Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Today's Newsletter is Sponsored by Ancestry.com

Video: Lisa Kudrow on New 'Who Do You Think You Are' Season in the U.S.

Lisa Kudrow says family histories of fellow actresses Marissa Tomei and Helen Hunt are included in season 3 of the series 'Who Do You Think You Are' she produces for NBC and shares how learning her background in season 1 affected her. You can watch the two minute nineteen second advertisement for the program at http://youtu.be/XEAkKPi07ds or click on the video below:

Plus Edition Newsletter Has Been Sent

To all Plus Edition subscribers:

The weekly Plus Edition weekly update notification was sent to your e-mail address on Sunday evening. If you have not yet seen it in your in-box, check your spam folder. If it is not there, please contact your e-mail provider to see why it was blocked. This week's entire Plus Edition newsletter is also available at: http://www.eogn.com/wp/thisweek.htm.

Here are the articles in this week's Plus Edition newsletter:

RootsTech Conference Will Broadcast Select Sessions Free Online

RootsTech 2012 Day #1

Pictures from RootsTech 2012 Day #1

RootsTech 2012 Day #2 with Pictures

RootsTech Wrap-up

Largest Ever EOGN Dinner Held After RootsTech 2012

RootsTech Announces Winners of the Developer Challenge

It is the First Day of the Month: Back Up Your Files!

Rare List of P.E.I. Acadians Discovered

RPAC Announces Stop ID Theft NOW! Campaign with White House Petition

Ways and Means Committee Social Security Subcommittee Posts Video

Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org Announce an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names

French Canadian Genetic Disorder Can Cause Killer Cholesterol Levels in even the Healthiest Person

Announcing the 8th Annual Wholly Genes Genealogy Conference and Cruise

Announcing the Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO)

brightsolid Enters US Genealogy Market with Pay-as-you-go Site censusrecords.com

brightsolid Hires D. Joshua Taylor to Support Move into US Market

Deceased Online adds First NW England Region to Database

Family Tree DNA Now Accepting 23andMe Raw Data Uploads

Find a Grave via Text Messaging

Fold3 Opens Nearly 3 Million African American Records For Free During Black History Month

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) Registration Begins Tuesday

MagiCensus Ready for 1940 Census

Mocavo Unveils New Products and Genealogy Content at RootsTech

Was Ancestry's New Interactive Census Viewer Quietly Released?

Funium LLC launches Family Village Premier

Articles marked with a Plus Sign (+) are for the exclusive use of Plus Edition subscribers.

Largest Ever EOGN Dinner Held After RootsTech 2012

After most major genealogy conferences, I host a dinner for newsletter readers. This is a tradition started years ago with an informal "pick up" dinner at a local restaurant. The dinners have since grown into far bigger events, now held in hotel banquet rooms. Last Saturday evening, a few hours after RootsTech 2012 ended, the largest ever such dinner was held at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown in Salt Lake City. 112 genealogists gathered for dinner.

These events are always completely informal with no presentations or speeches, except for a few welcoming remarks by myself. I also awarded doorprizes to several attendees.

Ways and Means Committee Social Security Subcommittee Posts Video

I have written several times about the threats to genealogists from mis-guided politicians who seem to believe that restricting access to the Social Security Death Index somehow stop identity theft. As ludicrous as that thought may be, the idea is gaining traction in Washington, D.C.

One recent article at http://goo.gl/PoK7S mentions "the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Ways & Means Committee in Washington, D.C., [that] will hold hearings that have the capacity to drastically affect the access of genealogists to the Social Security Death Index (“SSDI”) and related underlying information." The hearings were held abd the Ways and Means Committee Social Security Subcommittee finally posted the video to the Feb 2nd hearing at:
http://waysandmeans.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=133

Deceased Online adds First NW England Region to Database

The following announcement was written by Deceased Online:

First region in Northwest England on UK’s only burial records database

Cheshire West and Chester Council has become the first local authority in England’s Northwest to make all its burial and cremation records available through Deceased Online, the UK’s only database website dedicated to statutory burial and cremation records.

