interested in learning more about our craft may register for these online seminars coming up this week. Be sure to verify the time in your neck of the woods. If you need a time zone converter see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.htmlMost of these webinars are held using the services of GoToWebinar.com. You don't need to have an account since the webinar organizer has that. As an attendee, you merely need to register, then click on the link in your confirmation email at the time of the event…

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  Genea-Musings

• Found Newspaper Articles for Linda's Parents in 1937 in San Francisco

  Randy Seaver

  22 May 2013 | 4:04 pm

  I wondered if any of the online newspaper collections had articles about my wife's parents marriage, or the deaths of her grandfathers, in the San Francisco area.I checked the GenealogyBank collection for San Francisco newspapers, and noted that they have the San Francisco Chronicle from 1/1/1937 to 12/31/1942.  I did find an engagement article, a marriage application notice, a marriage license notice, and a wedding announcement article in 1937.The engagement article (dated 10 January 1937):2)  The Marriage Application notice (dated 1 September 1937):3)  The Marriage License…

• Military Records FREE on MyHeritage Through 28 May

  Randy Seaver

  22 May 2013 | 10:55 am

  MyHeritage announced today that records in their Military record collections will be available FREE through Tuesday, 28 May.  See the MyHeritage Blog post Memorial Day: Free Access to Military Records.I wondered what record collections are in the Military list on MyHeritage (and on WorldvitalRecords).  I went to the MyHeritage site, and selected the "Research Tab," and the "Military" link.  That opened a search box, and I entered "Smith" as the surname so I could see the list of record collections.  When the results appeared, I clicked on the "Summary" tab to see the list…

• (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 257: A Young Edward R. Seaver

  Randy Seaver

  22 May 2013 | 8:53 am

  I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I am incapable of having a wordless post.Here is a photograph from the Seaver/Richmond family photograph collection passed to me by my cousin Laura in 2008: According to the caption below the photo in the album, this is a photograph of Edward Richmond Seaver (1913-2004), my father's younger brother. They were sons of Frederick W. and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.My estimate is that he is about age 3 in this photograph, so it was taken in the…

• Dear Randy - How Do I Research My German Ancestors?

  Randy Seaver

  21 May 2013 | 3:27 pm

  On my post MyHeritage Record Matches Keep Delivering News! (dated 4 April 2013), reader Dieter commented:"I am born in Germany, but came to the US just 15 years ago. Trying to build my family tree is very difficult, because every search I put in relates to US findings only.  I have no family members, who immigrated to the States, can anybody help/advice me, how to get info about German ancestors?"Dear Dieter,I do not have any experience with researching German records, either online or in repositories, so I cannot give you first-hand advice.However, whenever I do not know much…

• Review: "Tracing Your Colonial American Ancestors" Special Magazine

  Randy Seaver

  21 May 2013 | 11:29 am

  While at the National Genealogical Society 2013 Conference in Las Vegas, I visited the Moorshead Publishing (Internet Genealogy, Family Chronicle and History Magazine) exhibit.  Ed and Rick are great genealogy friends, and gifted me with a copy of one of their excellent special magazines - "Tracing Your Colonial American Ancestors," written by David A. Norris.The publicity for this magazine says:"Many Americans can trace at least part of their ancestry back to people who lived in the colonial era.  Each of the original American 'Thirteen Colonies' was unique, and within them, the…

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  kinexxions

• Casa Roma aka Eastbrique Tower

  Becky Wiseman

  22 May 2013 | 7:54 am

  In July 2008, I posted Home Sweet Home as a contribution to "Smile for the Camera : Celebrate Home" that was hosted by footnoteMaven. In that post, I talked a little about the house I lived in while attending Indiana State University (1979-1982) in Terre Haute, Indiana and included the photo below. "Eastbrique Tower on Fruitridge Avenue, Terre Haute, Indiana. I lived here 1979-1982. I don't know when the house was built but it was quite old. The owner was remodeling it and turning it into apartments. I lived in a little efficiency apartment located in the left corner, first floor. I was…

• Yosemite Falls

  Becky Wiseman

  14 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  The morning light contrasts sharply with that of late afternoon.  The row of trees on the far bank of the river are the same trees that were in yesterday's photo. Upper Yosemite Falls. Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. Even though the campgrounds were full, there didn't seem to be many people out and about. Traffic was light and it was easy finding a place to park so that I could simply walk around the meadows in the valley and soak up the views. On a previous visit in July 2010 I was able to visit Glacier Point (the road was still closed this time) and got soaked at Bridalveil Falls. This…

• Yosemite Valley

  Becky Wiseman

  12 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Monday, April 29th - - It was 24 miles from the Hodgdon Meadow campground to "The Valley" area, which took about an hour to get there - and it wasn't because of the traffic either! It was simply the nature of the route going up and down and over and around and even through the mountains. Luckily the road into the valley was wider than the road to Hetch-Hetchy! The late afternoon light was incredible. Upper Yosemite Falls. Bridalveil Falls. Bridalveil Falls from one of the pull-outs along the road back to Hodgdon Meadow. As always, double-click on the image to view a larger version... Same…

• Ketch-in-up at Hetch-Hetchy

  Becky Wiseman

  10 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  I've been "on the move" for much of the last 12 days since leaving Salt Lake City and have been off the grid for most of that time. I'm happy to say that I did indeed make it to the Coast of California but first I made a little stop at Yosemite National Park before moving on. The campgrounds in the valley were all full but there was plenty of room in the campground at Hodgdon Meadow at the North entrance to the park and I had no trouble getting a site for two nights. Having heard about Carol's adventures (on Facebook - she hasn't written about them on her blog yet) in going to the…

• My Genea-Mecca Sojourn is Coming to an End

  Becky Wiseman

  26 Apr 2013 | 1:00 pm

  After six weeks in Salt Lake City, I'll be leaving Sunday morning. It has been a satisfying and frustrating experience. Although no breakthroughs have been made, more documents have been gathered that add to the understanding of some of the ancestors. Of course, some of those documents have generated more questions - a few which will likely never be answered. But that is the nature of genealogy and family history research, which is a seemingly never-ending obsession. In addition to research at the library, I've also been working on cleaning up my Legacy database. It is a slow and tedious…

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  George Geder

• Billy

  9 May 2013 | 11:41 pm

  William Emmett Geder, Jr. 1939 - 1990; my BrotherHow far back can trace your lineage?That’s one of those questions designed to take you as far away from discovering who you are as possible. It takes you out of yourself, out of your family, out of your community, out of your world, and out of your mind.The service for my brother at Christ Episcopal church was like any other until the new priest, who actually didn’t know him, pointed to a spot in the choir where Billy once stood some forty years prior. It came crashing down all around me that I was somehow in that spot. I was never in the…

• The Hours They Spend

  5 May 2013 | 2:12 am

  Mom & Dad 21 years before my birthSearching for Ancestors.Family historians are a selfish lot. The time they spend unearthing grains of acknowledgement of who and what they are can be measured in the moments of their genealogy happy dance.The genealogy happy dance occurs when you find your Ancestor in some dusty document. It also occurs when that document is actually a transcript of an original document. It also occurs when an Ancestor’s name is found in a family tree.Sometimes this happens early in one’s research. Often, it happens after many years have transpired. But when it…

• Shut up!

  26 Apr 2013 | 10:05 pm

  Me and Mom; 1951“Shut up, shut up, shut up...” Aunt Sayde sat with her right leg over her left, right elbow on top of right knee, right hand holding a filterless Pall Mall cigarette. Her left hand held the glass of vodka or gin, I don’t remember which.“You used to rock yourself to sleep in your crib; heee!”. I don’t remember that either. That was nearly sixty years ago. There must have been a lot of noise in the household when I was an infant. Aunt Sayde was trying to tell me something without actually telling me. Elders are good at that game.That’s the challenge with oral…

• Why?

