Here is an article that is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I have written often about the advantages of Chromebook computers and the closely-related ChromeOS Flex software. This article is about ChromeOS Flex:

Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, which could render 240 million PCs obsolete for consumers and businesses due to lack of free security updates and technical support. Since many of Windows 10 systems are too old to run Windows 11, many users will have to pay Microsoft for extended support or buy new PCs. Some may want to preserve their existing machines and not pay Microsoft, which will be dangerous due to lack of security updates, but Google seems to have a solution.  

Google suggests you migrate to cloud-based ChromeOS Flex, which will keep receiving regular security updates and support for at least some time, Google tells to owners of Windows 10-based PCs that are too outdated to run Windows 11. The lightweight operating system that can be easily installed on Windows devices using a USB stick. If people adopt ChromeOS Flex, this will prevent millions of PCs from becoming electronic waste, which is good for the planet. 

In addition, ChromeOS Flex provides numerous other advantages, including regular security updates, data encryption, and potentially improved performance for older devices. It also promises lower IT support costs, making it an attractive option for businesses. The operating system is compatible with various Chrome Enterprise solutions, catering to a wide range of business needs such as fleet management, kiosk deployment, and ransomware recovery. 

You can read more in an article by Anton Shilov published in the Tom’s Hardware web site at: http://tinyurl.com/57stevxk.

The Archaeological Conservancy is excited to announce we have launched our new website! Please visit us at https://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- We are excited to announce that The Archaeological Conservancy has launched a new website. When you visit us at https://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org you'll find a rich and interactive experience that lets you immerse yourself in cultural heritage across the country.

We've worked hard to design an updated site that is easy to navigate, while also being rich in information. You'll find:

- A responsive design, no matter what device you use to visit us

- American Archaeology article excerpts, field notes, book reviews, a digital archive of all American Archaeology issues (older than two years), and a searchable database of archived book reviews

- Information on our current tour schedule

- Virtual site tours that take you to some of our most interesting archaeological preserves

- An interactive map that lets you explore preserves across the country

- Easy access to recordings of our Virtual Lectures (2020 through the present)

- A password-protected area for our members where you can update your contact information, make donations, and read digital copies of the most current editions of American Archaeology

We'd like to thank our web developer Adam Hurd of Halfpixel for working with us to bring this new website to you. We hope you enjoy exploring it!

About The Archaeological Conservancy

The Archaeological Conservancy, established in 1980, is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving the best of our nation's remaining archaeological sites. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Conservancy also operates regional offices in Mississippi, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Nevada. The Conservancy has preserved over 585 sites across the nation.

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

Genealogy research is a fascinating endeavor. After all, your family tree is a puzzle that needs to be solved. In fact, you are literally finding out where you came from. I strongly recommend that anyone with an interest in ancestry do their own research. After all, it is fun and challenging.

As author of this newsletter, I sometimes field questions from genealogy newcomers — questions like how they can hire someone to research their family tree for a fee. I typically respond with still another question and a comment: “Would you pay someone to play a round of golf for you? While that might complete the objective, you will miss out on the entire experience.”

Despite my rather cavalier remark, I will suggest that professional genealogists can be your best friends and assistants after you have started your own genealogy research. Yes, you should do the basics yourself. You should start with yourself and then find information about your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, and so on, as far back as you can possibly go on your own. 

Researching your own family tree is fun and can be inexpensive. However, when you do hit a “brick wall” and cannot go back any further, it may be time to call in the professionals.

For instance, you may exhaust all the resources that you know of. At that point, you may wish to hire an expert who has years of experience in the same area to see if he or she can find information that eludes you.

Even when you do know where to look next, you may find it impossible to travel to a distant records repository to look at some record that has not yet been put on the web, on microfilm, or even in a printed book. This will be especially true in many cases where the original records are a long distance from where you live, possibly in a different continent.

