When one thinks of Lawrence of Arabia the epic 1962 movie starring Peter O’Toole usually springs to mind. The movie characterizes Lawrence’s experience in Arabia during World War I, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus, as well as, his involvement in the Arab National Council.
Known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia, the enigmatic Thomas Edward Laurence (T.E. Lawrence) was a champion to many. He was a British Army misfit, a legendary war hero, author and archaeological scholar.
Much of what is known about Lawrence is gleaned from the movie script, which focuses on Lawrence’s emotional struggles with war time violence, his personal identity, and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and its army and his newfound comrades within the Arabian desert tribes.
Thomas Edward Lawrence was born in Tremadog, Caernarfonshire, Wales, in 1888. In 1896, his family moved to Oxford, where he studied architecture and archaeology at England’s famous Oxford University, for which he made a trip to Syria and Palestine (controlled by the Ottoman Turks), in 1909. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: arabia, britain, history, lawrence of arabia, online, Ottoman Empire, t.e. lawrence, turkey, world war one
Dr. Paul R. Billings, renowned genomics expert has been added to the Board of Directors at Ancestry.com. The press release is as follows:
“PROVO, Utah, May 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that renowned genomics expert Dr. Paul R. Billings has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors, increasing the Board’s size to nine members. Billings was also appointed a member of the Company’s Audit Committee.
“Dr. Billings makes a great addition to our Board at a time when our focus on genetic genealogy is just at its beginning stages,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. “Paul’s addition shows our company’s reinforced commitment to the science of DNA that we are convinced will provide a new way for customers to make amazing discoveries that they can share with family and friends.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ancestry com, board of directors, family history, Genealogy, genomics, online
Devonshire, England, is a beautiful place, if you have ancestors who hailed from Devon the following 3.5 million records from Findmypast.co.uk will help you find them. For a small area 3.5 million is a lot of records:
“Search new Plymouth and Devon parish records covering 3.5 million people and five centuries on findmypast.co.uk
These records include baptisms, marriages and burials from 1538 to 1911, making it easier than ever before to trace your Devonshire ancestors before the first census and the start of birth, marriage and death records in the 19th century. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Collection, Devon ancestors, family history, findmypast.co.uk, Genealogy, online research, Plymouth & West Devon Record Office, Plymouth ancestors, Plymouth and Devon parish records, Plymouth and West Devon Collection
Priceless Catholic church collections to be returned to north-east Scotland after more than 50 years
The college at Scalan
Two priceless Catholic collections originally housed in the Blairs Seminary outside of Aberdeen, Scotland, are being returned to the area after 54 years to be housed this time at the University of Aberdeen. This is a big event given the dark history of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. In fact, the archives cover some of the most turbulent centuries in the history of the Catholic Church.
The collection includes manuscripts, books and letters from the archives of the Catholic church and letters from Mary, Queen of Scots, are of “national and international significance”. Mary was a Catholic and refused to renounce her Catholic faith. Catholicism was outlawed following the Scottish Reformation in 1560.
Many of the artifacts were, at one time hidden at the Catholic Church’s “secret” seminary in Glenlivet on Speyside near Aberdeen (Glenlivet is known today as home to one of the famous whiskey distilleries-Scotch). The seminary was a refuge for the training of young students for the Catholic priesthood during the Jacobite rebellion. The Catholic church was always stronger in the north and Scalan College survived as a major source of Catholic teaching until the end of the 18th century. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: aberdeen university, catholic church, distilleries, glenlivet, history, priceless collections, scotch whiskey, Scotland
The British National Archives has made Olympic and Paralympic documents and images available online for the 19th 20th and 21st centuries. This is a first. The new site called The Olympic Record has a timeline, which enables researchers to brows material from summer Olympics from the Athens games in 1896 to the Beijing games in 2008.
The files clearly illustrate the impact that the Olympic movement has had on history during the 116 years since the modern Games were revived. The records show the growth of the Games through the 20th century, including the boycotts and the amazing survival through two world wars and political turmoil.
Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. They reached their peak in the 5th and 6th centuries BC and gradually declined as the Romans gained power and influence in Greece. There is no agreement on when the Games officially ended, but most people believe that the end came in 393 AD when the emperor Theodosius I declared that all pagan cults and practices be eliminated. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: available online, british national archives, history, national archives, olympic games, online, paralympic, podcast, records, research
It’s that time already! The next Roots Tech conference is scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, from March 21-23, 2013. Even if you’re not planning to present the schedule the ideas for sessions in the following call for presentations appearing on the Upfront with NGS blog will be of interest:
“The world of genealogy is changing at an ever-increasing rate through the development of new technologies. Millions of people are passionate about discovering their roots. They share an interest in learning about the latest technologies and methods to help them in this pursuit. The third annual RootsTech Conference brings together thought leaders and consumers who want to share and experience the latest trends in genealogy and technology. Building on the success and growth of previous years, RootsTech 2013 will reach thousands of participants on site and around the world. RootsTech includes engaging, interactive sessions that promote learning and the free exchange of ideas on improving the way genealogy is done. Genealogists and technologists attending this conference share a stance that is progressive and forward thinking. They are interested in the application of technology to simplify and improve the family history experience. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2013, family history, Genealogy, presentations, request for presentations, RootsTech, solutions, technology
If you’d like to learn what records are available and where to look at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), there’s a series of presentations available from archivists, volunteers and other experts who share their knowledge of the NARA records with you.
To learn more about the program click on Know Your Records.
Tags: Genealogy, history, know your records, NARA, online, program, records
I’m enjoying Google’s effort to be more transparent and I enjoy learning new things that could be helpful in the future. Today’s post from Google is on the subject of emails and the routing process. For various different reasons, many of us wonder about the email routing process after we hit send.
Google has a new site called Story of Send, which is an effort answer questions and give you a behind-the-scenes look into how all your virtual information from your ISP to the Google Data centers reaches its destination.
You’ll get a look at how Google filters for spam (aol doesn’t appear to successfully for spam filter spam) and how they scan for viruses and maximize security. We’re all concerned about security and online privacy… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Google, online, routing, routing process, security, spam, story of send
After a run of three years NBC has decided not to renew the Ancestry.com genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? The news release from the Ancestry Investor Relations is as follows:
“PROVO, Utah, May 13, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Ancestry.com Inc. ACOM -11.97% , the world’s largest online family history resource, today commented on NBC’s decision not to renew the Who Do You Think You Are? television series for a fourth season.