From 9th February local residents, family historians and genealogy researchers worldwide will be able to trace their ancestors via the website www.deceasedonline.com

RootsTech Wrap-up

Saturday was the third and final day of RootsTech 2012. The third day was a continuation of the first and second days. Great presentations were made and the Exhibitors Hall was as busy as ever.

The first session of the morning featured a focus on the RootsTech Contest Winners. The third place winner turned out to be two winners in a tie: the "20 Minute Genealogist" created by a team at the BYU Computer Science Department and "Facetree" by Ellie Rasmus. Second place was awarded to Brooke Schreier Ganz for "LeafSeek."

The grand prize winner was Jimmy Zimmerman with "NoteFuser."

RPAC Announces Stop ID Theft NOW! Campaign with White House Petition

The following announcement was written by The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS):

Genealogy Community Responds To Efforts To Remove Access to Social Security Death Index and Other Records

February 7, 2012– Austin, TX: The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) – a joint coalition of international genealogical societies representing millions of genealogists and family historians – announces the launch of its Stop ID Theft NOW! campaign with its We The People petition posted at WhiteHouse.gov.

Call To Action For IRS To Do Its Job

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) Registration Begins Tuesday

These courses should be very popular. I suspect the courses will fill up quickly, so I suggest you register as soon as the registrations open.

The following announcement was written by the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh:

Registration for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) will begin on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Standard Time).

The four course coordinators have proven popular at institutes and conferences:

Announcing the 8th Annual Wholly Genes Genealogy Conference and Cruise

The following announcement was written by Wholly Genes, Inc.:

The largest family history conference on the seas.

COLUMBIA, MARYLAND -- 5 February 2012 -- Wholly Genes, Inc. announces the 2012 Genealogy Conference and Cruise, September 16-23, 2012, to Alaska’s Inside Passage. This annual conference has a reputation for offering lectures by some of the most respected genealogists in the country on topics that are relevant to all researchers, including methodology, standards, repositories, record types, research aids, and technology. With expert presentations aboard a cruise ship plus exciting ports of call, this event offers a major educational opportunity and a unique vacation experience – all at a price that rivals a typical national conference or vacation alone.

This year’s conference offers some of the most sought-after speakers on genealogy and technology topics, including:

Announcing the Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO)

The following announcement was written by the Family History Information Standards Organisation:

New standards-setting organisation formed to support Family History and Genealogy

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA--Wednesday, February 1, 2012--FHISO (http://fhiso.org) is a newly-formed international organisation created to develop standards for the digital representation and sharing of family history and genealogical information. The standards will solve today’s interoperability issues independently of technology platforms, genealogy products or services. They will provide opportunities for innovation and will address robust user requirements such as search, capture and research administration.

French Canadian Genetic Disorder Can Cause Killer Cholesterol Levels in even the Healthiest Person

Do you have abnormally high cholesterol levels, even at a young age? Blame your ancestors!

Familial hypercholesterolemia, known as FH, is a genetic disorder that causes extremely high cholesterol levels at an extremely young age. FH is found most often in people of Native American or French Canadian descent. In America, experts say, about 1 in every 300 to 500 people has the disorder. However, in Lewiston, Maine, with a high percentage of French-Canadian descendants, the ratio is about 10 times the rate of FH as the rest of the country. Anyone with French-Canadian ancestry may have FH, even in other locations.

Early awareness of familial hypercholesterolemia could extend your life for many years.

RootsTech 2012 Day #2 with Pictures

RootsTech continued today with events and presentations similar to the first day. The day started with an informal keynote speech by Josh Coates, CEO of Instructure, an education-focused software company. Mr Coates also is the founder of Mozy. He also has a long list of impressive technological and entrepreneurial accomplishments, including Utah Entrepreneur of the Year, vSpring Capital Top 100 Venture Entrepreneur, and one of MIT Technology Review’s Top 100 Young Innovators. He spoke on "Exabyte Social Clouds and other Monstrosities."

