Here is a brief extract from an announcement in the the MyHeritage Blog:

"Every year, as the cold of winter melts away, spring comes and brings with it a new beginning. We’re excited to offer you a chance to research your family’s beginnings with free access to birth records for a whole week from April 18–24, 2021.

"Normally, birth records are free to search, but to view the full record or add it to your tree, you need a Data or Complete plan on MyHeritage."

The full announcement may be found at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/04/celebrate-spring-with-free-birth-records-on-myheritage/.

The following is an announcement written by ScottishIndexes.com:

[Glasgow, Scotland 5 April 2021] When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Scottish archives closed their doors, Scottish based scottishindexes.com immediately started hosting free online conferences to teach people how to trace their Scottish family tree and provide much-needed interaction for people stuck at home. Regarding these conferences, one attendee said, “Thank you very much for another great conference. They really are a bright spot in these days, weeks, months spent at home.” The 10th conference in this series will be held on 22 May 2021 on Zoom and Facebook.

During this 16-hour event, we will hear from many experts, including genealogist and author Chris Paton who will present, ‘Genealogy Without Borders’. Genealogist Kate Keter will present, ‘Mother dead, Father in prison’, which will tell how a single entry in a school admission register led to uncovering the stories of three generations of one family. Genealogist Andrew Armstong will present, ‘Patterns of Migration in the Scottish Textiles Industries 1750-1950’.

Following the March 2021 Scottish Indexes Conference, one attendee wrote, “Congratulations and thanks for the great program today. The level of expertise and information is wonderful for those of us who have been active in genealogical research for many years.”

To register, simply join the Scottish Indexes group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/scottishindexes) or to register on Zoom follow the directions on www.scottishindexes.com.

About www.scottishindexes.com

www.scottishindexes.com is run by husband and wife team Graham and Emma Maxwell, both experienced Scottish genealogists. As well as helping clients with their family history, Graham and Emma also index historical Scottish records and make them available for free on their website.

​​Twitter: https://twitter.com/scottishindexes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottish.indexes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottishindexes/

MyHeritage recently introduced Deep Nostalgia, a groundbreaking new photo feature that allows you to animate the faces of your loved ones in still photos to produce a realistic depiction of how the person in the old photo could have moved and looked as if they were captured on video. I haven't found anything similar on any other web sites.

(See my earlier articles about Deep Nostalgia photo enhancements by starting at: https://eogn.com/sys/website/system-pages/?pageId=SysSiteSearchResults.)

The popularity of this enhanced photographs has mushroomed. Since its launch 5 weeks ago, 72 million animations have been created on MyHeritage.

Deep Nostalgia appears to be only the foundation of the new service. In the last 5 weeks since its introduction, the folks at MyHeritage have introduced new enhancements to the service every week or two.

Today, the company released 10 additional "special" animations for Deep Nostalgia™, doubling the number of animations available and allowing you to see your ancestors express a wider spectrum of gestures and emotions, for example, dance, blow a kiss, smile wholeheartedly, nod approval, and more. The special animations are available to subscribers on the Complete plan.

(The eogn.com newsletter's software does not display the Deep Nostalgia version properly. If you do not see motion in the above video, click on https://blog.myheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/Dance1opt.gif to see it the Deep Nostalgia version.)           

Quoting the MyHeritage Blog's announcement:

"This feature is based on different sequences of gestures that can be applied to a photo, each originating from a pre-recorded driver video that we’ve prepared in advance using MyHeritage employees. When we launched this feature, 10 such drivers were available. Today, we’re excited to announce that we have doubled the number of drivers. The 10 additional drivers released today, which we call special animations, allow you to see your ancestors express a wider spectrum of gestures and emotions, for example, smile wholeheartedly, blow a kiss, nod approval, and more. The special animations are available exclusively to subscribers on the Complete plan.

"Many of our users were moved to tears to see their ancestors look around and smile at them. Now you can enjoy this even more, with the new special animations. "

A rather complete description of the new features as well as several examples of the results my be found at the MyHeritage Blog at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/04/introducing-deep-nostalgia-special-animations/. I would suggest you read that to see what all the buzz is about and then try it on a few of your old family photographs.