“We want to thank NBC for their support of this terrific series, which over the last three years has inspired many viewers to follow their passion to learn more about who they are and where they come from,” said Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. “We have a great partnership with the show’s producers, Is or Isn’t Entertainment and Shed Media, and we look forward to exploring other avenues of distribution.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ancestry com, family history, Genealogy, history, investor relations, media, NBC, online
On May 11, 1812, Spencer Perceval, Britain’s prime minister was shot to death in the lobby of the House of Commons by John Bellingham, a demented businessman. Bellingham who was enraged at his failure to get government compensation for war debts incurred in Russia immediately gave himself up to the authorities. Though deemed insane, he was executed one week later.
Before entering the House of Commons as a Tory member of parliament in 1796, Perceval ran a profitable law practice and held senior cabinet posts of solicitor general and attorney general starting in 1801.
In 1807, Perceval became Chancellor of the Exchequer and continued to hold the position after becoming prime minister in 1809.
During his term as prime minister, he faced a financial crisis in Britain as a result of the country’s extended involvement in the costly Napoleonic Wars. As might be expected, he also made political enemies through his opposition to the regency of the Prince of Wales, who later became King George IV. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: assassination, british national, british prime minister, history, napoleonic wars, online, research, spencer perceval
These days cloud computing is a hot topic and big business. Until very recently I was a skeptic on the subject of storing my files somewhere out there… Some of the many questions that came to mind were: Is it safe? Is this going to cost me a lot of money? Will it start out being free only to have them charge later on? What happens to my files if the company goes out of business?
I’m definitely warming up to cloud computing in these days of hard drive crashes, corrupted disks and flash drives, which don’t last indefinitely, after all the work you put into creating the files. Anyone who has experienced the loss of valuable files will understand what I mean.
Dick Eastman of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter has been writing about cloud computing and other interesting techie stuff of interest to genealogists and family historians for a long time. The security angle is usually the primary concern and, having just read his article Do I Trust the Cloud?, I’d like to share it with you. The entry includes a presentation on the subject by D. Joshua Taylor at the annual Roots Tech conference. The presentation is a couple of months old but still current.
Click on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter to read the article and view the video.
Tags: cloud computing and security, cloud-computing, files, online, online genealogy, security, storage, valuable files
What can you do with 1000memories Shoeboxes?
A lot. You can preserve your photos sitting in your old albums and, yes, you can find additional backup for your more recent projects when you spent countless hours storing precious memories on your hard drives or flash drives.
Virtual shoeboxes store your photos created around an event or a them and helps you organize into meaningful categories from digital scrapbooks to birthday’s, anniversaries or family pets—just about anything you can think of. There’s a gallery you can explore on the site for inspiration. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1000memories, android app, iPhone app, NGS, old photos, online storage, scrap books, shoebox, shoebox app
GenDetective is a genealogy software from RumbleSoft that’s different from most commercial databases on the market today. It has been described as “a tool that analyzes your genealogical data to produce research recommendations based on missing or incomplete data”. The software is planned to enable the genealogist to hone his/her research and actually points out additional areas to investigate.
According to Sandra Rumble, “While many software utilities for genealogy have been designed and written by genealogists who write software as a hobby, GenDetective was designed by a genealogy hobbyist who designs and writes commercial software.” Even if you currently use one of the leading genealogy software applications, this software does sound like a useful tool and warrants further exploration.
The following press release is about the Version 1.5 release: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: family history, GenDetective, Genealogy, latest release, online, personal research, records, research, RumbleSoft, software
The following is some welcome news from FamilySearch.org about their 1940 indexing project, as they prepare to upload the latest data on the 1940 census. This is a great reminder that the organization has so much to offer free of charge:
“We did it. We passed the 100,000 mark. Today’s report shows that we have a total of 101,780 indexers who are actively involved in indexing the 1940 US Census. Is it any wonder that we’re moving through this project so quickly? With so many people coming on board as indexers we’re still maintaining an amazing degree of accuracy. Kudos to all who are involved. Let’s keep telling our friends and neighbors about your indexing experiences and help them find the rewards of being an indexer or arbitrator.
Below are the latest statistics for our combined efforts to index the 1940 US Census. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, family history, familysearch org, Genealogy, indexers, online, project update, records, update
Ancestry.com has released a database containing membership cards with details on women who joined the Cadet Nurse Corps created during WWII as follows:
“Historical Background
After the United States entered World War II, the military’s needs quickly brought on a nursing shortage. To address the need, federal funding, administered by the Public Health Service, began flowing to nursing schools in 1942, and in 1943 Congress authorized the Cadet Nurse Corps. The Corps offered scholarships for tuition and fees, stipends, and uniforms to women ages 17–35 who went to nursing school and committed to serve in the nursing profession for the duration of the war. The Corps did not discriminate on race and graduated almost 125,000 nurses. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ancestry com, cadet, Genealogy, genealogy collection, history, information, nurse, online, records, research
It was a big surprise to me to learn today that German submarines preyed on tankers on the east coast of the United States during WWII. And, thanks to a touching human interest story, with interesting historical commentary, in today’s Charlotte Observer about a crew of British sailors who were buried in Ocracoke cemetery in 1942, I plan to fill the knowledge gap.
The touching article was written by Richard Strading about British sailors who were buried in a small area known as the British Cemetery at Ocracoke in North Carolina.
The story is about Sub-Lt.Thomas Cunningham who, along with 37 crewmen, perished on the HMS Bedfordshire off the coast of North Carolina when it was torpedoed by a German submarine on May 11, 1942. There were no survivors and those who washed ashore were given an appropriate burial at Ocracoke .
Two dozen vessels like the HMS Bedfordshire, loaned by Britain to the United States in the early months of 1942, were actually fishing trawlers outfitted with guns and depth charges to help ward of U-boats attacking tankers and freighters along the East Coast. Many of these tankers and freighters were carrying fuel and supplies bound for Britain. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: article, british sailors, Charlotte Observer, fishing trawlers, HMS Bedfordshire, North Carolina, ocracoke, remembrance, WWII
It’s well-known that Irish genealogy research is difficult and often impossible because of the loss of many important records. I’ve touched on this problem before in my blog post The Lack of Irish Genealogical Records and a look at PRONI.
On June 30, 1922 the records of the Irish Chancery were destroyed in an explosion and fire at the Public Record Office of Ireland at Four Courts in Dublin. High on the list of important records were the medieval Irish Chancery rolls.
