31 October 2008 by Libbi.

My Halloween Scare: I’m signed up for National Novel Writing Month. Yep.  Gonna try to write 1667 words a day all November.

Why? Hmm.

I’m the greatest American writer ever, I just don’t know it yet…..nah.

My angel whispered it’s time to get those characters out of my head and onto paper….maybe.

I just want to see if I can do it….very likely.

It’s been a year since I finished Genealogy Online 8th Edition and I’m itching to be writing creatively again….getting closer.

I want “to allow my innate gifts to come to the surface, unmolested by self-doubt, self-criticism, and other acts of self-bullying” for  30 days….I think that’s it. That phrase is from the contract you make with yourself to participate in NaNoWriMo. It really caught me, because that sounds like writer heaven.

Another part of the contract is that one is to “brag” about starting the novel, to make yourself accountable to the whole world. Bragging isn’t my long suit, so this post will have to count. 

Prayers for success in this endeavor gratefully accepted!

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I’m also going to participate in the Geneablogger’s Cookbook. I have an old cigar box full of Mimi’s recipes….and of course food will play a prominent part in my new novel that starts tomorrow. So it dovetails nicely.

Posted in And More..., Writing | Print | 2 Comments »

30 October 2008 by Libbi.

I hope to review this software soon.

itsourtree.com Releases Free Family Tree Software
Hamburg, October 27, 2008 – Users have to pay up to $84 for family tree software at Amazon.com. However, today the family social network itsourtree.com has released its desktop software called “Home Edition.” The software to build a family tree can be downloaded for free at www.itsourtree.com/home-edition.
The software enables users to edit and create a family tree on their own PC. If desired, they can then upload it to itsourtree.com and share it with relatives and friends. The Home Edition offers state-of-the-art usability and technology at no cost. Besides operating in the standard GEDCOM format the software also allows the printing of various familial lists in an appropriate genealogical standard.
Itsourtree.com co-founder Sven Schmidt states: “Like Google’s strategy of turning the expensive Keyhole software into the free Google Earth, we decided to offer a software that is usually pricey for free.” Co-founder Daniel Grözinger adds: “This is a ‘thank you’ for all the support we have got from our users. This also extends our internet strategy of offering top quality at no cost.”
Itsourtree.com, the fastest-growing family network worldwide, is a strong complementary to other genealogical resources. So far, more than 5 million families use the platform to combine genealogy with the fun of family communications.
About itsourtree.com
Apart from the English site, the services are available in Germany (www.verwandt.de), in oland (www.moikrewni.pl), Spain and South America (www.miparentela.com), Portugal (www.meusparentes.com.pt), Brazil (www.meusparentes.com.br), the Netherlands (www.verwant.nl), Italy (www.parentistretti.it) and France (www.familleunie.fr).
The platform will continue expanding to other European countries as well as worldwide. Itsourtree.com is supported by leading Business Angels, Hasso Plattner Ventures and Neuhaus Partners, a well-known venture capitalist.

Posted in Genealogy | Print | 1 Comment »

29 October 2008 by Libbi.

Ancestry.com Launches the World’s Largest Online Collection of Jewish Historical Documents
Ancestry.com Partners with JewishGen and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to Provide Access to Millions of Jewish Family History Records for People around the World

NEW YORK and PROVO, UtahNEW YORK and PROVO, Utah, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Today Ancestry.com, part of The Generations Network, Inc., announced it has introduced the world’s largest online collection of Jewish family history records. Ancestry.com has partnered with two leading organizations committed to the preservation of Jewish heritage — JewishGen, an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City that maintains the world’s premier Jewish genealogy website, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an overseas humanitarian aid organization committed to providing relief for Jews in more than 70 countries. These partnerships will make millions of important Jewish historical documents available on Ancestry.com, many of which are online for the first time ever and searchable for free. These unique records, including photographs, immigration records, Holocaust records and memorials, can now be searched alongside other records already accessible on Ancestry.com, creating the largest collection of Jewish family history records on the Web with more than 26 million records documenting Jewish life

Details about the new Jewish Family History Collection on Ancestry.com will be unveiled today at a ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

“Ancestry.com, the JDC and JewishGen are committed to the preservation of important Jewish historical records, and we’re honored to be working with these well-respected organizations to help in this effort,” said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of The Generations Network, Inc. “For the millions of people interested in discovering more about their Jewish heritage, these new partnerships make researching family history easier than ever before.”

Many documents digitized as a part of this agreement have never before been available online, including two important JDC collections:

  — Jewish Transmigration Bureau Deposit Cards, 1939-1954 (JDC), a
     collection of records showing the amount of money paid by American
     Jewish citizens to support the emigration of friends and relatives from
     European countries during and after WWII.
  — Munich, Vienna and Barcelona Jewish Displaced Persons and Refugee
     Cards, 1943-1959 (JDC), a collection containing records of displaced
     Jews who were provided with food, medical care and clothing and
     emigration assistance by the JDC.
“Since 1914, JDC has helped revitalize Jewish communities throughout the world and has helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews,” said Steve Schwager, Chief Executive Officer for JDC. “We are excited to partner with Ancestry.com, providing descendants access to rare new information about their families and themselves. JDC and Ancestry.com are opening up a wealth of previously inaccessible information through the digitization and dissemination of 125,000 records of those who were helped and of those who helped provide relief to others during and directly after WWII.”