  18 Apr 2013 | 8:32 am

  Why did my Great-Grandfather, James Jeter, become insane?Remember when you were a kid? Your mother held you in her arms and when you pointed at things she told you what they were. She would bounce you and when she thought you hadn’t witnessed enough, she would point to things and say “look!, see the bird, see the squirrel, isn’t the flower pretty?”Dads did similar things. They showed you how to do stuff; “here’s how you tie your shoe, here’s how you whistle, here’s how you skip a rock across a pond”.Under Genealogy’s umbrella is a mountain of books, pamphlets, tapes,…

• Willa Lenard Hancock; my Grandmother

  25 Feb 2013 | 10:19 am

  Grandma Willa, age 121882 - 1975Grandma Willa Lenard Hancock never let me know how it was going to be. I don’t recall any words of wisdom. Nothing. She was the only grandma I knew. My other grandma died in 1910; 41 years before my birth. Now, here I am at age 61 trying to gather all of my recollections of Grandma.Grandma would visit. She had an air of queen status about her. Things had to be cleaned up and put away. Things looked clean and neat when grandma visited. Her thumb was on mama’s neck. I can say that at 61.When I was born, in 1951, grandma was already 70 years old. I don’t…

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  Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

• Ireland’s General Register Office Records Finally to Go Online

  Dick Eastman

  23 May 2013 | 8:14 am

  I received the following note from Steven C. Smyrl FIGRS, MAPGI, the Executive Liaison Officer for the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations: The Irish government has announced that indexes to birth, death & marriage records which date from 1845 are soon to be made available through its genealogy portal www.irishgenealogy.ie. This is terrific news, announced in CIGO’s 21st year, the year in which it ‘comes of age’. Founded as the GRO Users Group, but soon after renamed the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, CIGO began life as a direct response to the 1992 government…

• 6 Best Free Genealogy Programs

  Dick Eastman

  22 May 2013 | 8:06 pm

  Joanna Maria has published a list of what she believes are the six best FREE genealogy programs. I am not sure if I agree exactly with her list or not, but I will agree with five of the six. The remaining one she listed is a program I have not used so I don't yet have an opinion about that one. The title of "best" is open for discussion but her list is a great starting point for that discussion.You can read Joanna Maria's list of the 6 Best FREE Genealogy Software at http://goo.gl/HqeOC.

• U.S. Version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Returns to Television on TLC, Starting July 23

  Dick Eastman

  22 May 2013 | 8:05 pm

  NBC had a very successful series in "Who Do You Think You Are?" but canceled the television programs after three seasons. Producers Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky have since negotiated a deal with TLC Network (see my earlier articles by starting at http://goo.gl/zzidk) and now have announced the premiere date for a new season: July 23  at 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central. Ancestry.com will remain as the sponsor.TLC will air eight one-hour episodes in the new season. The celebrities featured this year include: Christina Applegate, Kelly Clarkson, Cindy Crawford, Chris O’Donnell and…

• Are Digital Libraries Going to Replace Traditional Books?

  Dick Eastman

  22 May 2013 | 7:55 pm

  Is it time to stop the presses?It seems that every week I report in this newsletter about more and more genealogy books that are being converted to electronic format. Sure, old books have been digitized for several years now. However, even new books are now appearing as electronic publications. The Kindle, Nook, and other e-book readers are hot items these days. Now the world's first completely paperless public library is scheduled to open this summer in San Antonio, Texas. The so-called BiblioTech is a low-cost project with big ambitions. It will have 100 e-readers on loan, and dozens of…

• New DVD from Genealogical.com: GENERATIONS: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Genealogical Resource Database

  Dick Eastman

  22 May 2013 | 7:30 pm

  The following announcement was written by Genealogical.com: BALTIMORE, May 22, 2013 -- Between 1937 and 1938, the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Project Administration (WPA) conducted thousands of interviews with former African-American slaves. While historians have known about these oral histories for some time, few researchers have exploited the genealogical potential of these sources--until now!For the first time, the DVD series Generations, by Dr. James M. Rose, presents these ex-slave narratives with critical genealogical evidence pertaining to each interviewee. While varying from…

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  The We Tree Genealogy Blog

• Simplifying My Genealogy Life

  Amy Coffin, MLIS

  14 May 2013 | 3:04 pm

  I'm still here! I didn't forget you. Things are going pretty well on the home front. The problem I'm having is juggling all the spinning plates. The family is crazy busy as always with a spouse out of the country and a teenager navigating high school. Most days, I'm a taxi, homework warden and cook. It has not been easy. It has been challenging, frustrating and stressful. The professional side of genealogy is keeping me very busy. I divide time between a long-term project, one medium-term project and some small stuff. It is so fun. I'm doing things I'd never imagined. Thank goodness for…

• Houston Area Genealogy Events for May 2013

  Amy Coffin, MLIS

  2 May 2013 | 12:35 pm

  Say hello to May! Summer (and hurricane season) are just around the corner. Here are some of the activities and events going on in the Houston region this month: Mondays in May (6, 13, 20. Library closed May 27) Katy Branch Library Genealogy Lunchbox 12:00PM-2:00PM 5414 Franz Road Katy, TX 77493 Join in for an informal genealogy get-together. There are computers, Ancestry.com and others to help each other with our genealogy work May 2 Galveston County Genealogical Society General Meeting 7:00PM-9:00PM Moody Mansion Museum 2618 Broadway Galveston, TX May 4 Houston Genealogical Forum General…

• Transcribing a Piece of History

  Amy Coffin, MLIS

  30 Apr 2013 | 3:23 pm

  Today I transcribed a small diary. It was written by a widow in 1943. She lived alone, as all her children were grown. The diary started with a January 1st entry. The tone was muted, lacking the usual New Year's optimism because the country was in the midst of World War II. The lady's son had been drafted. He shipped out a couple of weeks after the diary was started, leaving behind a pregnant wife. Entries in the journal are short, yet descriptive. The mother missed her son, and worried about her daughter-in-law who gave birth the day after her husband shipped out. Much of the diary focused…

• Forensic Genealogy Institute Re-Cap, part 3

  Amy Coffin, MLIS

  18 Apr 2013 | 1:00 pm

  See Forensic Genealogy Institute Re-Cap part 2 here. Hopefully the last 2 blog posts give you an idea of what to expect in the Forensic Genealogy Institute. This last section includes bits of information that may be of interest to you. Qualifications Are you experienced enough to attend the Forensic Genealogy Institute? That's something you have to determine. This is definitely not for beginners. At the very least, be an intermediate researcher with goals that match this group's mission. At least half of my class were practicing forensic genealogists. I am not, but followed along just fine…

• Forensic Genealogy Institute Re-Cap, part 2

  Amy Coffin, MLIS

  18 Apr 2013 | 12:59 pm

  See Forensic Genealogy Institute Re-Cap, part 1 here. Now that I've shared the Forensic Genealogy Institute schedule, I'm going to tell you about then engine under the hood. Here's what you get for your registration fee: Three full days of instruction The 2013 Institute ran Thursday through Saturday (this may change in 2014). This sounds intense and scary, but the subject matter is extremely interesting. Also, the instructors kept everything moving, so I never felt bored, or tired. Often I lost track of time and was surprised when the day was over. Small class size and instant professional…

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  Genealogy News

• Library listings May 23-29

  23 May 2013 | 7:18 am

  June 1-Aug. 3 - Summer Reading: Build Your Brain kickoff with St. Ignatius Circus Company, 2-3 p.m., register.

• #Wikipedia articles do not always fit #Wikidata needs

  23 May 2013 | 3:09 am

  At #Wikidata you can add all kinds of nifty attributes to all kinds of subjects.

• Genealogy book still available for preorder

  22 May 2013 | 11:03 pm

  After years of research, author Charles R. Leary, formerly of Valley Head and Mingo, is pleased to announce that a new edition of his genealogy book is ready for print, and he is still accepting preorders.

• Talk on Internet genealogy follows Sokol Greater Cleveland ethnic...

  22 May 2013 | 6:48 pm

  An expert in genealogy will present a program on how to use the Internet to research family history following the monthly Sokol Greater Cleveland ethnic Sunday dinner, May 26 at Bohemian National Hall, 4939 Broadway in Cleveland.