Even if you can travel to the location of the records(s), it may require days or even weeks to become familiar with the archive(s) available there and to learn how to make effective use of these repositories. If you are paying for daily hotel rooms and restaurant meals, that might be a very expensive trip!

In many cases, you will find it far cheaper to pay a professional researcher who lives closer to the archives to look at records for you and to make photocopies. That usually will beat the costs of traveling there yourself with all the expenses of airfare, hotels, and meals. The professional may also notice things that you missed on that document or possibly on other documents in the same repository. 

Indeed, the local professional probably has already learned all those lessons that you have not, such as “what are the better repositories to search for records of certain groups (Jewish, German-speaking, military records, tax records, and so on).

Another good use of a professional’s time is when you simply need advice from an expert. Paying for a few hours’ consulting time from someone who is an expert in the geographic area or the ethnic group you are researching may provide an education, enhance your genealogy experiences, and point you in the right direction to continue your own search.

All professional genealogists are not created alike. Almost all of them are specialists of some sort. A person who is expert in New England research or in Jewish research may not be as competent in the records of Pennsylvania German immigrants or Alabama Civil War veterans. You need to find a person with the expertise that you seek.

Professional genealogists may do research for hire based on their knowledge of, and access to, resources for a particular area of expertise. Researchers specialize in many different areas, including:

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/13316789.

From the Department of Social Protection: 

An additional year of historic Births, Marriages and Deaths, including births in 1923 and deaths in 1973 are now available to view on the website www.irishgenealogy.ie. The records now available online include:

• Birth register records – 1864 to 1923
• Marriage register records – 1845 to 1948
• Death register records – 1864 to 1973

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, welcomed this latest release: 

“This release of an additional year of register data by the Civil Registration Service is part of the ongoing partnership between my Department and the Department of Social Protection. 

“The aim of this continuing project is to make all these historic records freely and easily accessible to all members of the public and broader diaspora via the www.irishgeneaology.ie website.

“I’m sure both new and returning visitors to the site, will welcome the addition of these records for continued research.

“I know that this annual update is eagerly anticipated and will be of great benefit to anyone carrying out research on their Irish ancestry.”

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, added: 

“I very much welcome the ongoing partnership between our two Departments, which has allowed us to make this latest tranche of information easily available.

“The civil records of birth, death and marriages published on www.irishgenealogy.ie are critical to helping us understand the identity, lifestyles and experiences of our ancestors. 

“Civil registration records give us a really solid sense of our identity and connection and this is why this project is so important to the Irish diaspora at home and abroad.” 

Notes:

The records being launched are the Birth register entries for 1923, Marriage Register entries for 1948 and Death Register entries for 1973. These entries show important information that are often vital in helping people to find out about their ancestry. 

For Births these include:

• Child’s Forename/s
• Child’s Surname
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth
• Father's Name and Address
• Mother's Name and Maiden Name if Married
• Father's Occupation
• Signature of Informant (Person who registered the birth)
• Date of Registration of the Birth

For Marriages these include:

• Marriage location
• Date of Marriage
• Forename/s & Surnames of Bride and Groom
• Age at time of Marriage
• Condition (i.e. Bachelor, Spinster or Widowed)
• Occupation of Bride and Groom
• Bride’s and Groom’s Fathers’ Names and Addresses
• Occupations of Bride’s and Groom’s Fathers
• Signature of Bride and Groom 
• Signature of Witnesses

For Deaths these include:

• Date and Place of Death
• Name and Surname of Deceased
• Male or Female
• Condition of deceased (i.e. Bachelor, Spinster or Widowed)
• Age at last Birthday
• Rank, Profession or Occupation of Deceased
• Cause of Death and duration of illness
• Signature, qualification and residence of informant
• Date of registration

The years covered by the historic records of Births, Marriages and Deaths available on the www.irishgenealogy.ie website are:

Births: 1864 to 1923

Marriages: 1845* to 1948

Deaths: 1871** to 1973

* Civil Registration of Marriages in the Roman Catholic Church only commenced in 1864.

