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Copyright© 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

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If you have one of the Palm Operating System computers made by Palm, Sony, Handspring, Visor, or any of several other manufacturers, you probably have fallen in love with the device. Almost everyone I know who has one of these tiny units uses it constantly.

You can even obtain a genealogy program specifically written to squeeze as much information as possible into the Palm device’s limited memory. One genealogy program for the Palm Operating System is called "My Roots." I have written in the past about this tiny powerhouse. Now the author of My Roots has released version 2.10 of the program.

My Roots provides a database that you can carry in your shirt pocket or purse, far more convenient than carrying three-ring binders as I used to do years ago. I find it convenient to carry my database to the library, the courthouse, or even to a genealogy society meeting where I may want to compare notes with others. Carrying my genealogy data in a handheld device allows me to quickly search for and display data as needed.

My Roots is indeed a full-fledged genealogy program; it is not a "file viewer." You can enter data into My Roots and even transfer it back to your primary desktop program via a GEDCOM file. Macintosh owners will be pleased to learn that My Roots will transfer data to and from Macintosh systems as well as Windows.

One of the first questions anyone asks is, "How much information can I store in a tiny handheld computer?" The answer depends upon several factors. The constraints are memory size and processor power. Early Palm computers typically had only two megabytes of memory, which certainly limits the database size. However, today’s models typically have much more memory, and many feature expansion slots where you may plug in even more RAM memory if you wish. In theory, there is no maximum limit to the database size.

Reality soon takes over from theory, however. Due to the Palm device’s limited processing power, My Roots will run somewhat slowly on a database containing more than a few thousand people. The program’s GEDCOM import routine is also limited to a maximum of 10,000 people.

My Roots features are as follows:

• One-tap navigation from a person to parents, children, and related events (two taps to get to a sibling)
• Import from an existing GEDCOM file (PC and Macintosh)
• Export data to a new GEDCOM file (PC and Macintosh)
• Sort the people in your family tree by name, year of birth, or year of death
• Specify up to 3 separate filters to view a subset of your data
• View a graphical representation of your family tree (both ancestors and descendants)
• Ability to keep several databases
• Create separate notes for each person and event
• Find Person function for quickly locating an individual
• Automatically create categories for major surnames that are retained across import/export
• Support for REFN tags to allow merging with desktop data
• Display the Soundex code for any surname
• Tracking of changes for easy update of desktop data
• 38 built-in event types in 5 categories and the ability to create 50 custom event types
• Support for handhelds with a color display
• Support for handhelds with expansion cards

Features added in the new version 2.10 include:

• An improved conversion utility for transferring your data from a Macintosh or Windows computer to the Palm handheld
• Macintosh OS X Version of the My Roots Conversion Utility
• Hi-Res+ Support for Palm OS® 5
• Descendant Levels - My Roots now displays the number of descendants the person has at each level.
• Improved Date Formatting
• Last Person Saved - When you open a My Roots database, the Person Detail screen is automatically opened for the last person you were looking at the last time you exited My Roots.
• A German Version is now available
• Database Properties: Enable / Disable Backup

My Roots can be used as a freestanding genealogy program. You don’t need to own a desktop computer; you can create all the records in its database manually, using nothing other than the Palm computer and My Roots software. In fact, you can even export this information as a GEDCOM file. However, I suspect that most people will prefer to import GEDCOM files containing genealogy data that they have already created on their desktop PC or Macintosh systems.

My Roots will read GEDCOM files created by most of today’s popular genealogy programs. However, anyone using Brother's Keeper, Family Historian, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, Personal Ancestral File (Macintosh or Windows) or Reunion for Macintosh will want to read the notes in the My Roots user’s manual or online at: http://www.tapperware.com/MyRoots/faq.html.

My Roots is easy to use. Rather than trying to describe all the data screens in this textual newsletter, I would suggest you look at the screenshots available at: http://www.tapperware.com/MyRoots and at http://www.tapperware.com/MyRoots/manual.html. The program does not record genealogy sources.

My Roots is a "trialware" program. The unregistered version that you download will let you create or import only a few records. This is a good method of taking the program on a "test drive" without paying for it. You can then upgrade to the full version that holds thousands of records for $19.95 (U.S. funds).

My Roots will not replace the powerful genealogy program that is on your desktop computer. However, it is a great supplemental tool that allows you to keep your genealogy database with you at all times. I always keep my database with me when attending conventions or genealogy society meetings. You never know when you need to look up a record!

For more information about My Roots for the Palm computer or to safely order and download the program online, go to http://www.tapperware.com/MyRoots.

