23 February 2010 by Libbi.

Fab Forty - Family Tree MagazineOutstanding article about outstanding writers! A must read!

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17 February 2010 by Libbi.

SOURCE: Avanquest  

Feb 17, 2010 10:00 ET

Avanquest Software’s Nova Development Signs Agreement With Ancestry.com to Publish Top-Selling Genealogy Software

Highlighted Links

Avanquest Software

Ancestry.com

CALABASAS, CA–(Marketwire - February 17, 2010) - Nova Development, a consumer software unit of leading global software developer and publisher Avanquest Software (EPA: AVQ), today announced an agreement with Ancestry.com, making Nova the exclusive North American publisher for retail editions of the Family Tree Maker® 2010 line of genealogy titles.

“For more than 20 years, Family Tree Maker has been synonymous with the discovery of family history and the fun of genealogy research,” said Todd Helfstein, president, Nova Development. “We are especially proud and excited to have been named the publisher for this gold-standard product line.”

“A robust Family Tree Maker software offering is consistent with our mission of helping everyone discover, preserve and share their family history,” said Eric Shoup, Vice President of Product, Ancestry.com. “To that end we are delighted to be partnering with Nova Development, whose development and marketing expertise will serve to further enhance Family Tree Maker and expand its footprint at retail.”

For 2010, the Family Tree Maker products offer dozens of new features that make creating a multimedia family tree faster, easier and better than ever before, including enhanced integration with Ancestry.com, the largest online resource for family history. Other new features include:

--  Improved organization - Enjoy new ways to organize photos and other     media. --  Slideshows - Create slideshows from photos in your tree. --  Family books - Publish beautiful keepsakes and books to share with     friends and family. --  Standard source templates - Cite the right information every time. --  A new person view - View relationships within the context of your     entire family tree. --  Scanner support - Add photos directly from your scanner. --  Family migration paths - View timelines and interactive maps     highlighting events and places in your ancestors' lives. --  Better Performance - Experience faster load times and navigation.

Family Tree Maker, the number one selling product in the genealogy software category, has three editions: Essentials, Deluxe and Platinum.

All three versions allow users to easily add records and images from the billions of available historical records at Ancestry.com and import data from other genealogy programs, including Personal Ancestral File, The Master Genealogist and Legacy Family Tree.

The Deluxe and Platinum editions include, respectively, the Standard Ancestry.com Reference Library DVD and the Deluxe Ancestry.com Reference Library DVD.

About Nova Development

Based in Southern California and founded in 1984, Nova Development is a market leader in consumer software for both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Nova Development is the retail publisher of best-selling software for desktop publishing, print creativity and many other purposes, as well as educational titles both for both children and adults. Nova Development was acquired by Avanquest Software in 2007. For more information, please visithttp://www.novadevelopment.com/ and http://www.avanquest.com.

About Avanquest Software

Avanquest Software (EPA: AVQ) is one of the world’s leading software developers and publishers, with operations on three continents and marketing through Retail, Corporate, OEM and Direct-to-Consumer channels. Avanquest’s presence in North America, consisting of Avanquest Software USA and Avanquest North America (which includes the Nova Development division), places it among the top ten retail software publishers in the United States. With more than 100 software titles, the combined companies offer one of the largest and most diversified product portfolios in the software industry, available at more than 10,000 North American retail locations, on the Web, and through OEM partnerships. Additional information is at http://about.avanquest.com.

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, has digitized and put online over four billion records over the past twelve years. Ancestry users have created over twelve million family trees containing over 1.25 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries, including its flagship website at http://www.ancestry.com/.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements.

Factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and our ability to execute on our business strategy include those listed under the caption “Risk Factors” of Ancestry.com’s Prospectus dated November 5, 2009.

We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise

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16 February 2010 by Libbi.

2010 NGS Family History Conference – Early Bird Registration Ends 8 March

This year the annual NGS Family History Conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, 28 April─1 May 2010. Whether your family helped settle the nation, migrated across the country, stayed in the same place, or recently arrived in America, this conference has much to offer. The family history resources in Salt Lake City, Utah, will provide a depth and breadth to your research.

