18 November 2008 by Libbi.

Several news sources (see below) are reporting this morning a family dating back 4,600 years, found by archaeologists in Germany, were killed in a struggle. DNA shows that the family, huddled together, are a mother, father and two children, with some aunts and cousins nearby.

The BBC story says in part,

The son and daughter were buried in the arms of their parents.

Dr Wolfgang Haak, from The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, in Adelaide, conducted the DNA analysis. He says the scientific evidence supports the idea that they were indeed a family.

"We're really sure, based on hard biological facts not just supposing or assuming."

Other news sources covering this story:

Using a Variety of Tools, Researchers Unravel Tale of German Graves

End of a loving Flintstones family

Ancient graves yield clues to family relationships

Cold case: world’s oldest family identified

Prehistoric Family Values

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14 November 2008 by Libbi.

The LOUISIANA CREOLE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION’S FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE - Saturday November 15 with a Jazz Brunch on Sunday November 16, 2008. The theme of this year’s Conference is entitled:

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13 November 2008 by Libbi.

Ancestry Graphics & Printing provides specialized solutions for frugal Christmas shoppers who are favoring gifts from the heart for family members this holiday season. More genealogy buffs than ever are capitalizing on their years of research to provide family members with the most precious gifts of all. Genealogy is this country’s second most popular and fastest growing hobby. Ancestry Graphics & Printing serves genealogy customers nationwide and can be found at www.ancestryprinting.com. Their web site also features many free downloads of genealogy forms, family tree clip art, and screensaver images.

Winfield, IL (PRWEB) November 11, 2008 — Christmas shoppers who have been feeling the pinch of higher energy costs this past year and the fear of continued economic uncertainty are not only scaling back on holiday expenditures this season, but are also turning towards gifts from the heart that are more meaningful and personal in nature. An increasing number of the tens of millions of home-grown genealogists who count themselves among the ranks of this country’s second most popular hobby will be printing family tree charts as gifts for family members again this holiday season. According to Ancestry Graphics & Printing (http://www.ancestryprinting.com) what makes this Christmas season different is the extreme popularity of genealogy charts as holiday gifts.

Past economic cycles reveal that during strained economic times there has always been a trend towards family values, homemade Christmas gifts, and gifts from the heart. For many genealogy buffs, this holiday season presents itself as the perfect opportunity to break from the never-ending cycle of genealogy research and turn the value of their years of research into meaningful gifts for family members. In many families, a printed genealogy chart that shows their family heritage will be a popular gift to parents, grandparents, grown children, brothers & sisters, and aunts & uncles.

The problem many genealogists will face again this year will be getting their family tree data out of their software and onto a large family tree chart in an attractive manner. Ancestry Graphics & Printing says their service will bring cheer to genealogy buffs in search of a solution to this growing problem. “Genealogy software such as Family Tree Maker and online ancestry databases have empowered genealogy buffs to build larger family trees than ever before” said Larry Spiegel, the company’s founder. In most instances, these large family trees are well past the point of printing on standard letter-size paper and taping together. To solve this problem, many people will try and enlist the help of a commercial printer who is capable of doing large format printing without a large price tag.

Generally speaking, Spiegel said that if your family tree chart measures over about 8 feet wide, you probably won’t be able to get it printed at your local printer or self-serve print shop. And, with some applications, the limit may be as small as 4 feet. Printing a wide genealogy chart correctly requires that the genealogy software program be installed on the printer’s PC. Because of growing concerns over third-party software and viruses, it is extremely rare that a commercial printer will even run the risk of installing someone else’s software on their system.

Ancestry Graphics & Printing specializes in printing virtually any size family tree directly from all of the most popular genealogy software programs. Using their printing service, Spiegel said “individuals are assured that their genealogy chart will be printed exactly as they were designed.” By printing directly from the genealogy data within the software program, individuals eliminate the technical problems and limitations associated with outputting their family tree data to a postscript or PDF file prior to printing.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Larry Spiegel

Ancestry Graphics & Printing

630-653-8400

sales @ ancestryprinting.com

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5 November 2008 by Libbi.

I’ve talked before about the value of finding an ancestor’s diary. My great-grandmother kept a diary when they homesteaded from Indiana to Oregon. Later they had to move back east to care for an elderly relative, but she regaled my mother with tales of how beautiful Oregon is, second only to heaven from her descriptions. Later, as an adult, when Mother read that diary, it was much more alive to her for having heard her grandmother’s stories.

