Growing genetic databases have proven to be rich resources for discovering distant relatives, However, law enforcement agencies have perhaps been the biggest benefactors of this biometric boom.

An article by Megan Molteni in the Wired.com web site describes the process the recent rise of genetic genealogy—a technique that makes it possible to identify people through relatives who have added their genetic information to genealogy databases—changed the odds. A skilled genetic genealogist can now turn an unknown DNA profile that strikes out in traditional forensic searches into a suspect’s name nearly half of the time that it used to require. That article may be found at https://www.wired.com/story/cops-are-getting-a-new-tool-for-family-tree-sleuthing/.

In addition, a different article by the same person (Megan Molteni) published 2 years ago in the same Wired.com web site describes the risks involved in the same investigations by law enforcement personnel. The older article focuses in the intrusion into your personal privacy created by such investigations. This is especially true even if you have never taken a DNA test. In short, the government can discover most everything about you, your ancestors, and your relatives. That includes your rather distant relatives.

The second article is available at https://www.wired.com/story/genome-hackers-show-no-ones-dna-is-anonymous-anymore/.

Which is more important to you and to other citizens: solving often violent crimes or protecting your personal privacy against massive  government spying, even if you were not involved in the crime?

Are you in favor of "Big Brother" watching you?

I don't know the answer to those questions but I believe those are questions we all need to think about. I suggest everyone should read these 2 somewhat contradictory articles by the same person and then decide what is more important: personal privacy or wide-open access to everyone's ancestry and relatives in the name of solving crimes?

The following announcement was written by the Association of Professional Genealogists:

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo., 16 December 2020—The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) has selected Anne Leishman Merrell of Marshall, Virginia, as Marketing Communications Manager of the Association.

Anne Leishman Merrell began her career as a professional genealogist after earning a B.A. in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University. Anne enjoys exploring the professional genealogy world. Previous work has included directing family history youth camps for teenagers, researching for private clients, assisting in the creation of family archives, and working as a DAR staff genealogist.

Through this varied work, Anne discovered many genealogists and societies often lack marketing knowledge and struggle to find their ideal customers. With that problem in mind, Anne turned her focus to digital marketing for genealogists and societies. She improves their revenue and reach by implementing modern marketing strategies that utilize important tools such as social media and email marketing.

Anne is excited work to with APG in their efforts to communicate the Association’s mission and values to a broader audience. “I look forward to highlighting the great professionalism found in our field while sharing the immense skillset and expertise of APG’s membership,” said Merrell.

About the Association of Professional Genealogists
The Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents more than 2,700 genealogists in various genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy and history. Its 2 members represent all fifty U.S. states, Canada, and forty other countries. APG is active on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

An article by Trace Christenson in the Battle Creek (Michigan) Enquirer describes a new effort to bring genealogy research to a group of people who traditionally have not often performed such searches. The article describes the successful results of one such person. Several people who have begun looking at their heritage are using a new program called Roots Matter, begun by Jonathan Matthews.

Using genealogy programs and DNA, Matthews, 34, said he is providing facts and history to low-income families who couldn't afford the searches. Williams started his historical search using web-based sites Ancestry, African Ancestry and Family Search. Matthews' program is designed to pay for the cost of the genealogy and DNA fees and also assist people with their research.

You might like to read the article at http://bit.ly/3nmlbfd.

Comment by Dick Eastman: I found the article to be very interesting although any experienced genealogist will consider it to be a bit too brief. In short, the article probably will successfully encourage non-genealogists to start a genealogy search but will create additional questions for experienced genealogists.

After reading the article, I immediately wondered "Did they verify the claimed information?"

Experienced genealogists all know that all claimed information needs to be verified. Online web sites and old genealogy books alike often contain errors. Is the need for verification being taught to people using Roots Matter?

I suspect the Roots Matter program is successfully achieving its goals: increasing awareness of genealogy studies. However, I hope it also also doing a bit more.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Discover your ancestors in the 1900 Norway Census this week on FamilySearch and additions to Catholic Church records for Mexico, Nuevo León 1667–1981, Sinaloa 1671–1968, and Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate, Diocese of Mainz 1540–1952, plus more for Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, S. Africa and Venezuela.  US collections were expanded for Seattle, Washington Passenger Lists 1890–1957, Port of Del Rio, Texas Indexes and Manifests, 1906–1953, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Washington.   

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.

The full list is very long, too long to list here. However, you can view the full list at: https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-14-december-2020/.

The following announcement was written by the Association of Professional Genealogists:

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo., 14 December 2020—The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) has honored several members for their achievements and service to the profession. President David McDonald presented the awards at the 2020 APG Annual Meeting & Holiday Party.

The Laura G. Prescott Award for Exemplary Service to Professional Genealogy was presented to Loretto Dennis Szucs. This award recognizes a career devoted to uplifting fellow genealogists and improving their career circumstances and opportunities, and dedicated service to the field of genealogy. Loretto served the genealogy community for nearly 30 years. She kept communication lines open between Ancestry and the field of professional genealogy. At the time of her retirement, Lou was the Vice President of Community Relations at Ancestry.

Billie Stone Fogarty, MEd was awarded the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award of Merit for her outstanding service to the Association. Billie’s commitment to APG included serving ten years on the board, four of which were spent as APG President. In addition to her years of committed service to APG, Billie has also served as the president of the Genealogical Speakers Guild. She serves the Oklahoma Genealogical Society (seven terms as President, Board of Directors) and the Oklahoma Historical Society (Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Research, Publications, and Development Committees) and is currently active on the regional, state, and local level in advancing genealogical research and open records access as the state liaison for the Records Preservation and Access Committee.

The Professional Achievement Award was presented to Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG. This award recognizes a record of long-term exceptional professional achievement with contributions to the field of genealogy through individual excellence and ethical behavior. This is the second time Elizabeth has been honored with the Professional Achievement Award. This year’s award recognizes Elizabeth’s 2019 PMC Keynote Address on “how to become successful as a professional genealogist in a world in which ‘genealogy information’ is free all over the Internet.” Elizabeth’s presentation emphasized the “value added” by professional genealogists. Professionals add value to raw information provided by clients, value drawn from experience, and value pulled from the knowledge that there is much more to “research” and “information” than meets the eye. We appreciate the value Elizabeth has added to the genealogy field.

Honorary Life Membership was awarded to Amy E. K. Arner. Amy served on the Website Committee from 2015 – 2020. Her leadership, efficiency, and proficiency were instrumental in the creation of the new APG website.

Mark A. Cross was awarded the APGQ Excellence Award for his article “Books for Professional Genealogists: The Recommendations of Bibliophiles,” September 2019 issue.

About the Association of Professional Genealogists
The Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents more than 2,500 genealogists in various genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy and history. Its many members represent all fifty U.S. states, Canada, and forty other countries. APG is active on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

A small Jewish cemetery in East Poultney, Vermont is almost impossible to find. That is apparently caused by 3 reasons: (1.) there never were a lot of Jewish citizens in the area, (2.) the cemetery is small, and (3.) years of neglect. Netanel Crispe, 18, a senior at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, is hoping to preserve the cemetery before it disappears forever. You might be able to help.

Crispe first learned of the cemetery while doing some metal detecting in town on behalf of a historical society. “I came across a house that I was told was a synagogue,” he explained. The family who owned the house “mentioned that there was a Jewish cemetery in town, and I was blown away because I had no idea.”

As both a 10th generation Vermonter and an Orthodox Jew, Crispe is keenly interested in the history of Jewish life in the Green Mountain State. “There are not many Jews in the area, so every time I meet one, it’s amazing,” he said.

The homeowner gave Crispe directions to the cemetery, but even so, it was difficult to find. “This was all grown up,” he said, waving his hand toward the entrance, “and I couldn’t even see the gate. But I finally found it on my third attempt.”

His research led him to “’Members of this Book’: The Pinkas of Vermont’s First Jewish Congregation” by Robert S. Schine, a professor of Jewish studies at Middlebury College. A pinkas is a notebook, a record of events kept by a Jewish community, and Poultney’s pinkas had somehow survived, discovered in a used bookstore in Denver in 1966.

Crispe has a threefold plan: Restore and preserve the cemetery and all of its stones, create a fund to ensure that it can be maintained in perpetuity, and obtain official recognition of the cemetery’s historical status. “I’m applying for a state historic marker to be placed here, and I want to get a nice gate – if we can raise the funds – that says ‘Poultney Hebrew Cemetery,’ which is what it’s referred to,” he said.

There is a lot more to the story by David Lachance published in the Rutland Herald newspaper's web site at https://bit.ly/3gJLadY.

The following announcement was written by the Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI):

At our recent Annual General Meeting it was announced that AGI Members Máire Mac Conghail and Helen Kelly have been elected Fellows of the Association.  Under its constitution, AGI may award Fellowship in recognition of "invaluable service...to AGI" or a "particularly outstanding contribution to the study of Irish genealogy".

As an 18 year old student Máire Mac Conghail (then called Doran) worked as a freelance researcher for the Genealogical Office and after graduating in the early 1960s she began practicing independently as a professional genealogist. After marriage and a number of years spent rearing her family, she returned to professional genealogy in the later 1970s and joined AGI in 1990.

Over her 30 years of membership, Máire has served AGI well.  Since 1990 she has participated AGI's running the Genealogy Services for the Genealogical Office, the National Library and the National Archives.  For several years she represented AGI on the now defunct semi-state body Irish Genealogy Ltd.  She has served as both Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, and more recently she was President of AGI for the period 2016-2018.

Commissioned by HarperCollins in 1997, she co-authored Tracing Irish Ancestors with her AGI colleague Paul Gorry. She has been a great ambassador for AGI in her external activities.  She was Chairman of CIGO (the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations) in 2001/2002.  She was also Chairman of the Ireland Branch of the IGRS (the Irish Genealogical Research Society) and she is currently on the Council of the IGRS.  Máire served on the Board of the National Library from 2005 to 2010, and on the National Archives Council from several years until 2017.  She was a member of the Irish Manuscripts Commission from at least 2004 until earlier this year.

Helen Kelly joined AGI in 1995, but she had been active in professional genealogy since the mid-1980s. She served on AGI's Council from 1996 to 2015 and during that time held the post of Hon. Secretary from 1998 until 2000 and then later that of President from 2010 to 2012.

A native of Co Westmeath, Helen has a deep interest in the descendants of the sizeable number of individuals and families from the adjoining counties of Westmeath and Longford who migrated to Argentina during the course of the mid to late-19th century. She has become an expert on the history of these migrants and has spoken widely on the subject

In 1997 with a professional colleague Francis Dowling (a former member of AGI) she co-edited and produced a video resource called 'Searching for Your Ancestors in Ireland - a Professional Guide'. One of the main ideas expounded in that video was a concept close to Helen's heart, which is to encourage those seeking to trace of their forbears to "walk the land": to visit where they came from, to experience where earlier generations had been born, had thrived and were buried. Since obtaining the National Tour Guide Certificate in 2002, Helen has been involved in delivering genealogy talks and lectures to various tour groups visiting Ireland.

In 2007 Helen brought an idea linking genealogy and tourism to Dublin's historic five-star Shelbourne Hotel. Shortly after, she took up the position of Genealogy Butler, providing genealogy advice and help to hotel guests. In the years since, the position has gained such a high profile and enviable reputation that it has led to her speaking about Irish genealogy on radio and television stations in Ireland, Britain, Europe, North America and the Antipodes. Helen was featured in RTE's 2014 six-part documentary on the Shelbourne Hotel and its guests.

Holding an extra-mural certificate in genealogy from University College Dublin (1992) and a diploma in Local History from Maynooth (1998), it's not surprising Helen has always been keen advocate for professional genealogists continuing to hone their skills throughout their career. She was one of the main proponents for AGI to begin to establish and develop a system of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The Council of AGI and the wider Membership congratulate Máire and Helen on their election as Fellows.

The following message was posted to the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) Public Records Access Monitoring Committee mailing list and is republished here with permission:

David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States announced in his blog AOTUS, the granting of projects about making historical records happen. Archivist Ferriero chairs the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

The latest round of grants resulted in 36 grants totaling nearly $3 million for projects in 28 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Nineteen of the grants went to state historical records advisory boards which will go on to fund dozens of projects at the local level. They also support workshops for archivists, both professional and amateur, as well as traveling archivists, National History Day competitions, emergency preparedness, and much more.

To read about the funded project see:

https://aotus.blogs.archives.gov/2020/12/10/supporting-public-access-to-historical-records/

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

This week’s Findmypast Friday sees substantial updates to collections from the United States, Ireland and England, including;

United States Obituary Notices

This mammoth index has recently been updated with over 18.2 million new entries covering all 50 American states. Now containing over 50 million records, each result consists of a transcript that will reveal a combination of the deceased’s

• • Name
  • Birth year
  • Birth date
  • Death year
  • Death date
  • Obituary text
  • Place
  • Source link

Additional information such as images and details about the original obituary can be found on the source’s website.

Ireland Billion Graves Cemetery Index

New additions from all 32 Irish counties have been added to the Ireland Billion Graves Cemetery Index. BillionGraves is the largest online resource for GPS-tagged headstone and burial records. Each transcript will reveal the birth date, death date and burial location of your ancestor. Images links to the Billion Graves website are also included.

By partnering with BillionGraves, Findmypast aim to make all the cemetery records held on their site available to subscribers. Indexes covering England, Scotland, Wales, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are also available and, all of which are updated regularly.

Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions

Over 28,000 new records covering over 300 years of Yorkshire history are now available to search. The new additions date from 1663-2008 and cover the following West Riding parishes;

• • Greetland, Methodist Chapel
  • Mytholmroyd
  • Norland
  • Northowram
  • Ogden
  • Ovenden
  • Pecket Well
  • Queensbury
  • Ripponden
  • Rishworth
  • Scammonden
  • Shelf
  • Sowerby
  • Sowerby Bridge

Monumental inscriptions can reveal when your relative died, where they are buried and the often detail-rich epitaph inscribed on their memorial.

Newspapers

With five brand new papers and additional pages for a further nine, Findmypast’s newspaper collection continues to grow. Titles published online for the first time include:

• • Cotton Factory Times covering 1885-1888, 1891-1895, 1897-1899, 1902-1911 and 1913-1920
  • Blackpool Gazette & Herald covering 1881-1886, 1888 and 1890-1893
  • Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette covering 1881-1886
  • Kenilworth Advertiser covering 1900
  • Bridgend Chronicle, Cowbridge, Llantrisant, and Maesteg Advertiser covering 1888

Branding itself as the voice of the cotton trade worker, the Cotton Factory Times provides fascinating insights into the lives of those who worked in Britain’s Cotton Mills. Sections including ‘Notes from the Factories’, ‘Thoughts on Home Life,’ and ‘Voices from the Spindle and the Loom’ paint a vivid picture of working conditions and daily life, from reports of accidents to reports of dismissals.

Findmypast have also added thousands on new pages to the following titles; 

• • Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) from 1889-1890
  • Leicester Evening Mail from 1946-1954, 1956-1959 and 1963
  • Kinematograph Weekly from 1945, 1950 and 1952
  • Widnes Examiner from 1883-1884, 1891, 1899, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1912-1914 and 1916
  • Runcorn Examiner from 1883-1884
  • Warrington Examiner from 1904
  • St. Helens Examiner from 1883, 1900
  • Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette from 1871, 1874-1892, 1894-1895, 1900-1902, 1904-1906, 1908-1909, 1912, 1914, 1916 and 1927-1929
  • Fulham Chronicle from 1888-1904, 1907-1912 and 1923-1933

 

The following article is a brief excerpt from the MyHeritage Blog. The blog article is much longer and also contains some nice example images of original records from this collection:

We are delighted to announce the addition of two new collections of Norway Census records — the 1875 Norway Census and the 1870 Norway Census. Digitized in collaboration with National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket), the 2 million records in these collections include high-quality scans of the original documents.

Search the new Norwegian Census Records 

The collections hold particular interest as they cover a unique time in Norwegian history. The largest single wave of emigration from Norway occurred between 1879 and 1893. Spurred on by the promise of new opportunities, 250,000 Norwegians left Norway for other countries like the U.S. The 1875 census offers the opportunity to catch a snapshot about these Norwegian ancestors while they were still in Norway. For those in the U.S. and abroad with Norwegian heritage, this census collection may unlock important details about their Norwegian roots.

Beyond their historical significance, the collections are important as they contain details that are not often found within a typical census collection. In addition to listing the person’s name, residence, position within the family, gender, marital status, and occupation, the census also includes information on languages spoken, birthplace of the residents, and their birth years. In specific cases, even medical conditions are listed.

Also included are individuals who were temporary residents of the household or those registered to a household who may have been absent at the time of the census count. This means that a single individual may have been listed in more than one entry, if they were visiting another home at the time the census was taken.

Here is more information about each of the collections.

1875 Norway Census

The 1.8 million records from this country-wide census collection includes the names, residence, position within the family, gender, marital status, occupation, birthplace, and birth year. The census was officially conducted on December 31, 1875 and was the first census in Norway to record information about a birthdate rather than age. Additionally, individuals were asked to report their permanent residence and any temporary residence where they may have lived at the time of the census.

Search the 1875 Norway Census

1870 Norway Census

The 1870 census consists of records from 60 cities and towns in Norway, of which records from 50 cities and towns survive. Recognizing the need for updated information due to the rapid population growth in urban centers, the government requested this special census of cities and towns. The records contain names, gender, place of birth, year of birth, marital status, and place of residence. 

Search the 1870 Norway Census

The full article, including example images of Norwegian census records, may be found at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2020/12/myheritage-releases-two-norwegian-census-collections/.