The event features, 200 educational sessions taught by the nation’s leading lecturers, a vendor hall with over 150 exhibitors, Ask an Expert Consultations, International Workshops, Open Houses, and more. Click here to read more.

The full conference event registration will include a ticket to “An Evening Celebration of Family History.” The evening will include a multi-media tribute to family history, special guest speaker, and mini-concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Also featured during the week, will be free scanning of documents and photos by Ancestry.com. Click here to read more.

Registration details and the conference program can be found online at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info . Early bird pricing for this event ends 8 March 2010. So register today, and miss out on the last minute rush to receive the discounted pricing.

2011 NGS Family History Conference-Call for Papers

Proposals will be accepted starting 1 January 2010 for the 2011 NGS Family History Conference, to be held in Charleston, South Carolina, 11–14 May 2011. Click here to read more. Deadline is 1 April 2010 for proposal submissions.

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7 January 2010 by Libbi.

Indexing Update: 1910 US Census initiative begins; 8 international projects added
 
As the 1920 U.S. Census project wraps up and the final states are published, FamilySearch has now opened up indexing for the 1910 U.S. Census! Patrons can freely search the indexes for the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1920 censuses at the FamilySearch Record Search pilot. Additional international indexing projects were added in December 2009 for Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, and the U.K.
 
Note: The last of the states for the 1920 U.S. Census will be posted to the Record Search pilot online as they go through the final stages of publishing preparations.
 
New Projects in December 2009
 
·         Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934 [Parte 2]
·         Argentina, Santa Fe - Registros Parroquiales 1634-1926 [Parte 2]
·         België—Burgerlijke Stand, 1851-1900 [Deel 2]
(In partnership with Algemeen Rijksarchief en Rijksarchief in de Provincien)
·         Belgique—Registres Civile, 1851–1900 [Partie 1]
(In partnership with Algemeen Rijksarchief en Rijksarchief in de Provincien)
·         Colombia, Bucaramanga—Registros Parroquiales, 1649–1959
·         Deutschland, Baden, Achern—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869 [Part 1]
·         France, Paris—Registres Protestants, 1612–1906 [Part 3]
·         U.K., Norfolk—Parish Registers, 1538–1900
(In partnership with International Society for British Genealogy and Family History)
·         U.K., Warwickshire—Parish Registers, 1754-1900 [Part 1]
·         U.S., Alabama—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Arizona—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., California—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Colorado—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Connecticut—1910 Federal Census
 (See the chart below for a complete list and current status of all indexing projects.)
 
Recently Completed Projects
 
(Note: Recently completed projects have been removed from the available online indexing batches and will now go through a final completion check process in preparation for future publication.)
 
·         Italy, Trento—Baptisms, 1784–1924 [Part 2]
·         Perú, Lima—Registros Civiles, 1910–1930 [Parte 3]
·         U.K., Warwickshire—Parish Registers, 1754–1900 [Part 2]
·         U.S., Arkansas—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Massachusetts—Deaths, 1913 [V 50–53]
·         U.S., Minnesota—1875 State Census
·         U.S., South Dakota—1935 State Census [Part 1]
·         U.S., South Dakota—1935 State Census [Part 2]
Current FamilySearch Indexing Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion
 
Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934Spanish15%
Argentina, Balvanera—Registros Parroquiales, 1833–1934 [Parte 2]Spanish(New)
Argentina, Cordoba—Matrimonios, 1642–1931Spanish86%
Argentina, Santa Fe—Registros Parroquiales, 1634–1926Spanish6%
Argentina, Santa Fe - Registros Parroquiales 1634-1926 [Parte 2]Spanish(New)
Belgium, Antwerp—Foreigners Index, 1840–1930English77%
Canada, British Columbia—Deaths, 1872–1986 [Part 3]English56%
Canada, Québec, Montreal—Régistres Paroissiaux, 1800–1900French10%
Česká republika, Litoměřice – Matriky 1552-1905 [část 1]
(Tschechien, Litomerice—Kirchenbücher [Teil 1])German20%
Chile, Concepción—Registros Civiles, 1885–1903 [Parte 2]Spanish8%
Chile, Concepción—Registros Civiles, 1885–1903 [Parte 3]Spanish1%
Colombia, Bucaramanga—Registros Parroquiales, 1649–1959Spanish(New)
Colombia, Marinilla—Registros Parroquiales, 1815–1959Spanish10%
Deutschland, Baden, Achern—Kirchenbücher, 1810–1869 [Part 1]German(New)
Deutschland, Brandenburg—Kirchenbücher, 1789–1875German90%*
Deutschland, Mecklenburg—Volkszählung, 1890 [Div 39–69]German18%
España, Avila, Madrigal y Garganta—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1935Spanish20%
España, Avila, Navalmoral—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1935Spanish47%
España, Lugo—Registros Parroquiales, 1530–1930 [Parte 1]Spanish30%
France, Cherbourg—Registres Paroissiaux, 1802–1907French9%
France, Coutances—Registres Paroissiaux 1802–1907French5%
France, Coutances, Paroisses de la Manche, 1792–1906French90%
France, Paris—Registres Protestants, 1612–1906 [Partie 2]French93%
France, Paris—Registres Protestants, 1612–1906 [Partie 3]French(New)
France, Saint-Lo—Registres Paroissiaux, 1802–1907French21%
Guatemala, Huehuetenango y San Marcos—Registros Civiles, 1877–1900Spanish21%
Italia, Napoli, Castellammare di Stabia—Atti di Morte, 1809–1936Italian18%
Jamaica, Clarendon—Births, 1878–1930English50%
Mexico, DF—Registros Parroquiales, 1898–1933 [Parte 3]Spanish16%
Mexico, Hidalgo—1930 Federal CensoSpanish66%
Mexico, Jalisco—1930 Federal CensoSpanish39%
Mexico, Michoacan—1930 Federal CensoSpanish10%
Mexico, Nuevo Leon—1930 Federal CensoSpanish18%
New Zealand—Passenger Lists, 1871–1915English72%
Nicaragua, Managua—Registros Civiles, 1879–1984 [Parte 1]Spanish37%
Russland, Sankt Petersburg—Kirchenbuchduplikat, 1833–1885German2%
South Africa, Cape Province—Church Records, 1660–1970English18%
Sverige, Södermanland—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1]Swedish5%
Sverige, Uppsala—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1]Swedish18%
Sverige, Örebro—Kyrkoböcker, till 1860 [Del 1]Swedish1%
U.K., Cheshire—Parish Records, 1538–1850 [Part 2]English/Old English64%
U.K., Essex—Parish Registers, 1538–1900 [Part 1]English2%
U.K., Warwickshire—Parish Registers, 1754-1900 [Part 1]English(New)
U.S., Alabama—1910 Federal CensusEnglish(New)
U.S., Arizona—1910 Federal CensusEnglish(New)
U.S., California—1910 Federal CensusEnglish(New)
U.S., Colorado—1910 Federal CensusEnglish(New)
U.S., Connecticut—1910 Federal CensusEnglish(New)
U.S., Indiana, Clark County—Marriages, 1811–1959English48%
U.S., Indiana, Dubois County—Marriages, 1811–1959English38%
U.S., Indiana, Harrison County—Marriages, 1811–1959English56%
U.S., Indiana, Marshall County—Marriages, 1811–1959English39%
U.S., Rhode Island—1905 State Census [Part 2]English73%
U.S., Rhode Island—1935 State CensusEnglish71%
Venezuela, Mérida—Registros Parroquiales, 1654–1992 [Parte 1]Spanish94%
Venezuela, Mérida—Registros Parroquiales, 1654–1992 [Parte 2]Spanish2%
Österreich, Wiener Meldezettel, 1890–1925German6%
Украина, Киев—Метрические Книги, 1840–1842Russian59%

(*Percentage refers to a specific portion of a larger project.)
 