• TFN fisherman fighting U.S. over native fishing rights

  22 May 2013 | 3:44 pm

  Tsawwassen First Nation fisherman Steven Stark faces charges in the U.S. for illegally fishing across the border.

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  California Genealogical Society and Library blog

• First Report from NGS 2013

  Kathryn M. Doyle

  10 May 2013 | 2:15 pm

  Every genealogy conference is jam-packed with learning opportunities and this year's National Genealogical Society Family History Conference is no exception. I've been using the handy Conference App to organize my schedule and exchange information with old friends and new acquaintances.Marian L. Smith, chief of the historical research branch of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The conference started Wednesday morning with a lively Opening Session. Marian L. Smith, chief of the historical research branch of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), delivered the…

• Wordless Wednesday

  Kathryn M. Doyle

  8 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  Members at the National Genealogical Society2013 Family History ConferenceLas Vegas, NevadaPhotograph courtesy of Caroline Pointer.Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

• Off to the NGS 2013 Family History Conference

  Kathryn M. Doyle

  7 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  Are you attending this year's NGS Family History Conference? It's relatively rare for the national societies to host their annual meetings in the western states so this is a great opportunity for genealogists on the left coast.In fact, before the Salt Lake City meeting in 2010, the annual conference was last in the West in 2004 (Sacramento) and in 2001 (Portland). The Federation of Genealogical Society (FGS) was in Salt Lake City in 2005 and in Ontario, California in 2002.I've been designated one of the conference "official bloggers" so I'll be posting reports and…

• Demystifying Lineage Society Applications - June 22, 2013

  Kathryn M. Doyle

  6 May 2013 | 11:30 pm

  Saturday, June 22, 20131:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.California Genealogical Society Library2201 Broadway, Suite LL2Oakland, California 94612Are you eligible to join a lineage society? Does the process overwhelm you? Come to this informative workshop to learn:how to start the processhow to organize your papers for submission how much help to expect during the processLinda Longley, Co-Historian of the California Mayflower Society, will give an overview of the resources the Mayflower offers to new applicants and what is expected from you in order to complete a Mayflower Society…

• eNews May 2013, volume 7, number 5

  Kathryn M. Doyle

  4 May 2013 | 5:00 pm

  The May 2013 eNews, volume 7, number 5, has been published and emailed to members and friends. As always, the eNews features timely information about the California Genealogical Society and our upcoming events. Each edition also includes Suggested Links From the Blogosphere and a photo feature: California Ancestors.In May, as we celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, we honor the paternal Chinese-American family of member Pamela Coville. The LEE Sack Sam Family [standing] Oscar, age 16, Henry, 14, and May, 12; [seated] George, 22, LEE Sack Sam, 54, with Edward, 6, on his lap and…

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  Granite in My Blood

• Lydia MORGAN

  23 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  Lydia MORGAN, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.Sea Captain's Wife: Lydia MorganBuried next to her husband. this plain headstone tells us very little about her life as a sea captain's wife. It does tells us her full date of birth and death and that Morgan is he maiden name and she was Capt. Horatio N. Fish's wife. Groton, CT Barbour Index, Ancestry.comI searched The Barbour Index for Groton, CT and found Horatio and Lydia's marriage and Horatio's full date of birth and his parents first names as well as another piece of evidence of his middle name of Nelson. It doesn't tell us who Lydia's…

• Virtual Tour of Mystic Seaport

  22 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  Mystic Seaport (2004), a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.Virtual Tour of Mystic Seaport Museum

• Tombstone Tuesday; Capt. Horatio N. FISH

  21 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  Photo by Midge Frazel, 2009Capt. Horatio Nelson FISH"Christ is the anchor of my Hope"1800-1863What better surname could we have for the first gravestone for the Summer of the Sea Captain (and their families) than this one? Anyone who sees this knows that this is a man of the sea as the anchor is prominent and his title of captain is carved on the stone. Douglas Keister's book, Stories in Stone mentions that the anchor symbol represents hope and that this type of anchor is the crux dissimulata (cross in disguise) and sometimes symbolizes religious belief. [p. 111]Close up of the anchor…

• Little Lighthouse

  17 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Mystic Seaport (2004), a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.Lighting the Way to SummerRealizing that many of my readers do not live in New England but have New England ancestry, I looked through the photographs of gravestones I have not yet blogged about and thought about summer in New England. This little lighthouse symbolized the idea of the close-knit families of life by the ocean. (Don't miss the huge house in the right side of the background!)Mystic Seaport offers an interesting perspective on the life and times of the seafaring men in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The popular movie,…

• Looking Out

  16 May 2013 | 7:51 am

  Oval Window, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.New England StyleBefore I begin a project, I like to have a period of thinking about how ideas and occupations here in New England have influenced modern life. Since it is a partly cloudy morning here, Hubs and I went up to the mailbox and got "yesterday's mail" and walked around out condo complex. I see things we haven't really noticed even though we have lived here nearly three years. This is a type of window at the top of the townhouse condos which we don't have in our house. It is like the windows in houses in areas near the ocean where…

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  The Chart Chick

• Precious Photo

  Janet Hovorka

  21 May 2013 | 12:37 pm

  John Sneed sent us this photo this week.  We loved it and asked that we could share it with you.  He said, "You can really see the joy in her face in the picture - thanks for making that joy a reality!  The chart was a big hit at the birthday [her 90th] and generated lots of great "genealogy" discussions from my family. A real accomplishment since they don't like to discuss the family history." We are so delighted to be able to help you John.  She is so adorable.  A picture truly is worth a thousand words.  More at www.thechartchick.com or go to…

• Come to our demos at NGS

  Janet Hovorka

  9 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  If you are at the National Genealogical Society conference tis week you'll want to stop by our booth at lunch time.  We have a treat in store for you.  Besides my 9:30 class Saturday morning where I'll teach you all about how to "Visualize and Share Your Family Tree" in Pavilion 6, we've teamed up with Loss Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems to bring you there days of great ideas in the vendor's hall that will quickly and easily help you with your genealogy research.  I'll be teaching these classes: THURSDAY 12:30 pm  5 Best Ideas to Involve Your Family with Family History…

• Two Mother's Day Sales to Honor Your Heritage

  Janet Hovorka

  1 May 2013 | 1:20 pm

  We sent out an email today about the Mother's Day sales we have going.  I'll post them here too so that everyone gets to hear about it.  If you didn't get the newsletter, you can sign up here.  Two Mother's Day Specials That Will Strengthen Your Family Relationships And Help You Honor Your Heritage. Mother's day is a great time to celebrate the heritage you've been given and we want to help you honor and give back to the mothers and grandmothers in your life.  We've paired up offers from FamilyChartMasters.com and ZapTheGrandmaGap.com for some great ideas to show your love…

• The end of my UGA presidency

  Janet Hovorka

  11 Apr 2013 | 7:57 pm

  Another president of the Utah Genealogical Association will be voted in at our board meeting tomorrow night.  As I come to the end of my term as president of UGA I’ve had some time for reflection.  I’ve been so privileged to be able to serve as president of this great organization.  I’m lucky to be the president who has been able to actually serve longer than the maximum 2 years—because of the change in our fiscal year last year, I’ve been able to serve 27 months.  It has been a joy.  I believe strongly in what UGA is trying to accomplish and every minute…

• Zap The Grandma Gap Workbook Press Release

  Janet Hovorka

  18 Mar 2013 | 5:43 am

  I won't do this very often, but I'm really excited about this new workbook.  So this article is cross posted from my new Zap The Grandma Gap blog.  I hope you are reading about all the fun activities we have going on over there.  So much to write about on both blogs.  :) Most parents and grandparents would do anything and everything to raise the youth in their family to be successful adults.  There are play groups and preschool lessons, music and dance, sports, tutoring and youth groups, the right schools, the right nutrition, etc.etc.  However, many people miss…

• 

  Family Research - English, Scottish and Irish Genealogy

• Looking for records of a British Army soldier after 1913

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 6:55 am

  This is a brief guide to researching British army records for a soldier who was discharged after the beginning of the First World War. These records are informative and varied, though not all for this period survive. for more click here

• Valuation Office map finder

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 6:51 am

  Use this tool to identify and order Valuation Office Survey maps of England and Wales from 1910 to 1915. Our Catalogue contains descriptions of nearly 50,000 Valuation Office Survey maps and this innovative tool provides a simple way to identify and order a map without having to visit The National Archives. The process previously required [...]

