The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

• • 1910 to 1919 Electoral Registers from England & Wales now available to search online with greater accuracy than ever before
  • New and improved collection bridges the vital gap between the 1911 Census and 1939 register
  • Containing 32 million names and 14 million addresses, the new Registers form a vital resource for anyone searching for ancestors or exploring the history of a home in early 20^th Century Britain ahead of the launch of 1921 Census

Leading family history website Findmypast have today announced the publication of a significant update to their collection of. These new additions have been added to Findmypast’s existing collection of indexed 1920 to 1932 registers to create a vast new resource containing 150 million records spanning over two decades.

Ahead of Findmypast’s widely anticipated release of the 1921 Census of England & Wales in January 2022, improved access to these important British Library documents will enable family historians to locate their ancestors between the 1911 Census and 1939 Register with greater ease and accuracy than ever before.

As well as adding a staggering 32 million names, Findmypast’s new and improved England & Wales, Electoral Registers 1910-1932 collection now contains over 14 million additional addresses making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to explore the history of their home.

Electoral Registers are listings of all those registered to vote in a particular area. The lists were created annually to record the names of eligible voters and their reason for eligibility, such as their residence or ownership of a property. Registration for voters in England and Wales has been required since 1832 and registers were typically published annually, making them particularly useful for tracking ancestors between censuses, uncovering previous occupants of a property or exploring the history of a local area.

Thanks to a new technique known as “Structured Data Extract”, England & Wales Electoral Registers 1910-1932 has been fully indexed, allowing users to search millions of images by name, date, location and keyword. As well as images, each search result provides a transcript recording the individual’s name, registration year, address or abode, the nature of their qualification to vote or a description of their property, and occasionally their occupation or age.

This new method has not only enabled Findmypast to extract large volumes of meaningful information from so many original documents, it has also allowed for this data to be structured and organised to a greater degree than traditional Optical Character Recognition. This not only enables more precise searches but also the use of name variants which will catch a huge assortment of miss-spelled names.

RICHARD JACKSON, Findmypast’s Data Development Manager said: To extract meaningful data from images, the documents go through three distinct steps. Firstly, Findmypast process the images, de-skewing to align wonky text. Then the images are enhanced to amplify the text on the page for better character recognition. Once the text on each image has been captured, the Structured Data Extract process analyses and identifies the contents and structure of each image based on a variety of expectations.

In the case of Electoral Registers, names are expected to appear on the left-hand side of each image with address information on the right. In time, we hope to revisit this dataset to extract even more value for our customers and hope that they enjoy the results of this first stage of extraction.

Findmypast is now able provide users with unrivalled record coverage for early 20th century Britain, allowing them to trace their family story across a period of history that has traditionally been difficult for many researchers.

Other records available to search this Findmypast Friday

Scotland Monumental Inscriptions

Discover your relatives' final resting places in Scotland with a unique resource that has just been updated with thousands of new records.

Check Findmypast’s burial ground list for the date ranges and number of records included for each location.

Newspapers

Hot off the press, what family stories will you uncover in Findmypast’s latest newspaper update? Brand new publications include:

• • Australian and New Zealand Gazette covering 1850-1882
  • Borough of Greenwich Free Press covering 1855-1856 and 1858-1865
  • British Banner 1848 covering 1852
  • British Banner 1856 covering 1857
  • Clerkenwell Dial and Finsbury Advertiser covering 1862 and 1864-1865
  • Hammersmith Advertiser covering 1861-1866
  • Islington Times covering 1857, 1859-1862, 1864-1865, and 1871-1874
  • Lynn News & County Press covering 1871-1873, 1875-1889, 1891-1892, 1913, 1915, 1918, 1924, 1938-1939 and 1942
  • North Londoner covering 1874-1875
  • Palladium 1825 covering 1825
  • South London Times and Lambeth Observer covering 1856-1865
  • Southwark Mercury covering 1879-1881

While thousands of additional pages have been added to:

• • Age from 1852
  • British Mercury or Wednesday Evening Post from 1822
  • Brockley News, New Cross and Hatcham Review from 1891
  • Bury Free Press from 1988
  • Chelsea & Pimlico Advertiser from 1864
  • Croydon Times from 1948-1949
  • Daily News (London) from 1924, 1926, 1928-1938, 1940-1949, 1951-1954 and 1957-1960
  • Diss Express from 1986
  • Eastern Counties’ Times from 1913
  • Faversham News from 1900 and 1904
  • Fleming’s British Farmers’ Chronicle from 1827
  • Grantham Journal from 1986
  • Kingsland Times and General Advertiser from 1861
  • Liverpool Telegraph from 1837
  • Lynn Advertiser from 1990
  • Metropolitan from 1857
  • Sheerness Times Guardian from 1878-1882
  • West London Times from 1862 and 1865
  • Westminster Times from 1864-1866

The following announcement was written by TheGenealogist:

St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham

TheGenealogist has significantly increased their Norfolk Parish Records coverage by releasing 1,445,523 new individuals into their growing Parish Record Collection. These records, which are released in association with the Norfolk Record Office, are fully searchable and transcribed while also being linked to high quality images making them an extremely valuable resource for researchers of this eastern part of England.

This latest addition brings the total number of individuals in the parish records for Norfolk on TheGenealogist to over 12 million. These new parish records are available as part of the Diamond Subscription at TheGenealogist and allows family historians to find the names of forebears, their parents’ forenames, the father’s occupation (where noted), and the parish that the event had taken place within. Parish records can cover from the mid 16th century up to much more recent times, as TheGenealogist’s latest feature article discovers when it finds Royals sandwiched on the Parish Register page between Carpenters and Production Operatives.

Announcing the Domesday Book records on Map Explorer™

The Map Explorer™ now also allows researchers to search for Domesday book entries from the period twenty years after the Norman Conquest. Pins on the map indicate where a record exists in 1086 and links to records that show holdings before and after the conquest. Discover the name of the Overlord, Tenant in Chief and Lord of areas across England. Find out the numbers of villagers – and even slaves that were the lord’s property – for places at the time of William the Conqueror’s rule. Researchers can click the link to read the transcripts of the records that give details of the land, see who held it in 1066 and then in 1086, as well as see images of the actual pages from the 1086 Domesday Book.

Sandringham Domesday records on the Map Explorer™

Read TheGenealogist’s article: Parish Registers – egalitarian records where royalty and ordinary folk share the same page.

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/parish-registers--egalitarian-records-where-royalty-and-ordinary-folk-share-the-same-page-1455/

This new release of Norfolk Parish records cover the following parishes:

Acle, Alby, Aldborough, Aldeby, Alderford, Antingham, Antingham St Mary, Arminghall, Ashby St Mary, Ashby with Oby and Thurne, Ashill, Ashmanhaugh, Ashwellthorpe, Aslacton, Attlebridge, Aylmerton, Aylsham, Babingley, Baconsthorpe, Bacton and Edingthorpe, Bale, Banham, Barford, Barmer, Barney, Barton Bendish St Andrew, Barton St Mary, Barton Turf, Beachamwell, Bedingham, Beechamwell, Beeston next Mileham, Beeston Regis, Beeston St Lawrence, Beetley, Beighton, Belaugh, Bergh Apton, Bexwell, Billingford, Billingford with Thorpe Parva, Bingham, Binham, Bittering Parva, Bixley, Blakeney, Blickling, Blofield, Bodham, Bodney, Booton, Boughton, Bracon Ash, Brampton, Brancaster, Brandon Parva, Braydeston, Breckles, Bressingham, Bridgham with Roudham, Briningham, Brisley, Briston, Brooke, Brundall, Burgh Parva, Burgh St Margaret, Burgh St Peter, Burlingham St Andrew, Burlingham St Edmund, Burnham Deepdale, Burnham Overy, Burnham Thorpe, Burston, Buxton, Bylaugh, Caister next Yarmouth, Caistor St Edmund with Markshall, Calthorpe, Cantley, Carbrooke, Carleton Forehoe, Carleton Rode, Castle Acre, Castle Rising, Caston, Catfield, Cawston, Chedgrave, Clippesby, Cockley Cley, Colby, Colkirk and Colkirk with Oxwick, Colney, Coltishall, Corpusty, Costessey, Cranwich, Cranworth, Cranworth with Letton, Cringleford, Cromer, Crostwick, Croxton, Denver, Deopham with Hackford, Dersingham, Dickleburgh With Langmere, Didlington, Dilham, Diss, Ditchingham, Docking, Downham Market, Drayton, Dunston, Dunton with Doughton, Earlham St Anne with St Elizabeth, Earlham St Mary, East Beckham with West Beckham, East Bradenham, East Dereham, East Harling, East Raynham, East Rudham, East Ruston, East Tuddenham, East Walton, East Wretham with West Wretham, Easton, Eaton St Andrew And Christchurch, Edgefield, Edingthorpe, Ellingham, Erpingham, Fakenham, Felbrigg, Felmingham, Felthorpe, Feltwell, Fersfield, Field Dalling, Filby, Fincham, Flitcham, Flordon, Fordham, Forncett St Mary, Forncett St Peter, Foulden, Foxley, Framingham Earl, Framingham Pigot, Freethorpe, Frettenham, Fring, Fritton, Fulmodestone, Fundenhall, Garveston, Gayton, Gaywood with Bawsey and Mintlyn, Geldeston, Gillingham, Gimingham, Glandford, Great Bircham with Bircham Newton and Bircham Tofts, Great Cressingham, Great Ellingham, Great Hockham with Little Hockham, Great Massingham, Great Moulton St Michael with Little Moulton, Great Plumstead, Great Ryburgh, Great Snoring, Great Witchingham, Great Yarmouth, Grimston, Griston, Guist, Gunthorpe, Hackford, Hackford With Whitwell, Haddiscoe, Hainford, Hales, Halvergate, Hanworth, Happisburgh, Hapton, Hardley, Hardwick, Hautbois Magna, Heacham, Heartsease, Heckingham, Hedenham, Heigham Holy Trinity, Heigham St Barnabas with St Bartholomew, Heigham St Philip, Heigham St Thomas, Helhoughton, Hellesden, Hellesdon, Hemblington, Hempnall, Hempstead, Hempstead By Holt, Hempstead With Eccles, Hempton, Hemsby, Hethel, Hethersett, Hevingham, Heydon with Irmingland, Hickling, Hilborough, Hillington, Hindringham, Hingham, Hockering, Hockwold Cum Wilton, Holme Hale, Holme Next the Sea, Holt, Honingham, Horning, Horsford, Horstead, Hoveton St John, Hoveton St Peter, Howe with Little Poringland, Hunstanton (old), Hunstanton St Edmund, Hunworth, Ickburgh, Ingham, Ingoldisthorpe, Ingworth, Itteringham, Kelling, Kempston, Kenninghall, Kilverstone, Kimberley, Kings Lynn St Margaret with St Nicholas, Kirby Bedon, Knapton, Lakenham St Alban, Lammas with Little Hautbois, Langham, Langley, Limpenhoe, Lingwood, Litcham, Little Barningham, Little Cressingham, Little Dunham, Little Ellingham, Little Massingham, Little Plumstead, Little Snoring, Little Walsingham, Little