Current FamilySearch Partner Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion
 
Australia, Victoria—Probate Records, 1853–1989English81%
België—Burgerlijke Stand, 1851-1900 [Deel 2]Dutch(New)
België, Mechelen—Overlijdens Registers, 1851-1900Dutch, Flemish69%
Belgique—Registres Civile, 1851–1900 [Partie 1]French(New)
Belgique—Registres Des Décès—En Français, 1796–1910French74%*
Canada, Ontario, Toronto—Trust Cemeteries, 1826–1935English2%
Deutschland, Bremen—Schifflisten, 1904–1914German92%
France, Quimper et Leon—Registres Paroissiaux, 1772–1909 [Part 1]French21%
Norway—1875 Census [Part 1]Norwegian88%
Perú, Lima—Registros Civiles, 1910–1930 [Parte 4]Spanish28%
Philippines, Lingayen, Dagupan—Registros Parroquiales, 1615–1982Spanish5%
U.K., Norfolk—Parish Registers, 1538–1900English(New)
U.S., Ohio—Tax Records, Post 1825 [Part 2]English95%
U.S., Ohio—Tax Records, Post 1825 [Part 3]English1%
U.S., Utah, Salt Lake County—Birth Registers, 1890–1908English1%
U.S., Utah, Salt Lake County—Death Registers, 1848–1940English28%

(*Percentage refers to a specific portion of a larger project.)
 
 
 
About FamilySearch
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 

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5 January 2010 by Libbi.

Santa Rosa County Library SystemAmerica’s GenealogyBank (Library Resource)Quickly find your ancestors in over four centuries of rare documents and records. Search thousands of historical newspapers, books, pamphlets and genealogies. Plus, selected material from the American State Papers and U.S. Serial Set, the complete Social Security Death Index and more than 29 million obituaries.

America’s Obituaries & Death Notices (Library Resource)The largest and most comprehensive collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices. Extensive editorial review of all newspaper sections ensures thorough selection of obituaries for easy access. An easy-to-use interface allows searching by name, date range, or text such as institutional name, social affiliation(s), geographic location(s), philanthropic activities, etc.

Ancestry Library Edition (Library Resource-Available only inside the library)Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) gives individuals something truly priceless: the chapters of their own authentic, unique family stories. The world’s largest online collection of family history records and resources, ALE is a popular research tool. It offers a wide variety of unique content to help users trace their family lineage.

HeritageQuest Online (Library Resource-Use this link inside the library)HeritageQuest Online (HQO) combines digital, searchable images of US Federal Census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History book collection, and other valuable content. HQO helps put family research in its historical, social and cultural context, with 21 million page images from materials such as: US Federal Census records from 1790–1930; over 22,000 family and local history books; Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant application files with records for over 80,000 individuals; and Freedman’s Bank Records containing key African American data.

HeritageQuest Online (Library Resource-Use this link outside the library)HeritageQuest Online (HQO) combines digital, searchable images of US Federal Census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History book collection, and other valuable content. HQO helps put family research in its historical, social and cultural context, with 21 million page images from materials such as: US Federal Census records from 1790–1930; over 22,000 family and local history books; Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant application files with records for over 80,000 individuals; and Freedman’s Bank Records containing key African American data.

ProQuest Obituaries (Library Resource-Use this link inside the library)ProQuest Obituaries offers more than 10.5 million obituaries and death notices in full-image format from uninterrupted historical archives of top US newspapers. With content dating as far back as 1851, this wholly unique database provides researchers with valuable clues about their ancestors in the US, including proper full name, maiden name, spousal information, relatives’ names, occupation, religion, cause of death and more.

ProQuest Obituaries (Library Resource-Use this link outside the library)ProQuest Obituaries offers more than 10.5 million obituaries and death notices in full-image format from uninterrupted historical archives of top US newspapers. With content dating as far back as 1851, this wholly unique database provides researchers with valuable clues about their ancestors in the US, including proper full name, maiden name, spousal information, relatives’ names, occupation, religion, cause of death and more.

Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the InternetYour genealogy starting point online for more than a decade!

FamilySearchFree Family History, Family Tree, and Genealogy Records and Resources from Around the World

GenDisasters: Events that Touched our Ancestors LivesContains information on the historic disasters, events, and tragic accidents our ancestors endured, as well as, information about their life and death. Database and records searchable by surname. Find newspaper accounts of local disasters including Milton Fire of 1909; Milton Tornado of 1962; Gulf Breeze Tornado of 1971; and the Jay State Prison Road Camp Fire of 1967.