• The Olympic Record

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 6:46 am

  The National Archives holds a range of records on the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games and Cultural Olympiad, from 1896 to the present. We have made these available online for the first time, providing you with access to this rich resource on sporting and cultural history. for more click here

• Titanic one hundred year anniversary

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 6:43 am

  Titanic one hundred year anniversary. for more click here

• 20,000 County Durham Home Guard records now available online

  admin

  21 May 2013 | 6:35 am

  Last year, The National Archives released around 40,000 digitised Second World War Home Guard personnel records as part of a pilot project. Since then, a further 20,000 records have been identified as ready for opening, meaning that around 75 per cent of the records in WO 409 series are now available online. Search them in [...]

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  Genealogy Canada

• History and Importance of the Duff-Baby House

  22 May 2013 | 2:46 pm

  The Essex Branch of the OGS will be held on Monday June 10, 2013 from 6:00 pm at the Windsor Public Library, 850 Ouellette Ave., Windsor.The talk will be entitled History and Importance of the Duff-Baby House, and the person giving the talk will be Evelyn McLean.The meeting will be Free, and you can go to www.essex.ogs.on.ca for up to date info the meeting.The Buff-Baby house was built between 1792 and 1798. It is considered to be the oldest building in Windsor. The house was built by Alexander Duff as a fur trade post, and bought in 1807 by James Baby. It  and was used as…

• Irish potato famine mystery solved

  22 May 2013 | 4:36 am

  Scientists in Germany have discovered that a plant-pathogen strain, called HERB-1, was the blight that caused the potato famine in Ireland of the 1840s. Before this tine, it had been thought that an American strain, called US-1 has caused the famine.According to the website at Irish National Famine Museum, Ireland lost almost a quarter of its population to death or emigration between 1845 and 1850.The mystery finally has been solved.Read the complete story at http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350890/researchers-discover-irish-potato-famine-pathogen

• WHY AREN'T WE AMERICANS?

  21 May 2013 | 10:25 am

  There will be an event Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the action between H.M.S. Shannon and the USS Chesapeake, on June 2, 2013, 1:50 pm - 3:45 pm at St. Paul's Church and The Old Burying Ground - Halifax, Nova Scotia.On June 1, 1813, USS Chesapeake, Captain James Lawrence, sailed out of Boston harbour to attack HMS Shannon, Captain Philip Broke. Certain of another British defeat, Bostonians anticipating the evening's victory banquet came out to sea to enjoy the fight. They were shocked to see that only fifteen minutes after the battle began, Chesapeake's ensign…

• Niagara Peninsula Branch Indexes Updates

  21 May 2013 | 4:06 am

  Steve Fulton U.E., Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS, tells us about the following indexes on the web site - Surname Index - Contains over 24000 Pedigree Charts Morse & Sons Funeral Home Records - Contains 19229 Funeral Records from 1828 to Sept 1963 Neff Young Index - Contains 19136 records of family histories, notes, newspaper clipping and memorabilia from Welland County *NEW* Branch Publications Index - Contains 7998 various publication records for the Lincoln/Welland AreaPlease check back often as indexes are being worked on. Canadian Headstones Project - The Niagara Peninsula…

• Canadian Week in Review

  19 May 2013 | 10:30 pm

  20 May 2013 I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, tooWebsitesGenealogy Karma www.mocavo.com/karma The search engine, Mocavo, has decided to “give back” to genealogy, and they have decided to build Genealogy Karma “to empower the Mocavo community and connect researchers around the country”. They modeled it after the former Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. They are asking if anyone can volunteer or request help from someone for projects…

• 

  Genealogy Insider

• Free Military Records on Ancestry.com Through May 27

  Diane

  23 May 2013 | 7:51 am

  Ancestry.com is joining the genealogy websites offering free access to military records for Memorial Day. You can search and view 155 million Ancestry.com draft, enlistment and service records free through May 27. Those include WWI and WWII draft registration cards, new collections of US Alien draft registrations and New York military records, and more. Start your search here. Read our previous posts about free military records offers at MyHeritage, findmypast.com and Fold3.

• May Genealogy Value Packs Are Going ... Going ...

  Diane

  23 May 2013 | 7:42 am

  Before we call it a day on this month, I wanted to make sure you know about our May genealogy value collections. They're full of helpful how-to tools such as books, CDs, video classes and articles, and they're available at special prices only this month. Check them out today! Jewish Genealogy Value Pack, with video classes on Jewish names and finding Eastern European origins, Jewish and Eastern European research guides, and the must-have Finding Our Fathers guidebook Ultimate Irish Genealogy Collection, with video classes on Irish censuses and genealogy websites, our guide to Griffith's…

• Military Genealogy Tips for Memorial Day: Finding Pension Records

  Diane

  23 May 2013 | 6:07 am

  Honor your military ancestors this Memorial Day by learning more about their lives and service. One way is through pension records, which can be rich with information about the person who served. Various laws made those who served in the armed forces between 1775 and 1916, or their survivors, eligible for military pensions. You can search some indexes to pensions at sites such as Ancestry.com, Fold3, FamilySearch.org, MyHeritage and findmypast. One of the most helpful indexes is the General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, from National Archives microfilm T288 and searchable free online at…

• US Colored Troops Service Records Free Through May 31

  Diane

  22 May 2013 | 1:29 pm

  Today—the 150th anniversary of the creation of the US Colored Troops (USCT)—the National Archives has announced the completion of the USCT Service Records Digitization Project. The USCT Service Records collection is available free to everyone today through May 31 on Fold3, which was a partner in the project.  The USCT was established May 22, 1863 by War Department General Order 143 to organize African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army. Its members fought in 39 major battles and 400 other engagements. Sixteen received the Medal of Honor. The collection holds nearly  4…

• Access MyHeritage Military Records Free Through May 28

  Diane

  22 May 2013 | 11:17 am

  In honor of Memorial Day, MyHeritage is granting free access to military records from its most popular collections through Tuesday, May 28. The US records include Revolutionary War pension indexes, an index to the 1840 special census of Revolutionary War pensioners, Confederate service and pension records, War of 1812 pension indexes and more (some of the military records might not be included—for example, I was prompted to subscribe when searching the Tennessee Pension Applications collection). You'll also find some collections for British and Australian records. Click here to search the…

• 

  Newberry

• Journey through Generations

  frereg

  22 May 2013 | 7:13 am

  “Journey through Generations” is the theme of this year’s Federation of Genealogical Societies’ annual conference which will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana from August 21st through the 24th. A wide variety of programs, exhibits, social activities and research opportunities assure that there will be something of interest for every level of genealogist.

• Cobbler, Tailor, Trunkmaker: How my grandpappies Made a Living

  frereg

  18 May 2013 | 2:25 pm

  Thursday, May 23, 2013, 7:30pmKane County Genealogical Society Geneva History Center113 S. Third StreetGeneva, ILMore information

• DAR Application Assistance

  frereg

  15 May 2013 | 8:16 am

  Christina Bannon, Regent of the Chicago Chapter of the DAR, will be here at the Newberry on Friday, May 24th to provide lookups in the DAR’s database and to offer advice on the application process. She has won National Awards for her genealogy and membership work as a Genealogy Consultant and Volunteer Genealogist with the DAR. Christina focuses on improving the quality of applications submitted and has recruited over 130 women into DAR membership since 2009.

