Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Today's Newsletter is Sponsored by RootsBooks

Stop by RootsBooks, your one-stop online genealogy bookstore. RootsBooks is the genealogy store for books, computers, software and more. Rootsbooks has two divisions:

North America: http://www.RootsBooks.com
U.K.: http://www.RootsBooks.co.uk

NEW! Family Tree Maker 2010 is now available for as little as $28.08.

Macintosh Snow Leopard is available for only $22.99, a 20% discount!

What Was Your Ancestor's Property Worth?

Genealogists often find references to money in old deeds and other documents. Even U.S. census records frequently recorded estimates of a person's real estate. The naturally question is, "I wonder what that would equal in today's dollars?" There is a web site that can answer this question.

Federal Grant to Help Digitize Lincoln Collection

A $50,000 federal grant will help digitize manuscripts in the Lincoln Collection housed in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Allen County Public Library.

Library genealogy manager Curt Witcher says the library board accepted the library services and technology grant Tuesday and is now awaiting the Indiana State Library's final approval.

NGS President to Testify About NARA

The following is a letter written by Claire Bettag. She asks that it be distributed widely:

We are pleased that Jan Alpert, President of NGS, will be testifying at the previously announced hearing next week (16 December) on Capitol Hill related to the National Archives. This may well be the first time a member of the genealogical community has been invited to offer testimony at an oversight hearing.

Ancestry.com Launches Enhanced U.S. Census Collection

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.com:

In a survey last year, top on the wish list of Ancestry.com members was improved images for U.S. Federal Censuses, one of the richest sources of information for family history searches. Improving this collection has been a top priority at Ancestry.com throughout 2009.

Today we’ve launched enhancements for six U.S. Census collections – in addition to the improvements on six censuses released a few months ago. In all, we’ve gone through more than 200 million records to improve images and many indexes.

Work From Home Scams

This has nothing to do with genealogy. However, it is an important topic and one that I think should be widely distributed to computer users everywhere. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone that you think will benefit.

Have you seen those ads for various "work from home" offers? Many of them show a smiling man or woman leaning up against a luxury automobile, often parked in front of a mansion. Other, similar ads show people relaxing on a yacht while others simply show pictures of stacks of twenty dollar bills. The insinuation is that you can also have money, automobiles, mansions, and yachts if you sign up for this "deal." One problem, almost all of these offers are scams, designed to get your money.

Perhaps the most insidious are the ads promising that you can make a lot of money by posting information on Google. One problem: it doesn't work that way.

(+) How to Use Two Monitors on One Computer

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

Would you like to double the size of your computer's screen? There is a simple method of doing that: add a second monitor. It is surprisingly easy and cheap to do so. In fact, I have two monitors on the computer I am using right now to write this article.

Did you recently purchase a new, large monitor? If so, is your older, smaller monitor gathering dust? Put it to use! The process I will describe works with almost any monitor, large or small.

I have my email program, a web browser, iTunes, and Skype displayed in the monitor to the left side of my desk while my word processor and my favorite genealogy program are running in separate windows in the screen to the right. In the web browser to my left, I am watching an item on eBay where I have a bid. The screen updates itself every few seconds to show the latest bid as eBay counts down to the end of the auction a few minutes from now. I also have my email program running in another window in the screen to my left so that I can see new messages as soon as they are received. I am also listening to music as selected by the menus in iTunes.

Follow-Up: Paying Very High Fees for Cemetery Records

I wrote about the high prices quoted by the Hollywood Memorial Park and Cemetery in Union, New Jersey when a woman seeking cause of death information contacted the cemetery, asking for information about 12 relatives buried there. The story received a lot of publicity, including this newsletter and a lot of newspapers.

