The following announcement was posted to the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies’ Public Records Access Monitoring Committee’s mailing list and is republished here with permission:

The Maine State Archives has launched its first-ever catalog of its holdings. Researchers can now search through its bureau’ listing of collections online. The Maine State Archives maintains approximately 100 million pages of official state records considered to be permanently valuable, such as bills introduced in the Legislature, Governor’s Executive Council Reports, election returns, deeds, maps, and military records through World War I.

The link is: https://archives.maine.gov/

However, when I tried “vital records” in the search field only for digital materials nothing appeared. They did appear when I tried search all record types, but not current records. This is because of the current embargo periods for vital records were established by a 2010 law: embargo periods of 75 years for birth; 25 years for death; 50 years for fetal death and 50 years for marriage.

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

Where does the time go? The National Genealogical Society is already planning the 2022 Family History Conference?

Yes, it is just a bit more than 12 months away, the perfect time to do the planning. OK, here is the announcement from the NGS:

NGS 2022 FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE

OUR AMERICAN MOSAIC

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS–11:59 P.M. EDT ON 1 APRIL 2021

The National Genealogical Society 2022 Family History Conference, Our American Mosaic, will be held in Sacramento, California, 25-28 May 2022. The call for proposals opens on 1 December 2020 and closes on 1 April 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Across the dramatic landscape that became America, our diverse ancestors each contributed a precious piece to the colorful design of our American mosaic. In the West, Native American cultures have thrived for thousands of years. While eighteenth-century American colonists were fighting for independence from Great Britain in the East, the Spanish were establishing missions and military outposts in what is now California. The discovery of gold near Sacramento in 1848 sparked a frenzy of migration to California from Asia, Mexico, and the eastern states. The lure of western skies has continued to the present day, attracting ranchers, Dust Bowl refugees, the Great Migration of African Americans from the South, immigrants fleeing poverty or persecution, and technology entrepreneurs.

Our family histories make each of us unique, and our separate stories are a shared history within our American mosaic. Attendees at the 2022 NGS Family History Conference in Sacramento will benefit from lectures and workshops to help build skills in methodology and the use of records and resources to advance their genealogical research.

Lecture Proposals

NGS encourages proposals on a variety of general and specific topics of interest to family historians from beginning to advanced levels. Conference tracks under consideration include the following:

NGS has a free webinar, Becoming a Better Conference Speaker: Proposals and Preparations, which can be found at the National Genealogical Society YouTube channel. Speakers are encouraged to view the video before beginning the proposal process. Topics covered include: Lecture Proposals, Presentation, Syllabus, Communicate, and Delivery.

NGS members will receive first consideration as speakers. Notifications for acceptance will be issued in the fall of 2021. Syllabus material, due 1 February 2022, is required for each lecture or workshop presentation and will be included in the syllabus distributed to all conference registrants. Speakers are expected to use electronic presentation programs and, provide their own digital projector, laptop, and connector to the projector cable. NGS will provide projector support, which consists of a VGA or HDMI cable, cart, and power strip. Internet connections will not be provided in lecture rooms.

Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals may submit up to eight proposals electronically. The speaker compensation is described in detail here on the website. Each submitted proposal requires the following information:

Do not submit a proposed lecture that has been presented nationally or regionally in the last two years, is scheduled to be presented before May 2022, or is available for free online.

Submit a Proposal Today! >

Sponsored Lecture Proposals

If your genealogical organization would like to sponsor a lecture, submit proposals to NGS. If your organization would like to sponsor a luncheon, please contact eshifflett@ngsgenealogy.org. Do not use the sponsored lecture form.

According to an announcement from ScotlandsPeople:

Thousands of volumes of historical records from the collections of National Records of Scotland (NRS) are now available online for the first time, covering the years 1559 to 1900.

Images of more than a million pages from the kirk session and other court records of the Church of Scotland, containing details of key events in communities across the country, have been added to ScotlandsPeople, NRS’s online research service.

