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  • 25 Nov 2021 7:55 AM | Anonymous

    An Associated Press article states that:

    "The National Park Service says it has awarded the largest single grant in the history of its American Battlefield Protection Program to help preserve one of the lesser-known Civil War battlefields.

    "The agency said Tuesday that the $4.6 million grant will be used to buy and preserve 250 acres of the Williamsburg Battlefield in Virginia’s York County."

    There is more to the announcement at: https://www.whsv.com/2021/11/24/4m-grant-helps-preserve-lesser-known-civil-war-battlefield/

  • 24 Nov 2021 8:59 AM | Anonymous

    Richard Hill has created a new web site: DNA Favorites. In a modest announcement, he described the new effort as:

    "I'm sharing years of favorite resources on DNA testing for genealogy and adoptee searches. This free site includes more than 150 links to DNA tests, genetic genealogy tools, speakers, bloggers, books, Facebook groups, articles, etc. Just reading through the pages will provide beginners with a good introduction to DNA Testing."

    You might want to check out the new site at: https://www.dnafavorites.com/.

    Here is a (slightly edited) screen capture from the new web site:

    Link Directly to the Most Useful
    DNA Testing Resources

    DNA testing is hugely popular with genealogists. Furthermore, it has helped thousands of adoptees, like me, identify and reunite with our birth families.

    My name is Richard Hill. I have been writing and speaking about DNA testing for more than a decade. Over the years I have uncovered a wealth of good DNA information online.

    This website shares more than 150 favorite links and is a great starting point for anyone interested in DNA testing.

    I suggest you start at or near the top of the menu and proceed in order from one page to the next. That provides a concise overview of DNA testing.

    Then return to any page to explore the linked DNA testing resources.

    Need a speaker on DNA testing topics? Learn more about Richard Hill's presentations.

    Read reviews of "Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA"

     

    For an easy-to-follow introduction to genetic genealogy, get my $3.99 Kindle book.

    DNA Testing is Now Easy and Cheap

    When I did a DNA paternity test in 1981, I travelled to a distant lab to have blood drawn. Today, you order DNA tests online and receive a sample kit in the mail.

    For AncestryDNA and 23andMe you simply spit some saliva into a tube.

    For MyHeritage DNALiving DNA, and Family Tree DNA you swab inside your cheeks.

    In any case you mail the sample kit back to the lab and wait for the results to show up in your private, password-protected account.

    Some of my first DNA tests for genetic genealogy cost several hundred dollars each. Now the most popular tests are all under $100. And some allow free uploads of data from tests you’ve already done.

    Genetic Genealogy is Solving Many More Mysteries

    While most DNA testers are genealogists trying to confirm or expand their family trees, many other uses for this technology have arisen:

    • Since my pioneering example, many more adoptees are using DNA to identify birth families.

    • People who know or suspect that the man who raised them is not their biological father are finding the truth and discovering new relatives.

    • Donor-conceived individuals are identifying sperm donor fathers and a surprising number of half siblings.

    • People curious about their ethnic ancestry, are learning where in the world their distant ancestors came from.

    • Certain DNA tests report various health-related findings. Since I have no medical qualifications to judge such reports, this website does not focus on that.

    • Many users of the GEDmatch website choose to share their genetic data with law enforcement, leading to victim identification and the solving of major crimes. I do so myself. Yet this is another area that is outside my primary focus.

    Please Recommend Me, Richard Hill, as a Speaker

    In the past decade I have given countless presentations on DNA testing topics to both national and local genealogy groups and libraries. If you belong to such a group, I would greatly appreciate you recommending me as a speaker for your group.

    Located in Michigan, my ability to present in person is naturally limited by the cost of travel. Fortunately, the pandemic taught us how virtual presentations can bring speakers and viewers together regardless of geography.

    Follow Me on Social Media

    On Facebook, you can get DNA testing news of interest through my DNA Favorites Page.

    On Twitter, you can follow me @RichardHillDNA.

  • 23 Nov 2021 5:59 PM | Anonymous

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

    FALLS CHURCH, VA, 23 NOVEMBER 2021—The deadline to enter the National Genealogical Society’s 2022 Awards and Competitions is 15 December 2021. NGS invites family historians, societies, and organizations to participate. Award recipients will be honored at the NGS 2022 Family History Conference in Sacramento, California, 24-28 May 2022.

    The NGS Awards program recognizes scholarship, service, excellence, and achievement in the fields of genealogy, history, and biography. The Society’s competitions challenge both individuals and societies.

    “The NGS 2022 Awards and Competitions celebrate the exceptional work of family historians and genealogical societies throughout America,” said Judy Nimer Muhn, awards committee chair. “We welcome nominations in a variety of categories and encourage teens to compete for cash prizes in our Rubincam Youth Writing Competition.”

    For more information, visit NGS 2022 Awards and Competitions

  • 23 Nov 2021 8:09 AM | Anonymous

    Family gatherings over the holidays offer a rare chance to learn more about your own health as well as the health of your loved ones. For example, 5% to 10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary, which means they come from passed-down genes.

