If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you probably already know I am a fanatic for backing up important stored information on my computer(s). BackBlaze is a system that will back up certain folders on a computer or even everything. should you wish to do so. If you need to retrieve something later, the process is simple.

I use BackBlaze on my computers and it has saved me several times. Now I notice that BackBlaze is offering a Black Friday sale later this week. From November 26th at 12 a.m. through November 29th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, new Backblaze Computer Backup customers who purchase a license can get 50% off at checkout by using the offer code: blazeon21.

Click here and use the offer code: blazeon21.

MyHeritage’s annual Black Friday sale is ON, and you know what that means… MyHeritage DNA kits are now available for the lowest price ever.

This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who’s been thinking about incorporating DNA into their genealogy research. Treat yourself and your loved ones to a thoughtful gift — at 50% off, this is the perfect chance to stock up for everyone on your holiday shopping list. There's even a beautiful gift wrap option.

For more details, see https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/11/huge-black-friday-sale-now-live/

Randy Majors is well known in the genealogy community for his many utility programs that add a lot more functionality to Google Maps and other products for use in genealogy research. (You can find some of my previous articles describing the work of Randy by starting at https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Aeogn.com+%22Randy+Majors%22&atb=v282-1&ia=web.) Now he has added still one more useful product.

Randy writes:

"I thought your readers may be interested in this new capability that lets people draw on the map and save drawings to their account. It also measures area and length when you draw.

"With this capability, you could draw your ancestors' farms on the map (from old BLM land patents for example) using a combination of section township range, historical counties for the year of the properties (and even satellite view to get a feel for the land/terrain)."

You can read more at: https://www.randymajors.org/2021/11/most-requested-capability-now-available-draw-and-measure-on-the-map

Millions of people do not know who their parent (or parents) were. That is one of the reasons why taking DNA tests has become so popular: trying to find "matches" with previously unknown relatives, especially parents.

An article by Michael Segalov published in The Guardian describes several stories relating to just such searches: Now adult children discovering (for the first time) their father,

Typical responses include:

"Dad needed me as much as I needed him. Being his only child, meanwhile, worked out perfectly for me; after 35 years apart, selfishly, I didn’t want to share him.

"We live together now. He’s more than just a father, he’s a best friend. In a matter of months he went from total stranger to being one of the most important people in my life; the same for my children."

Another response:

"I didn’t intend to find my father, but my roots. Opening the results was one the most shocking moments of my life – apparently I’m exactly half Afghan. Lower down the page was a long list of cousins."

If you want to read some heart-warming stories, read "‘I took a DNA test and found a new family’: the drama and joy of meeting long-lost relatives" by Michael Segalov at https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/nov/21/i-took-a-dna-test-and-found-a-whole-new-family.

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

You probably have enjoyed collecting bits and pieces of information about your ancestors and their lives. Is it possible that one of your future descendants will want to do the same for you and for your present relatives? If so, should you help your future genealogist-descendant by making sure the information about your life and the lives of your relatives will be available in the future?

For years, genealogists, historians, and others have preserved information on paper. Sometimes it is in the form of books while a less formal method is to collect paper documents and keep them in a file. Paper has served us well for centuries and probably will not disappear anytime soon. However, paper isn't as useful or expected to last as long as it once was. Perhaps we should seek alternative solutions.

From e-journals and e-books to emails, blogs and more, electronic content is proliferating fast, and organizations worldwide are racing to preserve information for next generations before technological obsolescence, or even data loss, creep in.

First of all, many of today's "documents" are generated electronically and may or may not be available in printed form. Most states now generate birth, marriage, and death records on a computer. Most of those records also can be obtained as a print-out upon request, however. The trend to digital records probably will continue for many more years. Within a few years, most government agencies probably will stop printing documents altogether.

A few of us have possession of treasured letters written by our ancestors. Love letters, letters home from soldiers at the front, and even the gossipy "Dear Cousin" letters become family treasures within a very few years. When was the last time you wrote a letter on paper and sent it to a relative via postal mail? How are you or some other relative preserving these valuable messages for use by future generations? I bet very few people print those email messages out and save them.

Another issue is the life expectancy of paper. Today's paper isn't what it used to be, nor is the ink. Years ago, almost all paper was archival quality, and high-quality ink was the norm. Many 100-year-old documents have survived and are treasured by descendants today.

