The following announcement was written by the National Genealogical Society:

FALLS CHURCH, VA, 5 OCTOBER 2021—Starting 5 October 2021, individuals who are planning to attend the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2022 Family History Conference, Our American Mosaic, may reserve hotel accommodations. The conference will be held 24‒28 May 2022, at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, California.
 
The conference will feature more than 150 genealogy lectures on a wide variety of topics. Lectures will focus on African American research; Asian and Pacific Islander research; BCG Skillbuilding; DNA; European and Middle Eastern research; Hispanic and Latin American ancestry; immigration and migration; methodology; Native American research; New England research; non-traditional families; records and repositories; reference services; society management; technology; the 1950s; western states; and writing. NGS will also welcome special guest speakers.
 
NGS offers attendees a choice of two hotels with discounted rates. The official conference hotels, the Hyatt Regency Sacramento and the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, are in walking distance to the convention center. Both hotels offer complimentary Wi-Fi. Several parking garages with affordable parking are located in close proximity to the Safe Credit Union Convention Center.
 
As a rule, conference hotels tend to fill quickly. To ensure room availability, early reservations are recommended. Hotel reservations close 25 April 2022.
 
The hotels are offering the NGS rate three days before and three days after the conference, based on availability, so participants can do research or go sightseeing in the area. Check the hotels’ websites for COVID-19 regulations, cancellation policies, and amenities. Full details and links for NGS discounted, online reservations can be found on the NGS conference website. Attendees must request the NGS Family History Conference rate if making phone reservations.
 
Sacramento is home to several research facilities such as the California State Archives, California State Library, and several genealogical organizations. It also has twenty-eight museums including the Crocker Art Museum, California State Indian Museum, the Sacramento History Museum, the California State Railroad Museum, and the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum. The city features art galleries, breweries, coffee bars, fine restaurants, and an historic landmark district, the Old Sacramento Waterfront. To learn about research facilities in the area, refer to the conference’s Announcement Brochure on the NGS conference website.
 
The NGS 2022 Family History Conference will run five days. It promises to offer many opportunities for family historians to advance their research, hone their skills, and network with fellow genealogists. Be sure to reserve your hotel accommodations as soon as possible.
 
COVID-19 Regulations
We fervently hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will have subsided by May 2022. Nevertheless, please be advised that NGS will adhere to regulations issued by the California Department of Public Health and Sacramento County Order of the Health Officer.
 
The SAFE Credit Union Convention Center has GBAC Star Facility Certification, which means it meets “the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention.” The Convention Center also abides by state and county protocols.
 
All conference participants—including sponsors, guest speakers, lecturers, exhibitors, and conference attendees—will be required to comply with the laws, rules, regulations, orders, and ordinances required at the time of the conference to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. NGS will apprise all participants of the required protocols and procedures in advance of the conference.

When you add people to your family tree, their relationships to you are calculated automatically. That relationship is then shown anywhere on the MyHeritage site where the names of your site members and people in your tree appear. In the past, you would see the relationship listed for that individual written out — such as a third cousin once removed, or a second cousin’s husband — but it was often difficult to visualize more complex relationships when you aren’t very familiar with all the people connecting you to this relative. 

With the recent release of the improved family tree on MyHeritage, we introduced a new relationship diagram that enables you to visualize your relationship to other people in the family tree and easily understand how you are related. The relationship diagram is accessible from the left-hand details panel in the family tree. 

The newly updated family tree, and in particular the new relationship diagram, have received high praise from our users since their release. 

You can read more at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/09/new-relationship-diagram-on-myheritage/.

 

I found this to be an interesting story and decided to share it. Here is a notice I received from MyHeritage:

"Not long ago, our Research team encountered an extraordinary story from Karolina Jurzyk, a user who grew up in Poland. Karolina’s grandfather had told her that her great-grandfather rescued a pair of sisters from the Nazis, and risked his life to hide them in his home for 2 years. The sisters later wrote letters of thanks to Karolina’s great-grandfather, which he saved. After her grandfather showed her the letters, Karolina decided to find out what became of the two sisters. Using MyHeritage, she was able to locate and connect with their descendants. Following its original publication on CNN, the story captured international attention, and we could not be more grateful and proud to have been part of it.""

Read the full story of this remarkable discovery on the MyHeritage Blog at https://bit.ly/3Aac7zJ.