A new major online Internet resource will be launched by CIRCLE at a public lecture on May 10. CIRCLE is the completion of nearly 40 years of work to reconstruct the lost records. The lecture is called Rediscovering Medieval Ireland and is hosted by the Medieval History Research Centre of Trinity College, Dublin. Robin Frame is the lecturer. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: CIRCLE, Genealogy, history, ireland, irish chancery records, online, records, trinity college dublin
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, but in the United States it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Unfortunately, last year it heralded unrest and we got a glimpse through the media of not so great political activism. We can only hope that tomorrow’s celebration will be what it is meant to be, a joyful celebration of the rich heritage of the Mexican people.
What is the history of Cinco de Mayo?
When Benito Juarez became president of Mexico in 1861, the country was in financial ruin. When the Mexican government defaulted on debts owed to the European governments of France, Britain and Spain they sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew.
This was not the case with France, ruled by Napoleon III, who decided to take the opportunity to carve an empire out of Mexican territory. The well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz and landed a strong French force that sent Juarez and his government into retreat. Read the rest of this entry »
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was what might be called today an all-round success (more like a brilliant all-round success), considering his expertise covered so many different areas. He was a “leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat”.
He gained the title of “The First American” for his tireless campaigning for colonial unity, then as an author and spokesman in London, England. As the first United States Ambassador to France, he exemplified the new American nation.
With all the achievements of this great man in mind I’d like to share a LinkedIn article I received today titled, “ 14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin About Getting What You Want In Life”.
I’ve included some great links at the end of the following article:
“Benjamin Franklin was clearly a man who knew how to get things done.
Here are 14 action-inducing lessons from him: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: benjamin franklin, comfort zone, founding father, history, how to get things done, how to get what you want, online, opportunities
The old saying look before you leap applies to all information posted on the web and this even applies to the latest offering from the world’s most popular genealogy site. It’s interesting to see that Ancestry has named their Best Practices board of scientific advisors in the following news release:
“PROVO, Utah, May 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ancestry.com (Nasdaq:ACOM), today announced the launch of its highly anticipated AncestryDNA™ service, a new affordable DNA test that enables purchasers of the DNA test and subscribers of Ancestry.com to combine new state-of-the-art DNA science with the world’s largest online family history resource and a broad global database of DNA samples.
The new DNA test analyzes a person’s genome at over 700,000 marker locations, cross referencing an extensive worldwide DNA database with the aim of providing exciting insights into their ethnic backgrounds and helping them find distant cousins who may hold the keys to exciting family history discoveries. By combining these genetic matches with Ancestry.com’s 34 million family trees and 9 billion records, AncestryDNA intends to provide a differentiated experience that helps find common ancestors dating back as far as the middle 18th Century. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: DNA, family history, history, molecular genealogy, new affordable, online, records, research
Kathryn Rudy, a lecturer in the School of Art History at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, has analyzed some 15th and early 16th-century European prayer books.
The point of the study was to learn the reading habits of people who lived in medieval times and turned out to be a kind of forensic analysis of what people focused on during these eras. The project is more complicated than it appears at first glance.
With the use of a piece of equipment, called a densitometer, that measures the darkness of a reflecting surface it was possible know how a reader handled a book and which parts were the most often read or ignored. In other words, the darkness of the thumbed pages marked from use and the neglected still clean.
It started to get interesting when Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: densitometer, dirty books, discovery, project, Scotland, st. andrew's, study, thumbed pages, university
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle creator of Sherlock Holmes, like the rest of us, sometimes suffered from writers block, those days when creativity has stalled. Writing is hard work and clearly illustrates even our most famous writers had to practice their craft.
The National Library of Scotland tells the story of manuscripts found, locked away upon Conan Doyle’s death in 1930. Sir Arthur’s publisher John Murray might, at first, have thought he had found some unpublished treasure. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The papers were the efforts the great writer decided, for lack of inspiration, to set aside for review and editing later on. Most have us have struggled with something and put it aside and revisit later.
The story of the discovery is told in papers donated to the National Library of Scotland’s prestigious John Murray archive along with a cover note explaining that upon reading they were found to be “not very good and not used as the quality was too poor.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: authors, donated, donation, famous, famous works, National Library of Scotland, NLS, Sherlock Holmes, sir arthur conan doyle, unknown
Barnes & Noble Inc. stocks surged 68 percent to $23 yesterday in New York after announcing that Microsoft will invest $300 million in a new subsidiary that combines the bookseller’s Nook digital reader and college businesses. You’ll remember that the Nook e-reader was launched in 2009 to compete with Amazon’s Kindle, allowing users to buy, download and read digital versions of books and magazines.
E-books are big business and, although some people say that they’ll always read hard copy books, the younger generation is transitioning rapidly to the technology preferring to use e-books than pick up the actual book—it’s cool. I made the transition faster than I ever thought I would.
By integrating the NOOK with the new Windows 8 operating system, it will digitally house Barnes and Noble college education book business and revolutionize the education system. The $300 million investment by Microsoft will make Barnes and Noble’s NOOK e-book reader available to millions of new customers.
This has no doubt stirred up some fear in both the e-book business and the brick and mortar book who are struggling to compete with the new digital market. Local libraries are already changing their modus operandi to survive and be useful and Barnes and Noble has already started evolve their business by selling items in their bookstores that we wouldn’t normally expect to find.
Click on the link Washington Post to read their version of the article published yesterday.
Tags: barnes and noble, college book business, e-books, Microsoft, new business venture, stocks, washington post
The following is an announcement from the National Archives and Records Administration regarding a new Microfilm Research Room:
“A new Microfilm Research Room is scheduled to open on Monday, May 21, 2012, in the Robert M. Warner Research Center in the National Archives Building, Washington, DC. It will house 27 researcher carrels, 5 public use computers (and printer), custom millwork bookcases, and a custom millwork staff control desk at the entrance to the room. From the old room will come microfilm and microfiche cabinets, map cases, DVD spinners, and more than 150,000 microfilm reels. While systems furniture panels and work surfaces that form the carrels will be reused from the old room, the fabric and trim will be new.
The look of the room will be similar to the new Finding Aids/Consultation Room, with its oak millwork and cork floor. Ceiling lights can be dimmed, and wall washer lights are situated where microfilm cabinets line the walls.
Work to create the new room is taking place overnight and behind construction barrier walls. Relocation of the cabinets, film, and equipment from the old room to the new room will occur after research hours on Saturday, May 19, and continue non-stop into Sunday, May 20. If all goes as planned, the new room will open on Monday, May 21.“
Tags: cabinets, DVD spinners, Genealogy, history, microfilm, microfilm reels, NARA, national archives, research, research room
I’m a little late with this one since it was announced on April 24. Just in case there are some folks who haven’t heard yet, Google has introduced Google Drive.
