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I’ve just finished a Scotsman newspaper article about ScotlandsDNA project, which started in 2011. The idea behind the project is to find out who the Scots are, more specifically who arrived there after the ice melted around 9,500BC. Scientists are making exponential gains in their quest to unlock the mysteries of DNA, so this sounds [...]
Ancestry.com has uploaded a huge amount of new data in the last couple of days. The list is impressive and easy to access. Although the majority of the data is in browse able book form instead of the typical easy to uses indexed records. They are, nevertheless, excellent sources of information for family historians and [...]
Beware! this article contains my personal opinion. According to the experts, we are in danger of losing our digital history because it’s stored on ever changing technology that no longer has devices to read them. They are, of course referring floppy disks, CD’s, mobile phones, cameras, etc. Currently, we are already continually transferring information from [...]
It’s difficult for many people to fly around the country attending genealogy conferences. Family Tree University has a terrific solution for family historians and genealogists for folks who can’t travel everywhere. They’re hosting a Virtual Genealogy Conference where you’ll learn about strategies and resources to boost your research all from the comfort of your own [...]
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Some interesting statistics have been picked out of the 2000 U.S. Census. The census was used to identify the top 10 ethnic ancestries in the country. For some reason it was a surprise to be that German was No.1at 15.2% followed by Irish at 10.8%. I personally thought it would be Irish because I lived [...]
Sponsored by Ancestry.com and Family Tree Magazine, The Genealogy Event is scheduled to take place on October 26th and October 27, at the Metropolitan Pavilion located at 18th Street and Avenue of the Americas in New York City. It’s the only New York City even of its kind in 2012 and it looks as though [...]
It comes as no surprise to me that the enthusiasm for family history is growing in the Hispanic community. In addition to my day job, I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for 12 years two nights a week and, from my own personal experience, I’ve learned that family is the most important social [...]
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The National Genalogical Society (NGS) very recently announced a new partnership with Funium owner of the Facebook game Family Village. Players will be able to explore their family trees by accessing NGS resources and research aids. I previously wrote about Family Village in my article Family Village new Facebook® Platform game now open to public. [...]
The Jersey Journal has an interesting article which serves to remind us that Universities are often great resources to get some genealogy research. The article highlights Rutgers University’s Special Collections and University Archives as one of those resources especially if you’re researching colonial New Jersey. Daniel Kline, author of the article, has first-hand knowledge of [...]
The following announcement describes the new partnership between Findmypast.com and the Federations of Genealogical Society (FGS) with a plan to make records available to findmypast.com and create a vital revenue stream for local societies: “Findmypast.com, an international leader in online family history research, today announced a national partnership with Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) to [...]
Ancestry.com has a new version of their iPhone and iPad app. The entire app has a new look. The idea is to make the interaction with your family tree more like interacting with a map or a photo with the ability to pinch zooms in an out. Swiping moves the entire tree. The old version [...]
The following is a press release about Gale Genealogy Connect a new online resource for genealogical research: “FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced the launch of Gale Genealogy Connect, a new online [...]
I remember very clearly while driving home from work on New York’s Long Island (August 27 1979), hearing the news on my car radio that Lord Louis Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, had been assassinated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorists. Mountbatten was spending the day on his fishing boat Shadow V in [...]
I’ve been an enthusiastic subscriber to Dick Eastman’s Plus Edition for more than three years and have often wished that I could forward some of the articles to others. The following article Facing Up to the Long-term Future of Your Genealogy Society has been released so that more people could read it. Mr. Eastman does [...]
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Every so often I like to upload a YouTube link or video to SpittalStreet.com. Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey is a classic and certainly one that people love to watch over and over. It’s certainly high on the list of my all-time favorite movies and I’ve lost count of the number of [...]
IT Outsourcing is the most cost-effective way for companies to hire qualified individuals (there are plenty of qualified individuals in the United States looking for work) for specific IT jobs without having to commit to the ever increasing costs of having an in-house team. It has been a controversial issue in the customer service industry [...]
I received the following notice from the National Genealogy Soctiety (NGS) today: “NGS is pleased to once again be a sponsor of RootsTech, to be held this year on 21–23 March 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Members of NGS can take advantage of an exclusive early registration that offers a $100 savings off the [...]