In contrast, most paper produced today is inexpensive, intended for use in printers and photocopy machines, and filled with acids and other chemicals. In addition, the ink used in inkjet printers and the toner used in laser printers are not intended to last 100 years or more. Today's printed documents probably will last 20 or 30 years and possibly even longer, but not for a century or two. If you want to preserve printed information for centuries, you need to use archival paper (which is easily found in many places) and archival ink (which is harder to find but not impossible).

Fortunately, many options are available to insure preservation of important documents and even books for businesses. I will also discuss solutions for individuals.

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/12138276

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077.  

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

From obituary notices spanning all 50 states, to a focused collection documenting marriages not previously recognised during the slave trade, there is plenty to discover in our latest US update.

United States Obituaries Notices

Search over 22 million new additions to discover your ancestor’s name, birth and death years, and obituary text. Now containing over 79 million records, this vast collection covers all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and provides valuable details for tracking down an ancestor's death record or full obituary.

This collection has been obtained from the tributes.com and currentobituary.com websites. Additional information such as images and details about the records can be found on the source’s website.

United States, Freedmen’s Bureau Marriages

Explore almost 40,000 marriages from the Reconstruction Era documented by the Freedmen's Bureau, including those which occurred during slavery that went unrecognized and those occurring immediately after Emancipation.

Formally, The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandon Lands, existed to help transition and offer aid to the now 4,000,000 freed African Americans across the country after the abolition of slavery. This agency is known commonly as “The Freedmen’s Bureau” in the United States and existed from 1865-1872.

These fascinating records consist of marriage registers, marriage certificates, marriage licenses and other proofs of marriages. While the amount of information varies, you will commonly find the following information:

• • Names of the couple
  • Date of marriage
  • Location of marriage
  • Ages of the couple
  • Names of witnesses

Newspapers

This week’s Findmypast Friday marks yet another milestone for Findmypast’s newspaper collection with over 46 million pages published online to date. Eight brand new papers have been added this week alone, and an amazing 86 have been updated, totalling a collective 181,690 pages. Our new titles include the Law Chronicle, Commercial and Bankruptcy Register, which named and shamed the businessmen that had fallen on hard times, and The London & China Herald, which reported commercial intelligence between the east and the west, including the trade prices of silk, tea, and cotton.

New titles include:

• • Beckenham Journal, 1890-1911, 1913-1914
  • Law Chronicle, Commercial and Bankruptcy Register, 1813-1819, 1821-1847
  • London & China Herald, 1867-1870
  • London & Provincial News and General Advertiser, 1861-1863
  • London and Scottish Review, 1875
  • London Mirror, 1872-1873, 1875-1876
  • Peterborough Express, 1884-1896, 1898-1910, 1913-1917
  • Weekly Review (London), 1862, 1864-1881

Updated titles include:

• • Alloa Journal, 1913-1914
  • Arbroath Guide, 1960
  • Arbroath Herald and Advertiser for the Montrose Burghs, 1960-1961
  • Banffshire Advertiser, 1913-1914
  • Banffshire Herald, 1913-1914
  • Barking, East Ham & Ilford Advertiser, Upton Park and Dagenham Gazette, 1913-1914
  • Barrhead News, 1913
  • Bexley Heath and Bexley Observer, 1913-1914
  • Bolton Evening News, 1912-1914
  • Brechin Advertiser, 1960-1961
  • Broughty Ferry Guide and Advertiser, 1960-1961
  • Bury Free Press, 1998-1999
  • Cambrian News, 1913-1914
  • Carlisle Journal, 1913-1914
  • Christchurch Times, 1913-1914
  • Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 1960
  • County Down Spectator and Ulster Standard, 1913-1914
  • County Express, 1913-1914
  • Crewe Guardian, 1913
  • Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, 1913-1914
  • Cumberland Pacquet, and Ware’s Whitehaven Advertiser, 1872
  • Dalkeith Advertiser, 1960-1961
  • Denbighshire Free Press, 1913-1914
  • Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer, 1960-1961
  • Exmouth Journal, 1913
  • Fermanagh Herald, 1913
  • Forres Elgin and Nairn Gazette, Northern Review and Advertiser, 1913-1914
  • Glasgow Chronicle, 1848
  • Hampshire Telegraph, 1960-1961
  • Haverhill Echo, 1998-1999
  • Herts & Cambs Reporter & Royston Crow, 1913-1914
  • Highland News, 1913-1914
  • Huntly Express, 1913
  • Irish Times, 1910
  • Isle of Wight County Press and South of England Reporter, 1913
  • Jersey Evening Post, 1913-1914
  • John o’ Groat Journal, 1913
  • Kenilworth Advertiser, 1878
  • Kilburn Times, 1913
  • Leven Mail, 1960
  • Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 1873, 1878, 1883
  • Lloyd’s List, 1914
  • Maidenhead Advertiser, 1913-1914
  • Midland Tribune, 1913-1914
  • Montrose Standard, 1960
  • Morecambe Guardian, 1960
  • Newark Advertiser, 1892-1895, 1898-1901, 1903, 1919
  • Newmarket Journal, 1998-1999
  • Newry Reporter, 1912-1913
  • North Star and Farmers’ Chronicle, 1913
  • Northern Chronicle and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland, 1914
  • Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express, 1913
  • Northwich Guardian, 1913
  • Nuneaton Observer, 1913-1914
  • Oban Times, and Argyllshire Advertiser, 1877
  • Orcadian, 1913-1914
  • Pearson’s Weekly, 1913
  • Penrith Observer, 1960
  • Port-Glasgow Express, 1960-1961
  • Ross Gazette, 1913-1914
  • Saffron Walden Weekly News, 1986-1989, 1998-1999
  • Salisbury and Winchester Journal, 1913-1914
  • Sheerness Times Guardian, 1876
  • Shipley Times and Express, 1960
  • Soulby’s Ulverston Advertiser and General Intelligencer, 1913
  • Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser, 1913-1914
  • Spalding Guardian, 1998-1999
  • Stamford Mercury, 1920-1921, 1923-1925, 1927, 1930, 1937, 1946-1953
  • Strabane Chronicle, 1913-1914
  • Strabane Weekly News, 1913-1914
  • Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 1998-1999
  • Surrey Advertiser, 1877
  • Sussex Agricultural Express, 1959-1961
  • The Berwick Advertiser, 1959
  • The Referee, 1913
  • Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald, 1913-1914
  • Uttoxeter Advertiser and Ashbourne Times, 1913-1914
  • Waterford Star, 1915-1917
  • West Cumberland Times, 1913-1914
  • Willesden Chronicle, 1913
  • Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 1913-1914
  • Windsor and Eton Express, 1913
  • Witney Gazette and West Oxfordshire Advertiser, 1914
  • Workington Star, 1913-1914

In the November 15 edition of this newsletter (at https://eogn.com/page-18080/12129879), I published an article that said (in part):

"On Thursday, November 18, Sotheby's is auctioning off "an exceptionally rare and extraordinarily historic" first printing of the U.S. Constitution. Only thirteen copies remain, besides the one located in Washington D.C.'s National Archives museum, from the original printing of 500 that the founders issued for submission to the Continental Congress."

Now the auction has been held and the group of crypto investors that had attempted to purchase the rare copy has failed to do so. Details may be found in an article by Paul R. La Monica in the CNN Business News web site at: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/18/investing/constitution-auction-sothebys-crypto/index.html.

The following was written by the Genea­logi­cal Forum of Oregon:

You are cordially invited to an online “wedding” re­ception – and 
index­ing party!

On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the Genea­logi­cal Forum of Oregon is spon­sor­ing 
an on­line event to index Multnomah County mar­riage records from 1917-1924.

Way back in 1981, the GFO acquired the county’s original mar­riage 
regis­ter books for 1885-1924. Over four decades, dedi­cated 
volun­­­teers have indexed the registers to 1916. But we get many 
requests in the “missing” years, so it’s time to finish the job!

For the first time, GFO is trying out our annual volun­teer work party 
as a one-day, inter­­active event entirely on­line. You can join the fun 
for the whole day or even just an hour. You do not need to be a mem­ber, 
just willing to dedicate a little time to support genealogy. For more 
infor­mation and to RSVP, please visit http://gfo.org/givingtuesday 
<http://gfo.org/givingtuesday>.

The Jennings County Historical Society was recently awarded a Heritage Support Grant of $3,647.91 to update current technology needs at the North American House Museum and offer a new genealogy research station for community members and visitors to utilize. Heritage Support Grants are provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Museum curator Chris Asher notes that the current technology is not sufficient for maintaining the museum records and is very grateful for the funding and partnership with the Indiana Historical Society that will allow the organization to be more effective in carrying out its mission.

Details may be fund in an article by Anna Walker published in the North Vernon Plain Dealer and Sun at https://bit.ly/3qSd12T. The The Jennings County Historical Society web site is available at http://jenningscounty.org/.