So. Here you are in the middle of an historic moment. Maybe you are giddy with the thought that America has elected a Black President. Maybe you admire both candidates, but feel the best man won. Maybe, like one of my friends, you are filled with dread that Obama will drag us down the path of Godless Socialism and the end of the American experiment is near. Maybe  you feel it was an election like all elections and now we just have to wait and see whether the new administration can handle the problems facing it.

Whatever your thoughts, opinions, and feelings, you should be writing them down somewhere, for your great-great-grandchildren to find  in 100 years. Describe what voting was like for you: did you vote early? Did you stand in the rain for hours? Were there issues on the ballot that you felt you had no business voting on (which is how I feel about some of the Florida initiatives)? And what else was going on in your life?

Your descendants for generations will be glad you did!

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3 November 2008 by Libbi.

Over 30 million names or record images were added to FamilySearch’s Record Search pilot. Significant data was published from 3 U.S. Census indexing projects (1850,1860, and 1870). Digital image collections were added for Massachusetts , Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Louisiana, Russia, Spain, and Vermont (see the table below).

The entire collection can be searched for free directly online at http://pilot.familysearch.org or through the Search Records feature at FamilySearch.org.

Collection
Digital Images
Indexed Records
Comment

1850 United States Census (Population) - index & images

1,830,275
Added Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia

1850 US Census (Slave)

1,157,705
See description online for state list.

1850 US Census (Mortality)

39,325
See description online for state list.

1860 US Census

20,112,346
All states. Partials for Alabama and Pennsylvania.

1870 US Census

6,866,230
Added IN, MI, OH, and WI

1865 MA Census
15,434

City of Boston

1855 Argentina, Buenos Aires Census,
7,630

See description online.

Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Civil Registration
1,657,420

Covers years 1889 to 2006.

Czech, Republic (Opava) Church Books
18,800

Covers years 1650 to 1900.

Louisiana War of 1812 Pensions Lists
149

Covers years 1812 to 1815.

Russia, St Petersburg Lutheran Church
128,317

Covers years 1833 to 1935.

Spain, Ciudad Real Catholic Diocese
689,338

Records from 1530 to 1930.

Vermont Enrolled Militia Records
598

Covers years 1861 to 1867.

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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.

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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!

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17 October 2008 by Libbi.

NEWS - PRESS RELEASES

Wellcome Trust postdoctoral researcher Dr Turi King, who is to give a lecture on her research into links between surnames and the Y chromosome.

DNA could reveal your surname

Research by University of Leicester has implications for forensics as well as genealogy

Issued on 08 October 2008

Jpeg image of Turi King available from pressoffice@le.ac.uk

Scientists at the world-leading Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester – where the revolutionary technique of genetic fingerprinting was invented by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys- are developing techniques which may one day allow police to work out someone’s surname from the DNA alone.

Doctoral research by Turi King has shown that men with the same British surname are highly likely to be genetically linked. The results of her research have implications in the fields of forensics, genealogy, epidemiology and the history of surnames.

On Wednesday 8th October Dr King will present the key findings of her Ph.D. research in which she recruited over two and a half thousand men bearing over 500 different surnames to take part in the study. Carried out in Professor Mark Jobling’s lab, Dr Turi King’s research involved exploring this potential link between surname and Y chromosome type.

Dr King said: “In Britain, surnames are passed down from father to son. A piece of our DNA, the Y chromosome, is the one part of our genetic material that confers maleness and is passed, like surnames, from father to son. Therefore, a link could exist between a man’s surname and the type of Y chromosome he carries. A simple link between name and Y chromosome could in principle connect all men sharing a surname into one large family tree.

“However, in reality the link may not be so clear cut. Hereditary surnames in Britain are many hundreds of years old and each name may have had several founders. Events such as adoptions, name-changes and non-paternities would confuse any simple genetic link.

“These days, using genetic techniques, it is possible to tell Y chromosomes apart from one another so we wondered if you might find that a particular surname was associated with a particular Y chromosome type.”

Dr King said there were a number of factors which could break the link between surnames and Y chromosome type: for example, there could have been more than one person, known as a surname founder, who took on a surname at the time of surname formation around 700 years ago.