The owners of the cemetery apparently are sensitive to the "black eye" received. I noticed this new press release that was issued today:

Review and Reader Discount: British Newspapers Online

Pam Cerutti has published a review of the popular the British Newspapers web site. Pam writes:

Made available by Gale, part of Cengage Learning, The British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee, the British Newspapers website at http://newspapers.bl.uk provides lots of information to help put into timely context ancestors who lived in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales during a 100-year span. It has fully searchable newspapers as well as a timeline of major events, articles about aspects of life in those times, and articles about both people in the news and the newspapers themselves. A good amount of information is available for free; however, views of most full newspaper articles are offered by purchase of a modestly-priced pass for either 24 hours or 7 days.

Dick Pence's Memorial Service

As I reported last week, Dick Pence passed away on November 22. I received a very nice note from his widow, Ellyn. She has read all the comments appended to the end of that article and wishes to thank everyone for their kind thoughts.

Ellyn also informed me that the memorial service arrangements have been made and all the genealogists who knew Dick and perhaps worked with him are invited. The memorial service will be held Saturday, January 9, from 2 to 4 PM at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Conference Center, 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203.

Click here to see the location. Once you are viewing the map, click on DIRECTIONS and enter your own address to obtain driving directions to the memorial service location.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Frederick HS Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 544, Frederick, SD 57441.

Early New Brunswick Historical Documents Placed Online

Thanks to a $120,000 federal grant, the New Brunswick Provincial Archives website now contains an additional 65,000 provincial government documents, including the records from the New Brunswick legislative assembly from 1786 to 1833.

Provincial archivist Marion Beyea said digitizing and loading thousands of pages of original documents to the website will be a boon to history students, researchers, writers and New Brunswickers who want to trace their family roots.

Ancestry.ca Places Bavarian Personnel Rosters, 1914-1918 Online

The following announcement was written by Ancestry.ca:

(TORONTO – December 8, 2009) In a world-first, Ancestry.ca, Canada’s leading family history website, has commenced the online launch of the Bavarian WWI Personnel Rosters, 1914-1918, a comprehensive collection of First World War German service records.

The records now online detail the full military careers of 1.5 million Bavarian soldiers who fought during the First World War, including then 25-year-old volunteer Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler, considered today as one of the most evil men in history.

Although unification in 1871 brought together the four kingdoms known as Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony and Wurttemberg into one modern German state, each retained its own military until the end of the First World War. These records list soldiers from the Bavarian Regiment of the German Army.

Carry a Scanner in Your Pocket

Genealogists love scanners. We use them to digitize photos and documents. Find a picture of your great-grandparents? Scan it. How about the immigration document you found at the archives? Scan it. You may not know it, but you may already have a decent scanner in your pocket.

Technically, the typical desktop scanner is really a camera. A somewhat specialized camera, to be sure, but a camera nonetheless. In fact, many people don't use scanners at all. They simply use a good-quality digital camera. Now, thanks to some software, you can use your Apple iPhone camera as a scanner.

Scanner Pro 1.2 is the latest version of a popular iPhone application which transforms the device into portable scanner. You can snap a picture of a document or of an old picture, and Scanner Pro then converts the image to a PDF file in the same manner as a scanner.

The product becomes a bit more interesting when it is used in conjunction with two other products produced by other companies: Dropbox and Print n Share from EuroSmartz.

Free My PDF

Once upon a time, PDF files were considered to be "secure." That is, back in "the good old days," an Adobe Acrobat PDF file could not be converted to any other format. Lots of vendors published in PDF format as a simple method of protecting their content from being stolen. While anyone could copy the PDF file itself, those files could not be converted to Word or any other format.

Of course, those days are gone. Now any number of utility programs are available that will convert PDF documents to Word or text or to any of a number of other formats. However, the PDF format itself has become more sophisticated, now allowing for files to be encrypted or for certain capabilities to be restricted, such as disabling copying or printing. Indeed, many of the CDs I have reviewed in past newsletters cannot be printed, and the copy-and-paste functionality has often been disabled.

Now a new online service removes those restrictions in an ever escalating cat-and-mouse game.