The following announcement was written by the 

Family History Federation:

The Family History Federation is very pleased to announce the launch of its brand-new podcast series. The Really Useful Podcast

, hosted by Joe Saunders, brings together speakers from across the family history world including professional researchers, enthusiasts, authors, lecturers and people involved with family history societies. These conversations between old friends and new acquaintances have our guests sharing their thoughts on a wide range of topics relating to family history. Once they got talking, it was difficult to stop them! The Federation is now sharing their mixture of tips and conversation with everyone, free of charge.

The podcasts are accessible at: https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/podcast

The episodes are being released at the end of each month, beginning with September's which has recently been launched.

The full schedule of episodes is:

Occupations – September [available now]

Identity – October Young People ¬– November
Online Events – December Social Media – January
One-Place Studies – February Newspapers – March

The Federation very much hopes you enjoy the series. Special thanks are extended to guests for being a part of this and sharing their thoughts and stories. If you enjoy listening along at home, please share them with your genealogist friends and let us know what you think on Facebook and
Twitter.

www.facebook.com/FederationFHS

https://twitter.com/federationfhs

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

Digital cameras are perhaps the most universal technology of today. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe own and use digital cameras – not bad for a technology that barely existed 25 years ago. In fact, you do not need to be an electrical or optics engineer to produce good pictures from a digital camera. You don’t even need to own a computer, although a computer will allow you to accomplish a lot more than what you can do with just the camera alone.

Most people use digital cameras like the old box cameras: point and click. Very few people spend the time to learn how to obtain the best pictures possible. Indeed, “point and click” works well; but, there is so much more that one can do.

The same is true for another similar technology: desktop scanners. Most people install the software that came with the scanner, insert a piece of paper or a standard photograph to be scanned, click the mouse, and then wait a few seconds for the results. Whatever appears on their screen is simply saved and never touched again or improved in any way. Most people are satisfied with the default operation. Again, these people miss out on the highest quality images possible.

Scanners and digital cameras use very similar technologies. One solution can work on both. With a slight change in your scanning and photography habits, plus a bit of software, you can greatly improve the quality of your scanning and photography.

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/11134032.

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.

FamilySearch expanded its free online archives in September of 2021 with over 26 million new indexed family history records from all over the world. New historical records were added from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Guadelope, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Kiribati, Liberia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United States, which includes Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Washington. Records from the United States Bureau of Land Management and Find A Grave were included as well. Find your ancestors using these free archives online, including birth, marriage, death, and church records. Millions of new genealogy records are added each month to make your search easier. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Check back next month and, in the meantime, search existing records on FamilySearch. And if you want more exciting genealogy content, peruse over 1,000 free, on-demand sessions from RootsTech Connect 2021.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Unlock essential family tree information with our latest Findmypast Friday releases

United States Marriages

Findmypast have added over 5.7 million new marriage records from four American states. The latest additions to this huge collection include:

• • California marriages, 1850-1945
  • Indiana marriages, 1811-2007
  • Iowa marriages, 1809-1992
  • Massachusetts marriages, 1841-1915

This collection contains all the United States marriage records that are currently on Findmypast. Dating from the 17^th to the 20th century, records will continue to be added to this collection as they are obtained.

There are both images and transcripts in this collection; however, some records only provide a transcript. Various marriage record types are included: applications, licenses, certificates, intentions to marry, registers, bonds, and affidavits. Based on the type of record and where it was created, the amount of available information will vary. There is also a small collection of banns records included.

Essex Marriages and Banns 1537-1935

On the other side of the Atlantic, we've also released thousands of marriage records from four parishes in Essex, England. The new arrivals join us from:

• • Chingford
  • Leytonstone
  • South Chingford
  • Walthamstow

Check Findmypast’s Essex parish list for full details of the records covered in this collection. If your heritage lies in Essex, Findmypast is an essential resource. From parish records to newspaper archives and monumental inscriptions, you’ll find everything you need to piece together your past.

Newspapers

Findmypast’s ever-expanding newspaper collection has been bolstered with eight new publications and updates to 15 others.

This week’s new releases include:

• • Cornish Post and Mining News covering 1889-1895, 1898-1899, and 1919-1944
  • Deal, Walmer & Sandwich Mercury covering 1989
  • Liverpool Chronicle 1767 covering 1767-1768
  • Newark Advertiser covering 1989-1990
  • North-West London Times covering 1861-1866
  • Paddington Advertiser covering 1862-1866
  • Surrey & Middlesex Standard covering 1835-1840
  • West Londoner and Select Advertiser for the Borough of Marylebone covering 1870-1872

While additional pages have been added to:

• • Australian and New Zealand Gazette from 1852, 1855, 1864 and 1866
  • Bury Free Press from 1993-1994
  • Croydon Times from 1924 and 1926
  • Diss Express from 1988-1990
  • Faversham News from 1936-1949 and 1951-1980
  • Fenland Citizen from 1986 and 1989
  • Grantham Journal from 1993
  • Haverhill Echo from 1888 and 1993
  • Lynn News & County Press from 1873 and 1924
  • New Milton Advertiser from 1989
  • Newmarket Journal from 1987 and 1993
  • North Londoner from 1869-1875
  • Saffron Walden Weekly News from 1994-1995
  • Spalding Guardian from 1993-1994
  • Suffolk and Essex Free Press from 1987 and 1993

Today is the first day of the month. That is still a good time to back up your genealogy files. Then test your backups!