I suspect you will be impressed. I was!

In 1665, King Louis XIV ordered the Carignan-Salieres Regiment to Canada to help save the Royal Colony from destruction at the hands of the Iroquois Indians. Between June and September 1665, some twenty-four companies of 1200 soldiers and their officers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment arrived in Quebec under the leadership of Lt. General Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de Tracy.

The Carignan-Salieres Regiment was the first regular military unit to serve in Canada. Almost immediately upon arrival, they launched an attack upon the Indians in the dead of winter, and the regiment was almost destroyed. Nevertheless, within months the Regiment stabilized the situation, ensuring the survival of the French colony.

The Regiment established a series of forts along the Richelieu River and conducted another successful campaign into the land of the Mohawk Indians, leading to a long period of peace. The colony prospered as a result. However, King Louis XIV’s plan also included the permanent settlement of many of the soldiers and officers in Canada. Following their service, many of the soldiers stayed on in Canada.

In fact, over 400 soldiers and officers decided to remain in New France when the regiment was recalled to France. Many of the soldiers married the newly arrived filles du roi (Daughters of the King). Most of today's French-Canadians have at least several ancestors who served in the Carignan-Salières Regiment.

The Carignan-Salières Regiment was one of the first to wear a uniform in the French army. The uniform was brown with a gray lining that was visible in the upturned sleeves, forming a decorative facing. Buff-colored and black ribbons decorated the hat and right shoulder, in accordance with the style of the time. The soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment carried matchlock and flintlock muskets with bayonets, a novelty of the era. They left their pikes in France, since they were of little use against the Iroquois, but they all carried swords.

At that time, the army was made of volunteers. During recruitment, the only condition for the soldier-to-be was to stand at least five feet three inches tall.

A list of most of the soldiers of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières is available  at http://www.quebec.acadian-home.org/carignan-regiment.html and a somewhat different list may be found on the WayBack Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20100722145914/http://www.fillesduroi.org/src/soldiers.htm.  Other web sites may have somewhat different lists because, “No list of Carignan soldier-settlers will ever be perfect. Since no contemporary list was made in the 17th century – other than one with only dit names (nicknames), made at an unknown date – we can never be sure of the identity of all the members of the regiment.”

For more information about the Carignan Soldiers, look at the following sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carignan-Sali%C3%A8res_Regiment

http://www.fillesduroi.org/src/soldiers.htm

http://habitant.org/carignan.htm

http://www.migrations.fr/Leregimentcarignan.htm (in French)

http://www.cbc.ca/history/EPCONTENTSE1EP2CH7PA3LE.html

http://www.quebec.acadian-home.org/carignan-regiment.html

The Smithsonian Libraries is home to millions of items so the folks there spend a lot of time sorting and cataloging all sorts of things. One new online resource created by the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is a new Genealogy Research Guide.

The guide is a simple list of online web sites that contain a lot of genealogy records online. While it may be "simple," it is also extensive. The list includes such web sites as: 

• Adoption Resources for Discovering Your Birth Family
• Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Genealogy Timelines: Find the Gaps in Your Research!, Trace Indian Ancestry, 
• Bibliography of Books Related to Genealogical Research and Technology Available in ALIC (Archives Library and Information Center of the National Archives):  Compiled by staff at the National Archives. Identifies resources related to genealogy and technology. The list provides an overview of publications that are likely available at local and other libraries.
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (an international database of more than 20 million biographical citations on more than 6 million persons, living and deceased, spanning 2,000 years of recorded history).
• and many more...

I bet you haven't yet checked out ALL of these resources! This is a web site you should add to your list of bookmarks.

The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives' Genealogy Research Guide may be found at: https://library.si.edu/research/genealogy.

I do remember home computers in those days and I do not miss them! If you were using online home computers in the 1980s, this video from the archives of Thames TV is a reminder of how we used to send and receive email messages long before the invention of the World Wide Web. Ah, the sweet sound of a dot matrix printer.