Genealogical Society of Santa Rosa CountySanta Rosa County GenWeb Project

Old Pictures and MapsCompiles a wide selection of historical maps and photographs that display both the profound events of our past, as well as the events of everyday life. Search the site or browse themed or picture collections.

Roots TelevisionYou’ll find videos covering everything from DNA Stories, to Flat Stanley’s Family Tree, to the lectures from the latest Genealogy and Technology Conference. We’re defining “roots” broadly – really broadly – so you don’t have to be a genealogist to find something of interest here.

RootswebFinding our roots together.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Company Maps of FloridaThese maps were created for insurance purposes from 1860 through 1923. These maps show the size, shape and construction of buildings, dwellings (including hotels and churches), and other structures such as bridges, docks and barns. The maps include street names, property boundaries and lot lines, and house and block numbers.

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NOTE: THIS IS PART OF AMY’S 52 WEEKS TO BETTER GENEALOGY.

Week 1: Go to your local public library branch. Make a note of the genealogy books in the collection that may help you gain research knowledge. Don’t forget to check the shelves in both the non-fiction section and the reference section. If you do not already have a library card, take the time to get one. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s genealogy collection.Amy Coffin of the fabulous We Tree blog, has done it again. Last year, Amy developed a series of 52 Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompts which kept folks very busy and forced them to look at many different aspects of their genealogy.Now Amy brings us 52 Weeks To Better Genealogy: a series of weekly prompts that are a bit more challenging and are geared towards those new to the field of genealogy and family history as well as those who want to brush up on some skills which might be a bit rusty.

And remember - as Amy says - these should be fun exercises! Don’t feel that you have to participate each week, nor should you beat yourself up if you miss one or more challenges. We all have so much that we want to accomplish - let alone what we want to accomplish with our genealogy blogs. This series should be one which, by the end of 2010, helps you to be a better genealogist. 

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4 January 2010 by Libbi.

 The Genealogy Gems Podcast iPhone / iTouch app!

Stream the show, get exclusive new Bonus Content and more.

Get your app now! 

 It also has extra features such as .pdf files with background information. For only $2.99!

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18 December 2009 by Libbi.

My mother helped start, served as President, and organized the first reunion of the Spencer Historical and Genealogical Society. For years she and I edited the journal, LeDespencer. Today for Follow Friday, I’d like to point you to their site: http://www.spencersociety.org/The Spencer Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (SHGS) was originally founded in 1978 as the Spencer Family Association with a nucleus of 38 Charter Members. The Association was renamed in 1990. Current SHGS members descend from many different Spencer lines and reside in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, England, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, and the West Indies.

The objective of the Society is to encourage research and permanent recording of Spencer family history and that of collateral family lines. To meet this objective, the SHGS maintains a Library of books and papers with over 200 titles relating to various Spencer families. These books are available to members for loan and, in some cases, for purchase. Several SHGS members have authored manuscripts and books about Spencer families, and these are in our Library and in the Library of Congress.

The Society also maintains a computerized database, currently containing over 165,000 individuals and 61,000 families of Spencer descendants which were submitted by members and from other sources. It is continuously increasing, and members may request information on their lineage from the database.

The SHGS holds a Reunion every two years in a different part of the country offering members an opportunity to visit places of genealogical interest and to hear speakers on subjects of interest to members. Reunions have been held in Spencer IN, Ft. Wayne IN, Albany NY, Haddam/East Haddam CT, Lexington KY, Salt Lake City UT, Williamsburg VA, Charlotte NC, Geneva OH, Grapevine TX, St. Louis MO, Franklin TN, and Valley Forge PA.

Membership includes online access to le Despencer, the SHGS quarterly journal, which contains Spencer genealogical articles, editorial comments, announcements, and a “Query” setion. Members may submit queries without charge.

Society business is conducted by an elected Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer staff. The officers and staff do not do research for members, but some information and informal assistance can often be provided on request. Correspondence to an officer or staff member requiring a reply must include a business-size SASE. Members are encouraged to exchange information with other members, and submit articles for publication in le Despencer.