Indeed, Josh Coates' presentation was very informal. And just how informal was it? I have attended dozens of conferences and have listened to many keynote speeches. However, this is the first keynote I have listened to where the speaker was barefoot!  Take a look at this "blow-up" of part of the above picture:

RootsTech Announces Winners of the Developer Challenge

The following announcement was written by the RootsTech organizers:

Congratulations to the winners of the of the RootsTech Developer Challenge.
 
First Place: Jimmy Zimmerman, NoteFuser
NoteFuser connects your Evernote® notes to Geni.com or new.FamilySearch.org person records. It also allows you to easily create Evernote® powered research logs and other notes with one click.  Make sure you watch the NoteFuser Demo video on the homepage http://notefuser.herokuapp.com.

MagiCensus Ready for 1940 Census

The following announcement was written by The MagiKey, LLC:

Salt Lake City, February 3, 2012- The MagiKey, LLC proudly announces that the 1940 U.S. Census extraction forms are available in its new release of MagiCensus Deluxe (version 3.1).   In the last year MagiCensus has more than doubled the number of census extraction forms available, and now includes over 110 census forms across 10 countries.   This makes it the largest collection of census extraction forms available for genealogy researchers.  In honor of this milestone The MagiKey, LLC is offering conference specials for their first non-beta product, MagiCensus Deluxe, and their online webinars about Census Tracking. www.themagikey.com.

Funium LLC launches Family Village Premier

The following announcement was written by Funium LLC:

February 3, 2012

Funium LLC, of  Lehi, Utah announces the launch of Family Village Premier on Facebook.  The social media game is oriented toward helping people have fun building their family tree and help them discover interesting documents and information concerning their ancestors and family members using Facebook.

RootsTech 2012 Day #1

The RootsTech conference kicked off this morning in Salt Lake City with more than 4,100 attendees. No, that number is not a misprint. More than four thousand one hundred genealogists pre-registered. However, when I walked past the registration desk in mid-morning, I saw a long line of people waiting to purchase tickets at the door. Unofficially, I was told that the number of attendees had risen to more than 4,400 by late afternoon. That number certainly will rise further during the next two days of the conference.

RootsTech is now by far the most popular genealogy conference in North America.

Pictures from RootsTech 2012 Day #1

Here are a few of the pictures I took today. You can click on any image to see a larger picture:

Think this room looked crowded? it has 3,000 to 4,000 seats and was the scene of today's keynote speech.

brightsolid Enters US Genealogy Market with Pay-as-you-go Site censusrecords.com

I mentioned earlier that brightsolid is about to enter the U.S. marketplace in a big way. Today, at RootsTech, the company released details. The following was written by brightsolid:

brightsolid Enters US Genealogy Market With Ground-Breaking Pay-As-You-Go Site CensusRecords.com

• First pay-as-you-go site offers greater choice and affordability
• Launching later this year, brightsolid’s flagship US site findmypast.com

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. brightsolid, a leading online provider of historical and genealogical content, today announces its entry into the US genealogy market with the launch of a ground-breaking, "pay-as-you-go" site: www.censusrecords.com.

Rare List of P.E.I. Acadians Discovered

Researching Acadian ancestors can be frustrating at times. Now a new list of Acadians living in 1783 in Prince Edward Island has been discovered that may help solve many family mysteries. Acadian researchers at l'Université de Moncton have discovered a list of 289 names of Acadians who were living on Prince Edward Island in 1763.

The purpose of the list is unknown. It might be a list of Acadians held prisoner by the British at Fort Amherst, now a historic site on the shores of Charlottetown Harbour. Another possibility is that it is a list those who signed a petition to the French king. Whatever the purpose, the list is now valuable to many Acadian descendants.

On The Road Again, This Time to RootsTech

I travel often, as has been mentioned before in this newsletter. However, this week I am trying something new: I interrupted travel in order to travel someplace else.

For the past month, I have been living in a motor home. However, today I will park the motor home in a storage lot, drive to a local airport, and fly to Salt Lake City. I will spend the next few days at RootsTech 2012, the largest genealogy conference in North America. The event will be held Thursday through Saturday, February 2 through 4.

I have been told that the organizers already sold 3,000 tickets in advance of the conference and also expect to sell a few more tickets at the door.