**The Civil Registration Service are currently working on updating the remaining records of Deaths dating back to 1864. These will be included in future updates to the records available on the website.

Every year an additional year of Birth, Marriage and Death entries are added to the website.

The website is free to use and no subscription or registration is required to use it. In 2023 2,224,735 users visited the site and recorded a total number of 4,590,247 visits to the site.

Notable additions to records available with the 2024 refresh:

Birth 1923:

Patrick John Hillery, (02 May 1923 – 12 April 2008). 

He was born on 2 May, 1923, in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare and qualified as a medical doctor. He married Mary Beatrice Finnegan in 1955.

In 1951 Dr. Hillery was elected to Dáil Éireann for the constituency of Clare and he received his first Government appointment as Minister for Education in 1959.

He subsequently served in a number of ministerial posts (Industry and Commerce, Labour and Foreign Affairs) prior to his appointment in 1973 as Vice President of the then Commission of the European Communities, with special responsibility for Social Affairs. He served as Commissioner until 1976, when he was inaugurated as the sixth President of Ireland on 3 December, 1976.

He died on 12th April 2008.

Brendan Behan, (09 Feb 1923 – 20 Mar 1964). 

Born on February 9th 1923, Brendan Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English and Irish. He achieved notoriety and global celebrity owing to his talent and wit as a writer and journalist,

Behan's uncle Peadar Kearney wrote The Soldier's Song, which became the Irish national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann when translated into Irish.

Deaths 1973:

Thomas McEllistrim (14 October 1894 – 4 December 1973)

Thomas McEllistrim was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a TD from 1923 to 1969. He was a military activist in the period from 1916 to 1923.

He rejected the Anglo-Irish Treaty and fought in the Anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War of 1922 to 1923. He was one of the senior IRA figures in Kerry during this conflict, under the command of Humphrey Murphy. In the war's early months, he commanded a Kerry column in the fighting in Limerick and at the Battle of Kilmallock, before retreating back into Kerry and pursuing guerrilla warfare. In January 1923, he, along with John Joe Sheehy, led an attack on the National Army barracks at Castlemaine, Co. Kerry.

McEllistrim was elected to the Dáil as a TD for Kerry in August 1923, only months after the end of the civil war, as a republican candidate.

Thanks to our partners at the Appalachian Regional Library and Ashe County Public Library, new issues of The Skyland Post (West Jefferson, N.C.) newspaper are now available on our website DigitalNC. The microfilm issues are now ready for viewing in an easily accessible digital format! This latest batch of newspapers range from 1947-1952. You can view more issues of The Skyland Post (West Jefferson, N.C.) newspaper using keyword(s) and date. 

To browse all of our newspapers by location, date, and type, take a look at our North Carolina Newspapers collection. To see what other materials they have contributed, visit the Appalachian Regional Library partners page. To learn more about what the library has been up to, check out the Appalachian Regional Library website.

There is an ambitious project underway to recover 10 million names of enslaved people of African descent.

These slaves connect to some 44 million descendants. Unfortunately, finding their names is a huge challenge.

A team of scholars and genealogists with the Boston-based American Ancestors is working to create a searchable database where people can go and find the names and information about their forebears.

It's a collaborative effort that even involves working with several genealogical groups across the country, including in Hampton Roads. They're working with researchers, families, and data partners across the country to catalog this documented history that will live in an online database for anyone to access for free.

Tufts University's Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Dr. Kendra Field serves as the chief historian for the "10 Million Names" project.

You can read more in an article by Janet Roach published in the 13newsnow.com web site at: http://tinyurl.com/2b46p2au.

Press Release - Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Washington, DC

The National Archives Rotunda and galleries in Washington, DC, closed to the public today after two individuals dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at approximately 2:30 pm. They were immediately detained by security personnel. Officials are investigating the incident. 