The SPENCER DNA Project was begun in 2001, and has proven to be a valuable tool to researchers attempting to prove their Spencer lineage. This project is coordinated by the SHGS Data Manager but is not financially sponsored by SHGS.

We invite any Spencer descendant, or anyone researching the Spencer surname (including variant spellings), to join SHGS. For further questions, feel free to contact any SHGS Officer as listed on this website.

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17 December 2009 by Libbi.

Sometimes you can find good clues to vital statistics in obituaries, although one must be cautious. My own parents’ published obituaries had minor errors because the family was not thinking clearly at the funeral home. I suspect that is the case with many death notices. Still, the parents and progeny were correct, even if some other particulars were not. 

 

Go to Cyndi’s List and look at the Deaths (http://www.cyndislist.com/deaths.htm) page for a good round-up of sites that specialize in obituaries.

 

Once you have a place and year of death from an obituary, if your ancestor died in the 20th century, you should look at the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) as a more reliable source for data. This is public record, and you can search it for free at http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/. The results will give you the official birth date, death date, where the Social Security number was issued (usually the place of residence at the time), and where the last payment was made (usually the place of death at the time).

With this information, you can use the state’s vital statistics department to get a copy of birth and death certificates, which are primary sources.

Other sites with SSDI lookup are:

·         FamilySearch.org has a page specifically for the SSDI at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/ssdi/search_ssdi.asp

·         Genealogy.com (home of Family Tree Maker) offers the SSDI for free, but only as part of their Internet Family Finder search. The advantage is searching many resources at once, but the disadvantage is the over-abundance of results to week through. You also can’t search without the last name.

·         GenealogyBank.com (access is free at many libraries) has over 84 million records - updated weekly, a quite good source for recent deaths.

·         NEHGS - Social Security Death Index Free Access  at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/Database/ss/default.asp   For finding someone who died recently, this free Social Security Death Index search offered at NewEnglandAncestors.org  is also very good.

·         Railroad Retirement Board at http://www.rrb.gov/mep/genealogy.asp is the place to look if your ancestor worked for a railroad company and covered by the Railroad Retirement Act (after 1936).

·         Searching the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) in One Step  at http://stevemorse.org/ssdi/ssdi.html. Steve Morse has created a practical search form which augments the search logic of many of the free SSDI search engines on the Web. You can choose which of several SSDI databases to search. This easiest SSDI search interface available, and a favorite of mine.

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16 December 2009 by Libbi.

Press ReleaseDecember 11, 2009

National Archives Hosts Public Forum to Discuss Research Area Changes at Archives I

Washington, DC…On Thursday, December 17, at 1:00 p.m., the National Archives will hold an open public forum to discuss changes under consideration for public research areas in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Genealogists, scholars, Government agency offices, and all other researchers who use the services and facilities of the National Archives are invited to share their needs and concerns. The meeting will take place in the Robert Warner Research Center of the National Archives Building, located at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Research Entrance.In recent years, microfilm usage by researchers has dropped significantly. Given this decreased demand for the numerous and bulky microfilm reader machines, the National Archives now has an opportunity to reallocate space in the building. By reducing the size of the microfilm reading room to the number of stations actually in demand by researchers, the National Archives can expand much-needed office space for staff and public program spaces for visitors, while both maintaining and strengthening researcher services.There have been discussions this fall between researcher representatives and National Archives staff on ways to design and equip proposed new research areas. The National Archives now invites the general public to participate in this discussion. National Archives staff will explain the reasons for undertaking a space plan, its objectives, and the planning process, and will invite comments and answer questions. Alternative proposals will be described and considered at this public forum. The goal is to reallocate space and update equipment and systems so that researchers receive the most value from every square foot of space.Reservations are not required. Those who cannot attend are invited to send written comments to: inquire@nara.gov.

# # #Follow us on:Twitter: http://twitter.com/archivesnewsFacebook: US National Archives

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 • Telephone: 1-86-NARA-NARA or               1-866-272-6272         1-866-272-6272

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10 December 2009 by Libbi.

