The Georgia Archives is hosting an African American Genealogy Day next month. The free virtual event will be held on Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon and will feature members of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Metro Atlanta Chapter.

The schedule of events may be found at: https://tinyurl.com/y2j98b8b.

Would you like to electronically search through 164,634 genealogy books? You can do that on the Internet Archives' online service at: https://archive.org/details/genealogy. Not only can you search these books, but you can do so electronically. A search for a name might require a few seconds, not hours or days in the manner of a manual search through printed books in a library.

The Internet Archive (also known as The Internet WayBack Machine Archive) is a San Francisco–based nonprofit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge." It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and nearly three million public-domain books. This online library now has a collection that fills more than 15 petabytes.

NOTE: 15 petabytes is equal to 15 million gigabytes. Yes, that’s a lot of information!

The Internet Archive’s collection is growing daily. Best of all, the use of the Internet Archive is always FREE. There is only one class of available service: FREE. There is no upgraded, or "pro” version. The Internet Archive is funded solely by voluntary donations, so everything is free.

I have written often about the Internet Archive. It has always collected genealogy, family history, and local history books. However, searching through the huge collection used to require imaginative search terms to find specific references.

For instance, searching all of the Internet Archive for references to my last name of Eastman used to find a few genealogy books buried in a listing of hundreds of book related to photography. In addition, a search for family names often also produced listings of book authors who shared that name, even if the book had nothing to do with genealogy. A search for a family name that is also a common English word, such as Black or Street was almost hopeless. Luckily, a change made some time ago has now reduced the search problems.

The Internet Archive now has a dedicated section just for genealogy, family history, and local history books at https://archive.org/details/genealogy. You might want to go to that address first and then conduct a search there.

When writing this article, I went to https://archive.org/details/genealogy, found the box labeled "Search this Collection" and performed a search for: Eastman. That search found 10, 140 books. Unlike searches I have performed in the past, all the books were either (1.) books about Eastman genealogy or (2.) genealogy or local history books that had the name Eastman someplace within the book. In fact, quite a few of the books were local histories for towns where Eastman families had settled. One book was a history book written by Ralph M. Eastman although the book did not appear to contain any genealogy information. I also tried searching for geographic locations, such as “Penobscot County,” and had equally good success.

A few of the books listed in my searches were about U.S. Civil War histories. Those books had little or no genealogy information but contained great information about the soldiers and sailors who served during that war.

Many of the books were originally published in the 1800s; all of the ones I found were published prior to 1923.

The front covers of each book were displayed, and clicking on the image of any book cover immediately showed the contents of the book. Once I clicked on a book's image, full source citations also were displayed for that book, including:

The searches seem to work best for surnames of families that have been in North America for a century or longer. It does not work well for recent immigrants with eastern European or Oriental or Hispanic names. After all, these books are out of copyright; therefore, almost all were published prior to 1923. Don't look for more recent immigrant families in this collection. Almost all the books listed are in English although a very small number may be in other languages.

The addition of a dedicated genealogy section on the Internet Archive is an incremental improvement but a very welcome one indeed. It greatly simplifies the searches for genealogy, family history, and local history books in this fabulous online resource.

I suggest you might want to go to https://archive.org/details/genealogy and search for any surnames of interest. You never know what you might find. You probably want to bookmark that address. Did I mention that the service is FREE?

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

FamilySearch added 8M new US, Utah, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church Census records, 1914–1960, 2M Pennsylvania Historical Society Deaths, Burials 1856–1971, and Marriages 1512–1989, plus 3M Australia, Victoria, Petty Sessions Registers 1858–1985, Germany, Mainz, Catholic Church Records 1540–1952 and France, Nord Parish and Civil Registrations 1524–1893. Other country collections expanded for Bolivia, Finland, Peru, S. Africa and the US (CA, GA, MS, NJ, and PA). 

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 remainder of this announcement is long; too long to fit into this space. You can read the complete announcement in its entirety at: https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-19-january-2021/.

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

FALLS CHURCH, VA, 20 JANUARY 2021—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announced the formation of the Delegate Council Steering Committee, an advisory group to help create the representative body for societies and organizations in the “new NGS.”

“"The Delegate Council will be a forum where genealogical organizations can collaborate, communicate, and counsel among member organizations and the new NGS,” said Dawn Carey Henry, chair of the steering committee. “This is something all organizations need, especially now during these unprecedented times."

The steering committee will help establish the council’s procedures to provide regular engagement with and among member organizations and an avenue for feedback to the NGS Board. The steering committee is planning a kickoff workshop for delegates to be held 17 May 2021.

The steering committee represents genealogical societies, libraries, and other organizations located throughout the United States. They are:

• • Chair: Dawn Carey Henry, Michigan
  • Vice-Chair: W. Samuel Williams, Virginia
  • Taneya Y. Koonce, MSLS, Tennessee
  • Elissa Scalise Powell, CG®, CGL^SM, Pennsylvania
  • Susan K. Howard, New Mexico
  • Laurie Hermance-Moore, MLS, AG®, Ohio
  • Lois Abromitis Mackin, PhD, Minnesota
  • Ari Wilkins, Texas
  • Cheri Hudson Passey, NGS vice president, Society & Organization Management (liaison to the board of directors.)