You get 5 GB for free and if you want to upgrade to 25 GB it costs $2.49 a month. That’s a lot of space but if it isn’t enough 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. These are very competitive rates and hopefully they won’t increase them in the near future.
Cloud computing is in and the more you learn to let go of the past and current paranoia about privacy (still a concern for many of us) you can store practically everything. This is good news for genealogists and family historians.
So what does Google Drive do?
You can create and collaborate. If you use Google Docs (a great substitute for the pricey MS Office) is built, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. When you decide to share content with others, you can add and reply to comments on any documentation, such as, PDF, image, video file, and so on. You can also receive notifications when others comment on your shared items. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: access it anywhere, cloud-computing, collaborate, create, drag and drop, google drive, ocr, optical character recognition, store
The great military leader of the American Revolution George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789, in New York. He was unanimously chosen by all 69 electors in February 1789.
In March of that year the new United States constitution officially took effect and, in April, Washington was notified that he had won the presidency. Before he traveled to New York, he had to borrow money to pay off his debts in Virginia. On April 30, he crossed the Hudson River in a specially built and decorated barge.
The balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street had the honor of hosting the inaugural ceremony and a large crowd cheered after he took the oath of office. When the ceremony was over, the president moved indoors to read his inaugural address to Congress in which spoke of “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people”.
In his role as president George Washington worked hard to unite the nation and protect the interests of the Republic public at home and abroad. He was well aware of his responsibility and said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.“ Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: alexander hamilton, fist president, george washington, history, online, presidential inauguration day, research, thomas jefferson
Renowned Dutch violinist Andre Rieu, conductor and composer, and his orchestra, paid a tribute to Frank Sinatra playing My Way on his Stradivarius violin at Radio City Music Hall – New York.
Particularly touching is embedded film clip of immigrants arriving in New York, seeing their first view of the Statue of Liberty, carrying their immigration papers, unloading their suitcases filled with their worldly goods, all stuffed haphazardly on the back of a small truck.
The reaction on the faces of the lucky people in the audience to Rieu’s performance is a wonderful reminder that we are, after all, a nation of immigrants.
With thanks to my cousin Carole, who sent me the link, you can all enjoy the video below:
Tags: andre rieu, frank sinatra, immigrants, italian, radio city music hall, statue of liberty, tribute
Tonight’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? at 8:00 p.m. on NBC is bound to be a popular one.
For instance, “Did you know Rob Lowe began his acting career at the age of eight in local television and theater?
Actor Rob Lowe begins his family history journey with a clue from his late mother’s scrapbook and ends up discovering unexpected ties to early American history. Along the way, he travels to Washington, D.C. to reveal his ancestor’s shocking role in the Revolutionary War—and visits Germany to learn why his ancestor risked everything for a chance at a new life in America.”
Click on NBC Who Do You Think You Are? to view all the shows you missed this season–it happens.
On Thursday April 19th actress Angela Lansbury, architect Richard Meier, and baseball manager Tony La Russa, received the 11th annual Ellis Island Family Heritage rewards for their contributions to the American Experience. The awards were received in the Great Hall on Ellis Island from The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. The Press Release is as follows:
“NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Today in the historic Great Hall on Ellis Island three esteemed individuals were honored by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. for the contributions they have made to this “Nation of Immigrants.”
Celebrating the 120th year of Ellis Island, the 11th Annual Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards were hosted by NBC’s Meredith Vieira in an 11:00 a.m. ceremony. This year’s event featured an opening tribute to R.M.S. Titanic, marking the centennial of the maritime tragedy.
The 2012 Ellis Island Family Heritage Award recipients are: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: actress, angela lansbury, architect, awards, baseball manager, ellis island, family heritage, richard meier, the statue of liberty, tony la russa
The following is the latest news release from Ancestry.com:
“PROVO, Utah, April 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Archives.com, a family history website, for approximately $100 million in cash and assumed liabilities.
This transaction will enable Ancestry.com to add a differentiated service targeted to a complementary segment of the growing family history category. In addition, Ancestry.com will welcome a team of talented engineers, digital marketers, and family history innovators into the Ancestry.com fold and also gain access to a proprietary technology platform that has supported Archives.com’s rapid growth.
Archives.com is owned and operated by Inflection LLC, a Silicon Valley-based technology company. Since Archives.com’s launch in January 2010, the site has rapidly grown to more than 380,000 paying subscribers who pay approximately $39.95 a year. Archives.com offers access to over 2.1 billion historical records, including birth records, obituaries, immigration and passenger lists, historical newspapers, and U.S. and U.K. Censuses. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: acquistion, ancestry com, archives.com, family history, Genealogy, history, online, records
New York is an amazing city (an understatement). The newly released collection of 870 archived images actually includes a rare crime scene photographs courtesy of the city Department of Records. Reality at its worst but, you’ll also view spectacular photographs of stately bridges and street scenes that truly capture the essence of New York.
The photographs were extracted from the Municipal Archives which comprises 2.2 million images going back to the mid 1800s and feature city scenes and a unique perspective to continuum of life in the city of New York.
The amazing project took four years to complete and is part of the department’s goal to make city records available to everyone. The images were taken mostly by anonymous municipal workers and, although some have appeared in publications the bulk of the photographs could only be seen at the lower Manhattan archive offices.
Researchers including, historians, genealogists, family historians, filmmakers, are bound to find the digitized collection significant and anyone can search the images and share them through social media. You can also purchase them as prints. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Collection, criminal justice evidence, family history, Genealogy, history, images collection, New York City, newly released, online, records, research
The subscription or pay-per-view website Findmypast.co.uk has recently published Boer War records as follows:
“We have updated our Boer War collection with almost 10,000 new records.
The major inclusions in this update are:
The complete Queen’s South Africa medal roll for the Coldstream Guards, Irish Guards, 1st battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and Rundles Scouts
The Wepener clasp rolls for Royal Scots, Royal Engineers, Cape Mounted Rifles, Driscoll’s Scouts and the Kaffrarian Rifles
The Boer War records can tell you vast amounts of crucial information about your military ancestors, including the unit in which they served, where they became a casualty, which war memorial they appear on and the honours and awards they received.
This update brings the total number of records on findmypast.co.uk to 269,425. The records come from more than 470 sources, some of which are extremely rare and others are out of print.
Meurig Jones provided findmypast.co.uk with these records.
Search the Boer War records now”
Tags: boer war, family history, findmypast, Genealogy, history, online, records, research
Here’s a reminder from Family Tree Magazine about the very popular annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree:
“If you live on the West Coast, you may already be familiar with the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. You may have already registered for this year’s event.