Witchingham, Loddon, Ludham, Marham, Marlingford, Marsham, Martham, Matlaske, Mattishall, Mattishall Burgh, Mautby, Melton Constable, Merton, Methwold, Metton, Middleton, Mile Cross St Catherine, Morningthorpe, Morston, Mulbarton, Mundesley, Mundford, Mundham, Narborough, Neatishead, Necton, Needham, New Buckenham, New Catton Christ Church, New Catton St Luke, New Lakenham St Mark, Newton Flotman, North Creake, North Elmham, North Lopham, North Tuddenham, North Walsham, North Wootton, Northrepps, Northwold, Norton Subcourse, "Norwich St Martin at Palace", Norwich St Andrew, Norwich St Augustine, Norwich St Benedict, Norwich St Clement and St Edmund, Norwich St Etheldreda, Norwich St George Colegate, Norwich St Giles, Norwich St Gregory, Norwich St James with Pockthorpe, Norwich St John at Maddermarket, Norwich St John de Sepulchre, Norwich St John Maddermarket, Norwich St Lawrence, Norwich St Margaret and St Swithin, Norwich St Martin at Palace, Norwich St Mary In The Marsh, Norwich St Mary Magdalene with St James the Great with Pockthorpe, Norwich St Michael at Plea, Norwich St Peter Mancroft, Norwich St Peter Parmentergate, Norwich St Saviour, Norwich St Stephen, Old Buckenham, Old Catton, Old Lakenham (St John with All Saints), Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby, Oulton, Overstrand, Ovington, Oxnead, Panxworth, Paston, Pentney, Plumstead by Holt, Poringland, Postwick, Potter Heigham, Pulham St Mary Magdalen, Pulham St Mary the Virgin, Rackheath, Raveningham, Redenhall with Harleston and Wortwell, Reedham, Reepham with Kerdiston, Repps with Bastwick, Reymerston, Ridlington, Ringstead St Andrew, Rockland All Saints with St Andrew, Rockland St Mary, Rockland St Peter, Rollesby, Roughton, Roydon (near Diss), Roydon (near Lynn), Runcton Holme with South Runcton and Wallington, Runham, Runton, Ryston with Roxham, Saham Toney, Salhouse, Salle, Sandringham, Saxlingham Nethergate And Saxlingham Thorpe, Saxthorpe, Scole, Scottow, Scoulton, Sculthorpe, Sea Palling, Sedgeford, Seething, Shelfanger, Shelton, Sheringham, Shimpling, Shingham, Shipdham, Shotesham St Mary And St Botolph With St Martin, Shouldham, Skeyton, Sloley, Smallburgh, Snettisham, South Burgh, South Creake, South Lynn, South Walsham St Lawrence, South Wootton, Southacre, Southburgh, Southery, Southrepps, Southwood, Spixworth, Sporle with Palgrave, Sprowston and Beeston St Andrew, Stalham, Starston, Stibbard, Stiffkey, Stockton, Stoke Ferry, Stoke Holy Cross, Stokesby With Herringby, Stow Bedon, Stratton St Mary, Stratton Strawless, Strumpshaw, Suffield, Surlingham, Sutton, Swaffham, Swanton Abbot, Swanton Morley, Swanton Novers, Swardeston, Syderstone, Tacolneston, Tasburgh, Taverham, Tharston, Themelthorpe, Thetford St Cuthbert, Thetford St Mary, Thetford St Peter, Thompson, Thornage, Thornham, Thorpe Abbotts, Thorpe Episcopi, Thorpe Hamlet St Matthew, Thorpe next Haddiscoe, Threxton, Thrigby, Thurgarton, Thurlton, Thursford, Thurton, Thuxton, Thwaite All Saints, Thwaite St Mary, Tibenham, Titchwell, Toft Monks, Toftrees, Topcroft, Tottenhill, Tottington, Trimingham, Trowse, Trunch, Tuckswood, Tunstall, Tunstead, Twyford, Upper Sheringham, Warham, Watlington, Watton, Waxham, Weasenham All Saints, Weasenham St Peter, Weeting, Welborne, Wells Next the Sea, Wendling, Wereham, West Bilney, West Bradenham, West Dereham, West Lynn, West Newton with Appleton, West Somerton, West Winch, Westacre, Westfield, Weston Longville, Westwick, Weybourne, Wheatacre, Whinburgh, Wickhampton, Wickmere with Wolterton, Wighton, Wilby, Winfarthing, Winterton with East Somerton, Witton, Wolferton, Wood Bastwick, Wood Dalling, Wood Norton, Woodbastwick, Woodton, Wormegay, Worstead, Worthing, Wramplingham, Wreningham, Wroxham, Wymondham, Yaxham and Yelverton