• Making Your Ancestor Quest A Success

  frereg

  11 May 2013 | 7:06 am

  Thursday, May 16, 2013, 7:30-9am“Making Your Ancestor Quest A Success”McHenry Chapter Women In Management 31 North Banquets217 N. Front StreetMcHenry, IL 60050

• North Suburban Genealogical Society Presentation

  frereg

  8 May 2013 | 7:12 am

  Saturday, May 11, 2013, 1pmNorth Suburban Genealogical Society Northbrook Historical Society1776 Walters Ave.Northbrook, Illinois More information

• 

  About.com Genealogy

• On a Budget? Access the U.S. Census for Free

  21 May 2013 | 3:39 am

  A wide variety of options exist online for searching and viewing digitized copies of U.S. census records from 1790 to 1940. Several subscription-based sites offer the entire run, with seamless searching and browsing. However, if you only need access to a few census records, or are particularly budget-conscious, you can also achieve free access to the entire U.S. census run 1790-1940 with a little extra effort....Read Full Post

• Uncover Family History in Manuscript Collections

  14 May 2013 | 1:58 am

  Family documents such as letters, diaries, and even original land deeds, like the one pictured, are hiding among the manuscript collections held by archives, university libraries, historical societies and other repositories around the world. Since they are generally not easily accessible, especially online, many people overlook this wonderful family resource....Read Full Post

• Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Groups - Free!

  30 Apr 2013 | 5:25 am

  Two new free online study group options are now available for discussing and learning from the book Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones, PhD, GG, CGL, FASG, FNGS. This book is published by the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and is now available. It can be ordered directly from the National Genealogical Society here, and will also be available at next week's NGS Family History Conference.  I blogged about this book last fall under its then working title, after taking a course taught by Dr. Jones at the British Institute based on exercises from the pre-press…

• 5 Things to Do Before the NGS Family History Conference

  30 Apr 2013 | 4:33 am

  I'm excited to be presenting at and attending the 2013 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. For those of you who will also be attending, I've highlighted a few tools to help you plan and make the most of your experience: Read Full Post5 Things to Do Before the NGS Family History Conference originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 at 11:33:09.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Timeline of Major U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Laws

  30 Apr 2013 | 12:36 am

  From the Naturalization Act of 1790 through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a large number of laws placed restrictions on naturalization and immigration in and to the United States. A knowledge of the laws that regulated immigration and citizenship is important for understanding the conditions under which your ancestors may have been granted or lost their citizenship, or records which may have been created based on their alien or citizenship status....Read Full Post

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  AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

• May 2013 Scanfest

  Miriam J. Robbins

  19 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  Powered by Blyve

• Scanfest is Coming!

  Miriam J. Robbins

  12 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  The May 2013Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, May 19th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. It will be held one week early due to Memorial Day observances the following weekend.   What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring! Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the…

• April 2013 Scanfest

  Miriam J. Robbins

  28 Apr 2013 | 11:00 am

  Powered by Blyve

• Scanfest is Coming!

  Miriam J. Robbins

  26 Apr 2013 | 11:40 pm

  I apologize for such a late reminder... The April 2013Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, April 28th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.   What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring! Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting…

• Clark County (Washington) Genealogical Society's Spring Seminar

  Miriam J. Robbins

  2 Apr 2013 | 1:58 pm

  I'm excited to announce that once again, the Clark County Genealogical Society has asked me to be their speaker for their Spring Seminar. I'll be speaking on three aspects of social networking--blogging, Facebook, and Pinterest--as well as finding online resources for tracing your Northwest ancestors. This seminar will be held at their facility at 717 Grand Boulevard, Vancouver, Washington from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can pre-register this week at that location; walk-ins are also welcome and the doors will be open at 8:30 AM for registration. Bring your own sack lunch. For more information,…

• 

  Holy Kaw!

• From the Reassuring Files: Power utilities under near-constant cyberthreats

  Deanne Mayall

  23 May 2013 | 8:03 am

    There was a report released this week by a couple of democrats about the threat to critical infrastructure including US electric power utilities. I don’t think that this is a partisan concern, though. Their report is called “Electric Grid Vulnerability: Industry Responses Reveal Security Gaps,” and describes the results of 160 utilities that were [...]

• Which 8 stores price-match online prices?

  Deanne Mayall

  23 May 2013 | 7:45 am

    There’s a shopping site called Cheapism.com and there, they recently took a look at a bunch of retailers and compiled a list of those who’ll price-match their online prices – not all will, I guess not surprisingly, presumably because the costs of running the online side of their business is less. Here’s Cheapism.com’s methodology [...]

• California dogs are the luckiest

  Peg Fitzpatrick

  23 May 2013 | 7:29 am

  “Dog beaches account for a tiny fraction of the thousands of miles of U.S. shoreline, but they are treasured by pet owners and their pooches. “Off-leash dog beaches are a canine’s dream come true,” said Lisa Porter, owner of Pet Hotels of America, a travel website that lists thousands of beaches and parks where dogs [...]

• 8 ways baby boomers are changing up retirement

  Deanne Mayall

  23 May 2013 | 7:27 am

  This is me for sure – life didn’t pan out as I’d thought and some changes have been in order. Glad to see I’m not the only one! Sandra Block, writing at Kiplinger, begins her article with these facts: Every day, about 8,000 baby-boomers celebrate their 65th birthday. That’s the traditional age for retirement, but [...]

• Blast from the past: Remember 1986? [video]

  Kate Rinsema

  23 May 2013 | 6:41 am

  Get ready to tight-roll those jeans and wield the AquaNet with a vengeance! YouTube user thepeterson created this incredible pop-culture compilation from 1986 and we dare anyone who lived during the eighties not to sing along. Full story at YouTube via Neatorama. Pop culture history lesson.

• 

  Genealogy Blog

• Genealogy Software Updates of the Week

  Jean-Yves BAXTER

  22 May 2013 | 4:15 am

  FamilyInsight for Windows 2013.5.13.0 (Other Tools - Windows - Purchase) • Improved handling Roots Magic 6 files. • Improved handling of Family Tree Maker files. • Fixed crashes. • Improved media handling. • Removed Separate and AncestorSplit feature because of changes on new FamilySearch. • Added ability to save to earlier Family Tree Maker files that we open. GRAMPS 4.0.0 (Full Featured - Linux - Freeware/Open Source) • Conversion to GTK 3 and use of gobject introspection. • Support for python 3. • Code reorganization. • Autotools is no longer used for building Gramps,…

• 1,000 Year Old African Coins Could Rewrite Australian History

  Jean-Yves BAXTER

  22 May 2013 | 2:15 am

  Five copper coins and a nearly 70-year-old map with an ‘‘X’’ might lead to a discovery that could rewrite Australia’s history. Australian scientist Ian McIntosh, currently Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University in the US, plans an expedition in July that has stirred up the archaeological community. The scientist wants to revisit the location where five coins were found in the Northern Territory in 1944 that have proven to be 1000 years old, opening up the possibility that seafarers from distant countries might have landed in Australia much earlier than what is currently…

• Fake Graveyard Built To Scare Away Homeless People Has Real Tombstones

  Jean-Yves BAXTER

  22 May 2013 | 12:15 am

  A Texas man fed up with homeless people sleeping in his front yard set up a fake graveyard to scare them away. But the downtown Houston resident was himself shocked when told that the trio of tombstones had actually been made for real dead people. The unnamed man put up a fence and installed the "scarecrow graveyard" around his property, which stands in the shadows of Houston's skyscrapers, last year. Source & Full Story

• 'Whodunnit' of Irish Potato Famine Solved

  Jean-Yves BAXTER

  21 May 2013 | 4:15 am

  An international team of scientists reveals that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered the Irish potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century. Phytophthora infestans changed the course of history. Even today, the Irish population has still not recovered to pre-famine levels. "We have finally discovered the identity of the exact strain that caused all this havoc," says Hernán Burbano from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. Source & Full Story

• The Best and the Worst of Genealogy Home Offices

  Jean-Yves BAXTER

  21 May 2013 | 2:15 am

  By Scott Phillips, genealogical historian and owner of Onward To Our Past genealogy services: "Many of us who love and labor over our family histories, ancestry, and genealogy do so from a home office. In my case, early in my career I worked for decades in many different corporate offices for various companies and organizations. Now, for the last dozen or so years, I have found myself working from a home office. I can easily see that each has its own merits and sets of 'pros' and 'cons'." Source & Full Story

• 

  CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'

• New 1881 Canadian Census Database on-line at LAC

  30 Apr 2013 | 11:21 am

  A new version of the 1881 Canadian Census Database at Library and Archives Canada has been released. This includes "suggestions for corrections that were received from users in recent months". This is great news as it's frustrating to submit corrections and never see them.  Good to know new searchers will benefit from this process. Altogether there are 4,278,327 records in this database.Revised district and sub-district information has also been added. This is one of the projects Ancestry.ca has assisted with. A similar database is available there.FamilySearch.org also has an 1881…

• Sally Herbert, Somerset, England - a photograph

  28 Apr 2013 | 9:16 pm

  Among other things, I do collect stray photographs and other images. Since I have family from Somerset, England, this photograph caught my eye recently. It's identified in ink as "Sally Herbert" and was taken by Sydney Smyth of Waterloo Street, in Weston Super Mare, Somerset. Love her dress!If you have a connection to Sally Herbert, or to the photographer Sydney Smyth, I'd like to hear from you.