If not, you’re probably thinking, “Why am I getting this mailing for a genealogy conference in Southern California? I don’t have any people in California!”
Don’t let the name fool you. It might sound like a regional event, but Jamboree is a national-class conference. Let’s see if Jamboree could help your research:
- Do you have ancestors who migrated to America? Do you have ancestors who fought in any of the US wars in the past 236 or so years?
- Do you use Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast, Origins, Archives, MyHeritage, Fold3, or any other online information database? What about genealogy software? Could you use help using your favorite program?
- Do you have questions about using DNA? Need help interpreting the information in wills, deeds, pedigree charts you’ve received from a cousin. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: california, conferences, family history, Genealogy, online, research, sessions, southern california genealogy jamboree
Wills are a wonderful source of information for family historians and genealogy researchers. They provide an amazing peep into your ancestor’s world.
The information found in wills usually includes details, such as, where the person who died lived and the name of the executor who is the person responsible for carrying out the wishes of the testator. You’ll likely find the date of the will along with details of any witnesses to the signing and the chief beneficiaries.
Family secrets are often uncovered in a will and provide one last opportunity for someone to settle old scores, or may even reveal the existence of an illegitimate offspring.
“William Shakespeare, who was born (and died) on 23 April, famously bequeathed his ‘second-best bed’ to his wife Anne Hathaway in his will, dated just a few weeks before he died in 1616. Digitised copies of Shakespeare’s will, part of a record series selected for the celebrity of the testators, can be searched and downloaded online” at the British National Archives at Kew in England. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: digitized, family history, famous wills, forged wills, Genealogy, history, national archives, online, records, research, research guides, shakespeare, will
If you’re researching your family history, or just an enthusiastic NASCAR racing (especially a Jr. Nation) fan, you’ll be more than interested to know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has discovered an interest in his own genealogy.
I couldn’t help smiling when I read the article written by Jim Utter of the Charlotte Observer, because Dale Junior’s reaction to finding his ancestors reflects the experience of most others who previously had no interest in their ancestry—too busy getting on with the here and now “life is real, life is earnest” scenario.
When you decide to look into your family history, there’s definitely a point when you start to feel a connection with those who came before and Junior, like the rest of us, felt a totally unexpected attachment, one where we see our ancestors as real people who lived very real lives and paved the way for their descendants.
To quote Dale, “It’s really cool to stand there over somebody that is responsible for you being there and that was pretty neat. I had done that before and I had people tell me to work on my family tree before, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Once I got into it and started realizing the importance of it so it’s been a lot of fun.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dale earnhardt jr, family history, Genealogy, junior nation, NASCAR, online, research, who do you think you are?
Dick Eastman often shares his considerable knowledge of technology on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Blog. I believe it’s very important for family historians and genealogists to be cognizant with both the good and the bad, so I’d like to share the following important information with you:
“Is your computer running slower and slower? Has your antivirus software been disabled? If so, your system is probably infected with an online advertising scam called DNS Changer and may lose its ability to connect to the Internet on July 9.
Luckily, there is an easy way to determine if your system has been infected: the FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, www.dcwg.org, that will inform them whether their computer is infected and explain how to fix the problem.
If your system is infected and if you procrastinate until July 9 or after, you won’t be able to connect to the Internet and therefore won’t be able to run the online test. The time to test is NOW.
You can read more in an Associated Press story by Lolita C. Baldor at:
The FBI’s warning may be found at:
http://www.fbi.gov/news/
Tags: computer, DNS changer, FBI, malware, security
If you’re lucky enough to be on vacation or close to a National Park this week you can enjoy free admission to the any of our nation’s 397 national parks.
This is an annual celebration and an opportunity to celebrate what we all have inherited as Americans.
Can you imagine 84 million acres of the world’s most spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures.
It’s a wonderful chance to hike, absorb and share the splendor. If you can’t go in person you can click on the link National Park to see some of the best photographic images ever of places like Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Ouachita National Forest, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Glacier National Park, and others.
If you click on each photograph you’ll visit each of the National Park’s where you can learn more about them. It will also give you a full screen image of the photos. They’re all spectacular.
Here’s the link again: National Park Week.
Tags: 84 million acres, history, national park week. free admission, national treasure, online, spectacular photos
Hot on the heels of my post today about the Ancestry.com name search indexing project on the 1940 Census, I’d like to share a request from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) asking for volunteers to help with their Name Search indexing effort. The current problem for many family researchers and genealogists is not knowing where people were living 1940:
“Calling all Citizen Archivists! The 1940 census has been online for two weeks now. We have heard many great stories about people you have found in the census. We also know there are some of you who don’t know where people were living in 1940 and therefore cannot search the census without an name index.
The good news is that efforts have begun to create a name index and YOU can help! Join the 1940 Census Community Indexing Project at www.the1940census.com to help create a name index so the census may be searched by name. To get started you will need to download and install the indexing software, register as an indexing volunteer, and download a batch of images to transcribe. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, family history, history, name index project, NARA, National Archives and Records Administration, online, records, request for volunteers, volunteer
There’s an entry dated April 19 on the Ancestry.com blog about the indexing of the 1940 census. The purpose of the article is to answer the question many have been asking as to why their state is not listed yet. I did mention in a previous blog post that I didn’t expect to see the name search project completed in the near future because indexing takes time.
The blog post is as follows and, as mentioned below, be patient it will be worth the wait and worth its “weight…” in convenience for Ancestry members:
“It’s our number one question on the blog, to our member services agents, on Facebook, everywhere: Why can’t I search by name in my ancestor’s state in the 1940 census yet?
Seems like we should have an easy answer for it, and we do – because it takes time. But that answer resonates about as well as “because I said so” did when you were a kid. So we feel there’s a better (but longer) answer that explains more.
It goes like this: making family history records searchable online is one of those anomalous endeavors today that still requires people, not machines, to get things done. You need eyes on a page, fingers on a keyboard, brains to review and check everything and someone to push the final button and say “okay.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, ancestry.com indexing, census images, database project, delaware, Genealogy, history, name search, nevada, online, records, research
The following is a copy of a news release on the PRNewswire about a new website NameYourRoots.com, which helps descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews persecuted during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions and who were forced to convert or managed to escape to the Americas to find their roots, free of charge:
“TEL-AVIV, Israel, April 16, 2012 – /PRNewswire/ –
They were scattered across the globe more than 500 years ago and went to great lengths to hide their true identities, but now, thanks to a new website powered by an online database, descendants of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews whose ancestors were forced to convert or be exiled during the Spanish & Portuguese Inquisitions, might be able to trace their heritage.