The following was written by Flyleaf Press:

Flyleaf Press, the publishing arm of Ancestor Network, has published a hugely expanded second edition of its acclaimed guide to books, monographs and periodical papers on Irish families. It is a listing mainly of periodical articles and books but also includes some manuscript family histories deposited in libraries. The references have doubled since the first edition. The new edition contains some 6,500 references dealing with around 2,500 families. The references cited are mainly accounts of particular family lines and vary from fond and emotional accounts of families and their ancestral homes to dispassionate, well-researched and fully documented family studies and pedigrees.

The greater value of the material in these references is to put some human dimension to the barren facts that may be obtained from the usual range of records. No church or civil record will inform us that our ancestors were wonderful singers or dancers; or of the details of their travels or their occupation; nor whether their recorded marriages were the culminations of great romances, or of family arrangements. Such information can, however, be occasionally found in the memoirs & letters detailed in the articles and books listed here.

Reviews of the first edition included:

The sources are not your usual ones, so they provide new avenues …contains good source information which should not be overlooked, as it gives both name and place. Not your usual references, so there is no duplication.

St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly

Anyone who is engaged in Irish genealogy will want to check this book for their family names.

NY Genealogical & Biographic Record

“.. first and foremost a work of reference and, as such, it succeeds very well. If your ancestors lived in Ireland , this could be the first place to look for (published information)”

Yorkshire Family Historian

“.. .any researcher with Irish ancestors should consult it, to learn if there are relevant books or articles which it would be worthwhile tracking down”

Cambridgeshire FHS Journal

James G Ryan is a writer and publisher on Irish genealogy. His book ‘Irish Records’ (Ancestry Inc., now Turner Publishing) is a standard guide for Irish genealogy researchers. His other books include: Tracing your Sligo Ancestors (Flyleaf Press 2019); Tracing your Dublin Ancestors (Flyleaf Press 2009); Irish Church Records (Flyleaf); and a previous edition of Sources for Irish Family History (Flyleaf). He has lectured extensively at genealogy meetings and his research interests include church records and Rentals. He writes articles for Irish Roots Magazine; and blogs for Ancestor Network (www.ancestornetwork.ie/blog).

Flyleaf Press is the publishing arm of Ancestor Network Ltd. (http://ancestornetwork.ie) which provides genealogy research, and related heritage services to personal and professional clients. Flyleaf Press was founded in 1987 and is Ireland’s major specialist publisher of family history and genealogy titles. Flyleaf specialise in high-quality ‘how-to’ guides for research in various counties of Ireland. To date guides for 14 counties have been published. They also publish reference works on Church Records, Census records and wills. Reviewers of Flyleaf titles have noted that their titles contain ‘…information vital to the researcher, assembled by well-qualified genealogists’ (Books Ireland) while NY Genealogical & Biographical Record have said that “Genealogical Libraries will want to acquire all of them”.

E-Book: Sources for Irish Family History

2nd Edition ISBN 978-1-907990-39-7

Compiled by James G Ryan / €18 / 280 pages (A4 Size - 210 x 297 mm);

E-book; available in Calibre and usable on all e-book platforms www.ancestornetwork.ie/product/sources-2021/

Flyleaf Press is the publishing arm of

www.ancestornetwork.ie

Flyleaf Press also publish Guides for Tracing Ancestors in: Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Sligo, Limerick, Galway, Clare, Westmeath, Kerry, Limerick, Roscommon, Donegal, Tipperary, and Leitrim.

The book can be downloaded from www.ancestornetwork.ie/product/sources-2021/

The following was written by the Southern California Genealogical Society:

Heredis is a very popular genealogy program for Windows and for Macintosh. Now the producing company has announced a new version, called Heredis 2022:

The Heredis team is pleased to announce the launch of the new version of its software: Heredis 2022. This new version has been designed to address a number of genealogical issues: Managing duplicates in your tree Highlighting your descendants And, as always, improving genealogical research and the unlocking of some branches! With one single goal: letting you see your ancestors (re)born! DISCOVER THE NEW VERSION IN DETAILS Heredis 2022 - your ancestors (re)born. KEY NEW FEATURES IN HEREDIS 2022 Merging A merge module that allows you to compare all the information on your duplicate ancestors and to save relevant data from both profiles. Everything has been thought out to best assist you during this often tricky yet crucial process. LEARN MORE The new merging feature The Dynamic Descendants Wheel In just one click, you’ll get to see your dynamic Descendants Wheel, offering a 360-degree representation of descendants. Uncover stories from your genealogy by playing with multiple options such as displaying descendants whose other parent is unknown or displaying descendants by branch. LEARN MORE The Dynamic Descendants Wheel Families from my village A single book to list, in alphabetical order, all the families who have passed through this village. Discover the largest families in a given place or on the contrary the smallest ones, and make progress in your researches and those of others. Share the history of this village and help genealogists in the same area! This is an ideal feature for societies collecting local records and resources in order to carry out family reconstitutions in a given town or village, or for genealogical meetings. LEARN MORE Families from my village A new version of Heredis Online Share your genealogy online in a more secure environment. Its modern design highlights valuable information about your genealogy. The "Visitor" mode allows you to check what visitors to your online genealogy will see and if your settings have been configured correctly. Find online everything you love about Heredis! LEARN MORE The New Heredis Online New, for the Mac & Windows version: a Date Calculator Calculation of the date of birth (if you enter the person’s age at a dated event), of the date of an event (if you have an event where the age is mentioned) or calculation of the age at an event. LEARN MORE Date Calculator Over 50 improvements and corrections A few examples: The implementation of the multi-selection option in the Places Index will enable you to select all "empty" places at once. The ability to identify the original photo that was used to create captures in the Photo Tool. In the wheels: addition of the coloring by Ahnentafel numbers so as to locate a lineage directly in the graph, the possibility to hide Untraceable Parents when printing, of coloring persons with unspecified gender, or the possibility to display Given Names in 4 different ways and the possibility to display all dates in Gregorian format. » All our new features and improvements TEST OUR NEW FEATURES BY DOWNLOADING OUR FREE DEMO VERSION Download our demo version of Heredis 2022 How to upgrade to the 2022 version In three steps, opt for the new version and take advantage of its incredible new features: Check your computer compatibility before installing Heredis 2022 » Go to our website: https://help.heredis.com/en/compatibility-of-versions-2/ If you have an older version, select the Update for Windows or for Mac. Users of an older Mac version can now enjoy a preferential upgrade rate. Place your order and go to the Payment page where you can choose to pay your order either by credit card or PayPal! Should you have any question, feel free to contact us via our Contact page at: https://www.heredis.com/en/contact-customer-service/

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

Great-grandma's silverware has been handed down through the family ever since her death. There is but one problem: great-grandma now has more than 100 descendants. Not every descendant can have the silverware in his or her possession. Assuming a service for eight, only eight descendants can have one piece each and even that means breaking up the set. Until recently...

Within recent years, genealogists have developed many new tools for sharing information with family members. Within the past few years, technology has allowed all of us to scan and digitize old family photographs. We can now share those photos with others online, in email, on thumb drives, or on CD-ROM disks. In fact, we can even place them in digital picture frames for those relatives who do not own computers or smartphones. 

All of this is great for information and photographs, but what about physical items? How can we share things made of metal or bone of ceramic? Can we duplicate silverware? How about a shaving mug? Or a medal awarded during the Civil War?

The answer is, "Yes, we can do that today but..."

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/11110785.

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 was written by FamilySearch

Huge news: after 83 years of filming the world’s historical genealogical records, FamilySearch has completed digitizing its 2.4 million rolls of microfilm. The best part? The archive, which contains information on more than 11.5 billion individuals, is now available for free on FamilySearch.org.

Over 200 countries and principalities and more than 100 languages are included in the digitized documents. All types of genealogically significant records are included—censuses, births, marriages, deaths, probate, Church, immigration, and more. Now that the project is completed, it’s much easier for users to find members of their family tree and make personal discoveries within these records.

Want to check out these digitized microfilms for yourself? Explore FamilySearch’s free collections of indexed records and images by going to FamilySearch.org, then search both “Records” and “Images.” The Images feature will let you browse digitized images from the microfilm collection and more. You will need a FamilySearch account to access digitized records—but don’t worry, signing up is completely free!

Create a FamilySearch Account

You can read more at: https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-microfilm-collection-digitized/.

The following was written by Ontario Ancestors:

Ontario Ancestors is currently accepting proposals for our monthly 2022 Webinar Series. Our live webinars take place the first Thursday of the month at 7pm ET using the Zoom platform.