My favorite line from the video is when the television interviewer asked, “Why did you buy a computer?” I cannot imagine anyone asking that question today.

This interview was first shown on Thames TV’s computer programme ‘Database’ in 1984. You can view it at https://youtu.be/szdbKz5CyhA.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

This latest Findmypast Friday updates features modern death records, exclusive parish registers and unique wartime indexes. Read on to find out what's new this week.

Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Records

Due to 100 year privacy rules having expired, Findmypast have just released over 821,000 new Catholic records from 1921, covering baptisms and marriages from the City of Brotherly Love.

The latest update includes:

• • Over 46,000 Philadelphia Roman Catholic Baptisms from 1921
  • Over 34,000 Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Marriages from 1921

Each record includes both transcripts and images of the original document. As well as revealing vital dates and locations, these exclusive sacramental registers will enable you to discover the names of your ancestors’ parents and spouse.

England & Wales Deaths 2007-2020

Search over 353,000 new modern death records that are now available to search in their own standalone collection,

When combined with England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007, this set sees Findmypast’s death record coverage for the two countries span an impressive 183 years.

Ireland, Northern Ireland Deaths 1998-2020

Findmypast have also created a distinct record set for recent Northern Ireland deaths which has been expanded this week with over 5,000 new records. 

The entire collection now stands at over 92,000 records. In it, you can discover your ancestors year of birth, year of death and where they lived.

Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, Mentioned in Dispatches 1940-1945

Unique to Findmypast, this useful index can help you trace high-flying family members from World War 2. Containing over 32,000 transcripts, each result records an act of gallantry by the recipient whose name and key regimental details was published in The London Gazette

The award of a MiD or 'Mentioned in Dispatches' was signified by the wearing of an oak leaf emblem on the ribbon of the War Medal. This followed on from the convention adopted during the First World War when the MiD emblem was worn on the ribbon of the Victory Medal. A person could be MiD on multiple occasions but only one oak leaf emblem was ever worn.

Newspapers

Reading Standard, covering 1891-1895, 1897-1911 and 1913-1961 and The News (London), covering 1805, 1807 and 1809-1835, are brand new to Findmypast this week.

While additional pages have been added to:

• • Blandford Weekly News from 1891
  • Potteries Examiner from 1880
  • St. Helens Examiner from 1898
  • Warrington Examiner from 1880
  • Weymouth Telegram from 1894
  • Widnes Examiner from 1880, 1897 and 1911
  • Wolverhampton Express and Star from 1898, 1901, 1905, 1909-1910 and 1912

 

Search millions more Catholic Church records this week on FamilySearch from Bolivia 1566–1996, Costa Rica 1595–1992, El Salvador 1655–1977, Guatemala 1581–1977, Peru 1603–1992, and Venezuela 1577–1995, plus Catholic and Lutheran Church records from Germany Prussia, Pomerania 1544–1966. Also explore new Canada Tax Assessments 1834–1899 and expanded collections for Brazil, England, Uruguay, and the US (GA, IL, MA, VA). 

Search these new records and images by clicking on the collection links below, or go to FamilySearch to search over 8 billion free names and record images.

The file of new records is long, too lengthy to  fit into this. article However, you can find the entire list at: https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-29-march-2021/.

The following is an email message posted to the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Public Records Access Monitoring Committee mailing list and is republished here with permission:

Many states have changed their adoption records access laws over the past decade.  However, Senate Bill 331/House Bill 999 (http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/sb/sb0331F.pdf) in Maryland which would have allowed adult adoptees 18 years and older unrestricted access to their original birth certificates and adoption records without a court order failed in the Maryland Senate by a vote of 16 for and 31 opposed. The bill would also have changed the “disclosure veto” option into a “contact preference form,” in which a biological parent or adoptee can state whether they prefer to be contacted or not. It had received a favorable report by Judicial Proceedings.

The American Adoption Congress has a chart of access with or without restrictions for adult adoptees access of their original birth certificates at: https://americanadoptioncongress.org/state.php

To read more see: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/03/30/bill-that-wouldve-granted-adoptees-access-to-birth-certificates-fails-on-senate-floor/

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

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?