Today, the descendants of these Jews, also known as Marranos, Conversos, crypto-Jews, Chuetas, Anusim and New Christians, constitute significant numbers in Spain, Portugal, Latin America,Brazil and the Southwest US. Although many of them have little or no knowledge of their past, the number of their descendants who are discovering their family history is steadily growing in these regions.
NameYourRoots endeavors to inform about their ancestry and genealogy and to provide them with an array of tools to facilitate their personal journey of discovery and learning about their past. Read the rest of this entry »
The following is an announcement from The Foundation for the National Archives:
“WASHINGTON, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The Foundation for the National Archives announces the publication of the Genealogy Tool Kit: Getting Started on Your Family History at the National Archives, written by National Archives genealogy archives specialist John P. Deeben.
This 160-page step-by-step guide was published by the Foundation and launched in April 2012 to coincide with the celebration of the National Archives’ release of the 1940 U.S. Census. The Foundation has long supported research at the National Archives, including its annual support of the Archives’ Genealogy Fair, and the development of genealogy products such as this Tool Kit and other archival and research-oriented items.
The Genealogy Tool Kit will help family researchers of all levels of experience to explore how their ancestors interacted with the Federal Government over the course of their lives. Did they enter the United States from a foreign country? Apply to become an American citizen? Enlist in a regiment during a particular war? File for a patent, homestead, or pension? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: announcement, family history, Genealogy, history, NARA, newsflash, online, records, research, the genealogy toolkit, the national archives, toolkit for genealogists
Our space shuttle Discovery made its historic final voyage yesterday, April 17, 2012.
If you didn’t get to see the spectacular (truly no exaggeration) flight over Washington, D.C., including the aerial tour that pulled Washingtonians out of their offices to view the Discovery riding piggy-back on a 747.
The tandem flew low and slow over the Capitol, White House, the Washington monument to arrive at Dulles International Airport only a few miles from Discovery’s retirement home, the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Tags: Discovery final flight, historic flight over washington, retirement, smithsonian
It doesn’t take much for most of us to remember the deadline for filing our taxes, here in the U.S., is upon us and to remember that we had a reprieve this year. April 15, was Sunday and April 16 was designated as Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. Today is it.
Since we are reminded of Tax Day a million ways every year, including anticipating a rise on January 1, 2013, after this year’s General Election. We can also remember, or learn, that federal income tax records are often a very useful resource for family historians and genealogists.
During the 1950s and earlier the tax deadline was March 15. There’s another difference today: Tax laws state that information is kept private and that wasn’t always the case. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: archives, income tax deadline, lebanon daily news, online, records for family historians, research
Ancestry.com has posted the following information from its DNA testing group:
“Ancestry.com DNA has recently updated a Y-chromosome DNA test marker name and its allele value to comply with a recently released industry-wide recommendation by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG).
One of the markers in our Y-chromosome DNA test has changed names from “Y-GATA H4.1″ to “Y-GATA H4“. The allele value of “Y-GATA H4″ has also changed. This has been done based on the recommendation of ISOGG and a consensus of genetic genealogists. This will not affect purchasers’ current haplogroup assignments.
Ancestry.com DNA is committed to providing our customers with the most current and relevant results for family history research. As other companies adjust their results to match the new standard, results will be more easily compared with the results in their databases and the results entered manually into our database.
For those of you that have purchased a Y DNA test you don’t need to take any action, but you can view your updated results right now.
Tags: allele value, ancestry com, brick walls, DNA, Genealogy, online, records, research
It wasn’t so long ago that I heard the warnings at work to embrace and learn new processes with comments like, “Unless you embrace the new technologies and a new way of performing tasks, you’re bound to be looking for a new job.” This turned out to be true. As you can well imagine, too many people thought the old processes were better and let it be known that they were sincerely blind to future possibilities.
In the world of government agencies like our National Archives and the Department of the Interior one might expect technological change to be like turning an ocean liner or “shifting the elephant”. I’m always impressed to read blog posts written by David Ferriero, the Archivist of the United States.
His most recent article discusses the smart use of social media and how it’s mission critical to the National Archives because the agency is charged with advising Federal Agencies and the White House about the technologies they are using.
The National Archives and many other government agencies, like the Department of the Interior, understand the use of social media as a way to reach out to the people of this country.
I keep up with the National Archives through their use of technology. It helps to keep us informed and makes everything so much more interesting and available. Considering that huge bureaucratic machine, called the government, the current administration has a deep understanding of how it all works.
“We should understand the sea change that technology has brought to the American public and people around the world. According to a Pew report, 66% of online adults use social media platforms. By effectively engaging with social media tools, we are building and maintaining relevance with the public.”
Click on AOTUS National Archives to read David Ferriero’s blog post.
Tags: AOTUS, david ferriero, government use of social media, national archives, new technology, reach out, social media, use of social media
I’d like to share Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter biographical post on Mr. Roy Stockdill and his fascinating series about Famous Family Trees published on the Findmypast.co.uk blog.
I’m planning on following every one of Mr Stockdill’s articles as they appear and highly recommend you join him as he travels through time investigating the family histories of famous people.
I was fascinated with his article on Charlie Chaplin and shared it on this blog a couple of weeks ago. Mr Stockdill’s most recent post on veteran actress Anne Reid MBE is a very interesting human interest story which reflects on Anne’s own live choices as well as “the road not taken.” In Ms Reid’s case it was not following her family into journalism.
See Dick Eastman’s blog post below where you’ll find the link to Roy Stockdill’s Famous Family Trees series: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Anne Reid, coronation street, famous family trees, findmypast.co.uk/blog, online, Roy Stockdill, series, upstairs downstairs
FamilySearch.org volunteers have been hard at work indexing the 1940 census. A lot of people are asking questions about the progress of the effort and when and in what order the states will be posted on FamilySearch and on the FamilySearch Indexing site.
Every day more states are posted and the team is planning to have them all posted within the next few weeks.
Here’s a link to a list of states that have been completed and those states that still need to be completed. You can check in to see when yours is done. Click on FamilySearch.org.
Also click on 1940 Census to learn more. It’s free.
Tags: 1940 census, family history, familysearch org, history, online, records
Today The National Museum of American History has opened and exhibit with iconic objects from pop culture and items dating back to the arrival of the Pilgrim’s arrival in Plymouth, Massachusets in 1620. The exhibit titled “American Stories” is a chronology of U.S. history, including early European encounters with Native Americans to a Barack Obama campaign button written in Hebrew during the 2008 presidential election.