More than 300 databases from JewishGen will also now be available on Ancestry.com. These JewishGen databases represent 14 different countries and contain more than 5 million records, such as:

  — The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry, an invaluable
     collection with more than 1 million names of Jews represented in nearly
     2,000 Jewish cemeteries around the world.
  — Yizkor Book Necrologies, a list of the names of those murdered in the
     Holocaust which directs users back to the Yizkor Books themselves -
     memorials which offer vivid, first-hand accounts of the Holocaust and
     its aftermath.
  — The Given Names Database, which enables one to learn possible European,
     Hebrew and Yiddish translations of an ancestor’s given name.
  — A Holocaust Database of 2 million names such as Schindler’s List, which
     includes names of 1,980 inmates in Oscar Schindler’s factories in
     Plaszow, Poland and Brunnlitz, Czechoslovakia.
  — Jewish Records Indexing (JRI-PL) Poland and All Lithuania Database,
     representing more than 2 million indexed names from databases in
     Lithuania and Poland containing vital information on the regions.
“JewishGen began as a volunteer community devoted to gathering and sharing Jewish records,” said David G. Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. “We are excited that, through this new relationship with Ancestry.com, we will be able to broaden our reach and extend our invaluable resources to a much larger group of researchers around the world. The entire community benefits when more people get involved in the fascinating and rewarding activity of researching their family history. ”

In July 2008, JewishGen entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Ancestry.com that provides Ancestry.com with significant resources in the Jewish genealogy world. Under the agreement, not only will Ancestry.com eventually receive access to well in excess of 10 million records, some of which date back to the 1700s, but JewishGen’s user base of more than 250,000 will be alerted to Ancestry.com’s rich resources. Ancestry.com will also provide technical support to the JewishGen site.

Posted in Genealogy Sites, News, Genealogy, Genealogy Online | Print | 1 Comment »

28 October 2008 by Libbi.

Partner Indexing Projects

FamilySearch has a growing number of society indexing partners. FamilySearch Indexing is working with genealogical or historical societies to complete projects of mutual interest. Volunteer indexers may have noted that partner projects are not readily listed in the available batches to index online unless the volunteer has been granted permission to participate by a partner.

FamilySearch indexers can request to participate in a partner project by sending an e-mail directly to the project’s contact or administrator. The society contact information is found next to the project listing (Go to FamilySearchIndexing.org, Projects, Current Projects, scroll down to partner projects, or just click here).

If permission is granted by the partner, an indexer will receive an e-mail with a new user name and temporary password to use when accessing that society’s project(s). Volunteers should use their regular login and password to continue indexing FamilySearch’s open (non partner) projects as usual.

Current society partners and projects are listed below:

·        Algemeen Rijksarchief en Rijksarchief in de Provincien (National Archives of Brussels)

·        Arkansas Genealogical Society

·        Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia

·        Immigrant Ancestors Project

·        Indiana Genealogical Society

·        Ohio Genealogical Society

·        The New England Historic Genealogical Society

Current Partner Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion Status

Arkansas Marriages [The first of these projects]            English                         5%

Arkansas Marriages IV                                                 English                         2%

Belgique – Registres Des Décès (Français)                  French                          14%

België - Overlijdens Registers - In het Nederlands         Dutch, Flemish             5%

Bremer Schifflisten                                                       German                        New!

Flanders Death Registration                                          French, Dutch, Flemish 33%

Indiana Marriages, 1790 – Apr 1905                               English                         60%

Indiana Marriages, 1882 – Apr 1905                               English                         64%

Indiana Marriage Returns, 1882 – Apr 1905                    English                         48%

Indiana Marriages, Apr 1905 – Dec 1957                        English                         40%

Nova Scotia Antigonish Church Records, 1823 – 1905   English                         35%

Ohio Tax Records – 2 of 4                                            English                         59%

Vermont Militia Records  (Coming Soon)                       English                         New!

Indexes can be searched for free at http://pilot.familysearch.org. Visit regularly to see what is new!

Posted in Genealogy | Print | 1 Comment »

27 October 2008 by Libbi.

Useful site:http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/The Michigan County Histories collection is projected to provide access to
192 histories dating from 1866 to 1926. The collection provides all members of the
community with keyword searching and page-by-page access to digitized reproductions
of Michigan county atlases and histories as a resource for historical and
genealogical research. Initial collection content comprises titles
selected from Frances Loomis’s Michigan Biography Index (Detroit: Detroit
Public Library, 1946), Bentley Historical Library holdings, and the
Research Publications microfilm publication County and Regional Histories
of the Old Northwest. Additional content selected from titles listed in
Michigan Atlases and Plat Books by William Miles (Lansing: State Library
Services, 1975) may be added as funds permit.The collection is a collaborative effort of Michigan’s Council of Library
Directors, composed of the directors of the following institutions, all of
whom have contributed time and funds:

• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University
• Wayne State University
• Central Michigan University
• Grand Valley State
• Eastern Michigan University
• Western Michigan University
• Michigan Tech
• Ferris State
• University of Michigan-Dearborn
• Oakland University
• Northern Michigan University
• University of Michigan-Flint
• Lake Superior State University
• Saginaw Valley State University
• The Library of Michigan.