Grant Helps Preserve Mason County, Kentucky's Old Records

Mason County Clerk Frances Cotterill and her staff are sorting through history with the help of a $10,000 grant that's enabling them to preserve records dating back to 1789. The documents that have been kept at the old Mason County courthouse in northern Kentucky include settlement reports, deeds and county court records.

Paying Very High Fees for Cemetery Records

According to an article in the NJ.com web site, Deborah Cogill needs to find out about her ancestry. In her case, it is not a simple genealogy study. It is about her health, possibly life or death.

Cogill was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. While talking to her doctors about how genetics may play a part, she recalled that some of her older relatives also suffered from epileptic seizures. Her doctor advised finding information about these other relatives so as to better diagnose her own problems.

GENEii Family History Writing Contest - Deadline December 31, 2009

The following announcement was written by the Southern California Genealogical Society:

The Southern California Genealogical Society sponsors one of the very few writing contests designed specifically for family historians. The GENEii Family History Writers Contest, now in its tenth year, offers cash prizes in two categories:

Footnote.com Honors WWII Veterans with the First-Ever Interactive Pearl Harbor Memorial

The following announcement was written by Footnote.com:

-Footnote.com Opens Their WWII Collection Free To The Public During December-

Lindon, UT – December 7, 2009 – In honor of Pearl Harbor Day, Footnote.com announced today that they will make the largest interactive WWII collection on the web including the Interactive USS Arizona Memorial free to the public during December.  Featuring over 10 million records, documents and photos from the National Archives, this collection helps family members and historians better understand the people and events of WWII.

Plus Edition Newsletter Has Been Sent

To all Plus Edition subscribers:

The weekly Plus Edition newsletter was sent to your e-mail address a short time ago. It should have arrived by now. 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:

- (+) The Care and Maintenance of Tombstones
- (+) A Fourth Way to Run Windows Programs on Your Macintosh
- Stuck for a Christmas Gift? By Pam Clark Cerutti, Editor
- Upcoming Events
- Digital Cameras for Genealogists
- GENP version 3 for Windows is now Available
- 1851 UK Census Now Complete
- Allen County Public Library Goes Digital
- Digital Records Top Priority for New Provincial Archivist of Saskatchewan
- Update: CARTaGENE Genetic Mapping Project
- Voice Your Concerns About the Proposed Renovations at the U.S. National Archives
- A Video of the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree
- Librarians’ Day and Filby Award at NGS Conference
- 2010 BYU Conference Call for Papers
- Portland City Archives on the Move to New Home
- Footnote, Census, and FamilySearch
- Google to Acquire Ancestry.com?
- New U.S. Television Series: Find My Family on ABC
- Two Homeless Brothers Inherit $7 Billion

If printed, this week's Plus Edition newsletter is 42 pages long! Where else will you find this much genealogy information? per week? With no advertising?

(+) A Fourth Way to Run Windows Programs on Your Macintosh

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

I use a Macintosh computer most of the time, but I also recognize that the more popular genealogy programs are written for Windows. To be sure, there are some good Macintosh genealogy programs, and I have reviewed several of them in past newsletters. However, most computer “experts” will claim that Windows users have a wider variety of genealogy programs from which to choose.

Actually, I could argue the opposite. In fact, I will contend that Macintosh users have the widest variety of genealogy programs to choose from. Anyone using a modern Intel Macintosh computer manufactured in the past two or three years can run all the Macintosh genealogy programs as well as all of today's Windows genealogy programs and even Linux genealogy programs. Try that on your Windows computer! Yes, Macintosh users have a wider variety of genealogy programs to choose from than do Windows users. All they need is a modern Macintosh laptop or desktop system with the Macintosh operating system, appropriate virtualization software, and a copy of Windows.

Footnote, Census, and FamilySearch

Beau Sharbrough has published an interesting article on his blog. He offers thoughts about the mushrooming business of providing images of U.S. census records online. Of course, HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry.com have been doing this for years. Access to these images has always been expensive. HeritageQuest Online offers the images only through libraries and the fee charged to each library is substantial. Ancestry.com provides similar images to the general public although at rather high fees.