• Active History - at the National Council on Public History Conference, Ottawa, Canada, April 2013

  22 Apr 2013 | 10:15 pm

  ActiveHistory.ca is one of my favourite reads. Jim Clifford has now written an interesting post on "Active History at the National Council on Public History Conference: held last week in Ottawa, Canada.  Jim has included brief notes on several of the projects shown or discussed. One of these is the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre at Algoma University in Ontario, Canada, a joint project with the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association.The Shingwauk and Wawanosh Indian Residential Schools, operating from 1873 to 1970, were on the now university grounds. This looks to be a great…

• Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Tell Us a Childhood Memory

  21 Apr 2013 | 10:34 pm

  Last night's Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (SNGF) challenge at Genea-Musings was to "Tell Us a Childhood Memory". I haven't written too much yet about my childhood, although I have quite a few memories :-)  but last week the topic of school reunions came up several times in conversation and I said ok - I'd post my 'grad photo' to show off my then hairdo. So here I am. I've previously posted on Facebook the few photographs I had from the high school graduation ceremony I attended (even though I was never graduated since I left and went to university…

• Waiting, hoping...for the 1921 Canadian Census

  19 Apr 2013 | 11:55 am

  We've had a long wait so far for any real information about the open access release of the 1921 Canadian census to researchers - which should be scheduled for the first few days of June 2013 - this year. Statistics Canada is by law supposed to release the 1921 census to Library and Archives Canada June 1, 2013.In March 2012, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) initiated a discussion about the release of this census in an LAC blog post with an enthusiastic title "1921 Census countdown!" .  A number of us have been (fruitlessly) asking for details ever since. I haven't posted much about…

• 

  AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

• May 2013 Scanfest

  Miriam J. Robbins

  19 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  Powered by Blyve

• Scanfest is Coming!

  Miriam J. Robbins

  12 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  The May 2013Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, May 19th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. It will be held one week early due to Memorial Day observances the following weekend.   What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring! Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the…

• April 2013 Scanfest

  Miriam J. Robbins

  28 Apr 2013 | 11:00 am

  Powered by Blyve

• Scanfest is Coming!

  Miriam J. Robbins

  26 Apr 2013 | 11:40 pm

  I apologize for such a late reminder... The April 2013Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, April 28th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.   What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring! Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting…

• Clark County (Washington) Genealogical Society's Spring Seminar

  Miriam J. Robbins

  2 Apr 2013 | 1:58 pm

  I'm excited to announce that once again, the Clark County Genealogical Society has asked me to be their speaker for their Spring Seminar. I'll be speaking on three aspects of social networking--blogging, Facebook, and Pinterest--as well as finding online resources for tracing your Northwest ancestors. This seminar will be held at their facility at 717 Grand Boulevard, Vancouver, Washington from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can pre-register this week at that location; walk-ins are also welcome and the doors will be open at 8:30 AM for registration. Bring your own sack lunch. For more information,…

• 

  West in New England

• JOHN BARNES OF PLYMOUTH PT4: THE RUNAGATE SERVANT

  22 May 2013 | 11:22 pm

  Being a fairly successful merchant, John Barnes had several indentured servants in his household and apparently at least one slave. He seems to have not been a cruel master since there are no records of runaways from his service, but there are a few cases where his servants requested their contracts be taken over by another colonist. Two of the cases involving John's servants interested me. The first involves a servant named John Wade who had taken a boat trip to Duxbury with a man named Edward Holman, another merchant of Plymouth Colony who would have been a business rival of John Barnes.:…

• JOHN BARNES OF PLYMOUTH PT3: BARNES VS. POPE.

  21 May 2013 | 11:04 pm

  Besides being a successful merchant my ancestor John Barnes did a lot of wheeling and dealing in real estate. His name appears in the Plymouth Court Records more for land deals than for any other reason. Several times he was appointed by the Court to settle land disputes between some of the colonists. On one such occasion he was part of a committee which included a man named Thomas Pope. The irony is that eventually the Court would be asked to deal in a dispute between Barnes and Pope.   Relations between the two men may have soured first because of a fight Pope had with Gyles Rickard…

• JOHN BARNES OF PLYMOUTH PT2: "...ABOMINABLE DRUNKENES"

  20 May 2013 | 10:46 pm

  My ancestor John Barnes must have really perplexed the leaders of Plymouth Colony. He apparently drank to excess often and in such a way that it was impossible for the authorities to just ignore it. Yet he was also too important a member of the Colony to be punished by exile or imprisonment. Finally, in March of 1657, some limit must have been reached because they tried a new tactic:  2March 1657John Barnes, for his frequent abusing himselfe in drunkeness, after formerpunishment and admonition, is fined fiue pounds ; and in case any shall entertaine him in theire house in a way of…

• JOHN BARNES OF PLYMOUTH PT1 : "DRANKE SOE MUCH..."

  13 May 2013 | 10:14 pm

  As I wrote in an earlier post, my 9x great grandfather John Barnes was known asa drunk in Plymouth Colony. It was such a problem that the authorities tookstern measures to deal with the problem, which will be the subject of anotherpost. But whatever the may have thought about his excessive drinking, Johnwas also a productive member of Plymouth society. I doubt they would have been as lenient with someone who was a a layabout alcoholic.This particular incident caught my attention first because it involves anotherof my ancestors,  8x great grandfather Samuel Dunham. The case was…

• MOTHER'S DAY PART2

  12 May 2013 | 11:11 am

  In honor of Mother's day, here are pictures of some of our Dad's female ancestors. First, on his mother's side: Amos H Barker & Betsey J (Moore) Barker Our 2x great grandmother Betsey Jane Moore was born on 16 Aug 1842 at Waterford, Oxford, Me. She married Amos Hastings Barker in 1856 and they raised a family of 12 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood. Betsey died 12Mar 1924 at age 82. My great grandmother Charlotte Lovenia Barker is the lady on the right.  Our great grandmother Charlotte Lovenia Barker was youngest of  Amos & Betsey's 12 children. She was born on 3…

• 

  Appalachian History

• Somewhere among the mementos of my youth is a silk hat mark, Part 1 of 2

  davetabler@appalachianhistory.net (Dave Tabler)

  22 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  I began to practice as a young lawyer in an adjoining county and about sixty miles from George A. Ewing’s home. Up to that time I had never met him, nor did I know any of his immediate family. An older man, he was at the time a lawyer of wide reputation, and regarded as one of the best criminal lawyers in the State. Before I had ever tried an important case I was appointed by the court to prosecute, as attorney for the state, a band of mountain desperadoes and alleged felons. Most of them, from the mountains of Kentucky, had crept over into my native Virginia valley and committed…

• All of the passengers were cast into the icy waters, where they struggled in vain

  davetabler@appalachianhistory.net (Dave Tabler)

  21 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Please welcome guest author Gary Carden. Carden’s autobiographical “Mason Jars in the Flood” received the AWA Book of the Year Award in 2001. He received the NC Folklore Award in 2004, and an honorary doctorate by Western Carolina University in 2008. Last year he was awarded the North Carolina Literature Award….the highest honor awarded by the NC Arts Council to an individual.       On a cold Saturday morning in Dillsboro, NC (December 30, 1882), an accident occurred  which the Raleigh Observer would call “the most awful that has happened in any of the public…