Family Tree DNA Now Accepting 23andMe Raw Data Uploads

Writing in the Your Genetic Genealogist blog, CeCe Moore describes a new service from Family Tree DNA: the company is now accepting raw data uploads from 23andMe.

Details may be found at http://goo.gl/o3euc.

It is the First Day of the Month: Back Up Your Files!

It is the first day of the month. It's time to back up your genealogy files. Then test your backups!

Actually, you can make backups at any time. However, it is easier and safer if you have a specific schedule. The first day of the month is easy to remember, so I would suggest you back up your genealogy files at least on the first of every month, if not more often.

Of course, you might want to back up more than your genealogy files. Family photographs, your checkbook register, all sorts of word processing documents, email messages, and much more need to be backed up regularly. Why not do that on the first of each month?

Mocavo Unveils New Products and Genealogy Content at RootsTech

RootsTech hasn't even started yet but the announcements are being made. The following was written by the staff at Mocavo, the genealogy search engine:

Historical Record Storage and Sharing, iPhone and Android Apps, Discovery Stream

Boulder, Colo., February 1, 2012 – Mocavo, the world’s largest free genealogy search engine, today announced several new product capabilities and content additions that will be demonstrated at this week’s RootsTech Family History and Technology conference in Salt Lake City. New product capabilities include: free storage and sharing for historical records, iPhone and Android applications, and the new Discovery Stream.

"With these new features, Mocavo has evolved into a primary resource for genealogists and family historians to research and share their stories," said Cliff Shaw, CEO of Mocavo. "Our goal is to host all of the world's free genealogy content, to make new discoveries an everyday occurrence and to put more research tools into the hands of family historians."

Find a Grave via Text Messaging

Tel Aviv's historic Trumpeldor Cemetery invites you to find graves by text messaging. For only one shekel, you can text the the deceased's full name and name of the father, and you will quickly receive the plot number of the grave. Now THAT's a practical application of text messaging!

Fold3 Opens Nearly 3 Million African American Records For Free During Black History Month

The following announcement was written by Fold3, a subsidiary of Ancestry.com:

Fold3 is proud to announce Free access to our Black History Collection in honor of Black History Month. This collection includes many enlightening historical records documenting African American achievements since the earliest days of our nation, and will be available the entire month of February.

As soon as black soldiers were recruited to serve the Union in 1863, records were generated to document their service including Compiled Service Records for the U.S. Colored Troops and, ultimately, pension files. The pension file index cards, like this one for Joel Bedenbaugh, include a soldier's rank, company, and regiment within the U.S.C. Infantry, his pension numbers, and sometimes a death date, 24 August 1913, in this case. Private Bedenbaugh's 16-page service record also includes his enlistment record from when he joined up in Dayton, Ohio, in 1864.

RootsTech Conference Will Broadcast Select Sessions Free Online

For those who are unable to attend this week's RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, here is the "next best thing." The following announcement was written by the RootsTech staff:

SALT LAKE CITY—RootsTech, a leading family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, 2012, announced today that fourteen of its popular sessions will be broadcasted live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The second-year conference has attracted over 3,000 registered attendees.

Was Ancestry's New Interactive Census Viewer Quietly Released?

An unnamed newsletter reader reports that Ancestry's new Interactive Census Viewer apparently was quietly released to beta on the live site of the 1911 UK Census updates for Wales, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands that were pushed to the site last week on 23 January.

If you go to an individual record within one of these, you will see a new link "View Interactive Image" in the sidebar at http://goo.gl/Dh75X.

Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org Announce an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names

This is a major announcement, in my opinion. The phrase "an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names" is really the same thing as saying "a better way to find name variants than by using Soundex." Soundex has been used for decades although it has numerous shortcomings. If successful, this new method could revolutionize one of the standard tools used by genealogists for decades. The new software tool is being released as open-source software, meaning it can be used by any organization or individuals, free of charge.