In addition, Ontario Ancestors is also looking for guest speakers who are interested in presenting for our new online quarterly mini-conference learning opportunities in 2022.

All submissions will be considered for both, unless otherwise indicated on the submission. Topics of Interest

We invite proposals on a wide range of topics, but for your information, the top subjects from our recent 2022 Webinar Topic Survey are:

• Ontario Land Records
• Immigration
• Genetic Genealogy
• Research in Ancestors' County of Origin
• Technology &Tools
• Comparison of Genealogy Websites
• Organization/Storage of Records

Selected speakers need to be prepared to provide Ontario and/or Canadian specific examples in their presentations as applicable. Speakers may submit up to 3 proposals for consideration. All submissions will be reviewed but only those who are chosen will be contacted. All submissions will be reviewed and only those who are selected will be contacted by October 11, 2021.

If you have any questions please contact: webinar@ogs.on.ca Speakers may submit up to 3 proposals for consideration. All submissions will be reviewed but only those who are chosen will be contacted.

Submissions

To submit your proposal please follow this link: https://ogs.on.ca/webinar-submissions/

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: September 30, 2021, at 11:59pm ET

Compensation

Those chosen speakers will receive an honorarium for their webinar presentation.

About the Ontario Genealogical Society

The Ontario Genealogical Society, founded in 1961, is the leading society in all aspects of Ontario related family history research, preservation and communication. Our mission is to encourage, bring together and assist those interested in the pursuit of family history and to preserve our Ontario genealogical heritage. The Ontario Genealogical Society is the largest genealogical society in Canada. Visit us at https://ogs.on.ca

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

One of the more common arguments against saving things digitally is, “The required equipment to read it probably won't be available in 25 years. I am going to save everything on paper because I know that paper will still be readable forever.” Perhaps the time is 50 years or 100 years, but I hear similar comments frequently. Indeed, there is some truth to that argument but it is somewhat misleading. Still, there is a simple solution.

Experience over the years has proven that paper is not a good preservation mechanism, and microfilm isn't much better. The news reports frequently mention earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, building collapses, fires, and other disasters that have destroyed thousands of paper and microfilm documents within seconds. While not mentioned as often in the national news, burst water pipes will do the same.

For the past sixty years or so, microfilm was the storage mechanism of choice because it took up so little space, compared to paper. However, microfilm is almost as fragile as paper. Microfilm is only slightly more impervious to earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and burst water pipes. To be sure, water-soaked microfilm probably can be washed and then dried for preservation purposes, but the other disasters will destroy microfilm as quickly as paper or anything else.

Digital archiving has its own set of problems and solutions. Disk drives crash, home computers occasionally erase data, huge data centers are occasionally destroyed in major disasters, and sometimes files simply grow obsolete by a change in technical standards. The biggest cause of computer data loss is the "oops factor:" the accidental loss of files. Any single copy of any digital file is almost guaranteed to be unavailable within a few years.

For confirmation of the problem with digital preservation, look at a report by Bill LeFurgy that was published in The Signal, a newsletter about digit preservation published by the Library of Congress at http://bit.ly/2QelSaV. LeFurgy describes a survey of citizen reactions to the Kennedy assassination that was conducted from November 26 through December 3, 1963, by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. The survey results were recorded on paper punch cards, which were used to input data into the mainframe computer used to tabulate study data. Summary results were then published.

When another national catastrophe struck on September 11, 2001, NORC researchers wanted to replicate the 1963 study by asking the same kinds of questions to assess public reaction. The aim was to compare how the nation responded to two very different tragedies. There was but one problem: how to read the punched cards from the 1963 study? The 38-year-old stacks of 80-column punch cards were still available, but finding card readers to read that information was a problem. Eventually, a vendor was found who could read them and convert them to more modern media. The vendor reported that they “had to refurb our punched card equipment; it had been sitting around so long it got a little rusty.” In the end, all worked well and the data set was successfully migrated to a modern data format. The story has a happy ending.

If the need to read the 80-column punch cards had not occurred for another ten years or so, the ending might have been less happy.

This raises a question or two about your genealogy data. How are you saving it for future generations? Did you save your information 50+ years ago on punch cards? Will today's storage media become as obsolete as punch cards? Should you save the information to a different form of media? If so, which kind of media?