Google to Acquire Ancestry.com?

This is highly speculative but it does make for interesting reading. Writing in The Money Times, columnist Rick Aristotle Munarriz speculates that Google may want to acquire Ancestry.com.

Munarriz writes:

2010 BYU Conference Call for Papers

The following announcement was written by the 2010 BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy:

2010 BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy “Tethering Tradition and Technology to Tighten Family Ties”

Tuesday, July 27 through Friday, July 30, 2010

Proposals are now being accepted for the 2010 BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, which will be held Tuesday, July 27 through Friday, July 30 at the Conference Center, BYU campus, Provo, Utah.

Librarians’ Day and Filby Award at NGS Conference

The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society:

The National Genealogical Society’s 32nd Family History Conference, “Follow Your Ancestral Trail,” will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, 28 April–1 May 2010. A special Librarians’ Pre-Conference Program, sponsored by ProQuest, will be held on 27 April 2010. All librarians who work with genealogical and family history patrons are welcome. There is no charge for the program, but advance registration is required.

Voice Your Concerns About the Proposed Renovations at the U.S. National Archives

The following is notice to all genealogists being sent by Marie Melchiori and Claire Bettag:

Proposed renovations at the National Archives will affect all NARA researchers. As you have probably heard, if the changes materialize, some research space at the downtown facility will be converted to offices, exhibits, and other uses, and research services will have to be reconfigured. To assure that research resources are enhanced, rather than diminished, we again appeal—urgently--for your help.

Several notices have circulated about an extremely important congressional subcommittee hearing later this month. The hearing of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, which oversees NARA, will examine the National Archives mission. The proposed changes at Archives-1 will be discussed. The new Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, will testify.

This is our opportunity to voice concerns and priorities to congressional leaders. Please participate by 1) writing to the members of the subcommittee (details below); and 2) attending the hearing if you are in the Washington DC area (details below).

Two Homeless Brothers Inherit $7 Billion

Ah, to have ancestors like these! Two brothers living in a cave in Hungary have been notified of a $7 billion inheritance from a long-lost grandmother.

I must admit that I thought this was a hoax when I first read the story. However, if so, it is a very elaborate one. The news story has been picked up and published by reputable news sources, including UPI, The Daily Telegraph, and others.

The story claims that Brothers Zsolt and Geza Peladi, who live in a cave outside Budapest and make money selling junk found in the street, said charity workers contacted them to inform them that they and a sister who lives in the United States are inheriting a $7 billion fortune from a grandmother who recently died in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Genealogy Groups on Meetup.com

Are you looking for a genealogy group in your area? Perhaps you would like to form a genealogy group or society. Either way, Meetup.com may be the place for you. I just looked and found thirty-five Meetup Groups for genealogy in the USA listed, and the online service obviously has room for more. The groups near me included an Italian genealogy group and a scrapbooking and family history group.

Meetup is on a mission to help the world’s people self-organize into local groups.

Stuck for a Christmas Gift? By Pam Clark Cerutti, Editor

The following article was written by Pam Clark Cerutti, the person who edits most of the articles that are published in this newsletter:

Looking for a great gift for a genealogy buddy? Here's an idea that will enrich their lives all year and build their expertise with online resources, tips and tools for enhancing their research, and lots of encouragement for breaking through those brick walls. How about a subscription to Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter – Plus Edition?

 I've convinced Dick to set aside his usual modesty by letting me write this article. I have edited almost every article since Dick Eastman created EOGN, so I think I'm in a good position to speak up here. It's been a wonderful learning experience. Both Standard Edition and Plus Edition subscribers know the quality and quantity of articles Dick puts out every week. While both versions have lots to offer, the Plus Edition contains the most in-depth articles, and it even arrives in your e-mail inbox each week for your convenience.