Drainie kirk session minutes, 1707, CH2/384/2, page 3

These records offer remarkable insights into the everyday lives of ordinary Scots, recording important moments such as births, marriages and deaths. The church also adjudicated on paternity of children and provided basic education, as well as disciplining parishioners for what could be called anti-social behaviour – drunkenness, cursing and breaking the Sabbath.

The newly-added records also include accounts of how people dealt with exceptional historical events such as:

• wars
• witchcraft trials
• epidemics
• crop failures
• extreme weather

Further details may be found at https://www.historyscotland.com/history/scottish-history/over-1-million-records-from-the-collections-of-national-records-of-sco#.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

This week FamilySearch added 7 million new indexed historical records from Find A Grave Index, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records from Germany, West Prussia 1537–1981, East Prussia 1551–1992, England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts 1538–1983, New Zealand Electoral Rolls 1865–1957, and more records for Brazil, England, France, Norway and Puerto Rico. United States collections added 3 million more records for US City and Business Directories ca 1749–ca. 1990, Massachusetts, Boston Tax Records 1822–1918, Louisiana Voter Registrations 1867–1905, and additional for Maine, Montana, N. Jersey, and Virginia.

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 full list of newly-added records is very long, too long to fit here. However, the full list may be found at: https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-15-march-2021/.

Every March 17, millions of people pause to reflect on their Irish heritage. Conceived as a Saint’s Day in the Catholic Church, Saint Patrick’s Day is now a time of celebration for millions. However, many of us have little knowledge of the man whose name we celebrate.

First of all, Saint Patrick wasn’t Irish. He was a Roman, although born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton in Scotland, in the year 387. His original name is recorded as Maewyn Succat. His father, Calphurnius, belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain. At the age of sixteen years old, Patrick was carried off into captivity by Irish marauders and was sold as a slave to a chieftain named Milchu in Dalriada, a territory of the present county of Antrim in Ireland. He was soon sold to another chieftain in the area. The future saint spent six years tending his master’s flocks near the modern town of Ballymena. During this time he learned to speak fluent Celtic.

After six years of bondage, Patrick escaped, apparently by simply walking away at a convenient opportunity. He wandered for some time, eventually finding his way to Westport. There he found a ship ready to set sail and was allowed on board. In a few days he was in Britain, safe under Roman rule. He then traveled extensively to other lands and studied religion. Patrick spent time in St. Martin’s monastery at Tours and at the island sanctuary of Lérins. He met Saint Germain and became a student of the great bishop. When Germain was commissioned by the Holy See to proceed to Britain to combat the erroneous teachings of Pelagius, he chose Patrick to be one of his missionary companions.

Pope St. Celestine the First had taken note of the young man’s abilities and commissioned Patrick with the mission of gathering the Irish race into the Catholic Church; he also gave him the name “Patercius” or “Patritius.” It was probably in the summer months of the year 433 that Patrick and his companions landed at the mouth of the Vantry River in Ireland, close by Wicklow Head. The Druids were against his missionary work and wanted to kill him, so Patrick searched for friendly territory in which to enter on his mission. Near Slemish, the missionary was struck with horror on seeing at a distance the fort of his old master, Milchu, enveloped in flames. It seems the fame of Patrick’s marvelous power of miracles had preceded him. In anticipation of Patrick’s arrival, Milchu had gathered his treasures into his mansion and set it on fire, casting himself into the flames in a fit of frenzy. An ancient record adds, “His pride could not endure the thought of being vanquished by his former slave.”

Saint Patrick traveled all over Ireland, preaching wherever people gathered. His sermons were not always well received, and many attempted to murder him. Saint Patrick wrote in his “Confessio” that twelve times he and his companions were seized and carried off as captives. On one occasion in particular, he was loaded with chains, and his death was decreed. However, Saint Patrick always managed to escape death. He converted thousands to Christianity and built many churches. It is recorded that he consecrated no fewer than 350 bishops. Legends attribute many miracles to Saint Patrick.