Many people claim they will “save everything on paper to make sure it is still readable.” Actually, that statement ignores several factors. Today's information published on paper will deteriorate rapidly due to several factors.

Most of the paper used today is acid-based and will deteriorate within a few years, unlike the paper of 75 or 100 years ago. Yes, you can buy acid-free paper; but have you ever purchased any? Not many people do.

Even worse is the ink and toner that is used to create most of today's documents. The output from your inkjet or laser printer may look great when first printed; but will it last for a several decades? Most of today's toner and inks will begin to fade within a few years. I have a filing cabinet full of photocopies made from genealogy books. Some of those copies are now 35 years old and have faded so much they are almost unreadable. (Most photocopiers use the same printing technology as laser printers: the “ink” is actually toner particles.)

Paper is also delicate. It must be kept under tight temperature and humidity controls if it is to last for a century or two. It can easily be destroyed by fire, flood, earthquakes, and burst water pipes. Paper is also susceptible to damage by moisture, rodents and insects. Just ask any archivist in a tropical country. Paper also consumes a lot of space. That's expensive space if it is temperature and humidity controlled.

Microfilm isn't much better. New microfilm cameras are now almost impossible to find, and the manufacturers of microfilm already have warned their customers that new, unexposed microfilm will probably become unavailable within the next few years. Once that happens, nobody will be making new microfilms or even copies of existing microfilms. Similarly, microfilm readers are sure to follow the same path to obsolescence.

Various digital media are available, each with its own strengths and shortcomings. Even the so-called M-DISCs (see Wikipedi at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-DISC) are DVD disks that should last one thousand years, but nobody is predicting that equipment to read them will be available even twenty or thirty years from now. Even worse, the equipment to create M-DISCs is still available today but is difficult to find and is expensive. Do you know anyone who owns the required equipment to create an M-DISC today?

So, what is the answer? I think there is a simple, but effective answer. However, it does have one major drawback: it requires people.

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The following was written by the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree:

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

The 52nd Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

Preserving Your Family Tales

Friday and Saturday, August 26 & 27, 2022

The 9th SCGS Genetic Genealogy Conference

Solving Your DNA Puzzles

Friday and Saturday, August 19 & 20, 2022

2022 Jamboree Extension Series (JES) Webinars

The Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) announces its Call for Presentations for its 2022 VIRTUAL conferences and events. This Call pertains to the Genetic Genealogy and Genealogy Jamboree conferences, and the Webinar Series Programs. Presentations will only be accepted through the online portal September 17, 2021 - October 9, 2021.

Submissions of Presentations: Speakers interested in presenting lectures or webinars for 2022 must submit their proposals through the Jamboree Speaker Portal at http://genealogyjamboree.com/. The submission process ensures that correct speaker information is used in communication, advertising, and conference materials.

SCGS Jamboree draws attendees of all experience levels from first timers to conference veterans. The Jamboree Extension Series attracts an international audience comprised of all skill levels. We encourage the submissions of all levels of lectures; all topics will be considered.

Number of Presentations: Speakers may submit up to 6 presentations. The SCGS Jamboree Committee, at its sole discretion, may select none, some, or all of the presentations submitted by any speaker.

Session Length: Jamboree and Genetic Genealogy pre-recorded presentations are 50 minutes long. Jamboree Extension Series Webinars are to be 60 minutes with an additional 30 minutes for questions.

Statement of Nondiscrimination: The Southern California Genealogical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. SCGS is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination in employment and opportunity because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or age. Genealogy Jamboree conference, Genetic Genealogy conference and the Webinar Speakers are selected based on experience, technical knowledge, speaking ability, diversity of topics and relevance.

Questions: Any inquiries may be emailed to SCGSJamboree@gmail.com with the subject line: Call for Presentations [your last name].

We look forward to the possibility of including you in the 2021 Southern California Genealogical Society event schedules, and thank you for your continued support of SCGS and these great learning opportunities.

Alice Fairhurst, Diane Adamson,

SCGS Jamboree Co-Chair,               SCGS Jamboree Co-Chair