• Genealogy Herald’s New Website launched earlier this month. Jeannene Midgette does a great job of collecting the cute, interesting, fun and informative posts of personal genealogy blogs around the Web. Worth a bookmark. This link is just one example of what you will find there.<p></p>
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• From the DAR:Just a reminder that the GRS research link is now on line so you can check out your Patriot(s).  ”The DAR Genealogical Research System is a combination of several databases created in recent years to organize the large quantity of information that the DAR has collected since its inception in 1890.”  http://dar.org/library/online_research.cfm
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• From Linkpedium: Linkpendium Now Indexes 8,517,569 Genealogical Web Sites…. just installed 38,677 new US and surname genealogy links from Karen and and the Linkpendium volunteers at http://www.Linkpendium.com/ Linkpendium now indexes 8,517,569 genealogical Web pages in more than 1,421,398 categories.
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• From We Tree:Amy Coffin :“Guess where I’m going? I didn’t even have time to tell you about my exciting arrangements to attend the Arizona Family History Expo before the organizers went and made me a Blogger of Honor for the event!”Congrats to Amy!

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Press Release:Families Find Roots in CemeteriesUNION, N.J., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ — This is the time of year when people contemplate their resolutions for the year ahead. The intentions range from the common — wellness goals such as weight loss or smoking cessation — to the complicated, such as tracing their families’ genealogies.A Google search of “genealogy” returns results for 4.5 million websites. Moving through the results, one site offers “free family history, family tree, and genealogy records and resources from around the world.” There’s another that allows visitors to create a “free family tree” and once they start working through the screens, discover they must pay a fee to continue to actually access the information.The Internet is a key factor in the emergence of the genealogy industry. The Web makes it quick and convenient to access data through research and collaboration with others — down the street and even in remote areas of the world. In 2002, The New York Times reported that genealogy websites, which started charging consumers for information in the mid 1990s, had grown into an industry approaching the $100 million threshold.According to Bernard Stoecklein, president and CEO of CMS Mid-Atlantic, Inc., a company that provides financial, marketing and consulting services to the cemetery industry throughout New Jersey and New York, the company’s affiliated properties frequently receive calls from for-profit companies that are compiling genealogical information to sell to families on the web.Some of the companies that market genealogical information on the Internet, may contact a cemetery to request information about dozens of lot owners at one time. For the cemetery, helping these companies can be labor intensive and time consuming.”We never allow a company’s request to interfere with the level of service we provide to families,” said Mr. Stoecklein. “Our affiliated cemeteries and memorial parks are built on the principle of ‘people helping people’. CMS’ family service counselors help individuals, couples and families plan for their burial in advance of need and at the time of immediate need. They establish trusted relationships with the families and are there to provide service long after the burial.”Mr. Stoecklein said that when a for-profit company contacts a CMS property for genealogical information, the property charges a small fee for the staff’s time to research the information; however, when a family member requests information about an ancestor’s grave or burial, whenever possible, the family service counselor encourages that person to visit the cemetery to see the grave and permanent memorial, and a family is not charged a fee for this service.Unlike most for-profit businesses today, many cemeteries, including those affiliated with CMS, use the traditional method to maintain family records — typed and handwritten files stored in metal cabinets rather than on disks or microchips.”Our counselors will pull the files, which may date back many decades, and share non-confidential information with the family members,” said Mr. Stoecklein. “One of the reasons that a person selects a monument or flush memorial to mark his or her grave is to provide a legacy for future generations to learn about their heritage. By sharing the public information with their descendants, our cemeteries are helping to fulfill the wishes of the deceased.”In November, a woman who was researching her family tree to trace its health history, visited CMS’ Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery, in Union, New Jersey. She knew that 12 of her maternal relatives, including her grandparents, were buried or interred in the memorial park. When she visited the property’s office, she was assisted by Walter Braun, a family service counselor, who provided her with maps of the memorial park and mausoleum. He also directed her to her ancestor’s resting places, and gave her copies of the property’s file cards that contained the plot, lot and mausoleum numbers for her loved ones.”The personal touch is invaluable,” said Mr. Stoecklein. “As keepers of families’ memories, we are privileged to share the information we have on file with their loved ones.”SOURCE CMS Mid-Atlantic, Inc.

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