I’ll start by saying I know that the tap water in Scotland does taste different from the tap water in the United States and many other countries that I’ve visited through the years. There’s nothing like it. And, since I spent my formative years in Scotland I know this is true. I never needed a [...]
Beyond Amo, Amas, Amat: Latin for Genealogists, by Carolyn L. Barkley, is so useful family historians and genealogists, I decided to share it, as is. The article originally appeared on the blog, www.genealogyandfamilyhistory.com on August 16, 2012, and is reprinted with permission as follows: “I attended junior and senior high school in the 1960s, a [...]
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I recently read an article in the Green Valley News online, written by genealogist Betty Lou Malesky. The article is different and sometimes amusing, with a dash of reality, as compared to the many articles written on the subject of ancestral search and why we do it. People do have different reasons for taking up [...]
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There’s a new “drive-by” virus on the Internet, and it often carries a fake message—and a fine—supposedly from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is being swamped with complaints. The virus is called ‘Reveton Ransomware’, is designed to extort money from its victims. The following is a news release [...]
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The following news release was published on NBCNews.com: “PROVO, Utah, Aug. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Archives.com, a leading family history website, for approximately $100 million in cash and assumed liabilities. “Archives.com is a great addition to the Ancestry.com family. It is a fast-growing [...]
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With the 1940 U.S. census completed on Ancestry.com, you can search through all 134 million people in the census. Now that this is done, Ancestry is working behind the scenes to make it even better and this includes the input from users of the mammoth database. In a huge effort to make the 1940 U.S. [...]
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CastleGarden.org is a free resource and a great resource, not only for family historians and genealogists, but also for educators, students, and the interested public. It’s an educational project of The Battery Conservancy, offering access to an amazing database of information on 11 million immigrants from 1820–1892, the year Ellis Island opened. Over 100 million [...]
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The historic Old Bailey is the central criminal court for England and Wales named from the street on which it stands. The Old Bailey court building in central London is one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. This court still hears the most serious criminal cases for Greater London and exceptional cases [...]
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Yahoo news reported the results of a new poll taken across the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa has come up with a top 10 list of unfortunate names for towns. Toad Suck in Arkansas has been designated the “most unfortunate edging out Climax, Georgia, and Boring Oregon. According to genealogist, [...]
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I learned at Tampa Bay Online about a librarian Mollie Lynch who has created a single resource for the many genealogy and history books that have been digitized and uploaded to the Internet. Lynch’s work opens a door to sites that we might not otherwise discover and well worth adding to your list of resources. [...]
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Findmypast.co.uk has just published more than 181,000 records of every serviceman enlisted with the Royal Air Force when it was created on 1 April 1918 as follows. The records contain vital information about your RAF ancestors, such as: Job in the RAF (trade classification Rank Date and terms of enlistment Rate of pay The men [...]
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The British National Archives says: “Your views are very important to us and we want to hear them! Take our online survey now – your feedback will help us improve our website and online services. The survey is entirely anonymous and should only take five minutes to complete. Your responses will only be used for [...]
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The 33rd Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference: Los Caminos del Rio is schedule to take place on South Padre Island, Texas, from October 11-14 and from the Agenda promises to be a great event. The event will feature informative speakers, tours, sightseeing and plenty of networking functions. The conference is held in a [...]
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Findmypast.co.uk now has a large collection of prison ship records that include details about the prisoners as to the crime they committed and reports from their gaoler (jailer) as follows: “You can now search records for 8,900 prisoners held captive on prison ships, or hulks, on findmypast.co.uk Hulks were ships used as floating prisons – [...]
Documents classified “secret and confidential” usually makes us want to learn more. This is especially so with military records. Fold3 has confidential correspondence of the Navy from 1919-1927. That’s an interesting time-frame. Now you can review these formerly classified communications of the U.S. Navy during World War I, the immediate postwar years, and the first [...]
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The National Archives has launched new online videos of its most popular genealogy “how to” workshops. The Know Your Records series is a “how to” in creation, content and use of records created by the federal government. The videos cover “hot topics” in genealogical research such as Civil War records, online resources and databases, etc. [...]