New U.S. Television Series: Find My Family on ABC

The following announcement was written by “Find My Family:”

“Find My Family,” a Heartwarming New Series That Brings Families Together

From the producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” comes the highly anticipated “Find My Family,” a program with one simple mission — to bring families back together. With the help of a dedicated team of researchers, hosts Tim Green and Lisa Joyner guide people searching for lost loved ones through emotional journeys that will change their lives forever. The heartwarming new series premieres Monday, Nov. 23 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET), following “Dancing with the Stars.” Full-hour editions of the show will air Mondays from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET.

A Video of the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

Want to see what you missed at this year's Southern California Genealogy Jamboree Held last June? Now there's a YouTube video that provides a quick look. You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHeE9bkG4DA or else click on the image below:

(+) The Care and Maintenance of Tombstones

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

One of the best methods of honoring our ancestors is to take care of their tombstones. Proper cleaning and maintenance once every ten years or so can help a tombstone remain readable for decades. I also like to take pictures of tombstones; so, anything that improves the legibility of the lettering interests me.

Sadly, many people do not know how to take proper care of tombstones. They use harsh chemicals, power washers, and, worst of all, wire brushes. These items will damage the stones and actually REDUCE the ability to read the lettering over time.

Here are a few rules to follow:

Portland City Archives on the Move to New Home

On Monday, the Portland (Oregon) City Archives closed to the public for six months. By May 1, city officials and a contractor will have moved 30,000 boxes, maps, buttons from Fire Bureau dress uniforms and at least one beer bottle to a sparkling new home of more than 25,000 square feet at Portland State University, right on the trolley line.

Digital Records Top Priority for New Provincial Archivist of Saskatchewan

Linda McIntyre has been appointed the new provincial archivist of Saskatchewan. The provincial archivist is responsible "for providing professional and strategic leadership and direction to all areas of the archives and its operations," and reports to the Saskatchewan Archives Board.

Looking ahead, "I guess the biggest challenge here will be with digital archives," she said. "What we need to do is get an infrastructure in place so we can begin to archive digital records on a larger scale."

Update: CARTaGENE Genetic Mapping Project

In the May 19, 2009 newsletter, I wrote (at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/05/cartagene-seeks-20000-people-in-quebec.html) about CARTaGENE's plans to build a genetic map of Quebec. One of the major objectives is to study inherited medical conditions. Now the project's scientific director ,Dr. Claude Laberge, reports the project has achieved 15% of its objective.

The following was written by CARTaGENE:

Upcoming Events

The Upcoming Events section of this newsletter is published as a newsletter article once per month, usually in the first week of the month. You can also view the latest list of events at any time by clicking on "Upcoming Events" in the Navigation menu near the upper right corner of the page at http://www.eogn.com.

Each event is listed with the name, location and dates. Click on the name to see the details, including a link to the event's web page or to an e-mail address of someone who will provide still more information. The EOGN list of Upcoming Events is also available as an RSS newsfeed at http://www.trumba.com/calendars/eogns_calendar.rss.

Digital Cameras for Genealogists

It's Christmastime, and I suspect someone is asking, "What would you like for Christmas?" I'd suggest the answer might be, "A digital camera!"

Of course, a digital camera is always great for taking family photographs. Millions of people do that every day. However, for the genealogist, a camera can serve as a multi-purpose tool. It's even better than a Swiss Army Knife!

My favorite use of a camera is for snapping pictures in a cemetery. It serves as an automated notebook, recording the transcriptions. However, even better, the resulting images serve as source citations for the records you keep. I cannot think of a better source citation than an image of the words that were etched in stone. Of course, you will want to record the date, too. This is easy to do with most digital cameras that will optionally record the date and time on every picture taken.

Peter S. Craig, R.I.P.

Peter Craig passed away Thursday, November 26, 2009. He was both a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists and a Fellow of The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. A brilliant genealogist, he was a friend to many, a prolific author on the Swedish Colonial Period in the Delaware Valley, and will be greatly missed.

His obituary may be found at http://www.legacy.com/WashingtonPost/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=136594428. You may leave your condolences or share memories by signing the Guest Book near the bottom of that web page.