Many Black Americans have successfully traced their ancestry back to the Civil War era, and some have gone further back than that. However, few have ever been able to make the big leap back to Africa. Lacking passenger lists or immigration records, many African-Americans can only speculate about their descent from a particular region or group. Now, thanks to DNA technology, Black Americans are able to accurately trace their ancestry back to ethnic groups in Africa, even though they may not be able to determine the names of individual ancestors.

In grammar school, Rick Kittles' classmates would describe their heritage as being Irish or Italian or German. Mr. Kittles could only describe his ancestry as "African," but he always wanted to know more.

Kittles is now a Howard University microbiologist and assistant professor. He is also a co-director of molecular genetics at the National Human Genome Center there. He usually studies the role of genetics in prostate cancer, which is more prevalent and severe among black men.

Rick Kittles recently joined forces with business consultant Gina Paige to start African Ancestry, a service to help African-Americans rediscover some of the ethnic ties that slavers replaced with chains. With cells collected from simple cheek swabs, individual DNA can be compared with samples from as many as 75 West African ethnic groups - people living in countries that range from Senegal to Angola and as far inland as the Central African Republic, Mali, and Niger.

African Ancestry offers two services:

Both tests can identify ethnic groups which obviously will include some geographic information.

When you order a test, you receive a kit containing the following items:

You swab the inside of your cheek and then return the samples in the enclosed envelope. Within six weeks, African Ancestry's scientists send the results to you. In addition to your results, you receive:

For his own ancestry, Kittles' tests matched his maternal female lineage to the Hausa people now living in northern Nigeria. The DNA pattern in his father's male line was German. He wasn't surprised; his father had told him they had a white ancestor.

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This week I had a chance to read a new book, called Black Genesis. This is the second edition of the work by James M. Rose and Alice Eichholz. The first edition was published in 1978 and was well received at the time. The new book not only covers many new sources of information that have become available since the appearance of the original work, but it is also reorganized by state/provinces and, within each, by category.

Part I of Black Genesis is written in a textbook style. It contains a lot of "how to" information. Some of the information given applies to all ethnic groups, but the book does focus on issues that are unique to Black American genealogy research. I would suggest that every genealogist researching black ancestry should read every word of Part I.

Part II is more of a reference work; you will want to look only at the sections that apply to your search. Part II contains a rundown of specific resources for all fifty states, Canada, and the West Indies. Under each location, the information is organized by the following categories: Important Dates, State Archives, Census Records, State and County Records, Cemetery and Church Records, Military Records, Newspapers, Manuscript Sources (personal papers, slave records, and diaries), Internet Resources, Research Contacts, and Bibliography. Resources described include research guides, published genealogies, community studies on African-American families, and most importantly, original research material that can be found in national, state, county, and city archives, and in historical societies and libraries.

Black Genesis is an excellent resource written by two of today's experts in the field:

Black Genesis costs $24.95 and is worth it. This book belongs on the shelf of every genealogy library as well as in the homes of many genealogists. You can safely order it online from the publisher's secure Web site. For more information, look at Genealogical Publishing Company's site at: http://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?ID=4992

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The Jeanie Johnston has arrived in Palm Beach, Florida. The three-masted ship is a replica of a ship that transported emigrants from famine-swept Ireland to North America about 150 years ago.

The 150-foot ship, commemorating Irish-American heritage and success, is a copy of the original vessel that carried more than 2,500 Irish emigrants to the United States and Canada from 1848 to 1855. While other such famine ships were often called "coffin ships" because of tough conditions aboard, the Canadian-built Jeanie Johnston is said to have made 16 voyages across the Atlantic without losing a single life – crew or passenger.

The original ship departed from a remote southwest Irish port in County Kerry, traveling to Baltimore, New York, and Quebec City with boatloads of people fleeing Ireland's widespread potato blight. It was one of hundreds of famine ships that carried about 2 million passengers to the shores of America or England from Ireland, away from starvation and disease caused by the Great Famine, which claimed 1 million lives.

The modern-day Jeanie Johnston left Ireland on Feb. 16. That must have been a cold crossing in the mid-winter North Atlantic. However, the ship docked in warmer weather this week at Peanut Island by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum, a co-sponsor of the Palm Beach County stopover, along with the International Children's Museum.

The ship is open for public tours daily through April 27. Visitors can peruse the vessel, including its below-deck museum. During the ship's stay at Peanut Island, a boathouse has been fashioned into an Irish pub serving Irish beer, corned beef and cabbage, and other Irish food.

From Peanut Island, the Jeanie Johnston will head north to visit other ports, stopping at Savannah; Charleston, S.C.; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia; Trenton, N.J.; and other cities up the eastern seaboard before sailing home to Ireland in late October.

For those who want to put out to sea in the Jeanie Johnston, there are more than 20 sail-training crew openings for the four-day trip to Savannah, Ga., which departs April 28 from Palm Beach. That voyage costs $600 per person.

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Are you a female with an ancestor in Colonial America who was accused of or tried or executed for the practice of witchcraft prior to 31 December 1699? If so, you may be interested in the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches. This society was formed for the purpose of:

• Searching for and preserving the names of those accused of witchery in that portion of Colonial America now the United States of America.
• To locate the living female descendants of all witches who were accused in the American colonies prior to published records of same.

The society maintains a list of "Approved Ancestors" that have been documented as those who were accused of witchcraft. While many on the list lived in or near Salem, Massachusetts, during the hysteria there, the list also includes others accused of witchcraft in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. You can see the entire list at: http://www.adeaw.us/ancestors.htm

Membership is by invitation only, but you can submit documentation showing proof of your descent from an identified witch. If your claim is validated, you may be invited to join.

For more information on the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches, look at: http://www.adeaw.us

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In my genealogy research travels, I like to take photographs of every location I research. I especially like to take photographs of tombstones. I find it almost mystical to stand on the same spot where grieving ancestors stood, looking at the same tombstone that they looked at. Taking a photograph helps preserve the experience as well as providing a document of the words inscribed on the stone. I always take a digital camera with me and have taken many photographs. Sadly, my earliest photographic efforts did not turn out too well. This week, I thought I would share a few things that I have learned over the years.

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The Society of Genealogists' annual Family History Fair will be held May 3 and 4 in London. If you can travel to London, this is a "must see" event. (Indeed, it is easier and cheaper to travel to London than even I thought. See the next newsletter article for details.)

The Family History Fair regularly attracts several thousand attendees from all over the British Isles as well as from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. The Fair will be held at its usual convenient location: at the Royal Horticultural Society's New Hall and Conference Centre on Greycoat Street, Westminster, London SW1. This is a two-day affair, held on Saturday and Sunday. What’s more, the price for admission to this conference is a mere £4 plus postage in advance or £6 at the gate (about $6 or $9 in US funds).

The 2003 edition of the Family History Fair is shaping up to be as good as any of the previous events. Presentations will be made by most all of the better-known genealogy speakers in England. The list of speakers includes Rhys Griffith, Alec Tritton, Peter Christian, Audrey Collins, Sue Gibbons, Sharon Hintze, John Hanson, Peter Park, Dr. Geoff Swinfield, David Hawkings, James Ryan, John Hanson, and Else Churchill. I also noticed two Americans among the list of presenters: Paul Smart and John Konvalinka.

More than sixty exhibitors will also be selling and exhibiting at the Family History Fair. Looking at the list, I see vendors from England, Ireland, the United States, and New Zealand.

I attended this fair a few years ago and loved it. Best of all, I plan to be there again this year and will write about the events in a future newsletter. I am also looking for some dinner companions on Saturday evening. Are there any newsletter readers who would be interested in helping a stranger in town find a restaurant?

More information about the SoG Family History Fair, including a complete list of exhibitors and details about the lectures, may be found at: http://www.sog.org.uk/events/fair.html.

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For months I have been looking for a low-cost airfare to London so that I could attend the Society of Genealogists' Family History Fair on May 3 and 4. While ticket prices are lower than they were some months ago, they still haven't been low enough to entice me. I am a seasoned traveler who is always on the lookout for an airfare bargain, but this week even this veteran traveler was pleasantly surprised.

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Are you planning to attend the annual conference of the U.S. National Genealogical Society? If so, reserve your room now.

This year's event is planned for May 28 through 31 in Pittsburgh. You can read more about it in my January 13 newsletter at http://www.rootsforum.com/archives/news0302.htm and at the NGS' Web site at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/conf.htm

Rooms are no longer are available for those dates at the host hotel, the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh. However, the NGS Web site advises, "Plenty of Rooms [are] Available at the Omni and Ramada Suites Hotels!" Both hotels are offering discount rates for NGS conference attendees. Both are also within a very short walk of the convention center.

You can obtain more information from the NGS' Web site at: http://www.eshow2000.com/ngs/hotel.cfm. Note that the Ramada does not offer the convention discount through its Web site. However, there is a toll-free number you can call.

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No, it is not a copy of the U.S. Constitution nor a replica of the Bill of Rights. It isn't a passenger list or naturalization papers. The most requested item at the National Archives is a photograph of Elvis Presley shaking hands with President Nixon during a visit to the White House.

It seems that Presley's visit was not planned in advance, at least not by the President's staff. Elvis literally showed up at the front gate one morning and asked to see the President. Never one to travel incognito, Presley was wearing a dark cape, a lot of jewelry, an open-collared shirt with a huge collar, and a large, garish belt buckle,

He also was carrying something that did not please the Secret Service agents: a World War II commemorative Colt 45 pistol with seven silver bullets, intended as a gift to the President. The Secret Service took possession of the pistol and ammunition, then escorted Presley in for the unscheduled visit with President Nixon.

The cape-wearing, gun-toting singer then made a strange request: It seems that Presley asked to be deputized as a "federal agent at large."

Strange, but true. You can read more at: http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/when_nixon_met_elvis/index.html

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I expect to briefly announce new books every few weeks as announcements are received. Each book mentioned in this new section will be one that is newly published or perhaps is a significant new update of a book published some years ago. This listing is for books published on paper, not on CD-ROM or online. Prices mentioned typically do not include shipping or taxes. More detailed information is available at the Web sites or from the e-mail addresses given.

A Walk Through Downtown Huntsville (Alabama)-Then and Now by Fred B. Simpson, with layout and editing Gay Cushing Campbell. http://huntsville.about.com/cs/toppicks/gr/SimpsonBook.htm

Granville County, North Carolina Cemeteries, Volume 1, compiled by the Granville County Genealogical Society 1746, Inc., is a 240-page book containing data from 72 private, community, and church cemeteries in historic Granville County, NC. http://www.gcgs.org

The Coulombe Family of North America -2003 by Paul Coulombe is a 679-page, hardbound book, with over 7,700 French-Canadian-American marriages, all connected to one marriage in 1670 Quebec (over 33,000 names are in the book). COULOMBE22@aol.com

McIntosh County, GA Marriage Book 1, Ann R. Davis, editor. All marriages that were recorded from 1868-1902. Valuable reference for a county whose courthouse burned twice. Indexed by Bride and by Groom.  Comb bound softcover. $15.00. http://www.GaBooks.com

Michigan's Early Military Forces: A Roster and History of Troops Activated Prior to the American Civil War, rosters compiled by Le Roy Barnett with histories by Roger Rosentreter.  An impressive array of information on Michigan's armed forces from 1775 to 1860. Here we find the name rank, unit, and dates of service for all known Michigan men who served in the Revolutionary War, Indian Wars, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Toledo War, Patriot War, and the Mexican-American War. Accompanying histories explain the reasons behind the conflicts and include maps showing all theaters of operations for Michigan troops. http://wsupress.wayne.edu/glb/mihistory/barnettmemf.htm

Founders of Early American Families Second Revised Edition - Principal Author, Meredith B. Colket, Jr., Revision Editor, Keith M. Sheldon.  This new Second Revised Edition of 491 pages features data on 90 more Founders’ names in addition to all of the Founder data in the 1985 Edition -- a total of nearly 4,000 emigrants who came to the 13 original colonies 1607-1657.  $35.00 postage paid.  http://www.founderspatriots.org

Life in Germany: Selected Portions of Three Works on German Life in 1842, 1844 and 1901. by W. H. Dawson. $10.00: http://www.OriginsBooks.com

Some Descendants of Rev. Leonard Metcalf of Tatterford Parish, Norfolk, England by Howard H. Metcalfe. This work compiles a record of some of Rev. Leonard Metcalf's descendants, mainly those of his son Michael Metcalf, who emigrated from England to Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1637. The compilation includes some 11,700 of those descendants. (The Rev. Leonard probably has at least 800,000 descendants alive today in the United States alone.) http://www.heritagebooks.com

The Hardegree / Hardigree Family, compiled and edited by Nova A. Lemons. The long awaited Hardegree / Hardigree family history revised and updated book is now available. The 726-page hardback book begins with history of the parents of Jonathan, Eleanor, Mary, and William Hardegree and carries through the descendants of Jonathan, Eleanor, and William down to today's generation, spanning from NC to GA and westward.  lemstar@juno.com

Writings from the Valley Forge Encampment of the Continental Army: December 19-1777-June 19, 1778, Volume 4, "The Hardships of the Camp" - Joseph Lee Boyle. Additional letters and documents written at Valley Forge which allow greater understanding and appreciation of the Valley Forge Encampment. 195 pp., index, paper, $21.00 http://www.heritagebooks.com

North Carolina Slaves And Free Persons Of Color: McDowell County - William L. Byrd III and John H. Smith. A wealth of information transcribed from obscure and fragile, original documents housed at the North Carolina State Archives. Interactions between Black and White are displayed on both legal and domestic levels, giving the reader a vivid account of everyday life in the Antebellum South. 332 pp., glossary