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org:

brightsolid Hires D. Joshua Taylor to Support Move into US Market

brightsolid made two announcements in one this morning. First, it has hired one of the better-known genealogists to play a key role in the company's expansion into the U.S. marketplace. The second announcement is a bit more subtle: the company is moving into the U.S. marketplace. British-owned brightsolid has long been a major player providing online genealogy information to U.K. genealogists and now is expanding into the U.S. The company appears to be well-funded and should be capable of becoming a major competitor to the U.S. providers of genealogy data.

The following announcement was written by brightsolid:

• He’s helped stars find their roots on TV’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” Now, he’s helping brightsolid’s US launch as business development manager and media spokesperson
• Taylor is one of several new appointments to the new US operation of UK’s major online genealogy business

January 30, 2012. SANTA MONICA, CA: brightsolid online publishing, a leading online provider of historical and genealogical content, today announces that top genealogist D. Joshua Taylor has joined its new US operation with immediate effect, as business development manager and media spokesperson.

(+) How to Find Someone Who Has the Book You Seek

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

Perhaps the full title of this article should be How to Find Someone Who Has the Book You Seek and Also Let Everyone Else Know About the Books You Own and Also Catalog Your Own Personal Library with Minimal Effort.

You can find dozens of programs that will help you catalog your personal book collection. Some of these will create a list that you can print or store on your own computer or store on your smartphone or even upload to the World Wide Web. Some products also keep track of the books you want to read (sometimes called a wish list) and will also keep track of books you have loaned out to others, including the date loaned. Some cataloging products will also track other media, such as CD and DVD disks, video games, and more. However, one online service does all that and lots more. You can access your information from a web browser on a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or even from an iPhone. The last feature is very useful when you are at a bookstore or flea market or genealogy conference and are wondering, "Do I already have that book?" Best of all, you can share your catalog with others and also see what others have in their collections. The service is available either free of charge or for very low fees, depending upon the options you select.

Update: EOGN Dinner at RootsTech in Salt Lake City

If you would like to join more than 100 other genealogists for dinner after the close of RootsTech, you need to sign up NOW! Ticket sales end tomorrow (Monday, January 30) at 9 AM Eastern time. The end date of Monday is required as I have to notify the hotel of the headcount. In turn, the hotel needs to order enough food no later than Monday in order to be prepared for everyone on Saturday evening.

As of the time I am writing this article on Sunday morning, 106 genealogists have signed up to attend the dinner. We may get a few more last-minute additions.

SSDI Call to Action for Genealogists

Writing in the Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell has issued a call to action for all genealogists. Judy writes:

On Thursday of this coming week (February 2, 2012), the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Ways & Means Committee in Washington, D.C., will hold hearings that have the capacity to drastically affect the access of genealogists to the Social Security Death Index (“SSDI”) and related underlying information.

New Fort Kent (Maine) Massive Genealogical Collection Unveiled

Go to the northern tip of Maine. That is also the northern end of U.S. Highway 1. There you will find Fort Kent. The town is on the border with New Brunswick and is only a few miles from Quebec province. Most of the town's residents have French-Canadian names. Now a huge collection of French-Canadian genealogy information has become available in Fort Kent.

U.S. Version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" Season Three Video Preview

Who Do You Think You Are? returns for its third season on Friday, February 3 at 8/7c on NBC, when 12 more celebrities will trace their ancestors and discover hidden stories from their past.

Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jason Sudeikis, Jerome Bettis and Paula Deen will explore their roots in the NBC genealogy show.

You can watch a promo of the show at http://goo.gl/SMoqj.

JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth Gets a Complete Genealogy

This looks like fun. The fictional Middle-earth is now the subject of a minutely-detailed "family tree project."

Emil Johansson, a photographer and chemical engineering student from Sweden, who has read "every book there is to read about Middle-earth" has spent years compiling a family tree of every character in Tolkien's world. Supreme god Eru Ilúvatar sits at the top, but dig a little further and you'll find out how the Sackville-Bagginses are linked to the Bagginses, that Sam Gamgee and Rosie Cotton had 12 little hobbit children, and much more.

findmypast.co.uk to Publish Canterbury Cathedral Records on the Web

The following announcement was written by findmypast.co.uk:

• Project announced to increase access to over a million baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538
• First time that images of the original parish records from East Kent churches will appear online

Today leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Canterbury Cathedral Archives to publish online for the very first time historic records from the archive. The first phase of the Canterbury Collection project will see a browsable version of the parish registers of the historic Archdeaconry of Canterbury go online in the coming weeks at findmypast.co.uk.

