Latest News Articles

Everyone can read the (free) Standard Edition articles. However,  the Plus Edition articles are accessible only to (paid) Plus Edition subscribers. 

Read the (+) Plus Edition articles (a Plus Edition username and password is required).

Please limit your comments about the information in the article. If you would like to start a new message, perhaps about a different topic, you are invited to use the Discussion Forum for that purpose.

Do you have comments, questions, corrections or additional information to any of these articles? Before posting your words, you must first sign up for a (FREE) Standard Edition subscription or a (paid) Plus Edition subscription at: https://eogn.com/page-18077.

If you do not see a Plus Sign that is labeled "Add comment," you will need to upgrade to either a (FREE) Standard Edition or a (paid) Plus Edition subscription at: https://eogn.com/page-18077.

Click here to upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription.

Click here to find the Latest Plus Edition articles(A Plus Edition user name and password is required to view these Plus Edition articles.)

Complete Newsletters (including all Plus Edition and Free Edition articles published within a week) may be found if you click here. (A Plus Edition user name and password is required to view these complete newsletters.)

Do you have an RSS newsreader? You may prefer to use this newsletter's RSS feed at: https://www.eogn.com/page-18080/rss and then you will need to copy-and-paste that address into your favorite RSS newsreader.



Latest Standard Edition Articles

  • 12 Jan 2022 8:43 AM | Anonymous

    The following is a press release issued by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society:

    FALLS CHURCH, VA, 12 JANUARY 2021— The National Genealogical Society (NGS) issued a call for submissions for the SLAM! Idea Showcase scheduled for May 2022. The event is one of several components of the 2022 NGS Family History Conference, 24─28 May 2021. The showcase allows genealogical information providers to share their work with genealogists and family historians while encouraging collaboration among information providers.

    Societies, libraries, archives, and museums (SLAM) as well as other organizations such as universities are encouraged this year to submit posters or videos to illustrate their creative and innovative projects or programs.

    Posters and videos will be available for viewing by attendees In-Person in Sacramento, California, and Online at Home using the Whova virtual event platform. Presenters will also be able to discuss their posters with participants. NGS will select the top posters and videos for cash awards; additional submissions will be selected for honorable mentions. The top six videos will be shown during the SLAM! Film Fest in Sacramento on 24 May 2022.

    NGS will accept submissions through 15 March 2022. Submission requirements and online submission forms are posted on the NGS conference website.


  • 12 Jan 2022 7:29 AM | Anonymous

    From an article in the Jerusalem Post:

    Yad Vashem – known universally as the World Holocaust Remembrance Center – will enter a partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s “Living Memorial of the Holocaust” project, as well as the museum’s Jewish genealogy affiliate JewishGen, with the intention of sharing data on genealogical 

    records.

    “By making available these precious records via JewishGen, the broader Jewish community can more easily research names of family and friends who were murdered during the Holocaust,” said Museum of Jewish Heritage President and CEO Jack Kliger. “The agreement facilitates access to the resources of our Museum and Yad Vashem, two of the most prestigious Holocaust memorial institutions in the world.”


    You can read the full article at: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-692240.


  • 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM | Anonymous

    The following is from the State Archives of North Carolina blog:

    "We are excited to announce that eleven counties of Search Room microfilm have been completely added to our online searchable database, Discover Online Catalog (DOC)!

    "The completed counties are Albemarle (defunct), Ashe, Avery, Bute (defunct), Cherokee, Chowan, Clay, Dobbs (defunct), Gates, Graham, and Tryon (defunct). 

    "As stated in our previous post regarding this project, many of the county records we have on microfilm are not available in their original format so be sure to check the microfilm Search Room holdings for unique records. The county microfilm added to DOC includes a variety of records ranging from Minute Dockets to Record of Deeds to Marriage Records.

    "If the record has an “MF-“ that precedes the container ID, this indicates that it is Search Room microfilm. “Physical Access” notes are also present in records where Search Room microfilm can be found."

    You can find more information at: https://bit.ly/3qeNkc0 

  • 11 Jan 2022 10:54 AM | Anonymous

    The following announcement was written by the organizers of The Family History Show:

    The Family History Show is back next month!

    After the extremely successful virtual events held online last year, The Family History Show, Online is returning in February so that once more you can enjoy all the features of a physical family history show, but from the comfort of your own home.

    The Family History Show, Online is gearing up for its return on Saturday 19th February 2022.

    You'll have the opportunity to put your research questions to an expert, watch professionally produced talks and to speak to family history societies, archives and genealogical suppliers by text, audio, video chat or email from the comfort of your own home.

    You will also be able to submit your questions to the Ask the Experts panel before the show and you have a choice to either book a free 1-to-1 session or to watch the question panel at 15:30 where our experts answer your questions!

    Save the date in your diary and snap up an early bird ticket now for only £7! You'll also get a downloadable goody bag worth over £10.

    Featuring All New Talks

    From Cradle to Grave

    Jackie Depelle - Family History Tutor and Speaker

    Jackie's talk shows you how to follow the life of an ancestor, using key family history sources, plus more from maps to house history

    Solving Genealogy Brickwalls: A Case Study

    Amelia Bennett - Expert Researcher, Census Detective with the SOG

    This talk uses an example from Amelia's own family history where she progressed a brickwall using DNA alongside traditional genealogy research. The path to solving this brickwall had a number of surprises along the way with forgeries, quick marriages, criminal ancestors and often more questions than answers. In telling the story, methods and tools for using DNA to break down brickwalls are provided.

    The Joy of Surnames

    Debbie Kennett - DNA & Surname Expert and Writer

    Each surname has its own story to tell. This lecture provides an overview of the history and distribution of surnames with a focus on surnames originating in the British Isles. The one-name study approach can provide breakthroughs that would not be possible by restricting research to your own family tree.

    Family history and the media: behind the scenes of Who Do You Think You Are?

    Nick Barratt - Historian, Author and Professional Genealogist

    Exploring the impact of Who Do You Think You Are? on the way we research our family stories, with an explanation of how the show was first conceived and produced.

    Ask the Experts Live Q&A Panel

    with Mark Bayley, Debbie Kennett, Jackie Depelle and Nick Barratt.

    Submit your questions to our panel of experts before the show. Either book a free 1-to-1 session or watch the live stream question panel at 15:30 where you can ask your questions live!

    Societies, Archives and Companies

    Visit exhibitors, societies, archives and companies in our virtual exhibition hall. Here there will be the opportunity to talk to some of the stallholders by text, audio or video from the comfort of your own home.

    Show Partners

    SoG, AGRA, TheGenealogist, GenFair, S&N Genealogy

    Early Bird Ticket Offer

    Buy your tickets in advance and save - tickets to attend The Family History Show Online are available from the website at just £7.00 each. You will also get a FREE virtual goody bag on the day worth over £10. https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/online/tickets/

  • 11 Jan 2022 9:08 AM | Anonymous

    Genetics testing company 23andMe received Food and Drug Administration clearance for its prostate cancer risk test. It’s 23andMe’s third clearance for a cancer risk report — the company also has tests for genes that predict breast and colorectal cancer risk.

    The test screens for a specific mutation on the HOXB13 gene linked with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Men with the mutation, the G84E variant, have around a three-fold higher chance of developing prostate cancer than men without, one study found. Around one in 70 people of European descent have the variant, according to a statement from 23andMe.

    The prostate cancer risk report is not yet available to 23andMe customers, the company said. Customers will be able to choose whether or not they want to see their results. Those that choose to see it will also get access to an “educational module” to give them information about how to interpret the results.

    Details may be found in an article by Nicole Wetsman in The Verge web site at: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/10/22876615/23andme-fda-prostate-cancer-risk-test.

  • 11 Jan 2022 8:52 AM | Anonymous

    Legal scholar Anita Hill take journeys through their family trees on the eighth season of the acclaimed PBS show “Finding Your Roots,” which premieres this week.

    Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a historian and Harvard University professor, the show takes notable people on a quest to learn more about their ancestry.

    In the season's second episode, Hill learns of her great-great-grandfather, who resided in Bowie County, Texas, in 1850. At the time, Bowie County was one of only three known counties — including Utah County, Utah, and Scott County, Tennessee — that documented the names and information of its enslaved residents.

    “This is like winning the lottery here,” Hill said on the show.

    Before emancipation, enslaved people were not documented by name in the U.S. census, making it difficult for genealogists and family record-keepers to find enslaved Black ancestors in the country before the 1860s. They were typically listed without their names but instead by age and gender as property in county documents.

    You can learn more in an article by Claretta Bellamy published in the NBC News web site at: https://nbcnews.to/3FiuYeu.


  • 11 Jan 2022 8:42 AM | Anonymous

    Arizona State University Libraries is seeking a Digital Archivist in the Phoenix area. The help wanted ad states:

    "Under the direction of the Archivist of the Senator John S. McCain Papers, this position leads the planning, management, description, reformatting, and preservation program for the Senator John S. McCain Papers digital content within the context of the entire collection and the collections at ASU in alignment with University technology standards and security requirements. This position provides expertise in the handling of unique digital records, including digital forensics work and preservation activities."

    Details may be found at: https://jobs.chronicle.com/job/430459/digital-archivist


  • 11 Jan 2022 6:32 AM | Anonymous

    The following is a press release written by FamilySearch:

    FamilySearch expanded its free online archives this week with nearly 3 million new indexed family history records added to New Zealand Electoral Rolls, plus church records added to country collections from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Spain, Venezuela and elsewhere.

    Discover missing facts about your ancestors in historical records from the United States in Alaska Vital Records, Georgia Tax Digests, Iowa Delayed Birth Records, South Carolina (Charleston District) Bill of Sale of Negro Slaves, Virginia and Washington County Death Registers, plus expanded collections for Hawaii and Illinois.

    Millions of new genealogy records are added each week to make your searches more successful. Find your ancestors using the latest collection expansions listed below.

    Don’t see what you’re looking for? Check back next week and, in the meantime, search existing records on FamilySearch. For other exciting genealogy content, peruse over 1,000 free, on-demand sessions from RootsTech Connect 2021.

    The list of newly-added records this week is long, too long. to fit here. You can view the entire list at:  https://bit.ly/3thIGMm.

  • 10 Jan 2022 10:18 AM | Anonymous

    I just moved a few weeks ago. As tiring and expensive as that was, I cannot imagine the effort required for a €90 million ($ 102,000,000+ U.S. dollars) move!

    Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland is preparing to move its treasury of 750,000 books prior to the restoration of the 300 year old building. The library contains some of Europe's most treasured volumes, including the ornately decorated ninth-century Book of Kells.

    Plans for the five year restoration set the price at €90 million.

    "Moving 750,000 vulnerable books is quite an undertaking, so we are having to pilot everything to see what is involved," said Trinity College librarian and archivist Helen Shenton.

    Officials note that every book must be examined, dusted, carefully cleaned and repaired, if required.

    You can read more at https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/272130238/ireland-trinity-college-dublin-begins-90m-euro-renovation.


  • 10 Jan 2022 9:11 AM | Anonymous

    Microsoft Office is by far the most popular office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) of programs in the world. It is used by millions of people around the world. There is but one problem: it is overpriced at $100 for a one-year subscription (to $160 for the full version). Indeed, there are dozens of free and low-cost competitors to Microsoft Office and most of the competitors work just as well as the marketplace leader: Microsoft Office.

    However, if you want the real thing, it is also available free of charge although the free version is missing a few things.

    Obtaining the free version is simple:

    1. Go to Office.com.

    2. Log in to your Microsoft account or create one an account for free. (If you already have a Windows, Skype or Xbox Live login, you have an active Microsoft account.)

    3. Select the app (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) you want to use, and save your work in the cloud with OneDrive.

    That's it! It will work forever.

    What's The Catch?

    OK, so there are a few drawbacks.

    1. First of all, the free versions want you to save your output in OneDrive. It is possible to save it someplace else but the programs default to OneDrive and saving it elsewhere requires a number of extra mouseclicks.

    2. The free versions only run in your web browser, and you can only use them when you're online.

    3. The free versions also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions. To be sure, all the features used by the majority of users are fully functional. However, that is not very reassuring when the "missing features" include one that you really, really want to use.

    My recommendation?

    Obtain the free (online) version and use it for as long a it meets your needs. If it doesn't work for you, you can always later purchase the full version of Microsoft Office or obtain one of the competitive free products (LibreOffice, Apache Open Office, WPS Office, SoftMaker FreeOffice, Apache Open Office, ONLYOFFICE Personal, Polaris Office, SSuite Office, Google Docs, DropBox Paper, or any of several other products. I recommend LibreOffice).

    However, if you're looking for basic versions of Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint, the free version should work well for you.


Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter









































Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software