Visitors can expect to hear both familiar and little known stories about the American experience. If you are planning a trip this summer in the Washington DC area the exhibition would be of interest to young and old alike. Visitors will get to see Benjamin Franklin’s walking stick, a piece of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, a Kermit the Frog puppet, an 1873 Remington typewriter, an 1876 Bell telephone, and Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves from his 1974 defeat of champion George Foreman for the world Heavyweight.
The press release from The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: american history, american stories, bob dylan, history, muhammad ali, native americans, pop culture, ruby slippers, the smithsonian, Washington DC
Grow Your Own Family Tree has published an interesting article that I’ve published in it’s entirety. In doing so I’d like to give a heads-up to Alan Stewart’s factual website:
“The Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF) has introduced a charge for viewing search results as well as details of records.
Up to now, searching databases and viewing the results has been free of charge at the IFHF’s Roots Ireland website. Now, however, the IFHF seems to be following the Scottish Government’s ScotlandsPeople site in requiring you to buy credits before you can view search results. (The first ten pages of results after registering with the site will be free of charge.)
I think charging to view search results will mean fewer people searching, rather than the IFHF receiving more money. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: family history, Genealogy, ireland, online, records, research, roots, search
This post is an update on the serious subject of eBook prices that I’ve written about previously on the subject of eBook pricing.
The latest charges announced by the Department of Justice(DoJ) against Apple Inc., and 5 of the largest U.S. publishers who allegedly conspired to raise prices on eBooks and block Amazon.com from selling e-books at $9.99.
Attorney General Eric Holder revealed the federal suit at a news conference in Washington, he said, “As a result of this alleged conspiracy, we believe that consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles.”
Three publishers have settled already and agreed to let Amazon and other retailers set the price of eBooks and upend the model that had caused the cost of best-selling eBooks to rise to $12.99 or $14.99. The three publishers agreed to severe their agreements with Apple.
On top of that a separate settlement with the states might lead to tens of millions of dollars in restitution to customers who purchased eBooks. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: apple inc., DOJ, ebook pricing, ebooks, eric holder, lawsuit against apple, pricing, pulishers, Wall Street Journal
Did Mr. Robert Douglas Norman have a premonition of his demise before he sailed on the unsinkable Titanic?
A will has been unearthed written by Scotsman Robert Douglas Norman, a 28-year-old second-class passenger on the Titanic and one of the 1514 people who died on the ill-fated maiden voyage.
Only a couple of days ago, record keepers released a letter Norman wrote to his brother in Canada the night before the ship sailed. It described how he wished his estate to be divided in the event of his death to his to his half-sister, step-niece and cousin. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: passenger, robert douglas norman, scotlandspeople, titantic, will
The following information regarding the indexing of 1940 census was posted by Ancestry.coma:
“What a difference a week makes. Since the National Archives released the 1940 Census to us last Monday, we’ve been hard at work to get every one of the 3.8 million 1940 Census images online. And while we were at it, we indexed two of the states, Nevada and Delaware, and made them searchable by name.
Visit the 1940 Census, to find the state you’re interested in. Look above the Browse box for a link to our FREE research guide to help you find your family in 1940, if your state isn’t yet indexed. And remember, you can search by name in Nevada and Delaware.
By the way, we’re not slowing down anytime soon. We’re continuing to index states. And we’ll let you know the minute the ones you’re interested in are ready.
Learn more about 1940 at www.ancestry.com/1940.”
Ancestry has also posted the following substantive video with permission to share: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, delaware, family history, Genealogy, indexing, nevada, online, project, records, research
It’s almost as though the self-fulfilling prophesy is at work, because the nightmare scenario for Mac owners has arrived. For years I’ve heard folks saying it’s bound to happen. One person I know who owns a Mac and has refused to open greetings cards from reputable vendors—the ones you pay for.
Macs have historically been left unsullied, because of their low market share. Since Microsoft has the biggest number of victims, those hacking criminals have focused their attack on computers running Microsoft’s Windows software for illicit money schemes. With Apple’s increasing market share this has changed. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before.
What has been evolving since last September has finally taken root in the form of malware called Flashback. And, according to a Russian antivirus company, saout 600,000 Macs worldwide are affected. Flashback is made capable of infecting Apple Macintosh systems through Java an element of programs used by many companies in the software development process.
According to ZDNet, “What makes this outbreak especially chilling is that the owners of infected Macs didn’t have to fall for social engineering, give away their administrative password, or do something stupid. All they had to do was visit a web page using a Mac that had a current version of Java installed.”
The good news is that a fix was released on Tuesday through Apple’s software-updating service.
If you suspect your Mac has been affected F-Secure has posted instructions on how to remove the malware. Click on the link how to remove malware from your Mac.
Tags: apple, fix, mac, malware, market share, remove malware, software, spittalstreet.com, virus
The British National Archives is planning the launch of their new website Discovery at the end of June 2012. Having found that searching the site and finding cogent information has been a challenge with the old system, this is music to my ‘eyes’.
Discovery will replace the current Catalogue site and offers additional features, which includes displaying search results in order of relevance. This feature will help users to filter their searches by subject, date ranges and collection. Users will be able to tag records with keywords to expand on catalogue descriptions.
In addition to replacing the current Catalogue, Discovery will also replace the DocumentsOnline service and users can download digitized documents, all in one place. Researchers will still have to visit the National Archives at Kew to find information that is still not included in the database. Otherwise you will be able search, browse and tag. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: British, catalogue, discovery, Genealogy, history, natonal arcives, online, records, research
The following news release from Findmypast.co.uk provides information about recently publish records, which include people who were on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The new online collection is published in association with The National Archives and brings together 30 different record types from 10 different record series held at The National Archives:
“Leading family history website findmypast.co.uk has published two new fascinating sets of records, which include information about the passengers and crew aboard the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage. The Maritime birth, marriage and death records and White Star Line Officers’ books are both available from today. Read the rest of this entry »
For 100 years the tragic sinking of the Titanic has been discussed, filmed, been the subject of fiction and non –fiction. Most of us have thought about it in terms of a horrible tragedy of an unsinkable ship being torn apart by an iceberg lurking below the surface of the water in a place it should never have been.
The Royal Mail Steamer Titanic built in the famous shipyard at Belfast, Northern Ireland, stuck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 1912, on her maiden voyage.
As we approach the centennial we listen to various different aspects of the event, including the feckless comments by the actress Kate Winslet describing her adverse reaction upon hearing the main theme song My Heart Will Go On of 1997 blockbuster film sung so beautifully by Celene Dion.
As described in an article by Discovery News we learn that “a perfect storm of fateful events” caused the Titanic to go down in a short 3 hours sinking to a depth of 13,000 feet. More than two-thirds of the 2,224 passengers and crew died. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 100 years, celine dion, discovery news, history, kate winslet, my heart will go on, online, records, Titanic
I mentioned in my blog post a few days ago that I had serious doubts that the launch of the 1940 census would run smoothly because of a high volume of users trying to access the website at the same time. Unfortunately, I was correct—in the world of Internet Technology there is never enough band width and it’s not an easy task to line everything up.
Here’s an apology from Archives.com. I just know we will all be patient with them on this and not hold their feet to the fire: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, archives.com, Genealogy, genealogy collection, history, online, problems with launch of 1940 census, records
FamilySearch.org has, only a few days ago, added just over 34 million new records online for the following countries:
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Columbia
- Czech Republic
- England
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Mexico
- Norway
- Peru
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Scotland
- United States
- Wales.
You can search this amazing newly digitized collection as well as a startling 2.5 billion other records free of charge. These collections were entered into the already huge database by thousands of volunteers from around the world.
Click on FamilySearch.org. to get started.
Tags: family history, Genealogy, genealogy collection, history, online, records, research, World War One draft cards
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has announced that the 1940 census will be available on April 2, 2012 and will be online at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern). This is an official website of NARA in partnership with Archives.com.
There are 3.8 images available from door-to-door record taking of 132.2 million Americans. They hand-written images are online free of charge.
Click on the link below.
Soon after the release other major websites will be adding the records as follows.
- Ancestry.com
- Archives.com
- censusrecords.com
- FamilySearch.org (Free of Charge)
- MyHeritage.com
- FamilyLink.com (owned by MyHeritage)
- WorldVitalRecords (recently acquired by My Heritage)
Tags: 1940 census, free, Genealogy, online, records, research
Document preservation is serious business whether it be your own personal records or our National Archives. You might know, in comparison to most of our efforts, the national archives wins hands-down.
The following press release from the National Archives takes viewers inside their state-of-the-art preservation lab where you’ll see a series of videos which demonstrates how archival treasures are carefully housed in custom made boxes:
“Washington, DC…The National Archives today is releasing its latest Inside the Vaults video short,Boxing our Treasures, which takes viewers inside the National Archives preservation lab to see how archival treasures are lovingly and carefully housed in custom-made encasements. To view the video Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: family history, Genealogy, history, national archives, online, preservation lab, records, video
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the release of the 1940 on April 2 at 9:00 a.m. The only place you’ll find the entire online census is 1940census.archives.gov published in conjunction with genealogy company Archives.com.
To help you get started, if you’d like to download a free guide on how to read the census and get the most out of the data click on United States Census Bureau where you’ll find instructions on how to download.
After all the promotion notices that have been circulated to the entire country, I strongly suspect that unless they have prepared with enough bandwidth to handle access by a huge amount of people there are bound to be problems. We can keep our fingers crossed.
Soon after the release other major websites will be adding the records. I’ve looked up a short list of these online sites as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1940 census, archives.com, family history, online, records, research, united states census bureau
Having viewed this outstanding New York Public Library video on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter via a tip from a newsletter reader Amy Gonigam, I just had to pass it along.
I continue to support the opinion, if you discover your own family history it helps one to understand and appreciate those who came before. Solving the mysteries of the past is also great detective work.
With detective work in mind, I loved the You Tube video made by the New York Public Library’s Millstein Division, which is made suspenseful by the sound effects and the great acting of Ronan Babbitt, who uses several Library resources to help him discover his family secrets.
“History has secrets, but secrets don’t stay hidden if you know where to look. What will you find?” You can learn interesting details about the video by clicking on New York Public Library.
Tags: detective work, family history, history, mystery, new york public library, online, suspense, You Tube
From crofts to castles you’ll find a fascinating snapshot of Scotland during the First World War and a major new family history resource as the Valuation Rolls of Scotland go online for the first time. The news release is as follows:
“A detailed picture of wartime Scotland is revealed today with the release of details from the Valuation Rolls for the year 1915-16, via the ScotlandsPeople website.
The rolls have been made searchable online for the first time, allowing genealogists, local historians and other researchers to view images of entries in the rolls, fully searchable by name or address.
The rolls record the names of owners, tenants and occupiers of each property, unlike the full lists of family members to be found in the censuses. Usually the named person is the head of the household, but sometimes a husband and wife might be listed. Frequently, the wife is the named tenant of rented property. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: family history, Genealogy, history, records, Scotland, scotland's people, scotlands people website, valuation rolls
Today, Google is introducing a new feature called Account Activity. If you sign up each month they’ll send you a link to a password-protected report with insights into your signed-in use of their services.
Hmm! I guess if you’re skeptical of this it’s a good indication that like me you’re leery of any user data collection. On the other hand you can make use of the service, because no matter what you’re doing online whether it be Google, Yahoo, Safari, or your cell phone activity and so on, your data is being collected. Try typing your name online and you might be surprised, maybe even horrified, at what you’ll find.
Google believes knowing more about your account activity can help you to take steps to protect your Google Account. Your report could reveal sign-ins from countries where you haven’t been, or devices you don’t own. The solution, in these instances, is to change your password immediately and apply for an extra level of security provided by 2-step verification.
You could give Account Activity a try and see how you like it and provide feedback to Google. Given the situations outline by Google product manager Andreas Tuerk I’m certainly going to try it out.
Click on Google to see a sample of the easy to read report and get more information.
Tags: account activity, Google, hackers, new feature, protect against fraud, verify your information
Over a million baptism marriage and burial records dating back to 1538 are now available at Findmypast.co.uk. This is the first time that images of original parish records from London’s Westminster are online. Additionally, the records can now be searched free of charge by visiting the Life Events (BMDs) section of Findmypast. The press release is as follows:
“Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk has today published online for the very first time parish records held by the City of Westminster Archives Centre. The Westminster Collection at findmypast.co.uk comprises fully searchable transcripts and scanned images of the parish registers, some of which are over 400 years old.
The 1,365,731 records launched today cover the period 1538-1945 and come from over 50 Westminster churches including St Anne, Soho, St Clement Danes, St George Hanover Square, St James Westminster, St Margaret Westminster, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Strand, St Paul Covent Garden. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bmd, England, findmypast.co.uk, genealogy collection, history, London, online, records, westminster, westminster archives
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