The Constitution was unaffected in its encasement. No damage was done to the document itself. The agency's conservators were onsite within minutes and are conducting a thorough evaluation of the damage to the Rotunda. For Thursday, February 15, the Rotunda will remain closed for cleaning. The rest of the National Archives Building will be open on its regular schedule.

“The National Archives Rotunda is the sanctuary for our nation’s founding documents. They are here for all Americans to view and understand the principles of our nation. We take such vandalism very seriously and we will insist that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States.

A free newspaper database will be launched on Heritage Day in Antigonish.

In a release, museum curator and StFX instructor, Dr. Barry Mackenzie, says historical issues of community newspaper, The Casket-founded in 1852- are only available mostly on microfilm.

It has taken about three years to upload and index more than 50 years’ worth of the paper, so it will be months before the entire collection is digitized.

However, they want to make it available to researchers around the world right away.

This digital resource will eventually make widely available more than a century of local news.

The Antigonish Heritage Museum will officially launch the new database at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 19th.

Launching on Valentine's Day, the project will see the digital release of hundreds of thousands of personal letters, diaries and other handwritten documents.

That includes the beginning of Dorothy and Mac's 70-year love story, which was penned in hundreds of love letters spanning five years.

Their romance began in 1937, when a 17-year-old Mac met a 14-year-old Dorothy, or - as he liked to call her - his darling Dot.

"He kept on asking me to go out but my father wouldn't let me," Dorothy laughed. 

In 1939, Mac was off to war, but the plan was always to come home to his Dot.

"He said to me, When I come back home...' he said, 'Will you come out with me then?'" Dorothy reminisced.

The couple met when Mac was 17 and Dot was 14, but her father would not let the pair date. 

"I said, 'Of course I will, Mac!' And then he gave me a kiss and went to war."

They wrote letters to each other every week for five years.

Even when Mac was captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war the letters continued.

"I hated him being away, and when the letters came back oh gee they were wonderful," Dorothy said.

"A letter meant he was still alive, you see, so it was so exciting."

But the best message of all came in April 1945.

Mac had escaped and he was coming home to his darling Dot.

"Hello my darling. What does one say in a moment such as this?" Dot wrote on April 30, 1945.

"I have butterflies in my stomach, love in my heart and few words that make sense in my mind. Well Mac, it's really coming at last. You're almost home". 

You can read more in an article by Eleanor Wilson published in the nine.com.au web site at: http://tinyurl.com/5n8f7bva.

Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday to send a card. The Greeting Card Association claims that an estimated one billion cards are sent each year. Yet, most of the people who send the cards have no idea who Saint Valentine was. Even historians cannot agree.

According to some authorities, there were two Valentines. One was a priest and doctor who was martyred in the year 269, and the other was the bishop of Terni, who was brought to Rome to be tortured and executed in 273. Others say it was the same person. Both men (or the same man) have legends attributed to them concerning love and matrimony, legends that may or may not be true.

According to one rendition, Roman Emperor Claudius II issued an edict saying that his soldiers were not allowed to be married. Apparently, Claudius thought that married soldiers weren't as good as single soldiers. As you might imagine, this news was not well received among the military men. Valentine obviously disagreed with the edict and continued to marry young couples, even though Claudius forbade it. When Claudius found out, he ordered Valentine to be beheaded, and the sentence was soon carried out.

Whether the stories involve one man or two, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D.

Recognition of the holiday clearly had taken hold by the Middle Ages. At that time, it was believed that birds begin mating in the middle of February. Even Chaucer wrote in the fourteenth century, "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day, whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate."

Nonetheless, this martyred saint probably is responsible for the fact that many of us are alive and walking the earth today. Without the excuse of Saint Valentine's Day, how many of our ancestors would never have courted and consequently never have married? How many of us would not have been born? Perhaps we all owe a debt of gratitude to Saint Valentine for our very existence.