A huge collection of Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG, 1795–1940 is now available online on MyHeritage.com. The collection consists of several million historical records and covers the era from the Russian Empire (1795 to World War I) to the period of independent Lithuania (1919–1940).

The majority of records are from places in present-day Lithuania. However, due to various geopolitical changes during the time period covered, the records are not limited to the modern boundaries of Lithuania; they also cover areas located in present-day Poland, Belarus, or other neighboring countries.

The records in this compilation include vital records, census records, tax and voter lists, conscription lists, household registers, directories, emigration lists, and more. Some records in this collection were kept for taxation or conscription purposes. Many of the original records have also been lost or destroyed. As a result, there may be significant gaps in the years available.

The collection has been provided to MyHeritage from LitvakSIG, Inc., an independent organization, which retains all rights, title, and interest in the data. © Copyright 1998-2021 LitvakSIG, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit LitvakSIG for more information and to search its All-Lithuanian Database.

This newly-published collection is a valuable resource for anyone of Lithuanian-Jewish origin. MyHeritage.com subscribers may access the Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG, 1795–1940 collection at https://myheritage.com/lithuanian-jewish-records.

Here is the press release from MyHeritage and from LitvakSIG, Inc., that provides more details:

MyHeritage Adds Lithuanian-Jewish Historical Records in Coordination with LitvakSIG

Tel Aviv, Israel and Lehi, Utah, March 9, 2021 — MyHeritage, the leading global service for discovering your past and empowering your future, and LitvakSIG, a U.S. non-profit organization providing the primary online resource for Lithuanian-Jewish genealogy research worldwide, jointly announced today the publication of an important compilation of Lithuanian-Jewish historical records by MyHeritage. The records in this collection were originally translated and indexed by LitvakSIG, and represent almost the entire corpus of LitvakSIG's work over more than twenty years. These records have now been added to MyHeritage's historical record database.

The Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG, 1795-1940 collection consists of several million historical records and covers the era from the Russian Empire (1795 to World War I) to the period of independent Lithuania (1919–1940). The majority of records are from places in present-day Lithuania. However, due to various geopolitical changes during the time period covered, the records are not limited to the modern boundaries of Lithuania; they also cover areas located in present-day Poland, Belarus, or other neighboring countries. The records in this compilation include vital records, census records, tax and voter lists, conscription lists, household registers, directories, emigration lists, and more.

These records have tremendous genealogical value, and together with MyHeritage’s search and matching technologies, which overcome language barriers and provide matches to family trees in English, Russian, and Hebrew, among other languages, will open a new frontier of discovery for individuals who are researching their Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. MyHeritage is home to a treasure trove of Jewish historical records. In addition, the company’s collections include millions of pages from passenger and immigration lists documenting the wave of emigration from Europe to North America, South America, and Israel in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

“This year we are increasing our efforts to expand the Jewish genealogy resources on MyHeritage,” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Adding this collection from LitvakSIG provides a valuable resource for anyone of Lithuanian-Jewish origin. On a personal level, some of my own ancestors appear in this collection, including my paternal grandmother and her siblings from the small Lithuanian town of Valkininkai (Olkieniki), making this addition especially meaningful for me and my family.”

“We are excited to make the bulk of LitvakSIG’s translated historical records available to millions of MyHeritage users,” said Jill Anderson, President of LitvakSIG. “By allowing this collection to be searchable on the MyHeritage platform, LitvakSIG is fulfilling its mission to promote widely Lithuanian-Jewish (Litvak) genealogical research. This arrangement will enable LitvakSIG to accelerate the pace of publishing new records, which will be added to the collection on MyHeritage in the future.”"

The Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG collection is available on MyHeritage. Searching the collection is free. A subscription is required to view the full records and to access Record Matches.

Search the collection now

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading global discovery platform for exploring family history. With billions of historical records and family tree profiles, and with sophisticated matching technologies that work across all its assets, MyHeritage allows users to discover their past and empower their future. MyHeritage DNA is one of the world’s largest consumer DNA databases, with 4.8 million customers. MyHeritage is the most popular DNA test and family history service in Europe. Since 2020, MyHeritage is home to the world’s best AI technologies for animating, enhancing, and colorizing historical photos. www.myheritage.com

About LitvakSIG

LitvakSIG is the primary internet resource for Lithuanian-Jewish (Litvak) genealogy research worldwide. LitvakSIG is dedicated to discovering and preserving Litvak heritage. Its mission is to discover, collect, document, disseminate and preserve information about the once vibrant Jewish community of Lithuania. LitvakSIG's vehicle for disseminating genealogical data, the "All-Lithuania Database", will not be affected by the arrangement with MyHeritage. www.litvaksig.org

This article was removed because of a significant typo error in the source document that resulted in a mix-up. I am investigating the error and will republish it again here if a corrected source document is located.