1851 UK Census Now Complete

FindMyPast.com has announced the completion of the online version of the UK census. Now that the 1851 census is complete, you now have access to every record from every England and Wales census between 1841 and 1911. FindMyPast.com is the only site where you can search the complete 1841-1911 census collection.

The new counties and records are:

GENP version 3 for Windows is now Available

The following announcement was written by the producer of the GENP genealogy software:

Melbourne, Australia

We are pleased to announce that GENP version 3 has been released.

GENP is a consumer orientated product which will also appeal to the serious genealogist.

Existing abilities are - multi media, multiple databases, multiple users, grouping of databases, multi lingual. Link your data from one database to another. "Link don't merge" - keep your data separate.

Version 3 now supports Windows XP and Vista.

Allen County Public Library Goes Digital

The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette has an interesting article about the local library. Indeed, visitors from all over the country visit the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne to use its excellent genealogy collection. It is believed to be the second-largest genealogy collection in the United States with more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items of microfilm and microfiche. According to the Journal Gazette, some patrons are using the library without visiting the library.

I am interested in the statistics offered:

(+) My 45 Favorite Free Applications, Webapps, and Software Tools

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

I recently purchased two new computers, a Windows 7 PC and then an Apple iMac with a  27-inch screen. Both computers include a number of programs already installed, but they feel "incomplete" to me. Of course, I could run to a computer store and buy dozens of programs, but my pocketbook would complain. With the recent purchase of two new computers, there's nothing left over for software. With both computers, as soon as I installed them and made them operational, I immediately downloaded my favorite free programs.

I thought I would share my list of free programs in case anyone else would be interested in these high quality, reliable, programs. Every one of them is available free of charge although some may have additional versions with more capabilities that are available for a fee. In every case, the free version is a very good program by itself; none of the programs listed here are demo or "crippled" versions or significantly reduced in functionality:

The Virtual Society in Action

This sounds like a great program, one that should interest all genealogy societies. The following was written by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania:

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is hosting “The Virtual Society in Action” on Friday, December 11, 2009, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Attention Genealogical and Historical Societies in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States
...and anyone with an interest in society activities for the twenty-first century and ways to use social networking tools to deliver service.

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and its Partners Program cordially invites you to attend the 2009 Pennsylvania Partnership Summit, “The Virtual Society,” an all-day program focused on ways societies can add to their Internet presence to increase society outreach. No matter whether you are active with a genealogical society or a group in another field, the program will address ways to better function in the electronic age. Sessions will address society activities and ways to use social networking tools to deliver service.

(+) Use Google to Solve Multiple Phone Number Problems

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

NOTE: The following article has nothing to do with genealogy. However, it is an interest of mine and I thought I would share it with others.

In a list of jokes that is floating around the Internet, one caught my eye: "You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 4." Indeed, that is a problem for many people. Do you have a home phone and a cell phone and an office phone and perhaps a VoIP computer phone? If so, how do people find you? Do they have to go through a list of phone numbers to track you down?

I used to have that problem. I used to tell people, "Before 8:00 AM call me at home. From 8:00 AM to 8:45, call me on my cell phone. From 9:00 to 5:00, call me at the office. From 5:00 PM to 5:45, call me...". Well, you get the idea. And, of course, there was a completely different set of instructions for weekends.

Richard A. Pence, R.I.P.

I had the pleasure of knowing Dick Pence for more than twenty-five years. He not only was an expert genealogist, he also was always very kind and amiable. He continually helped newcomers.

Dick Pence passed away last Sunday from a heart attack.

I cannot guess how many genealogists he helped over the years. I know that he helped me. Many of us benefited from his knowledge and especially from his wry sense of humor. Dick was quite the storyteller and many of us well remember his talk about "two longs and a short." (It was a reference to telephones before the invention of dial phones.)

Update: A Home for the Tulare (California) Genealogy Records

In the November 06, 2009 newsletter, I reported that "Tulare City Manager Darrel Pyle said he and his staff are working to find a new home for the Sequoia Genealogical Society's records collection, which won't make the crosstown trip to the new library building." However, the Tulare City Council is now questioning the decision.