Your backups aren't worth much unless you make a quick test by restoring a small file or two after the backup is completed.

Actually, you can make backups at any time. However, it is easier and safer if you have a specific schedule. The first day of the month is easy to remember, so I would suggest you back up your genealogy files at least on the first day of every month, if not more often. (My computers automatically make off-site backups of all new files every few minutes.)

Given the events of the past few months with genealogy websites laying off employees and cutting back on services, you now need backup copies of everything more than ever. What happens if the company that holds your online data either goes off line or simply deletes the service where your data is held? If you have copies of everything stored either in your own computer, what happens if you have a hard drive crash or other disaster? If you have one or more recent backup copies, such a loss would be inconvenient but not a disaster.

Of course, you might want to back up more than your genealogy files. Family photographs, your checkbook register, all sorts of word processing documents, email messages, and much more need to be backed up regularly. Why not do that on the first day of each month? or even more often?

There is an interesting article by Jason Gruenauer published in the DenverChannel.com web site that will interest many genealogists:

"They've happened over and over again since 2020 — news conferences where law enforcement announce arrests in cold cases. What they have in common is how investigators ultimately arrived at a suspect so many years later: the technology known as genetic genealogy.

'Denver7 looked at several cases where this technique was used to help law enforcement and prosecutors get closer to a suspect. Anchor Jason Gruenauer dug through file footage, heard from family members, and interviewed those who are on the front lines of using genetic genealogy to help crack cold cases.

"What is it?

"Genetic genealogy is a law enforcement technique that combines two well-known and widely used things. First, genetics or DNA — something found at a crime scene that is statistically specific to a single person. Second is genealogy, the creation of a family tree that connects relatives to a common ancestor.

“This is the man who killed this victim some nearly 40 years ago,” Mitch Morrissey said during a recent news conference announcing a cold case arrest."

You can read the full story at: https://bit.ly/3AWT5hb.

You are invited to attend a genealogy seminar in October. You won't even need to travel to any distant city as it is a virtual (online) conference. The following was written by the Anchorage Genealogical Society:

AGS' 2021 Fall Seminar  (Special Events)

Saturday, October 2

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Via Zoom

The fall seminar is FREE to all AGS’ Members. FOR NON-MEMBERS: AGS is offering a special deal for you. It is a combo AGS’ membership + our virtual seminar on October 2, 2021, for just $20.

*Once you have initially signed into the Seminar on Zoom, you may "pop in and out" of the sessions as needed.

ANCHORAGE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Fall Seminar LISA ALZO Lisa is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized lecturer, specializing in Slovak/Eastern European genealogical research, writing your family history, and using the Internet to trace female and immigrant ancestors. She is the author of nine books and numerous magazine articles. Lisa Alzo’s Seminar Topics and Schedule: Zoom logon and access granted plus a five-minute welcome: 9-9:30 by President Gretchen Bersch.                      Session 1:         9:30 - 10:30: “10 Ways to Jump Start Your                                            Eastern European Research."                      Session 2:         10:45 to Noon: “Immigrant Cluster                                            Communities: Past, Present, and Future."                      Lunch/Break:   Noon to 1:30.                      Session 3:         1:30 to 2:30: “Make Those Skeletons Dance”                      Session 4:         2:45 - 3:45: “Show Don’t Tell: Creative                                            Non-Fiction Writing for Genealogists."                      Closing:            3:45 to 4:00.    The Zoom Link for this Seminar is: Topic: AGS Fall Seminar Zoom Meeting Time: Oct 2, 2021 09:00 AM Alaska Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83143538550?pwd=U3hxbjh0QU9zK0NXMld2VWVuOW5hZz09 Meeting ID: 831 4353 8550 Passcode: 311430 One tap mobile +12532158782,,83143538550#,,,,*311430# US (Tacoma) +13462487799,,83143538550#,,,,*311430# US (Houston) Dial by your location         +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)         +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)         +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)         +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)         +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)         +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Download: Membership Form