 - Dick Eastman

NOTE: See the update to this article at: https://eogn.com/page-18080/10210399

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the FHF REALLY USEFUL Family History Show:

The virtual shows of February are over! Family historians can now ready themselves for the second the Federation of Family History Societies' REALLY USEFUL Family History Show, to be hosted by the Family History Federation and Parish Chest on Saturday 10^th April. The show builds on the success of the first Show held last November.

There are over twenty top presentations on a wide range of genealogical topics. Plus over sixty exhibitors are already confirmed who will be actively manning their booths and happy to discuss topics with visitors. Many talks will be available for up to seven days from opening of the show giving attendees ample time to visit exhibitors on the day then catch up on talks later. In addition there will be workshops along with the ever-popular “Ask the Experts” (pre-booking essential). And don’t forget the goody bag…!

Regular updates will be on:

https://www.fhf-reallyuseful.com

This is THE show for unique opportunity in one place to visit many family history societies for access to local expertise and information, plus other organisations providing supplies for the family historian. And to enjoy over twenty full-length presentations by leading specialists. A comment from an attendee at the last show says it all: The talks were brilliant and it was a great chance to ask for advice from various family history societies.

All this without leaving your armchair!

All inclusive tickets are just £10 per person

BOOK NOW to visit the festival of Really Useful things for family historians!

www.fhf-reallyuseful.com

An article in the TechCrunch web site describes the success of MyHeritage.com's latest offering, referring to it as "Deep Nostalgia." The new app has had more than In only 11 days, millions of people have created 26 million animations using Deep Nostalgia™!

Here are 2 such "before and after" photos : The photo son the left shows the original black-and-whit still photos and the one on the right shows the same photo after automatic conversion by MyHeritage's "Deep Nostalgia" software.

This groundbreaking new photo feature allows you to animate the faces of your loved ones in still photos and has taken the internet by storm.

Disclaimer: MyHeritage.com is the sponsor of this newsletter.

The article states:

"MyHeritage’s recently launched update that lets users animate their old photos helped to send the app to the top of the App Store this week. The company had last week introduced “Deep Nostalgia” — a facial animation feature powered by technology from Israeli tech company (and TechCrunch Battlefield alum) D-ID. To animate the photos, the tech maps the facial features from the photo to a driver video to create what it calls a “live portrait.”

You can find the article at: https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/06/this-week-in-apps-app-store-bill-passes-az-house-deep-nostalgia-goes-viral-twitter-spaces-arrives-on-android/ and then scroll down to the second article in that column.

You can also read more details about the "Deep Nostalgia" Animated Family Photos" in the MyHeritage Blog at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/03/26-million-animations-created-with-deep-nostalgia/.

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society:

FALLS CHURCH, VA, 8 MARCH 2021—Only a few days are left for family historians and three representatives from each NGS society or organization to receive a discount on registration for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Virtual Family History Conference, 17−21 May 2021. After 15 March, the price of registration for NGS 2021 Live! and On-Demand! will increase $50 across the various packages. To qualify for the early-bird discount, you must register online by 15 March.

Join us on Wednesday and Thursday, 19‒20 May, for NGS’s premier two-day virtual conference event― NGS 2021 Live!. Speakers include two award-winning authors, Dani Shapiro, author of Inheritance, and Ric Murphy, author of Arrival of the First Africans in Virginia. Other nationally recognized speakers will join them, including Barbara Vines Little, the keynote speaker for the opening session, Eric Grundset, Thomas W. Jones, Janice Lovelace, Elizabeth Shown Mills, Judy Russell, Craig Scott, and more. The two-day event also features the announcement of winners for NGS awards; the newest genealogical products and services from exhibitors in our virtual expo hall; and drawings for exciting genealogy-related prizes.

In addition to NGS 2021 Live!, NGS offers a choice of either a twenty or forty lecture package on-demand. Those who purchase a package may choose from more than eighty-five on-demand sessions available for viewing starting in June. Program content includes https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/sponsored-bonus-sessions/twenty-one bonus lectures provided by conference sponsors and sponsoring organizations.

NGS will host additional events throughout the week. On Monday, 17 May, the Delegate Council Kickoff Workshop focuses on helping delegates understand their role within NGS. Tuesday presents the debut of the SLAM! Idea Showcase, included in all NGS 2021 Live! packages, which highlights creative and innovative projects or programs by societies, libraries, archives, and museums (SLAMs). The week ends with Focus on Societies on Friday, an all-day event devoted to presentations offering expert advice for society leaders on managing and growing their genealogical or historical society.

Take advantage of the discounted Early-Bird registration fee, plus member discounts, when you sign up by 15 March 2021. NGS societies and organizations should have their representatives contact our Conference Registrar at registration@ngsgenealogy.org to have up to three officers or directors register at the member rate.

The following in an announcement from TheGenealogist:

TheGenealogist has released over 150,000 individuals to its ever expanding Military Record Collection. Containing names, places and dates, these publications can aid the family history researcher find their ancestors and build a fascinating story of their lives. With records from Britain, Canada and a number of Indian registers and directories, these searchable records contain lists of men and women who served their country in various capacities connected to the military, and not just on the front line.

Included in the latest release is The War Office List 1920, where we can find a Miss Florence Agnes Hebb who had been Deputy Chief Superintendent of Typists at the War Office. We can follow her appointments from December 1890, when she first joined the War Office as a typist, to receiving an M.B.E in January 1918 and then becoming Controller of Typists at the Air Ministry in March of that year.

Another record, the Monthly Official Military Directory for Salisbury Plain, April 1914, finds the fledgling Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding when he was an Army Captain, ‘under instruction’ in WW1 and attending the Central Flying School at Upavon, Wiltshire.

The records can be used to discover more about an ancestor’s achievements and are fantastic for identifying where next to apply your research. These books can give dates of postings along with ranks or positions held in establishments, as well as a great deal more useful information that may help to build a better family history.

Use these records to:

• Add dates and details to the lives of your ancestors

• Discover where they served

• Fill in gaps in the information that you already have on an ancestor

• Find hints and ‘signposts’ to other records and places to search for forebears.

These records will often allow us to recount a much more rounded picture of the life of a person and so enrich the telling of their story.

You can read how, from his entry in the Monthly Official Military Directory for Salisbury Plain, April 1914, we then traced a rising star of the air force through a myriad of other military records on TheGenealogist.

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/military-records-fill-in-the-blanks-and-point-where-to-look-next-1381/

Included in this release are:

A List of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst 1833, Bombay Artillery List of Officers 1749-1902, Canada, Defence Forces List August 1938, Canada Defence Forces List November 1939, Colonial Office List for 1914, East-India Register and Directory 28th August 1821, Gradation List of Officers of the British Army July 1924, Graduation List of Officers of the British Army Oct 1915, India List Civil and Military July 1881, Northern Command Official Directory No. 45 Nov 1938, Records of Clan Campbell in the Military Service of the Honourable East India Company 1600-1858, Rules And List Of Members Imperial Service Club, Salisbury Plain Military Directory April 1914, War Office List 1939, War Office List 1920, Western Command Official Directory No. 12 April 1938

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

The following is an announcement from Findmypast:

Findmypast have just added thousands of baptism and marriage records from Essex and Kent to their ever expanding collection of British family history records.

Unlock the power of parish records with these latest Findmypast Friday new releases. Here are all the details on what's new.

Essex Baptisms

In partnership with the Family History Federation, Findmypast have added over 38,000 new records to this collection. These new records cover 16 Anglican churches and span over 380 years of Essex history. This update includes records from:

• • Blackmore, St Laurence
  • Bobbingworth, St Germain
  • Chipping Ongar, St Martin of Tours
  • Epping Upland, All Saints
  • Great Bromley, St George
  • Harlow, St John the Baptist
  • Hatfield Broad Oak, St Mary the Virgin
  • High Laver, All Saints
  • High Ongar, St Mary the Virgin
  • High Roding, All Saints
  • Latton, St Mary at Latton
  • Little Laver, St Mary the Virgin
  • Magdalen Laver, St Mary Magdalen
  • Moreton, St Mary the Virgin
  • South Weald, St Peter
  • Waltham Holy Cross, St Lawrence & Holy Cross

Findmypast’s Essex parish list includes details on the entire collection including year coverage and the number of records from each church.

Kent Baptisms

Was your ancestor christened in Kent? Over 10,000 new records from two parishes have joined the collection.

These latest additions cover the parishes of Chelsfield, St Martin of Tours and Greenwich, St Alphege and stretch from 1640-1910. The Kent parish list includes all the churches in this extensive collection.

Kent Marriages

Continue tracing Kent family milestones with over 9,000 new marriage records from three churches, covering 1750-1936.

The newest arrivals come from Lewisham, Westerham and Eltham. Use them to enrich the Kent branches of your family tree with essential details.

Newspapers

Findmypast have published 12 brand new newspapers and added thousands more pages to 12 existing titles. Does your family’s local paper feature? Brand new this week are:

• • Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser covering 1881-1890
  • East Riding Telegraph covering 1895-1896, 1899 and 1901-1903
  • Halifax Comet covering 1892 and 1894
  • Pontypridd District Herald covering 1880 and 1891-1894
  • Ripon Observer covering 1890-1895, 1898-1901, 1904-1916 and 1919-1922
  • Seren Cymru covering 1875 and 1877-1883
  • South Wales Daily Telegram covering 1870-1874, 1876-1887, 1889 and 1891
  • Southport Visiter covering 1865, 1869-1870, 1873-1875, 1877, 1886, 1889, 1891-1893, 1897 and 1911-1912
  • Warwickshire Herald covering 1884-1896 and 1899
  • Weymouth Telegram covering 1900
  • Y Llan covering 1881 and 1884-1909
  • Y Tyst covering 1877, 1879-1880, 1882-1883 and 1885-1889

To celebrate St David's Day this week, Findmypast’s latest releases also include five publications from Wales, three of them published in the native Welsh language.

Meanwhile, the following titles have been supplemented with extra pages:

• • Blandford Weekly News from 1886
  • Chelsea News and General Advertiser from 1974
  • Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) from 1899
  • Cotton Factory Times from 1889 and 1912
  • Lancaster Standard and County Advertiser from 1898
  • Liverpool Weekly Courier from 1902
  • Maidstone Telegraph from 1916-1918 and 1920
  • Nelson Chronicle, Colne Observer and Clitheroe Division News from 1897 and 1899-1904
  • North Cumberland Reformer from 1896
  • Northern Weekly Gazette from 1895
  • Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express from 1919, 1923, 1925, 1927-1928 and 1932-1940
  • Runcorn Examiner from 1880 and 1889-1890

Here is the announcement:

IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
Set for Virtual and In-person in Philadelphia Aug. 2-5, 2021

Registration now open

The 41st Annual IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will take place in historic Philadelphia, PA, Aug. 2- 5, 2021, with a virtual component as well.

The conference will feature more than 100 speakers, with more than 250 sessions covering virtually every aspect of Jewish genealogy.

“Based on the successful full virtual format last year, there will again be a virtual component,” said Judi Missel, lead co-chair. “We are also planning our usual in-person conference with all its benefits, dependent on the situation with COVID.” Judi is a long-standing IAJGS Conference Administrative Manager and its 2019 Volunteer of the Year.

“We are excited to host this year’s Conference in Philadelphia, a city with a vibrant Jewish community and an abundance of historical attractions and genealogical resources,” said local co-chair Fred Blum, a past president of the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia, the local co-host with IAJGS.

Early Bird registration is now open and will continue until May 31. Due to social distancing restrictions, attendance to the Conference will be limited; therefore, a Wait List will be created. Registration for all meals and computer labs is expected to open soon. Registration and conference program details are posted on the conference website: www.iajgs2021.org. Ongoing information and questions will also be posted on the IAJGS Conference Discussion Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/IAJGS.

The special Conference tracks are: Early Jewish Settlers of the Americas, Innovative Methodology, Keepers of the Shoah Memory, Beginners, DNA Insights for Genealogy, and Heritage and Cultural Material.

Programs at the Conference will be geared from first-timers to conference veterans, and will include lectures, lunches, computer labs, and networking through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Birds of a Feather (BOFs). An Exhibitor Hall and Resource Library will include genealogy experts, mentors and archivists for a one-stop research experience at the conference site.

Keynote speaker will be Michael Hoberman, professor of American Literature at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts and author of the books New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America and A Hundred Acres of America: The Geography of Jewish American Literature.

The IAJGS is an umbrella organization of more than 93 Jewish genealogical societies worldwide. It coordinates and organizes activities such as its annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy and provides a unified voice as the spokesperson on behalf of its members.

The IAJGS’s vision is of a worldwide network of Jewish genealogical research organizations and partners working together as one coherent, effective and respected community, enabling people to succeed in researching Jewish ancestry and heritage. Find the IAJGS at: www.iajgs.org and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iajgsjewishgenealogy.

Did you suffer losses in the Cookeville, Tennessee tornado last year? If so, did some of those losses include family photographs that "disappeared" from your home as the tornado did its damage? If so, you should know that many pictures of graduations, weddings, and newborn photoshoots are now sitting in boxes for safekeeping at Tennessee Technology University.

If one or more of these photos are yours, you can reclaim them, thanks to the work of archivist Megan Atkinson. She has organized the pictures alphabetically in boxes. They are memories that were once in a photo album or hanging on a wall.

You do not have to travel to campus to see the pictures. Atkinson has a Flicker page with the photographs cataloged.

You can read the details in an article by Abby Kousouris in the WVLT website at: http://bit.ly/3beSwoE.

More than a Million people attended last week's RootsTech Connect virtual conference!

Following last week’s first virtual-only RootsTech Connect, organizers have counted more than 1.1 million participants from over 240 countries and territories — by far the largest global gathering in the conference’s 10-year history.

Last year’s event only drew about 130,000 (in person and online attendance).

For Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International, this is only the beginning.

You can read the details in an article by Trent Toone in the DeseretNews web site at: http://bit.ly/3bgcVtt.