The collection contents are fully searchable and are freely available to the public.

Posted in Genealogy Sites, Genealogy, Genealogy Online | Print | 1 Comment »

24 October 2008 by Libbi.

Next week is NASA’s 50th anniversary. NASA is why I was born in Huntsville. Just another example of how knowing history can help you find your ancestors!

Posted in And More... | Print | 3 Comments »

23 October 2008 by Libbi.

Sometimes people who are just getting started in online genealogy will ask me for a recommendation of a browser.
Browsers, like cars, come with different features. Some are really easy to use. Some are really fast. Some use more “gas” (memory) than others. And which one you choose depends on your taste, needs, and style.
Here’s a quick roundup of what is out there:

Posted in And More... | Print | 1 Comment »

22 October 2008 by Libbi.

Wednesdays are turning into the busiest day of the week for me. So this will be a very short entry:

Are you keeping a diary or journal? Be certain your descendants can get to it! Nothing is more fascinating than a peek into daily life of generations past!

Some diary sites:

• http://dohistory.org/diary/: Martha Ballard wrote in her diary nearly every day from January 1, 1785 to May 12, 1812 (27 years)  for a total of almost 10,000 entries. Her diary is an unparalleled document in early American history.
• http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/chesnut/maryches.html Mary Chestnut’s Civil War Diary is a must-read. Life in South Carolina during this time in American’s history is compelling.

Posted in And More..., Writing | Print | 1 Comment »

21 October 2008 by Libbi.

My husband and I took the tour of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Fort Barrancas last weekend. Being among the oldest structures in an area settled by Europeans about 450 years ago, and Native Americans before that, of course ghost stories abound.

The tour included a short video with an excerpt from the Travel Channel’s Haunted Lighthouses. One version of the story goes like this:
Michaela Penalber, the newlywed wife of the first keeper, Jeremiah Ingraham is supposed to be one of the ghosts at the lighthouse. The first lighthouse on the site was shoddily constructed and poorly placed in 1826. The Ingrahams moved in shortly after its completion. Michaela constantly followed her husband, helping him tend the light, and keeping the residence. Jeremiah died in 1840 and Michaela was appointed keeper. It is rumored Michaela murdered Jeremiah by a violent stabbing while they were alone in the tower, although official records only say he took ill and died.

Michaela tended the light from 1840 until her death in 1855. Four years later, the first structure was replaced with a taller, sturdier construction and this seems to have annoyed Michaela Ingraham. From that time on, objects have been hurled at visitors in the keeper’s quarters. One of the workmen rebuilding the tower reported having a water hose yanked from his grip.

To this day blood stains remain on the floor in the keeper’s residence. No amount of scrubbing will get rid of them.  One visitor thinks there are three ghosts haunting the tower, two of which are other unknown keepers.

Others, tourists and residents, have tales to tell. One is of a father and his two children, ages 8 and 11 who were touring the lighthouse. While on the staircase the boy reported someone whispering his name “Alex” in his ear and he kept talking about seeing a ghost.

Along the walls of the first floor of the lighthouse were typed oral histories from people who experienced strange happenings there. One person who grew up at the lighthouse said,   “When I would go up to pull the chains to keep the lens turning, I could hear human breathing. I was certain that it wasn’t mine and I would stop and listen.”

He also told the story about the blood spot on the floor that refused to go away. He said, “I can remember my Mom scrubbing the floor trying to get rid of the blood stain and her getting upset because it would constantly return.” He continued, “At night, we would hear footsteps coming up the stairs, but when we would look, no one would be there.”

It was a bright, beautiful October day when we were there, so I suppose the ghosts were taking a break, waiting for a dark and stormy night. The only thing that scared me was the staircase!

Posted in And More... | Print | 1 Comment »

20 October 2008 by Libbi.

A new blog focusing on those who haunt graveyards BEFORE they die: The Graveyard Rabbit is worth reading. It started October 18, and the creator has a companion blog, http://graveyardrabbithillcountry.blogspot.com/ Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country.

This new blog is the home blog of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits. Founded in 2008 by Terry Thornton of Fulton, Mississippi, the association is currently inviting and accepting members. The association will be composed of members who blog about cemeteries, grave markers, burial customs, and other genealogy-by-graveyard topics. So, if you want to start a blog on that you can become a charter member. If you just want to read about that, then subscribe to the Association’s blog and keep up with the members!

Posted in Genealogy Sites, News, Genealogy, Genealogy Online | Print | 3 Comments »