Ancestry.com Partners with Historical Society of Pennsylvania to Place Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com:

Family History Leader Adds Millions of State Birth, Marriage and Death Records to its Pennsylvania Vital Record Collection

PROVO, UTAH – (January 26, 2012) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, announced today that it has added over seven million records detailing more than 300 years of Pennsylvanians’ life history spanning from 1593-1908 to its already expansive collection of Pennsylvania state records. Presented in partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, these latest additions cover pivotal years, when the Keystone State was not only growing itself, but contributing to the overall development of the country. This comprehensive collection includes details about the lives of everyday Pennsylvanians as well as those who helped forge the state’s rich historical past, with records for the Hershey family, Benjamin Franklin, John Coltrane and many others.

Families - a Genealogy Application for Android Handheld Computers

In August, 2011, I wrote about Families at http://goo.gl/EyiMj. Families is an application produced by TelGen Limited in England that worked at that time on Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad systems. The company has since expanded their offerings and now has released a version of Families for Android systems.

The Families app works in conjunction with Legacy Family Tree, a popular Windows-based genealogy software from Millennia Corporation. Legacy family files can be easily transferred from a PC to your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or Android device, enabling them to be viewed and edited wherever you are.

Former President John Tyler’s (1790-1862) Grandchildren Still Alive

How many people born in 1790 have living grandchildren today? Not great-grandchildren, but second generation descendants?

John Tyler was born in 1790. He became the 10th president of the United States in 1841 after William Henry Harrison died in office. Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler in 1853, at age 63.  Then, at the age of 71, Lyon Gardiner Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. in 1924 and four years later at age 75, Harrison Ruffin Tyler. Both men are still alive today.

Kingsoft Office Suite 2012 - A Free Microsoft Office Alternative

Do you need a good word processor? How about a spreadsheet program? Would you like to have a high-quality office suite of programs without paying the ridiculous prices for Microsoft Office? If you use Windows, you might want to check out Kingsoft Office Suite Professional 2012.

Writing for C|Net, Rick Broida writes, "the fact is that I like the look of Kingsoft Office Suite 2012, and I like the price even more. The free version is extremely capable, offering robust counterparts to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint--and file compatibility with all three. It doesn't support Visual Basic or macros, however, so if you're a power user, you might want to consider the $69.95 Pro version, which adds those features (among others)."

Orphan Train Riders, Offspring Seek Answers About Heritage

USA Today has an interesting article about the orphan trains of the early twentieth century and the long-lasting effects on the children on those trains. The Children's Aid Society and New York Foundling Hospital put orphaned or abandoned children on trains headed west. The children were adopted into families at various whistle stops along the way.

Lukas Weinstein, archive coordinator for the Children's Aid Society, says that about 200,000 children rode the trains. Some were adopted by loving families; others were treated as servants when there were no child labor laws. Many ended up in the Midwest. A growing number of their offspring want to know more about the orphan train riders.

Mocavo Expands Leadership Team with Industry Veterans

On January 16, I published an announcement about professional genealogist Michael Leclerc joining the team at genealogy search engine Mocavo. That article is still available at http://goo.gl/ydSqv. The company obviously is expanding still further.

The following announcement was written by Mocavo:

Ryan Hunter Appointed Chief Operating Officer, Michael Leclerc Appointed Chief Genealogist

BOULDER, Colo., Jan 25, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Mocavo, the world's largest free genealogy search engine, today announced the appointment of Ryan Hunter as COO and Michael Leclerc as Chief Genealogist. Hunter joins Mocavo after four years as a Wall Street Analyst preceded by thirteen years of operational experience in the Technology Industry. Leclerc joins Mocavo after fifteen years with the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

File Naming Tutorial

The State Library of North Carolina has created a four-part video tutorial that describes why file naming is important, how to change a file name, what not to do when changing a file name, and best practices for file naming. These brief videos simply and clearly describe how deliberate file naming, a common everyday practice, can lead to responsible file management and ongoing digital preservation.