A study session and a public hearing on the matter are scheduled Tuesday. At issue is where the genealogy collection, which is now housed in the Tulare Public Library, will go once the new library at Cross Avenue and M Street opens in June.

Signs You've Had Too Much of the 21st Century

The following is floating around the Internet. Author unknown:

1. You try to enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 4.
4. You e-mail your colleague at the desk next to you to ask if they're ready to go to lunch.
5. You chat on-line regularly with a stranger from the U.S., but you haven't spoken to your next-door-neighbor yet this year.
6. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends is that they do not have an e-mail address.
7. Your idea of being organized is multiple colored post-it notes.
8. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail rather than in person.
9. When you go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone in a business manner.
10. When you make phone calls from home you accidentally dial "9" to get an outside line.
11. You now think of three espressos as "getting wasted."
12. You call your son's beeper to let him know it's time to eat. He emails you back from his bedroom, "What's for dinner?"
13. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
14. You didn't give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one for your e-mail buddies via a web page.

Wisconsin County Histories Online

The Wisconsin Historical Society recently put more than 80 standard county histories online. The collection totals about 56,000 pages and is being enthusiastically welcomed by genealogists, local historians, archivists and public librarians. These books typically were published 1880-1920 and contain several hundred pages filled with pioneer recollections and other local data that was not recorded anywhere else.

Most of these volumes are several hundred pages long and include detailed accounts of individual cities, townships and villages, as well as biographical sketches of prominent residents.

Repackaging Libraries

I have written a number of times about the struggles of libraries to provide services to their patrons in this age of digital media. Now the theme of the 2010 national librarians' conference, sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Libraries, will be "Climbing Out of the Box: Repackaging Libraries for Survival."

Wall Unearthed from Canada’s Oldest British Settlement

Archeologists in Cupids, Newfoundland, have unearthed the remains of a stone wall that may have housed cannons to defend Canada's first English settlement, established on the shore of Conception Bay in 1610. The newly discovered remains suggest the wall might have housed seaward-facing cannons to ward off attackers in the early 1600s, an era when rival fishermen from France, Spain and Portugal -- as well as the notorious English pirate Peter Easton -- sometimes menaced the fledgling coastal community.

Like the traces of earliest French settlements at St. Croix Island off New Brunswick's southern coast (1604) and at Quebec City (1608), the archeological finds at Cupids represent the beginnings of a permanent European presence in the northern half of the New World.

Menlo Park Resident Wants Family Records Back

Newsletter reader Jim Warren sent a note with a link to a news story and then a comment of his own: "Here's another perfect example of the important message you preach of why backups of everything are so important."

The story he referred to says, "A Menlo Park (California) man is pleading for the return of his family history, after burglars on Tuesday stole five fireproof document safes full of birth certificates, marriage licenses, photographs and other records of his ancestors, carefully collected over his entire lifetime.

"Irvin Chambers, a 61-year-old lifelong resident of the Peninsula, said the thieves probably thought the safes contained valuables when they stole them sometime around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday from his home.

New Hampshire Inmates Work to Identify those Buried in Paupers' Graves

A half-way house for those convicted of drug and alcohol convictions is now using inmates to recover records of those buried in unmarked graves at the Sullivan County Farm. Counselor Sara Poisson says, "The men here, they're young, primarily here for drug offenses either sales or possession violation of probation and they're kind of at a crossroads right now. Either this is an opportunity to get your life in order or just to keep coming back on the merry-go-round."

The graves are part of a turn-of-the-century cemetery lying just across the road from the county farm. The burial grounds are divided into two parts. The front contains remains of prominent families, the great granite headstones still pristine and proper despite time. They are buried by family. But behind those stones lie the remains of the poor, dropped at the farm for infirmity, poverty, insanity, unwed pregnancy, stealing bread, being an orphan, sometimes just a hernia, back when the farm was the county almshouse.