• The Chain Gang and The Oconee County Cage

  davetabler@appalachianhistory.net (Dave Tabler)

  20 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Report on Oconee County Chain Gang Mr. Newton Kelly Foreman: Visited July 11 1918 by Assistant Secretary Broyles Convicts present: 16, 3 of them being trusties. All negroes. Camped about three miles from Seneca. The average daily population on this gang for the past two and a half years has been approximately 12. We found this camp just locating at a new site, which was fairly well chosen and well cleaned off. A Southern chain gang, between 1900 and 1906. The men were washing ticks and blankets in a nearby stream under the direction of the foreman. Since our last inspection the Commissioners…

• They made their money on the big chunks of coal

  davetabler@appalachianhistory.net (Dave Tabler)

  19 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  “Coal is like layers in a layer cake. And where you’ve got it cut by erosion by the valleys, why, it’s just in fingers, and these fingers went miles and miles back in there. Six or seven miles to the back side of the property. And then they retreated the mine back almost to the drift mouth, to the entrance of the mine, so [the Blue Diamond Mine, near Hazard, KY] was quite a successful. We left it hand-loaded, because you know the old say saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Miners at Blue Diamond Mines, Hazard, KY. 1922. Courtesy http://kycoal.homestead.com/ “So…

• Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today

  davetabler@appalachianhistory.net (Dave Tabler)

  18 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. Check us out on the Stitcher network, available on mobile phones, in-car dashboards and tablets worldwide. Just click below to start listening: We open today’s show with the most astonishingly successful journalistic hoax of the early 20th century. In 1917 H.L. Mencken wrote a colorful history of the bathtub, published in the New York Evening Mail. Mencken’s history quickly became the accepted wisdom. Chiropractors cited it to prove that traditional medicine often stood in the way of progress. Cincinnati advertised…

• 

  WorldVitalRecords Blog

• Check Out the New Digs

  David Rodeback

  17 May 2013 | 9:51 pm

  The MyHeritage Utah office, which houses the WorldVitalRecords team, moved last week from Provo to Lehi. We’re growing, as is the whole company, but the change is less about space than about moving to a location that will help us recruit top talent from a larger area; the Salt Lake Valley is literally a few minutes away. This, in turn, will help us to provide more and more valuable family history data and an even better experience to our growing subscriber base. We thought you might like to see the new office and its environs and learn a bit about the area, too. (To see a…

• News: 1790-1940 US Censuses at WorldVitalRecords!

  David Rodeback

  1 May 2013 | 3:17 pm

  WorldVitalRecords is pleased to announce the release of US Federal Census indexes and images from 1790 to 1930, about 520 million names in all. Add these censuses to our 1940 US Federal Census index and images, and subscribers can now search the largest and most important set of US genealogical records with ease at WorldVitalRecords.com. Census records document almost everyone who lived in a country when the census was taken. They often include names, ages, addresses, birthplaces, occupation, literacy, and other information. This information can open the door to many additional discoveries…

• What’s in a US Census?

  David Rodeback

  1 May 2013 | 2:47 pm

  If you are looking for ancestors who were born in or emigrated to the United States, US Census records are one of your most valuable tools. They don’t provide precise records of births, marriages, or deaths, but they offer a wealth of clues to these events and valuable information as to where and how ancestors lived. Every 10 years since 1790, the US government has conducted a nationwide census. Officially, the census’s purpose is to insure each state, based on its population, an equitable allocation of seats in the US House of Representatives (US Constitution, Article I, Section…

• Is DNA Right for You?

  Tara McIntosh

  1 Mar 2013 | 2:42 pm

  Anyone who has watched television in the past two decades knows the value of DNA evidence. Comparing two samples of DNA is a great way to convict or exonerate a suspect or to identify a victim. If two samples of human deoxyribonucleic acid are identical, they came from the same person, because DNA encodes all of a person’s genetic information, and no two people have exactly the same DNA. It’s better than fingerprints. DNA can also show relationships between two people, because relatives have similar (but not identical) DNA. The idea of using DNA for genealogy inspires images of…

• Relating to the Unrelated

  Clare Chadwick

  28 Feb 2013 | 2:08 pm

  Let’s be completely honest up front. I am not a professional genealogist. Most of the time, I’m not even a hobby genealogist. Every once in a while, when I find interest, I will dabble a little here and dabble a little there. But I always seem to get distracted when looking at my family lines. I get lost in the stories of what was happening in the times and places where my ancestors lived. William Hyde, my ancestor in the Mormon Battalion I have never been one who enjoys fiction. Real stories of real people, and getting a picture of how they really lived, always entice me much…

• 

  @ProBlogger

• How to Create a Blog Purpose Statement in 3 Simple Steps

  Darren Rowse

  23 May 2013 | 8:54 am

  Yesterday, I shared a series of questions to help those bloggers seeking a little clarity when it comes to what their blog could be about. Today, I wanted to share 3 more questions – these are not so much focused upon YOU as a blogger but upon your readers. Hopefully they’ll also help you achieve a little clarity. Who are your readers? What do they need? How will they change as a result of reading your blog? Answer these 3 questions and you will actually have a pretty good purpose statement for your blog. You could certainly go into some real depth on each question but even doing…

• 7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Bring Clarity to Your Blogging

  Darren Rowse

  22 May 2013 | 8:28 am

  Do you feel like you’ve lost clarity around what it is that you’re trying to do with your blog? I’ve recently bumped into a few bloggers grappling with this idea. Some were new,  even ‘Pre’ Bloggers, while a couple had been blogging for a while but had lost some direction. Out of these conversations, I put together a set of questions to help them think it through. The questions revolve around asking: What are YOU About? While I won’t guarantee you instant clarity on answering these questions I hope that putting a little time aside to work through them…

• 7 Steps to Proofreading Like a Pro

  Guest Blogger

  21 May 2013 | 9:37 am

  This is a guest contribution by Charles Cuninghame, website copywriter and owner of Text-Centric. I’m sure we can all agree that proofreading is the least fun part of blogging. But while it may be tedious, it’s well worth the effort. Typos are not only embarrassing, they can also cost you money. In a widely reported study in 2011, British entrepreneur Charles Duncombe found a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half! If you don’t have a product, then you could be missing out a blog subscriber or repeat visitor! Here’s a tried and tested proofreading process that I’ve…

• Are You Balancing Emerging Technology with Effective Strategy?

  Darren Rowse

  20 May 2013 | 8:21 am

  Last week I was asked at a conference to reflect upon the future of digital and among other things I made a reflection that seemed to resonate with those gathered. It was: Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. As online publishers we see a steady stream of articles being written about new and future technologies, companies and trends in the online publishing space. It is certainly an exciting time to be doing what we’re doing with such amazing development happening all around us and some amazing projections being made about what is ahead of us – however in the midst…

• How to Blog Like a Pro: Workshop on the Gold Coast Australia – Next Week

  Darren Rowse

  19 May 2013 | 7:56 pm

  Next week (29th May) I’m running a special workshop at the Internet Conference on the Gold Coast here in Australia. The workshop is titled – How to Blog Like a Pro – and you’ll get 4 solid hours of teaching in it – all delivered by me in a workshop limited to 40 people only. The workshop has only previously been available to those signing up to the full 3 day conferences as an add-on but there are a few tickets still available and so I asked the organisers if we could sell them as a stand-alone ticket (i.e. you don’t have to come to the full 3 day event).

• 

  Seth's Blog

• Thoughts on education and the burgeoning trophy shortage

  Seth Godin

  23 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  It's graduation season, so a few relevant links about school, students and our future: Here's the audio of an interview I did with PlayBuffet My TEDx talk about education And a reminder about Stop Stealing Dreams, a free manifesto that asks, "what is school for?" I hope we can ask this question more and more often... Feel free to share with your favorite graduate. Or her parents. Bonus: 20 video minutes at Creative Mornings.