    Writing in the NorthJersey web site, Jasmine Vaughn-Hall describes how and why you should take advantage of family gatherings. You can read the article at: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/health/2021/11/23/family-health-history-end-of-life-care/6297666001/


  • 23 Nov 2021 7:59 AM | Anonymous

    If you follow the finances of companies involved in the genealogy/DNA business, you will be interested in this announcement from 23andMe:

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Holding Co. (Nasdaq: ME) (“23andMe”), a leading consumer genetics and research company, today announced that it will redeem all of its outstanding warrants (the “Public Warrants”) to purchase shares of Class A common stock of 23andMe that were issued under the Warrant Agreement, dated October 1, 2020 (the “Warrant Agreement”), by and between 23andMe and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”), as part of the units sold in the initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 23andMe, which was formerly known as VG Acquisition Corp., and that remain outstanding at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on December 22, 2021 (the “Redemption Date”) for a redemption price of $0.10 per Public Warrant. In addition, 23andMe will redeem all of its outstanding warrants to purchase Class A common stock that were issued under the Warrant Agreement in a private placement simultaneously with the IPO (the “Private Warrants” and, together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”) on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants.

    Under the terms of the Warrant Agreement, 23andMe is entitled to redeem all of the outstanding Public Warrants at a redemption price of $0.10 per Public Warrant if (i) the last sales price (the “Reference Value”) of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share on each of twenty trading days within any thirty-day trading period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which a notice of redemption is given and (ii) if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share, the Private Warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants. At the direction of 23andMe, the Warrant Agent has delivered a notice of redemption to each of the registered holders of the outstanding Warrants.

    The Warrants may be exercised by the holders thereof until 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date to purchase fully paid and non-assessable shares of Class A common stock underlying such Warrants. Payment upon exercise of the Warrants may be made either (i) in cash, at an exercise price of $11.50 per share of Class A common stock, or (ii) on a “cashless basis,” in which the exercising holder will receive a number of shares of Class A common stock to be determined in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Agreement and based on the Redemption Date and the volume weighted average price (the “Redemption Fair Market Value”) of the Class A common stock during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to holders of Warrants. 23andMe will provide holders of the Warrants with the Redemption Fair Market Value no later than one business day after such ten-trading-day period ends. In no event will the number of shares of Class A common stock issued in connection with an exercise on a cashless basis exceed 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per Warrant. If any holder of Warrants would, after taking into account all of such holder’s Warrants exercised at one time, be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Class A common stock, the number of shares that the holder will be entitled to receive will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares.

    Any Warrants that remain unexercised at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date will be void and no longer exercisable and the holders of those Warrants will be entitled to receive only the redemption price of $0.10 per Warrant.

    None of 23andMe, its board of directors, or employees has made or is making any representation or recommendation to any holder of the Warrants as to whether to exercise or refrain from exercising any Warrants.

    23andMe has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-257768) (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) relating to the offer and sale of the shares of Class A common stock underlying the Warrants under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which Registration Statement previously has been declared effective by the SEC.

    The SEC maintains an Internet website, www.sec.gov, through which copies of filings that 23andMe makes with the SEC, including the prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement, are available.

    Questions concerning redemption and exercise of the Warrants can be directed to the Warrant Agent at [1 State Street 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561, by telephone at (212) 509-4000 or by email at reorg@continentalstock.com.]

    No Offer or Solicitation
    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any offer of any of 23andMe’s securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

    About 23andMe
    Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, 23andMe is a leading consumer genetics and research company. 23andMe’s mission is to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has pioneered direct access to genetic information as the only company with multiple U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizations for genetic health risk reports. 23andMe has created the world’s largest crowdsourced platform for genetic research, with 80% of its customers electing to participate. The 23andMe research platform has generated more than 180 publications on the genetic underpinnings of a wide range of diseases, conditions, and traits. The platform also powers the 23andMe therapeutics group, which is currently pursuing drug discovery programs rooted in human genetics across a spectrum of disease areas, including oncology, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to other therapeutic areas. More information is available at www.23andMe.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding expectations regarding the redemption of the Warrants. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated in this press release, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on 23andMe’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects, but there can be no assurance that these will be as anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of 23andMe), or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the redemption of the Warrants, as well as those factors described in the “Risk Factors” section and other sections of 23andMe’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other current and periodic reports 23andMe files with the SEC from time to time. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, 23andMe does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.


  • 22 Nov 2021 5:07 PM | Anonymous

    The following is a guest post by Mitsuko Brooks, an Archives, History and Heritage Advanced (AHHA) intern at the Library of Congress. Brooks is in her final semester as a student at Queens College (CUNY) working towards a Master of Library Science degree with a certificate in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials.

    This fall I worked in the Prints & Photographs Division on projects that combined visual literacy and subject indexing to improve the descriptions of images in online collections. One of my projects involved revising summary notes and adding subject headings to catalog records for War Relocation Authority (WRA) photographs that depict the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

    This photo of Little Tokyo was taken in one of the few Japantowns that still exist today. There were over forty in existence before World War II. I consulted historic business maps to provide more detail in the summary note of the catalog record.

    You can read more and see more photographs at: https://bit.ly/3qZCKX2

  • 22 Nov 2021 4:30 PM | Anonymous

    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.

  • 22 Nov 2021 10:06 AM | Anonymous

    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/

  • 22 Nov 2021 8:04 AM | Anonymous

    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


  • 22 Nov 2021 7:27 AM | Anonymous

    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.


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