brightsolid Sponsors RootsTech 2012, 2-4 February

The following announcement was written by brightsolid (and, yes, "brightsolid" is always written with all lower-case letters):

• It will be a main partner with a large presence at major family history and technology conference in Salt Lake City
• CEO Chris van der Kuyl will be announcing the launch of a new product into the US market

brightsolid, a leading online provider of historical and genealogical content, today announces that it will be sponsoring RootsTech, the major family history and technology conference, taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah from 2-4 February 2012.

How to Build a Long-Range Wi-Fi System - Part #1

I wrote an article that describes the lessons I learned when building a long-range wi-fi system to use in my motor home. However, it isn't a genealogy-related article, so I published it on my RV blog. I suspect the information will be of interest to RV (recreational vehicle) owners and to many non-RV owners alike.

If you have an interest in long-range wi-fi connections, you might want to read How to Build a Long-Range Wi-Fi System - Part #1 at http://rv.dickeastman.com/2012/01/how-to-build-a-long-range-wi-fi-system-part-1.html

FamilySearch Seeks Admins for Facebook Pages and Skype Group Chats

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

FamilySearch Genealogy Research Communities first appeared as Facebook pages and Skype group chats in May 2011. Each Facebook page or Skype group is dedicated to a state in the US or an entire country. These pages and groups are run by experienced genealogy volunteers for those areas. These virtual communities are the online equivalent of asking for help at your local Family History Center. We grew from 4 communities to 59 over the past several months. With a minimum need of 2-3 admins per community--and a greater need for larger communities--we are at less than 50 percent "staffed." Advisers are looking to recruit more volunteers.

Join our team of admins who lead research communities on Facebook and Skype:

23andMe Announces New Ancestry Ambassadors Group

If you have been following recent events concerning DNA firm 23andMe, you know the company recently received a "black eye" in the genealogy community. The company apparently has listened and has now formed a new genealogy advisory committee of well-known and respected DNA genealogists to help guide the company's policies.

The following announcement was written by 23andMe:

Today we’re announcing the creation of the 23andMe Ancestry Ambassadors group, composed of ancestry enthusiasts in the 23andMe Community. 23andMe customer CeCe Moore and Product Manager Mike Macpherson, PhD will lead the new group.

Building the best possible personal genetics service has always been 23andMe’s goal, and this group will help to ensure that we take full advantage of our Community’s knowledge and experience to achieve that goal.

The inaugural members of the new group are:

(+) Why You Want to Use a VPN

I am a fan of virtual private networks, or VPNs. By definition, according to Dictionary.com, a VPN is "a network that uses the internet to transfer information using secure methods." A longer and more detailed explanation can be found on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vpn.

Why should you or I want to use a VPN? There are several reasons.

The Cost Justification for eBooks

A local news story interested me and applies directly to past articles and comments in this newsletter. A private school in Florida is switching from printed books to eBooks on iPads for several reasons. One major reason is to save money. At the beginning of the next school year, each student will be given an Apple iPad. Most all textbooks needed by the student will be downloaded and stored on the iPad.

When I have written about the use of eBooks in the past, a number of newsletter readers have questioned the economics. Comments have been posted that questioned the ability of poorer families to afford the expense. The recent news story seems to answer those questions.

Update: EOGN Dinner Following RootsTech2012 in Salt Lake City

Will you attend RootsTech 2012 in Salt Lake City on February 2 through 4? If so, would you like to attend dinner with a bunch of genealogists on Saturday evening, shortly after the close of RootsTech? Indeed, you can join at least 91 other genealogists for dinner!

I often sponsor "pick up" dinners with no set agenda after the close of major genealogy conferences. These typically have no presentations, no speeches, no commercials, and little other organization. Most of the time, it is a bunch of people with similar interests going out to dinner together. The highlight of the evening is the conversations to be held over the dinner table. However, a rumor from a good source states that door prizes also will be awarded at this dinner. These will include at least one valuable door prize.