• Let's start with "sorry"

  Seth Godin

  22 May 2013 | 2:43 am

  By the time the phone rings, there's already trouble. When that manager is called or this department is reached, it's because someone is disappointed, angry or stuck. Illness, broken promises or a real urgency have led to this new conversation even taking place. So don't start with, "[Name of company] mumble mumble" as if there's a blank slate just waiting to be written on. There's already a lot of writing on that slate. Don't demand to know the record number or begin with doubt and an edge of dismissal. Be on our team. "It sounds like we've got a situation on our hands..." is a fine way to…

• Levels of marketing magic, the placebo effects of desire

  Seth Godin

  21 May 2013 | 2:45 am

  ANTICIPATION: Before the product is released, the true fans are buzzing and speculating and waiting in line. The anticipation is self-reinforcing, a placebo effect of desire. UTILITY: The album is good, the software is useful, the book changes things. It works better than we hoped. Exceeding expectations pays significant dividends. REMARK: It's purple. Remarkable. Worth talking about. The word spreads. Ten people tell ten people and suddenly, it's abuzz. Not because of PR or hype, but because the remarkability is built right into the product or service itself. And more people enjoy things…

• You should buy the book

  Seth Godin

  20 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  Mitch Joel is a generous and perceptive blogger. Well worth the daily read. He has a new book. You should buy it. David Meerman Scott writes an essential blog, daily. His book is a classic. You should buy it. Tom Asacker writes a very thoughtful blog about marketing. Worth the read. He has a new book. You should buy it, too. Every day, Mark Frauenfelder and Corey Doctorow blog tons of goodness at Boingboing. They each have books. You should buy them and share them. Bernadette Jiwa's blog keeps getting better and better and you are probably already reading it. She has a new book on the way.

• No Signal

  Seth Godin

  20 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  At a party the other day, I saw a dead TV monitor. On the screen it said something like, "No signal... check power, cable and source selection..." It doesn't matter at all how hard the DVD player was trying to put on a show. It is irrelevant how good the show on cable was. If it's not getting through, no one sees it. All of us own our own media companies now. We each have the ability to speak up, to tell our stories, and if we're good and if we're lucky, to be heard. Too often, though, there's no signal. You may be pumping noise through your social media outlets, but noise isn't signal. It's…

• 

  Mashable

• Why Brands Need Two-Factor Authentication on Twitter

  Samantha Murphy

  23 May 2013 | 9:37 am

  Major brands with a presence on Twitter are being encouraged to implement Twitter's new two-factor authentication feature to help ward off hackers, and for good reason. If you look at recent hacks against companies such as Burger King, The Onion and the Associated Press — which even negatively impacted financial markets — it's clear that Twitter has become a hotbed for account hijacking. Finally, companies can increase their chances of warding off such attacks Before Wednesday, all users was logging in to Twitter the same way — those with two followers and those with 2…

• Xbox One Google+ Hangout: What We Know

  Ryan Lytle

  23 May 2013 | 9:27 am

  Microsoft unveiled its newest gaming console, the Xbox One, earlier this week, and along with it, revealed many new features attached to the console. From Xbox One's new Kinect and controller to its all-in-one entertainment hub, this gaming console extends well beyond movies and gaming. To sift through all the news that came out of Microsoft HQ this week, we will be hosting a Google+ Hangout today at 1pm ET on our Google+ page. Join Mashable Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff, Games Reporter Chelsea Stark, Tech Editor Pete Pachal and Senior Tech Analyst Christina Warren as they recap and analyze…

• Kmart's Latest Ad Will Make You Laugh Your Gas Off

  Seth Fiegerman

  23 May 2013 | 9:16 am

  Kmart is on a roll with its ads The discount chain is promoting a deal on gas with a funny new video called Big Gas Savings. If you don't realize the joke already, just say "big gas" out lout a couple times — and you'll get it. In the video, several customers ogle over the "really big gas discounts." One man tells his wife it solves her "big gas problem." She agrees, but gives him some cause for concern when she stares longingly at the "big gas man" standing in front of the "big gas truck." Kmart struck viral gold last month with a similar ad that played on the phrase "ship your pants."…

• LEGO Unveils Giant X-Wing Fighter in Times Square

  Eric Larson

  23 May 2013 | 8:54 am

  It's a dream come true for fans across the entire nerd spectrum: a life-sized X-Wing fighter built entirely of LEGOs (Just take a second to let the awesomeness of that sentence sink in. Ready? OK.) In celebration of the upcoming Cartoon Network series The Yoda Chronicles, the LEGO Group unveiled the iconic Star Wars ship — the largest LEGO structure built to date — in New York City's Times Square on Thursday. The ship will remain on display in New York for three days, then be transported to the LEGOLAND California Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., for the rest of the year The huge…

• Grown Men Reenact Conversations With a Toddler

  Neha Prakash

  23 May 2013 | 8:29 am

  What is it about kids that makes their nonsensical comments and absurd thoughts sound brilliant? Oh yes, they are so darn cute Kids often get away with murder — on the English language, that is. When it comes to having conversations, no one minds, because we adore them. But when a grown man tries to say that stuff? It's creepy, just plain creepy SEE ALSO: Baby 'Bachelor' Breaks Hearts in New Reality Show Filmmaker Matthew Clarke decided to prove how odd this was by staging a series of episodes entitled "Convos With My 2 Year Old," replacing an adult man in place of his daughter Coco.

• 

  chrisbrogan.com

• Be Open to Inspiration

  ceb

  10 May 2013 | 8:41 am

  I’ve been in a bit of a fog the last week or so. Nothing worth talking about, really. Depression stuff. But then it lifted. What’s interesting to me is how I found my footing and how I got back on track, and so there are two items I want to share with you from this: the actual learning, and more importantly, the realization of what got me there. Be Open to Inspiration Humans have this way they deal with too much information. They discard tons of inputs and keep what they feel is important. This is necessary, by the way. Can you imagine how busy your brain would be if you thought…

• Do Local Businesses Deserve Your Money?

  ceb

  7 May 2013 | 1:38 pm

  I sat at the counter at my local restaurant the other day and waited for over 7 minutes without anyone bothering to acknowledge that I was there. And then I walked out. And so did my money. For good. In fact, I drove to McDonalds, got some scrambled eggs and an iced coffee, and was in and out of the system within the same 7 minutes. (You can save your comments with disdain for McDonalds. If you’re a parent, you go there, unless you don’t. Either way. It’s not the point.) Now, before you try to defend this other place, no, it wasn’t busy. Yes, at least two employees had seen me, and…

• Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools?

  ceb

  30 Apr 2013 | 4:21 pm

  Why should you bother using tools like Vine and Instagram, and the like? That question was asked to me by Pam Vitaz, and she asked it somewhat in this context (my words not hers): Vine’s interesting, but you basically just shot a funny video. Why do that? Here’s the video she meant: Can’t see the video? Click Here. Can’t hear sound? Hover over it and click the little sound thingy. On the surface, it’s the kind of question you can answer with “why not?” But that’s not good enough. Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools? First, it’s your…

• Can You Work at Being Fearless?

  ceb

  29 Apr 2013 | 7:03 am

  Fear is at the heart of most of our worst choices. I read this facebook post by James Altucher and it really punched me in the stomach. But that’s just one punch in a series, because every time I question how I ended up somewhere, the real answer (underneath all the bull answers) is fear. It’s why most stupid things happen, why all bad things happen (when humans are involved), and is even worse than you think. I’m afraid of a weird collection of things. I’m afraid of sharks (ever since seeing Jaws at a very young age – because I pestered my parents tirelessly til…

• Sponsored Post – Mobile Productivity and the Future

  ceb

  24 Apr 2013 | 4:53 am

  Can you be productive while on the road? I say yes. In fact, I’m writing this from a hotel room before heading off to a meeting with a client. The following is sponsored by Cloud Powered Work, which is a project with IDG, LinkedIn, and Microsoft’s Office365. Everything in this post is mine, and my opinions are my own. I just produced an episode of my radio show from my hotel room, because I realized that an episode was due and I hadn’t done the work before I took off for the day. Last night, while I waited for my slightly delayed airplane, I cracked open SkyDrive pulled down…