Saint Patrick died on 17 March 493, and that date is now dedicated to his memory. It is not known for sure where his remains were laid although Downpatrick in County Down in the North of Ireland is thought to be his final resting place.

There are many Web sites devoted to Saint Patrick, providing a wealth of material. You can read more at http://www.ireland-information.com/saintpatricksday.htm, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm, http://www.americancatholic.org/features/patrick/ and many others.

MyHeritage seems to be having great success with the new Deep Nostalgia™ that creates colorized animations from black-and-white photos you may have in your collection. 50 million animations have been created in just 18 days!

The company now has launched the #DeepNostalgiaChallenge, offering a free MyHeritage Complete plan to 5 lucky winners who share their favorite animations created with Deep Nostalgia™. The contest runs until March 31, so if you haven’t entered yet, you still have a chance! Click here to read more about the challenge and to learn how to enter.

You can also read a lot more about Deep Nostalgia™ in the MyHeritage Blog at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/03/50-million-animations-created-with-deep-nostalgia/.

It could be a nosy neighbor questioning your ancestry. Perhaps it’s a lover who’s curious if you carry a gene for male pattern baldness. Or a rich grandparent checking if you’re genetically related.

All it takes to find out is a sample of DNA, or a person’s hereditary material, and some inexpensive testing. But experts warn that thefts of DNA from a strand of hair or an item you touched are increasingly more likely, and you can become a victim without ever knowing it.

Florida lawmakers, hearing concerns about this new risk of technological underhandedness and personal privacy breaches, are poised to make the unlawful use of DNA a more serious crime.

The full article by Marc Freeman may be found in the South Florida Sun Sentinel's web site at: http://bit.ly/3qFvc8c.

On October 24, 1867, the Danish government signed a treaty that the then-Danish West Indies would be transferred to the United States, pending ratification by both governments. Prior to this treaty, the West Indies' residents were mostly Danish citizens. The Danish government also maintained a large military presence there until after the treaty was signed. If you have Danish ancestry, it is quite possible those ancestors spent some time in the Virgin Islands before traveling on to the United States or to other countries.

The St. Croix Avis newspaper published many articles about the activities and the departures of Danish citizens and others in its earlier days of publication. Your Danish ancestor(s) may be among those mentioned.

Public notices were often published in both English and Danish. If you see an interesting notice but can’t read the Danish, keep reading down the column. The notice would often be translated into English. Here’s an example:

You may search the St. Croix Avis newspaper by starting at:  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037526/.

Use of online genealogy and especially DNA web sites has become common in recent years. Most of the cases involve violent crimes and usually involve male criminals taking violent actions against females. However, one recent "cold case" is a bit different.

You can read the story in the KIRO (Seattle) web site at: http://bit.ly/38AXVEZ.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

With brand new records from London, Yorkshire and India, where will your past take you this Findmypast Friday?

This week Findmypast have published an eclectic mix of fire brigade reports, monumental inscriptions, life event records and newspapers. Here is what's new this Findmypast Friday.

London Fire Brigade Reports 1915-1918

These intriguing transcripts reveal the damage caused by bombs in London during World War 1, along with the names and addresses of those involved.

Some of the reports paint a devastating picture of wartime London. For example, H.T. and Carolina Good were “burned to death” while John Foot and Sons’ four-floor business in Islington was gutted by fire.

Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions

Findmypast have added over 27,000 new records, spanning nine centuries of Yorkshire history to this collection. Use the newest additions to uncover vital family tree facts. 

You'll see the latest releases marked as new on the parish list which shows the timeframes covered and the number of records from each location.

British India Office Life Events

Privacy rules allowing, Findmypast release more records from this exclusive collection every year. In this latest tranche, you can explore new births and baptisms from 1921 and marriages from 1937. 

If your family has roots in the British Raj, these resources are essential for piecing together your past. Findmypast’s unique British India Office collection also includes deaths and burials, army and navy pensions, wills and probate and assistant surgeon records.

Newspapers

Six brand new publications have just been added to the site along with updates to 12 existing titles. Brand new this week are:

While thousands more pages have been added to: