Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter News

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

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 08:00:00 GMT

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 day of every month, if not more often. (My computers automatically make off-site backups of all new files every few minutes.)

Given the events of the past few months with genealogy websites laying off employees and cutting back on services, you now need backup copies of everything more than ever. What happens if the company that holds your online data either goes off line or simply deletes the service where your data is held? If you have copies of everything stored either in your own computer or stored in a different company's online service, such a loss would be inconvenient but not a disaster.

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 day of each month?

Family History Hosting Announces the New Version 1.10 of the Online Repository Assistant (ORA)

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:39:34 GMT

The following announcement was written by Family History Hosting:

Narragansett, Rhode Island, September 29, 2020 - Family History Hosting is pleased to announce the release of ORA version 1.10. ORA is the "Online Repository Assistant", a web browser extension combined with a Windows program to help you extract data from the web pages of your favorite online repositories and capture the information in your preferred genealogy program. ORA has several features that will save time, reduce errors, and increase the consistency of your data entry.

Originally released in June with support for four popular repositories, ORA now supports twelve repositories:

Ancestry
Fold3
Australian Cemeteries Index
FreeReg
BillionGraves
General Register Office, UK
FamilySearch
Newspapers.com
Find a Grave
Nova Scotia Genealogy
Findmypast
Trove

ORA users depend on it to save them time and effort:

* "After weeks of using ORA to create source definitions for newspaper clippings and obituaries on Newspapers.com, I came across an obit I wanted [to cite] in the student newspaper of a college, found on the college's digital repository. ORA doesn't work there! What, write an obit source definition manually?? Can I remember how? It made me really appreciate how much work ORA has eliminated." - Terry

* "I have made more progress in my research in the past two months that I've used ORA than in the two years prior." - Saul

For more information about ORA, see its Introduction slideshow. The Introduction includes several videos that show ORA in action.

ORA is sold as a subscription service, $24 USD per year. ORA is not affiliated with any of the repositories it supports. ORA does not do any searching for you; it evaluates pages you visit during your normal use of a repository and makes it faster and easier to extract the information you find. For Ancestry, Findmypast, and other fee-based repositories, you must have an account with that repository.

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 28 September 2020

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:29:08 GMT

More ancestor discoveries will be populating family trees worldwide with FamilySearch's major new historical records additions this week—4M new records from Australia, Victoria Coastal Passenger Lists 1852–1924 and over 3M Boston Massachusetts Tax Records 1822–1918 and New York Land Records 1630–1975. Also from the United States, the Indiana Marriages 1811–2007 collection had 100k additions plus more records for CA, HI, IN, KS, MS, MN, MS, TX, NY, VA, and WA. International, over 600k Bolivia Catholic Church Records 1566-1996, were added, and more for Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Mexico, Peru, and S. Africa. Search these new records and images by clicking on the collection links below, or go to FamilySearch to search over 8 billion free names and record images.

Country	Collection	Indexed Records	Digital Images	Comments
Argentina	Argentina, Salta, Civil Registration, 1880-2000	1,230	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Australia	Australia, Victoria Coastal Passenger Lists, 1852-1924	3,244,620	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Bolivia	Bolivia Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996	630,782	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil	Brazil, Bahia, Civil Registration, 1877-1976	277	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil	Brazil, Civil Registration, 1860-2006	7,069	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil	Brazil, Minas Gerais, Civil Registration, 1879-1949	9,107	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil	Brazil, Pernambuco, Civil Registration, 1804-2016	12	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Brazil	Brazil, Santa Catarina, Civil Registration, 1850-1999	14,082	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Canada	Canada, New Brunswick, County Register of Births, 1801-1920	17,505	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Canada	Canada, Prairie Provinces Census, 1926	3,966	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Canada	Nova Scotia Church Records, 1720-2001	11,544	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Costa Rica	Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1823-1975	42,776	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Croatia	Croatia, Delnice Deanery Catholic Church Books, 1571-1926	4,638	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Ecuador	Ecuador, Cemetery Records, 1862-2019	70,431	0	New indexed records collection
England	England, Essex Non-Conformist Church Records, 1613-1971	3,578	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
England	England, Herefordshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1583-1898	3,378	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
England	England, Middlesex Parish Registers, 1539-1988	93,477	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Fiji	Fiji, Indian Death Records, 1899-1922	69	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Kiribati	Kiribati, Vital Records, 1890-1991	74	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Mexico	Mexico, Sinaloa, Civil Registration, 1861-1929	44,237	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Micronesia	Micronesia, Civil Registration, 1883-1983	2,005	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea, Birth Records, 1888-2004	2,316	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea, Vital Records, 1867-2000	5,905	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Peru	Peru, Huánuco, Civil Registration, 1888-1998	2,066	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Peru	Peru, Junín, Civil Registration, 1881-2005	67,249	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Peru	Peru, Pasco, Civil Registration, 1931-1996	5,772	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Peru	Peru, Piura, Civil Registration, 1874-1996	53,480	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Peru	Peru, Prelature of Yauyos-Cañete-Huarochirí, Catholic Church Records, 1665-2018	7,748	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Poland	Poland, Lublin Roman Catholic Church Books, 1784-1964	3,810	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001	5,851	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Samoa	Samoa, Vital Records, 1846-1996	428	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
South Africa	South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004	307	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
South Africa	South Africa, Civil Death Registration, 1955-1966	21,492	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
South Africa	South Africa, Civil Marriage Records, 1840-1973	19,354	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
South Africa	South Africa, KwaZulu Natal, Vital Records, 1868-1976	3,524	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
South Africa	South Africa, Orange Free State, Civil Death Registration, 1902-1954	13,369	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994	45,861	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	California, Los Angeles, Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery/Crematory Records, 1884-2002	3,090	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Hawaii, Collector of Customs, Ships' Passenger Manifests, 1843-1900	39,080	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands Newspaper Obituaries, 1900-ca.2010	28,093	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007	113,674	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Kansas, Riley County, Sunset Cemetery, Burial Index Cards, 1856-1998	10,841	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Massachusetts, Boston Tax Records, 1822-1918	486,857	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Minnesota, Stevens County Genealogical Society Records, 1876-2006	32,052	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Mississippi, County Marriages, 1858-1979	45,841	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	New Jersey, Death Index, 1901-1903; 1916-1929	157	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	New Jersey, Newark, Mount Olivet Cemetery Records, 1871-1984	3,823	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Oklahoma, Noble County, Parker Funeral Home, Funeral Records, 1908-1982	1,656	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950	1,141	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Texas, Eagle Pass Arrival Manifests and Indexes, 1905-1954	85,307	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Texas, Hardin County Clerk, Death Records, 1908-1948	519	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Texas, Hardin County, Registers of Births, 1882-1939	147	0	New indexed records collection
United States	United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975	2,819,557	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935	11,445	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Records, 1853-1912	21,795	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
United States	Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965	12,869	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection
Zambia	Zambia, Archdiocese of Lusaka, Church Records, 1950-2015	4,629	0	Added indexed records to an existing collection

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

USCIS Sued Over New Payment Regulations

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 02:30:00 GMT

The following is a message posted to the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) Public Records Access Alert mailing list:

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been sued over its recent permanent regulations on application fees, which raises application fees for many essential immigration benefits by 30 to 200 percent, and eliminates most fee waivers for qualifying low income immigrants.

The regulation covers more than the genealogy records, as it also increased the fees for immigration services. On August 20, 2020, The American Immigration Lawyers Association and eight other organizations filed the law suit to block the regulation due to the exceeding large increase in filing fees across the board. To read the law suit filing see: https://www.aila.org/infonet/aila-partners-sue-uscis-fee-rule

The focus of the litigation is that fees for low income applicants making it very difficult for them to apply for naturalization. It also challenges the rule issued under an acting Secretary of Homeland Security and there states the persons, Chad Wolf and Kevin McAleenan do not have constitutional or statutory authority to issue the regulations. The litigation also challenges the abandonment of the practice of “ability to pay” model and adoption of “beneficiary pays” model. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern district of California- San Francisco as that is where Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s principal place of business is in San Francisco, California, and East Bay Sanctuary Covenant’s principal place of business is in Berkeley, California. Other plaintiff’s are also located in California.

The suit does not address the genealogy fees, rather its focus is on the immigrant application fees. Depending on the courts determine this case the genealogy fees may be changed from what goes into effect this October 2.

If you are planning to order any records from USCIS at the current $65.00 rate for the index search and another $65.00 for the copy make certain your request is postmarked before October 2. The forms may be found at: https://www.uscis.gov/genealogy

To see previous postings about the USCIS and the fee increases, go to the archives of the IAJGS Records Access Alert at: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/private/records-access-alerts/. You must be registered to access the archives. To register go to: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/listinfo/records-access-alerts and follow the instructions to enter your email address, full name and which genealogical organization with whom you are affiliated You will receive an email response that you have to reply to or the subscription will not be finalized.

Jan Meisels Allen Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

Elephind: A Digital Newspaper Collections Search Engine

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 22:30:00 GMT

Elephind is a great service that searches online digital newspaper collections. Best of all, it is available free of charge.

Elephind.com is a search engine that operates much like Google, Bing, and other search engines. The one thing that is different with Elephind is that it searches only historical, digitized newspapers. It enables you to search for free across many newspaper sites simultaneously rather than having to visit each collection's web site separately.

At this time Elephind has indexed 199,820,058 items from 4,267 newspaper titles. These include such well known sites as Chronicling America (the U.S.'s Library of Congress) and Trove (National Library of Australia), as well as smaller collections like Door County Library in Wisconsin. Many of the smaller newspaper sites are not well known and may be difficult to find with the usual search engines, but they are searchable from Elephind.com. A list of available newspaper collections that have been indexed so far is available at https://bit.ly/2EECuqG.

Additional newspaper collections are added to Elephind's indexes frequently.

I found that Elephind operates in much the same manner as many other search engines. If you already know how to search for things in Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Yahoo, or elsewhere, you already know how to use Elephind. In fact, there are two search methods available on Elephind:

When you first visit the site at http://www.elephind.com, you are greeted with a very simple search screen containing one data entry box. You can search for words or phases in much the same way as you do on Google although not all of Google's sophisticated Boolean search terms are available on Elephind. You can find tips for using the search box at https://bit.ly/2S5mCk7.
When visiting this same site at http://www.elephind.com, you will also see a highlighted link for "Advanced Search." When you click on that, a more sophisticated search form appears, allowing you to narrow the search to any combination of specific newspaper titles, country, or a range of dates.

I did a search for my own last name between the years 1811 and 1890 in the United States. It returned far too many "hits" for me to search through; so, I started narrowing the search by specifying first names and cities or towns of interest. I was soon looking at information of interest.

I was impressed with the clarity of the newspaper pages I was able to view; but, of course, that is under the control of the individual newspaper collection. Elephind does not host the images on its own web site. Instead, it merely links to newspapers found on a wide variety of servers in a number of different countries from around the world.

Elephind.com is a great tool for family historians, genealogists, and researchers to search historic, digitized newspaper archives from around the globe. Will Elephind locate newspaper articles about your ancestors? There is no way to tell in advance. You need to try it for a while to see. It is a free resource, so why not try it to see for yourself?

Elephind may be found at http://www.elephind.com.

Elephind is continuing to add more newspapers, so if at first you can't find what you're looking for, check back later. You also might want to add your name to the Elephind mailing list at http://eepurl.com/ndGhb to receive an email message whenever a new collection is added.

(+) Why Reinvent the Wheel? A Proposal.

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:27:54 GMT

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

WARNING: This article contains personal opinions.

One thing that constantly puzzles me is why do genealogists keep re-inventing the same wheels? In fact, we have the tools today to reduce this duplication of effort immediately and perhaps to even drive it to zero within a few years. If we do that, the result will be peer-reviewed, high-quality genealogy information available to everyone.

For decades, the standard method of genealogy research has been to look at original records as well as compiled genealogies, looking for information about each ancestor, one fact at a time. In modern times, we typically have used IMAGES of the original records published on microfilm and, more recently, images that appear on our computer screens. We then supplement these original records with compiled genealogies from many sources, including printed books, online web sites, and even GEDCOM files online or on CD-ROM disks. Experienced genealogists also understand the importance of VERIFYING each piece of information, regardless of where it was obtained. Yes, even original hand-written records made at the time of an event may contain errors.

Compiling a genealogy typically requires hundreds of hours of work, sometimes thousands of hours, sometimes great expenditures of money, and, when original records have not been easily available locally, we often spend significant amounts of money on travel.

To be kind, I will simply say that the results have been variable. Some skilled and careful researchers have produced accurate and carefully documented genealogies. Other genealogists, typically those with less-than-perfect research skills or motivation, have produced compiled genealogies containing errors. A few have produced genealogies that I can only describe as “fairy tales.”

The guidelines that we have all learned for years state that experienced genealogists must educate the newcomers in the proper methods of creating accurate and meaningful genealogies. We must teach every newcomer how to “do it the right way.” My opinion is that this hasn’t worked very well. I see as many errors being cranked out today as I saw years ago. In fact, due to the efficiencies of computers today, we can crank out more errors in a shorter period of time than ever before. I don’t think the percentage of errors has changed much over the years, but the VOLUME of genealogies certainly has increased!

Today, we produce more garbage than ever before. I will suggest our efforts of “educating the masses” in proper research techniques have been a failure. Yet, I believe there is a better way.

The remainder of this article is only available to Plus Edition subscribers or to anyone who wishes to pay for this one article.

1. If you have a Plus Edition user ID and password, you can read the article by clicking on the link in the email message sent to all Plus Edition subscribers this week. Look in your email in-box. This article will remain online for several weeks.

2. Want to become a Plus Edition subscriber? Go to https://blog.eogn.com/subscribe-to-the-plus-edition/.

3. Non-subscribers may purchase this one article, without subscribing, for $2.00 US. You may purchase the article by clicking here. Payment can be made with VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card, or with PayPal’s safe and secure payment system. You can then either read the article on-screen or else download it to your computer and save it.

New York City Department of Records and Information Services Proposed Rules on New Fees and Access Requirements

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 11:30:25 GMT

The following is a message posted to the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) Public Records Access Alert mailing list:

The New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) (this includes the Municipal Archives) has proposed new rules with an increase in fees for records, photographs, videos, and access requirements –some of which are detrimental to genealogists-such as not being able to share any of the information with anyone. The notice of the proposed rule and hearing may be found at: https://rules.cityofnewyork.us/content/amendment-rules-relating-municipal-archives-and-municipal-reference-library. You may download the pdf of the proposed rule from this site and it is attached to this announcement for you convenience.

When reading the proposed rule please not that information in brackets [ ] is deleted and that which is newly proposed is underlined _____.

A public hearing is scheduled for Friday October 23, 2020 at 11:00AM Eastern Time. Deadline for submitting comments is also October 23, 2020—see below on how to submit your statement. Information on how to participate by video conference or telephone is:

Internet Video and Audio. To participate in the public hearing, enter the

Webex URL:

https://nycdoris.webex.com/nycdoris/j.php?MTID=mefc0048fb1822df1ceebde18
81eb07be

(copy and paste if it does not click)

If prompted to provide a password or number, please enter the following:

Meeting Number: 173 225 7395. Password: kjEZGpCu746

Telephone. To access the hearing by telephone, dial +1-646-992-2010 United States Toll (New York City) or 1-408-418-9388 United States Toll. Access code: 173 225 7395

You can submit comments several ways:

Website. You can submit comments to the Department of Records & Information Services through the NYC rules website at: http://rules.cityofnewyork.us.

Email. You can email comments to DORISrules@records.nyc.gov

Mail. You can mail comments to:

Assistant Commissioner Kenneth R. Cobb,

Department of Records & Information Services,

31 Chambers Street, Suite 305,

New York, N.Y. 10007.

Fax. You can fax comments to Department of Records & Information Services, 212 788-8625.

By speaking at the hearing. Anyone who wants to comment on the proposed rule at the public hearing may speak for up to three minutes. Please access the public hearing by Internet Video and Audio or by Telephone using the instructions above. It is recommended, but not required, that anyone who wants to comment sign up prior to the hearing by emailing Gerald Rosero at: grosero@records.nyc.gov

Some of the increased fees include:

- raising the charge from $15.00 to $18.00 for a certified copy of a vital record of a birth, death or marriage record when a certificate number is provided, for one year/ one borough/one name and for issuance of a certificate say the record is “not found”. Additional handling charges will apply for services requested via epayments.
- Charging $2.00 for each additional year to be searched in one city/borough for the same name
- Charging $2.00 for each additional city/borough for the same name
- Publication or license fee for use of a reproduction of a still photograph, image or document or other archival item. Educational, scholarly or non-profit products or media starts at $15.00 and increase for commercial products or media.
- $40 charge for commercial use of moving images per second.
- $10 charge for commercial use of moving images, per second.
- $50 per hour charge for conducting original research for patrons not including copies.
- $125 per hour charge for conservation services and exhibition load preparation requested by institutions, per hour, not including materials.
- Increase from $15.00 to $18.00 for paper or digital property card pertaining to one block and lot.
- Certification of property cards relating to one block or lot.
- Still images for personal use only, $45.00 for high resolution non-watermarked digital copy of any two-dimensional item with size restrictions; $65.00 for larger size copies; $40.00 per additional 100 pages or documents ordered at the same time.
- Hard copy prints: $40- 8’x10”; $60 -11’x14”; $120.00 16”x20” plus extra charges for shipping and handling
- $100.00 high-resolution non-watermarked digital copy of moving image tape or film per title.
- Charges for photocopying services vary from $0.25 per page to $0.50 per page. No charge for use of personal camera.

The proposed rules also state:

Section 3-01 Municipal Archives and Library Regulations Governing Use of Archives and Library Materials:

Section A: Access to Materials

All researchers must complete a registration form with name, contact information, affiliation if any, and specifying research subject and purpose and provide acceptable identification upon request. Physical condition of any item may prohibit public access. Certain records may be subject to redaction and other restrictive access related to personal privacy, health information and minors. The special restrictions also apply to District Attorney case files, Board of Education “anti-Communist” case files, World Trade Center materials and Police Department surveillance records and photographs. Other restrictions are listed in the proposed rule.

Section B:

Reproductions are provided for the researcher’s personal use only. Reproductions may not be reduplicated, published, or transferred to another individual or institution.

Permission to publish, reprint, broadcast, reduplicate or make other use of Archives or Library materials are subject to the conditions in a Publish./Use form and observance of the US Copyright Code. Violation of any of the rules may be cause for future access to the Municipal Library and Archives.There are other restrictions delineated in the proposed rules which I encourage you to read.

Thank you to Chuck Weinstein, JGS Long Island, for sharing the proposed rule with us.

It was in 2018 that the NYC Municipal Archives changed the access as to whom may obtain records and the embargo dates. A VERY strong genealogical community fought back. While they went ahead with the embargo period, we were successful in getting additional family members to be included in those who could get immediate access. The genealogical community needs to again work cooperatively to get many of the above proposed rules amended before they are adopted.

To access the previous postings on the IAJGS Records Access Alert about the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene go to the archives of the IAJGS Records Access Alert at: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/private/records-access-alerts/.

You must be registered to access the archives. To register go to: http://lists.iajgs.org/mailman/listinfo/records-access-alerts and follow the instructions to enter your email address, full name and which genealogical organization with whom you are affiliated You will receive an email response that you have to reply to or the subscription will not be finalized.

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

My Video Tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 23:28:52 GMT

Mount Auburn Cemetery was the first garden cemetery in the United States, located on the city line between Cambridge and Watertown in Massachusetts, 4 miles west of Boston. The cemetery is credited as the beginning of the American public parks and gardens movement.

Prior to the establishment of Mount Auburn Cemetery, the early American cemeteries were established as places under churches for burial of deceased church members. As the available space under a church was filled, cemeteries often were built on available land in front of, beside, or in back of the church. These graveyards sometimes created serious health problems as graves were not always dug 6 feet deep. As a result, diseases often were spread amongst a population that had little or no knowledge of germs or the causes of the spread of diseases.

As these spaces became filled with bodies and as the population became more aware of health issues, “burying grounds” were established in most any space that was suitable for the purpose. As early as 1711, the architect Sir Christopher Wren advocated for the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, “inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and two cross walks, decently planted with Yew-trees”.

In fact, the word “cemetery” was not common in Colonial days. The term “cemetery,” derived from the Greek for “a sleeping place,” became popular in the 1800s as a replacement for “graveyard.” Many were placed in rural areas, some distance from human habitation.

Mount Auburn Cemetery was one of the first to be planned as a pleasant place to visit with gardens, waterfalls, and even walkways that were pleasing to the eye. Quoting Wikipedia:

“The first rural cemetery in the United States was Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and Henry Dearborn of The Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1831. The City of Boston became concerned about the health hazards caused by decomposing corpses in cemeteries in the middle of the city. A citizens’ group led by Bigelow pulled together residents to discuss the design and location of a cemetery outside city limits. The search for a site took six years and land was eventually purchased on a farm known as Sweet Auburn along the Charles River about four miles from Boston.

(NOTE by Dick Eastman: This selected location was open farm land in 1831 but the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts expanded greatly over the years. Now Mount Auburn Cemetery is a pleasant public garden or even a city park totally surrounded by the city.)

“Coinciding with the growing popularity of horticulture and the Romantic aesthetic taste for pastoral beauty, Mount Auburn was developed as a “domesticated landscape” popularized by 19th century English landscape design. Its plan included retention of natural features like ponds and mature forests with added roads and paths that followed the natural contours of the land, as well as the planting of hundreds of native and exotic trees and plants. United States Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story delivered the dedication address on September 24, 1831.

“Mount Auburn also began the practice of allowing the purchase of family plots large enough to allow the burial of several generations of a single family.”

The cemetery soon became a tourist attraction, attracting locals as well as tourists from across the country and Europe. Mount Auburn Cemetery also became the location of many of Boston’s leading citizens, including ministers, politicians, army generals, Civil War heroes, authors, industrial leaders, and many more.

A few years ago, I became one of those tourists and spent most of a day in the Mount Auburn Cemetery. I had planned to go for only an hour or two early in the morning. The place was so interesting, however, that I remained there most of the day.

A short time later I moved into a home in the Boston suburbs, only a few miles from the Mount Auburn Cemetery. I returned to the cemetery and took a video camera with me. I took many videos of the tombstones, the gardens, the scenic ponds, and the winding roads and pathways. I have since selected the better videos and combined them into a “digital tour” of the garden cemetery. You can watch the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Zs63WUAyA5M or in the video player below:

There are thousands of tombstones and memorials in the cemetery. A video of all of them would be several hours long! Instead, I am only showing a small sample of them.

This 8-minute video is a sampling of two things: (1.) the beauty and artistry of the Mount Auburn Cemetery and (2.) a number of hints about taking pictures or videos of tombstones.

Statues and memorials often include depictions of angels and cherubs as well as botanical motifs such as ivy representing memory, oak leaves for immortality, poppies for sleep, willow trees for sorrow and grieving of the families in mourning, and acorns for life.

You can learn more about the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Auburn_Cemetery and in the cemetery’s own web site at: https://mountauburn.org.

Findmypast Adds New Family Records Dating Back to Colonial America

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 20:16:14 GMT

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Discover emigrant ancestors and much more this Findmypast Friday.

Swiss Emigrants to the American Colonies, 1734-1744

With newly-created indexes for easy searching, this publication records the details of over 3,000 Swiss immigrants to the New World. Translated and transcribed from an original manuscript held in the State Archive of Zurich, the records can reveal your Swiss ancestors' names and ages, where they came from, settled and more.

The collection contains large numbers of emigrants who intended to travel to Carolina, as it was the most heavily advertised colony in Switzerland. In many cases, the circumstances around their departure is indicated. Most of these events and pieces of information were submitted by local priests.

Emigrant Ministers To The Americas

Spanning 1690-1811, this collection can be searched by name, year, destination and keywords to discover Church of England clergy working in the American colonies. Many Church of England ministers were given a bounty by the King of England to go and practice their faith in overseas colonies.

This list was compiled largely from records known as Money Books, King’s Warrant Books, Treasury Papers, and Exchequer of Receipt Papers, documenting the funds spent to send missionaries to the New World. However, most of the entries also include where the individual was intending to travel to, specific roles, such as clerk or lawyer, and frequently, additional genealogical information.

Winthrop Fleet Passenger List, 1630

A decade after the Mayflower, the Winthrop Fleet took hundreds more English settlers to America. Search this collection to discover the passengers and their amazing stories. The voyage saw 11 vessels, led by John Winthrop, and between 700 and 1,000 English settlers arrive in the New World.

The fleet included a large group of Puritan families, with a variety of skills, skilled labour, and family groups, to ensure a healthy and robust colony. The fleet itself was funded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These records, originally published in 1930, describe the background, the experience and the motivation for the fleet, as well as listing many of the participants by name with genealogical details.

Newspapers

Runcorn Weekly News (covering 1913-1933 and 1936-1970) and Clare Freeman and Ennis Gazette (covering 1855-1884) are brand new to the site this week.

Plus, more pages have been added to Evening Mail (from 1869-1872, 1874-1885 and 1892-1922) and Cork Daily Herald (from 1897-1899).

National Genealogical Society Announces Results of 2020 Board of Directors Election

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 19:56:37 GMT

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society:

FALLS CHURCH, va, 25 SEPTEMBER 2020—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announced the results of its 2020 Board of Directors election at its annual meeting on 1 September 2020. The incoming slate includes three new positions to reflect the upcoming merger of NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) on 1 October 2020. These new board positions are Vice President for Society & Organization Management and two directors at large drawn from FGS ranks.

Outgoing President Benjamin B. Spratling, JD, of Birmingham, Alabama, announced the results of the election and the incoming board members who will be seated on 1 October.

NGS Officers (1 October 2020 – 30 September 2022)

President: Kathryn M. Doyle, California
Vice President: Ellen Pinckney Balthazar, Texas
Vice President of Society & Organization Management: Cheri Hudson Passey, South Carolina
Secretary: Ed Donakey, Utah
Treasurer: Deborah Lebo Hoskins, Pennsylvania

NGS Directors serve four-year terms that are staggered so that the entire slate does not turn over in one election cycle.

NGS Regional Directors

Director of Region 2: Faye Stallings, Texas
Director of Region 3: Janet L. Bailey, Virginia
Director of Region 4: Bernice Alexander Bennett, Maryland

Directors at Large

Janet A. Alpert, South Carolina
Colleen Robledo Greene, California
Marlis Humphrey, Florida
Andre Kearns, Washington, DC
David Rencher, Utah

Continuing their terms on the Board of Directors are Angie Bush, MS, Director of Region 1, and Ronald V. Hodges, PhD, Director at Large.

“I congratulate the incoming Board members,” Spratling said, “And I extend my sincere gratitude for their commitment and service to the National Genealogical Society. I also thank the Nominating Committee, including Jordan Jones, chair; Deborah A. Abbott, PhD; B. Darrell Jackson, PhD, CG; Darcie Hind Posz; CG, and D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, for their excellent work.”

The entire 2020 NGS Annual Meeting can be viewed on YouTube. It includes a short video about the upcoming merger of NGS and FGS, which will be finalized on 1 October 2020, and features outgoing President Benjamin B, Spratling, FGS President Faye Stallings who has been newly elected to NGS Board, incoming President Kathryn M. Doyle, and Executive Director Matt Menashes.

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

Genealogists Track Down Missing People After Devastating Fires

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 20:45:14 GMT

Here is a project that could use your genealogical expertise! The following is an excerpt from an article by Hallie Golden and published in The Guardian:

On a recent Saturday, as fires raged across much of the US west coast, Nancy Collins, 42, received a Facebook message from a friend: “Do you angels feel like helping find people again?”

Collins, a genetic genealogist in the San Francisco Bay area, didn’t hesitate: “Of course.”

Two years ago, the pair, along with several others with expertise in genealogy and digital sleuthing, came together to help locate some of the many people who had gone missing following the catastrophic wildfires in Paradise, California. Collins and her fellow genealogical experts are known as “search angels” and, along with the support of several administrators, they have ultimately helped to connect nearly 250 people with their family and friends.

In the months that followed, there were times when it seemed they would need to join forces once again, such as after fires in Australia, but the group has largely remained on hiatus.

Until now, that is.

With a new series of devastating fires that have burned millions of acres and killed more than 30 people in Oregon, California and Washington, including a firefighter, the search angels had been resurrected to help reunite families and friends and bring closure to those desperately in need of it.

You can read the full story at https://bit.ly/2RYpnnb.

Help Wanted: Allen County Public Library Seeks a New Executive Director

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 19:25:22 GMT

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana is searching for its next executive director and is asking for the community’s input. In an online survey, people can submit what traits and characteristics they think are important for the next director to have.

You can take the survey at http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ehb19tt7kf2r0mol/a023ehkffg32mc/greeting. The deadline to complete the survey is September 24, 2020.

Last month, the library’s executive director at the time, Greta Southard, resigned. A few days later, the library Board of Trustees appointed Denise Davis to serve as interim director. She was already serving as ACPL’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

The library hasn’t said when a new permanent executive director could be named.

FamilySearch Hits 8 Billion Searchable Names in Historical Records

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:26:43 GMT

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Nonprofit FamilySearch published its 8 billionth free searchable name from its worldwide historic record collections online. The milestone is even more astounding when you think that each name is someone’s ancestor—8 billion family connections just waiting to be discovered. Explore the free databases at FamilySearch.org.

It’s an incredible feat when you realize that just 1 billion seconds ago, it was 1988, or 1 billion minutes ago the Roman Empire was thriving and Christianity was just beginning to spread.

“To digitally preserve and make so many names freely searchable online is impressive, but it’s the personal family connections that matter most,” said David Rencher, FamilySearch’s chief genealogical officer. “With each new record, there’s the possibility to find a missing link in the family tree. And that is soul-satisfying.” FamilySearch adds over 1 million new records each day.

“Every human being who comes to this earth is the product of generations of parents. We have a natural yearning to connect with our ancestors. This desire dwells in our hearts, regardless of age,” said Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the sponsoring organization of FamilySearch. “When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves.”

Rencher says finding even one extra hint from a record can make a difference. This is evidenced by the comments that pour in from FamilySearch’s millions of users.

“I have found my Nana’s marriage certificate.” Maureen

“I found that my great-great-grandfather was in the civil war. They took his land...I am very proud of him.” S. Briggs

“Resources are really helping me find people or make corrections and unite families.” M. Thurgood

“I am finding endless Ukrainian immigrant families who pioneered settlements of the Prairies of Canada.” Larry

“This milestone is just the tip of the iceberg. FamilySearch won’t quit until we’ve accounted for everyone possible from the world’s available records,” said Rencher. “With over 8 billion searchable names and growing, the odds of growing the branches of your family tree each time you visit keep getting better all the time.”

Growth is in the roots of FamilySearch. It began 125 years ago (See FamilySearch Celebrates 125^th Anniversary) as the Genealogical Society of Utah, with a mere 300 hundred books of family records on its shelves. Now FamilySearch has 3.2 billion digital images, 490,000 digital books, and a Family Tree with over a billion more user-contributed records available online. And it adds over 1 million new records every day.

Seven billion names from almost every country have been added in just the last 10 years. And efforts have been amplified to increase access to even more of the world’s genealogically relevant records. FamilySearch largely credits this remarkable accomplishment to its dedicated online volunteers, innovative technologies, and growing partnerships with other organizations.

It’s never been easier to search for your family lines and connect your own story with your ancestors. What new records will you find? Discover your roots today for free at FamilySearch.

Vivid-Pix Launches New AI Powered Restore – Patented Photo & Document Restoration Software

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:16:55 GMT

Savannah, GA, September 24, 2020 – Vivid-Pix www.vivid-pix.com announced today at the ACPL Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library (free webinar: https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4502576 the new version of their acclaimed AI powered RESTORE photo and document restoration software that fixes virtually any image type, in just one click. Vivid-Pix is recognized by genealogy and photography hobbyist communities as the fastest, easiest, and most affordable way to improve faded photos and unreadable documents, such as letters, immigration records, newspaper clippings, postmarks, and birth, wedding, and death certificates, as well as other crucial photos and documents essential to the research and sharing of family history, the second most popular hobby in the U.S.

New Features of Restoration Software

Vivid-Pix RESTORE patented AI software automatically restores faded old black and white, sepia, and color photos and documents; and provides image organization, editing, and saving. The new version now improves a wider variety of image formats; metadata tagging for research, transcription, and sharing of family stories; and Crop/Recalculate to hone in on specific areas that need fixing – details essential for genealogists and family historians.

Simplicity is Key to Vivid-Pix’s Popularity – No Need to Learn Complex Software

Simplicity is the key to Vivid-Pix’s popularity. Family historians and photo lovers no longer need to learn complex software to improve their images or spend a lot of money on subscriptions or pay someone else to improve their treasures. Users can simply purchase RESTORE once, receive free updates, and with one-click and easy controls, RESTORE their memories.

Features of the New version of RESTORE:

EXIF and IPTC compliant metadata archiving: allows the user to see the history of the image, including info on the photographer or scanner, and add important information about the image and its content: people, place, historical insights, and more.
Crop/Recalculate: selects a specific area of the image to quickly focus on small important or unclear sections and improve just those areas of the image.
More image types: now fixes JPEG, TIFF, PNG, DNG, BMP, and RAW image files.
Organizes, notates, and automatically saves original and new improved images.
One-click AI software: easiest to use.
Low cost: with free 10-Fix trial.

Vivid-Pix RESTORE Launches Today at ACPL, the Largest Genealogy Center in the U.S.

The new version of Vivid-Pix RESTORE will launch today at the ACPL Genealogy Center in the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana at 6:30 PM ET, with a simulcast free webinar online at: https://acpl.libnet.info/event/4502576. The largest genealogy research collection available in a public library in the U.S., the ACPL Genealogy Center incorporates records from around the world, with a staff that specializes in genealogy. “To further train genealogy librarians at our nations’ libraries, today we launched free, expert-led training at: https://vivid-pix.com/librarian,” said Rick Voight, CEO, Vivid-Pix. “Genealogy/family history is the second most popular hobby in much of the world, including the U.S. In our current environment, people are spending more time focusing on the most important things in life – family, friends, and organizing their photographs. That’s why we think it’s important to make our software even better and help those that help us with our family history.”

Vivid-Pix RESTORE Availability

The U.S. Patent Office has awarded two patents to Vivid-Pix for its image processing techniques used to automatically correct images. The new version of Vivid-Pix RESTORE is available now for Mac and Windows for $49.99 at: https://vivid-pix.com/restore/buy.html with a 10 Free-Fix Trial without a credit card required at: https://vivid-pix.com/restore/free-trial.html. See Vivid-Pix RESTORE in action at: https://Vivid-Pix.com/restore. For more information, see the website at: https://vivid-pix.com/.

About Vivid-Pix

Vivid-Pix was founded by Rick Voight and Randy Fredlund, who have a combined 47 years of experience from Eastman Kodak Co. They brought Kodak’s “You Press the Button, We Do the Rest” philosophy to the design of Vivid-Pix RESTORE AI software. For more info, see: https://vivid-pix.com/.

Are You the Victim of “Fertility Fraud?”

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:05:18 GMT

Were your parents REALLY your parents?

According to any article by Michael Cook in the BioEdge.com web site (that specializes in bioethics news):

“A new field of litigation has evolved in the United State: denouncing fertility fraud. In the latest episode, a nation-wide firm, Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway, announced that it was pursuing two fertility doctors who allegedly used their own sperm a generation ago to get women pregnant and without informing them.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, according to Adam Wolf, the lawyer handling the cases. He claims that hundreds of fertility fraud cases will emerge across the US as people begin to investigate their genealogy using home DNA testing kids.”

You can read the rest of the article at: https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/national-wave-of-fertility-fraud/13561.

RAF Air Force Lists and Thousands of Extra War Memorials Released by TheGenealogist

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:04:52 GMT

The following announcement was written by TheGenealogist:

TheGenealogist has released 71 new Air Force Lists with over 2 million names, as well as 385 extra War Memorials listing over 31,000 names.

Air Force Lists

The launch of this major resource gives access to 71 new Air Force Lists from 1919 to 1945 with over 2 million searchable names.

Air Force Lists are useful for family history researchers to see when an officer joined the RAF. They can also tell you what the airman’s rank was in different years and, by looking at the letters written after his name in the list, they can tell you what medals your ancestor had been awarded. These join a large run of similar Army and Navy Lists and other military records on TheGenealogist.

Use these records to:

Find ancestors who became officers in the Royal Air Force
Discover their ranks, service numbers and medals awarded
See which branch they served in and their dates of posting

War Memorials

With 3,400 new photos in this release, these new records include a number of schools and colleges including the Sevenoaks School where WW1 former pupils who served are recorded as well as casualties and medals awarded to them. Other schools and colleges included in this release are: The University College School, Hampstead; Merthyr Tydfil County School; Lord Weymouth Grammar School in Warminster, Wiltshire; Leeds, St Anne's RC School; and West Leeds High School.

War Memorials for workplaces and sporting organisations can help flesh out an ancestor’s life in revealing their occupation or recreational pursuits. Examples include the Gloucester Rugby Club; Gloucestershire County Hall staff for WW1 WW2; the Travellers Club in Pall Mall; Leeds Council employees WW1; Leeds, Kirkstall Brewery; Leeds Stock Exchange members and clerks; London; Army & Navy Stores WW1 - memorials for two of their department stores; and London, Union Discount Co.

Rolls of Service

Included in this week's release are also a number of Rolls of Service for the Boer War, WW1 and WW2, as well as some for civilian casualties in the Second World War such as Salcombe in Devon and Portsmouth.

This release brings the total number of War Memorials on TheGenealogist to over 597,000.

Use these records to:

Find ancestors who fought for their country in various conflicts
Discover workplaces or organisations that some ancestors were associated with

This release expands TheGenealogist’s extensive Military records collection and when used with connected resources, such as the RAF Operations Record Books (ORBs), Aircraft Identification book from 1939, Military Death records, War Memorials and others on TheGenealogist, it can be possible to really build an ancestors story.

To see an example of this, read TheGenealogist’s article: Paddy Finucane the Spitfire Ace
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2020/air-force-lists-and-records-find-paddy-finucane-the-spitfire-ace-1308/.

These records and many more are available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist.co.uk.

Harsh Truths Amid the Mayflower Myths of Nationhood

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 17:31:41 GMT

An article by Carrie Gibson in The Guardian website describes the voyage of the Mayflower and also the first few years of the Pilgrim settlement in Plimoth in what is now Massachusetts. One problem: the story describes many things that were not mentioned in history books when I was in school.

A 1752 painting by Bernard Gribble of the Pilgrim fathers boarding the Mayflower in 1620 for their voyage to America. Photograph: Print Collector/Getty Images

The article describes the Mayflower 400: Legend & Legacy, the inaugural exhibition of the Box in Plymouth, Devon, England, being held in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s Atlantic crossing.

Here is a quote from the article:

"'This wasn’t a huge historic voyage in 1620. If anything, it was an act of madness because they were going at the wrong time of year into an incredibly dangerous Atlantic,' said the exhibition’s curator, Jo Loosemore.

"The omission in the port book is one of many gaps surrounding the voyage of the Mayflower that the exhibition tries to fill. The general story is well known: the Mayflower took its 102 men, women, and children – the majority of whom were Puritan religious dissenters known as Separatists, but also called Pilgrims – from Plymouth to what they hoped would be the Hudson river. They endured a treacherous 66-day voyage and were blown off course, landing on the tip of what is now Massachusetts, before crossing the bay to set up a colony on land belonging to the Wampanoag, whose name means 'people of the first light' and who had inhabited the area for some 12,000 years.

"They had an estimated population of at least 15,000 in the early 1600s, and lived in villages on the Massachusetts coast and inland. Their help enabled the English to survive, and also became the basis for the much-mythologised first Thanksgiving feast, still celebrated in the US as a national holiday, though not without controversy. The reality, as this exhibition shows, was far more complicated – and violent."

You can read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/20/pilgrim-fathers-harsh-truths-amid-the-mayflower-myths-of-nationhood.

Help Wanted: Archivist, Essex, England Record Office

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 16:58:08 GMT

If you live in or near Chelmsford, Essex and have experience as an archivist, you might want to apply for a position at the Essex Records Office. Quoting from the posting:

"Educated to degree level with a diploma/MA in Archive Administration, the appointee will be an integral part of Essex Record Office's team of Archivists, and will be encouraged to develop their skills in a supportive professional environment in a state-of-the-art, modern archive building opened at the Millennium. This role is suitable for newly qualified archivists."

There is a lot more information about the position to be found at https://jobs.localgov.co.uk/job/148299/archivist-essex-record-office/.

Arms of Essex

MyHeritage Announces a Major Update to Theory of Family Relativity™

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:53:30 GMT

MyHeritage has just refreshed the data for the Theory of Family Relativity™.

This update has added millions of new and improved theories that explain how you and your DNA Matches might be related, and can enlighten you about family relationships that may have been complete mysteries until now.

Since the last update, the number of theories on MyHeritage has grown by 64%, from 20,330,031 to 33,373,070! The number of MyHeritage users who now have at least one Theory of Family Relativity™ for their DNA Matches has increased by 28%.

Here is the announcement written by MyHeritage:

We’re happy to announce that we’ve just refreshed the data for the Theory of Family Relativity™ for the third time since releasing this game-changing feature in February 2019. This revolutionary technology may offer astounding new information on your family connections.

The Theory of Family Relativity™ helps you make the most of your DNA Matches by incorporating genealogical information from all our collections of 12.5 billion historical records and 4 billion family tree profiles, to offer theories on how you and your DNA Matches might be related.

Users who have taken a MyHeritage DNA test or who have uploaded a DNA kit from another service since the last update may now receive answers and new insights about their relationships to their DNA Matches. This update will also provide users who have previously taken a MyHeritage DNA test or uploaded their DNA data with new theories to further their research, thanks to MyHeritage’s ever-growing database of family trees and historical records.

If you haven’t taken the MyHeritage DNA test yet, consider ordering your kit today.

More about the Theory of Family Relativity™

Learn more about the revolutionary technology that saves you dozens of hours of research crafting multiple theories about how you and your DNA Matches might be related in this webinar:

For other resources about the Theory of Family Relativity™ and our DNA tools, please visit the MyHeritage Knowledge Base.

Theory of Family Relativity™ update by the numbers

The total number of theories has increased from 20,330,031 to 33,373,070— a 64% increase.

The number of DNA Matches that include a theory increased by 59% from 14,201,731 to 22,618,962.

Sometimes we arrive at a theory through multiple paths, indicating a strong theory and providing additional supporting evidence. After the previous update, there were a total of 161,762,761 paths. This update increased the number of paths by 61% to 261,960,015.

The number of MyHeritage users who now have at least one Theory of Family Relativity™ for their DNA Matches has increased by 28%.

How to see your new theories

If we have found new theories for you in this update, you’ll see a banner about the Theory of Family Relativity™ at the top of your DNA Matches page. Click “View theories” to see all the theories we’ve found, both old and new.

This banner, indicating that you have new theories, will be available for a few weeks, after which you can access your theories by going to your DNA Matches page.

Whenever a DNA Match has a theory, this will be indicated in the DNA Match card. You can also filter your DNA Matches to see only those with a Theory of Family Relativity™ by clicking on the Filters icon. In the first group of filters, select “Has Theory of Family Relativity™.”

You will also see a “NEW” badge next to new theories that were just added. This indication will appear for 30 days.

Theory of Family Relativity™ is a premium feature that requires a site subscription on MyHeritage (Premium, PremiumPlus, or Complete). Users without a MyHeritage plan will still see all the theories that we found for them, but when they click on the theory to view the full details, some of the information will be hidden. Users who upload their raw DNA data from another testing service to MyHeritage can pay a one-time fee of $29 per kit to unlock all advanced DNA features offered by MyHeritage, including Theory of Family Relativity™. Learn more about our subscription plans.

Conclusion

The Theory of Family Relativity™ can be a game-changer for people searching for new family members and genealogists trying to break through brick walls. It can help users instantly solve mysteries that may have been baffling them for months or years.

We hope you enjoy the new update and can’t wait to hear about your new discoveries.

Chester County (Pennsylvania) Unveils Interactive Tool to Trace Property

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 00:05:56 GMT

Just in time for the anniversary of the Battle of the Brandywine, Chester County Archives and Records Services has released a new interactive tool that helps you discover who lived on your property in September 1777.

The 1777 Chester County Property Atlas is an interactive map that allows researchers to easily see who owned properties in 1777, and if those owners or occupants reported any losses caused by British troops during the Philadelphia Campaign of the Revolutionary War.

The culmination of years of research by Chester County Archives staff, the project’s original intent was to assist with interpretation and preservation of events surrounding the Battle of Brandywine.

You can read a lot more about this new online service on an article at: https://bit.ly/302vWcO.

I did find it interesting that the article does not provide a URL for the new 1777 Chester County Property Atlas. However, a quick search online found it at: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9cef8b93eaa94faf8e106edbb737ef1c.

That article also states, "Chester County Archives and Records Services invites researchers to share their land ownership and ancestral stories on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChescoArchives."

New DNA Study Reveals Most Vikings Weren't Blond or Blue-Eyed

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:54:26 GMT

If you have Scandinavian ancestry, you probably will be interested in an article by Jim Vejvoda and published in the IGN.COM web site.

Here is an excerpt:

It turns out most Vikings weren't as fair-haired and blue-eyed as legend and pop culture have led people to believe. According to a new study on the DNA of over 400 Viking remains, most Vikings had dark hair and dark eyes. (Sorry, Chris Hemsworth and Travis Fimmel.)

Nature's study sequencing the genomes of 442 Viking remains from Viking-inhabited areas like northern Europe, Italy, and Greenland -- human remains dated between 2400 B.C. to 1600 A.D. and which were buried with a variety of Viking artifacts -- reveals far more genetic diversity than previously thought about the people who came from the land of the ice and snow. The Vikings, after all, were a scattered group whose sea-faring for trade, exploration, and conquest saw them settle far and wide during the Viking Age that lasted from roughly 700 A.D. to 1100 A.D.

Not only did many of the studied Vikings turn out to not be blond or blue-eyed, their genetic admixture shows they weren't a distinct ethnic group but rather a mix of various other groups, "with ancestry from hunter-gatherers, farmers, and populations from the Eurasian steppe."

You can read the full article at: https://www.ign.com/articles/viking-ancient-dna-study-what-did-vikings-look-like.

Blog and Recent blog posts gadgets

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 12:33:42 GMT

Using the blog gadget, you can add a blog to your Wild Apricot site to provide timely updates and information to your membership.

By using Recent blog posts, you can display a list of the most recent blog posts, with links to the full posts. The list will include the date of each post and the name of the poster – with the name linking to their profile if available.

For instructions on inserting, moving, and deleting gadgets, see Gadgets.

WA blog settings and setting up restrictions

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:36:13 GMT

You can create as many different blogs as you wish. You can limit access to a blog by placing it on a restricted page. If you make the page public, you can still use the blog gadget settings to control functionality for visitors and members.

You can read more about setting up blogs on our Blog help page.

If you are looking on more information on how to use blog, you can find it here.

Here's a blog entry with comments

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:37:37 GMT

This is another sample blog entry. Depending on your readers' access permissions, they can comment on your posts, and reply to comments.

You can learn more about setting up blog pages on our Blog help page.