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The following is a press release from the National Archives and Records Administration: “Washington, DC…The National Archives commemorates the War of 1812 bicentennial with a free display of a recently restored sail drawing of the USS Constitution created by sail maker Charles Ware in 1817. The drawing is on display today through Monday, September 3 [...]
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After the initial articles and blog posts, nothing much has been said recently about the removal from public view of the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). With no hearings recently on Capitol Hill recently, one might wonder what they’ve been doing. Not much, unless it’s covert. Are we losing ground on SSDI? The recent article [...]
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Ancestry.com says: “Today is all about numbers. The first is 100, as in 100 percent of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census is now indexed. That means all 50 states are available to search to your heart’s content. Our indexing came up with 134,395,545 people counted. Most reports on the 1940 census give the U.S. population as 132 [...]
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The following is a news release from Ancestry.com: “Research Connects First African-American President to First African Slave in the American Colonies PROVO, UTAH – July 30, 2012 – A research team from Ancestry.com (NASDAQ:ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, has concluded that President Barack Obama is the 11thgreat-grandson of John Punch, the first [...]
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Findmypast is offering a better deal for pay as you go credits as follows: “We’ve listened to your feedback and have changed the way our PayAsYouGo credits work to give you a better, fairer deal. Now, when you buy new credits on findmypast.co.uk, we’ll give your expired credits back to you, up to a maximum [...]
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William Laughton Lorimer, was born in 1885. His lowland Scots translation of the New Testament, written when he retired in 1955 at age 70, is considered to be one of the finest works in the language. Although Lorimer himself wasn’t religious, he was born into an intellectually distinguished family of several generations of clergymen. He [...]
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According to the New York Times Ancestry.com is in talks with private equity firms, TPG Capital, Providence Equity Partners and Permira on a possible sale of the company with final bids due next month. This news comes hot on the heels of reporting that the second quarter revenue rose 18% to $119.1 million. Per-share profit [...]
Findmypast.co.uk says: “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve published 150,388 new parish marriage records for Devon on findmypast.co.uk The records span the period 1837-2002. Anyone with Devon ancestors will want to search these records for fresh information about their ancestors’ marriages. See a detailed list of the areas and churches these records cover (PDF) The Devon Family [...]
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“Looking for relatives in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah? We’ve just released fully-searchable indexes for all 12 states. And 26 other states are ready to search. And remember, if the state you’re waiting for isn’t indexed yet, you can still look through 1940 [...]
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Wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill was one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. Not only are his books eloquently written they are also interesting and notably readable. At the end of World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to resign as British prime minister following the Conservative party’s electoral defeat by the Labor [...]
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Thanks to the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society who provided the information, Findmypast.co.uk (subscription or pay-as-you-go) has newly published the following two sets of WWI records: Oldham Employers’ Roll of Honour 1914-1920 Search records for more than 1,900 men who had enlisted in His Majesty’s Armed Forces and who were employed by companies in [...]
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The National Archives and Records Administration has today released a press notice to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act featuring Presidential records on a new web research page as follows: “Washington, DC…To commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the National Archives is featuring Presidential records related [...]
Human’s for the most part are social creatures, which is why Facebook and Twitter have been so successful. It’s not a surprise to learn that Facebook draws 175 million logins every day. Along with all this popularity there is a dark side. Cyber criminals go where the numbers are and, of course that includes the [...]
According to the Indiana Covered Bridge Society, between 1820 and 1922, six hundred covered bridges were built in Indiana. Covered bridges were originally built that way to protect the bridges’ wooden floors from rotting. Unfortunately, less than one hundred are still standing. Amateur photographer, the late Sydney B. Pepe, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who died [...]
Stephen Covey renowned author of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” one of the best-selling books ever died last week at age 79. He was a giant in the self-help world and sold more than 20 million copies of his book, effectively communicating these habits in an easy-to-understand, practical manner. The seminar on the [...]
The American Civil war and its devastating consequences were not confined to the United States. The conflict also had repercussions in the cotton districts of North West England, where there was a dependency on supplies of raw cotton from our southern states. When the supply was interrupted there was real hardship. This situation led to [...]
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If you’re have a vacation planned in Scotland in August or early September there’s a free exhibition being held at the Scottish Parliament called ‘Special Delivery: The William Wallace Letters‘. William Wallace was a legendary hero to generations of Scots long before the movie Braveheart. Although I enjoyed the great movie starring Mel Gibson, I [...]