She said: “The surname Smith is a good example of this as it derives from the occupation of blacksmith so many men could have taken on the surname Smith. This means that instead of just one type of Y chromosome being associated with a surname, many different types of Y chromosomes would be associated with this single surname. On the other hand, for rarer names, there may have been just one founder for the name and potentially all men who bear that surname today would be descended from him and could be connected into one large family tree.”

“The link between surname and Y chromosome type could also be broken through events such as adoption or illegitimacy: in this instance, a male child would have one man’s surname but another man’s Y chromosome type. Given all this, we really didn’t know if a link would exist.”

Dr King’s research showed that between two men who share the same surname there is a 24% chance of sharing a common ancestor through that name but that this increases to nearly 50% if the surname they have is rare.

She said: The fact that such a strong link exists between surname and Y chromosome type has a potential use in forensic science, since it suggests that, given large databases of names and Y chromosome profiles, surname prediction from DNA alone may be feasible.

Dr King then went on to look at 40 surnames in depth by recruiting many different men all bearing the same surname, making sure that she excluded known relatives. Surnames such as Attenborough and Swindlehurst showed that over 70% of the men shared the same or near identical Y chromosome types whereas surnames such as Revis, Wadsworth and Jefferson show more than one group of men sharing common ancestry but unrelated to other groups.

These results have a potential use in forensic science, since it suggests that, given large databases of names and Y chromosome profiles, surname prediction from DNA alone may be feasible.

.Biography:

Dr. Turi King is currently working as a Wellcome Trust postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester carrying out further work on the link between surnames and DNA. She obtained her first degree in Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge before moving into the field of molecular genetics. She undertook the MSc in Molecular Genetics at the University of Leicester gaining a distinction. Following a brief period working at Cambridge University, Turi moved back to Leicester to carry out a PhD under the supervision of Professor Mark Jobling on a Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship. She was awarded her PhD in November 2007, from the University of Leicester Department of Genetics. Her thesis was entitled “The relationship between British surnames and Y- chromosomal haplotypes”. Turi is also the proud mum of four young children.

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14 October 2008 by Libbi.

Live Roots is a free genealogy search engine that allows visitors to search through thousands of database titles from subscription sites, book publishers and a variety of online sites. Live Roots also lets visitors browse the latest database, publication and new site releases in its “Discover” feature, which is updated daily.

Genealogy Today announced the release of a new website designed to help researchers locate genealogical data — both online and offline, and either digitized or in-print. Live Roots (www.liveroots.com) bridges the gaps between independent websites, large commercial repositories and printed materials yet to be digitized and published on the World Wide Web.

“I’ve always tried to stay informed about new resources; but with so many outlets, there hasn’t been a single place to search across different catalogs,” commented Illya D’Addezio, owner of Genealogy Today. “Through Live Roots I’m partnering with major genealogy companies and many medium and smaller publishers to combine their respective catalogs into one repository.”

Live Roots extends beyond the typical bounds of a traditional search engine or link directory by facilitating access to offline records and publications through partnerships with amateur and professional researchers who either own copies or are geographically close to the libraries and archives that do. In a few quick steps, visitors will be able to hire a researcher to obtain digital copies (scanned or hi-res photo) of pages referencing a specific name (or surname).

“The “live” part of the Live Roots concept lets your research continue even when the publication isn’t available online,” added Illya. “There’s nothing more frustrating than finding a resource that could hold the missing link in your tree, and then discovering that there aren’t any places online to access it.”

For many of the resources in its catalog, Live Roots captures names from their listings and aggregates the data into a searchable index. This makes it possible to locate names within resources, rather than just searching for keywords in titles and descriptions. This includes many of the resources that have yet to be digitized and/or transcribed online.

Using Live Roots, researchers will be able to clearly see where duplication exists among sites, and with its focus on the accessibility of the resources (i.e. online versus offline, free versus paid), they will be able to work more efficiently. By bridging the gap between online researchers and offline resources, Live Roots hopes to make more genealogical information accessible than ever before.

For more details, visit Live Roots

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13 October 2008 by Libbi.

What a wonderful story! More than 80 years after her death, the first person to pass through Ellis Island finally has a marker on her last resting place, according to this story from the New York Daily News.

Also on  October 18, 2008 -  she will be in Huntsville, AL - sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library - speaking on “Trace Your Roots with DNA,” “Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options,” “Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones” and “Welcome to Roots Television!” at the  Embassy Suites Hotel, 700 Monroe St. SW.

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