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Ancestry.com has recently sent out a notice that Internet connection problems user were experiencing with Family Tree Maker for the Mac is resolved as follows: “We are pleased to announce that the Internet connection issues people have been experiencing with Family Tree Maker for Mac have been resolved. To get the update, close out of [...]
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The deepest and largest precious metal treasure has been recovered from a 412 foot steel-hulled British merchant vessel the S.S. Gairsoppa that sank in the North Atlantic in February 1941. Forty-eight tons of silver was pulled from three miles below the surface by deep-sea explorers from Odyssey Marine Exploration. The haul recovered was 1,203 bars [...]
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It’s always so nice to read a heartwarming article when current climate of finger pointing and lies in a quest for power has reached the point where people actually view their actions with disgust. This particular story started in nasty actions by some vandals who broke headstones at Felts Mills cemetery near Potstdam, New York [...]
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More from Findmypast: Search more than 13,000 new baptism records for the docklands areas of London on findmypast.co.uk Details of the coverage of the new baptisms are as follows: Area Number of records Date range St Dunstan, Stepney 10,062 1689-1697 George In the East, Stepney 2,403 1893-1901 St Andrews, Bethnal Green 760 1843-1876 This is [...]
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Findmypast, a subscription service site, is significantly increasing its database with two fresh sets of Yorkshire records as follows: “North Yorkshire records Type of records Number of records Date range Coverage Baptisms 22,343 1600-1869 Danby (Glaisdale), Egton, Gilling (Forcett), Guisborough, Kirby Fleetham, Manfield, Ormesby (Eston), Richmond, Sessay, Stanwick St John, Ugglebarnby, Whitby (Sleights) The Cleveland Family [...]
A newly revamped and user friendly website will soon be online from the Library and Archives of Canada. It’s one of the first federal sites to conform to the new Government of Canada design. The news release is as follows: “A new gateway for finding out about Canada’s heritage will soon be opening up online: [...]
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A collection of records comprising 128,000 images of the Church of England parish baptisms, marriages, banns and burials called The Canterbury Collection is now available at Findmypast as follows: “We are pleased to announce the launch of the Canterbury Collection on findmypast.co.uk The collection comprises 128,000 images of Church of England parish baptisms, marriages, banns [...]
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As most of us know New York City is the Big Apple of the Northeast. This wasn’t always the case. About 500 years ago (1500 and 1530) when Europeans were starting to visit the New World, a new settlement the size of Manhattan was established in Canada on the North Shore of Lake Ontario in [...]
FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) consistently holds timely sales on their large battery of DNA tests for genealogical purposes. If you’re considering taking one of the many different ancestral tests, now is the time if you’d like verification of a relationship on your family tree. Older relatives are the best candidates because they’re a generation closer to the [...]
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Don’t forget you can research online free of charge on FamilySearch.org. The latest additions to their 1940 Census Index Project is as follows: “FamilySearch is excited to announce the addition of Minnesota and Rhode Island to the list of completed and searchable states in the 1940 US Census Index Project. To date we have indexed 84.35% of the entire [...]
One hundred and thirty-five years ago the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club began its first lawn tennis tournament at Wimbledon, England. Although a total of 22 people registered to play in the Gentlemen’s Singles tournament only 21 amateurs competed on the July 9, 1877 the first day of the tournament. The prize was [...]
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If you’re looking for another resource to help you locate your Scottish ancestors the National Library of Scotland (NLS) has over 700 directories digitized, which cover most of Scotland and date from 1773 to 1911. They are also a valuable resource for the years not covered by the census which started in 1841 and carried [...]
Continue reading about Post Office Directories 1773-1911 online at the National Library of Scotland
Handwritten letters from the first President of the United States have gone on display at the National Library of Scotland. The following is a press release from the National Library of Scotland. The press release is as follows: “The road to American independence is being mapped out at the National Library of Scotland (NLS) in [...]
If you have ancestors who hail from the beautiful areas of Plymouth or Devon in England, Findmypast.co.uk has added 6,386 baptism and burial records as follows: “We’ve added 6,386 new parish records to our Plymouth and West Devon Collection These new records make a fantastic addition to the records we published in May for 3.5 million people in [...]
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