“The steering committee’s goal,” said Dawn Carey Henry, “is to build the framework for the Delegate Council to ensure effective governance and operations. It established the name for the body, keeping the word ‘delegate’ in the title to honor the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ history of member representatives serving as delegates.“

In the coming months, the committee will further define the roles and responsibilities of a delegate. It will also identify ways for member organizations to collaborate and communicate with each other and NGS.

According to an article by Gene Johnson in the Associated Press:

"Washington, Oregon, more than two dozen Native American and Alaska Native tribes and cultural groups from the Northwest are suing the federal government to stop the sale of the National Archives building in Seattle, a plan that would force the relocation of millions of invaluable historical records to California and Missouri.

"The government is planning to sell the vast warehouse under a law aimed at unloading excess federal property, but the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday says the building is anything but “excess.” It contains irreplaceable documents dating to the 1840s and is used all the time for research about everything from tribal history to Japanese internment during World War II and fur seal hunts on remote Alaskan islands.

"'This is the DNA of our region,' Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson told an online news conference Monday. 'These are documents that are not digitized. Moving them a thousand miles away essentially and effectively eliminates public access to these critical documents.'"

You can read the full article at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/washington-oregon-29-tribes-sue-plan-move-archives-75044651.

From the Washington Secretary Of State's Office blog:

"2020 was an extraordinary year for many reasons, all of which have been immortalized in catchy headlines and sensational news stories.

"Future generations will marvel at these stories and wonder how we coped during these extraordinary times. Much like how we look back on years past and wonder about the issues and challenges our recent ancestors endured.

"Yet thanks to the Washington State Library’s Washington Digital Newspapers (WDN) program – funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – we can more than wonder. We can read for ourselves and learn firsthand.

What Do You Know about Spanish Flu? Uncle Sam’s Health Experts Tell How to Handle Disease if it Hits Your Family The Seattle star. (Seattle, WA), Oct. 11, 1918.

"Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, has digitized over 450,000 pages of historic Washington newspapers for the WDN website, including over 27,000 new issues that have just been released and are now available and free to the public.

"These include issues of the Anacortes American (1985-2000) and Catholic Northwest Progress (1957-1966), which were made available by the City of Anacortes Museum/Skagit Publishing and the Seattle Archdiocese, respectively. Essential to these and all WDN collections are partnerships with museums, libraries, archives, and publishers from across the state to preserve newspapers and our communities’ cultural heritage."

You can read much more at: https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/fromourcorner/index.php/2021/01/breaking-news-more-historic-washington-newspapers-online/. 

It seems to be a tradition that U.S. Presidents have their genealogy traced for them, even without asking. There is an old joke that seems to be true: "To get your family tree done the fastest, run for political office."

Indeed, there is truth in that old joke. In fact, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has already had his ancestry researched by a number of researchers and it has been published on several web sites.

By the way, did you know Joe Biden's middle name is Robinette? He inherited that name from his great-grandfather, George Hamilton Robinette (1844-1914), a Civil War veteran. It was also the middle name of the new President's father.

Listings of Joe Biden's ancestry are available all over the Internet. Two different sites caught my eye:

Family of Joe Biden on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Joe_Biden provides a brief, but easy-to-read listing

Ancestry of Joe Biden by Rich Hall at https://famouskin.com/pedigree.php?name=48077+joe+biden&ahnum=1 provides a more detailed listing going back 10 generations in one line that will probably appeal to experienced genealogists.

My preference is the ahnentafel (list of ancestors) from Rich Hall's listing:

Ancestry of Joe Biden

U.S. President-elect

Look → Click or tap a name to see more details including sources or famous kin.

1st Generation

1. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (1942–)

2nd Generation

2. Joseph Robinette Biden (1915–2002)

3. Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan (1917–2010)

3rd Generation

4. Joseph H. Biden (1893–1941)

5. Mary Elizabeth Robinette (c1894–1943)

6. Ambrose Joseph Finnegan (1883–1957)

7. Geraldine Catharine Blewitt (1886–1949)

4th Generation

8. George T. Biden (c1867–c1910)

9. Mary Emily Liddell (1872–1922)

10. George Hamilton Robinette (1844–1914)

11. Mary A. Hanafy (1862–1930)

12. James Finnegan (1840–c1895)

13. Catherine Roche (c1846–c1895)

14. Edward Francis Blewitt (1859–1926)

15. Mary Ellen Stanton (c1861–1888)

5th Generation

16. Joseph J. Biden (1828–1895)

17. Lydia Ann Randle (c1835–1902)

18. Robert Theodore Liddell (1844–1914)

19. Susan E. Bomberger (c1846–1924)

20. Moses J. Robinette (c1819–1903)

21. Jane E. Pumphrey (c1824–1878)

22. John Hanafy (1815–1878)

23. Mary ----- (1828–1878)

24. Owen Finnegan (c1819–1875)

25. Jane Boyle (c1822–1874)

28. Patrick Blewitt (1832–1911)

29. Catharine Scanlon (c1838–1901)

30. James Stanton (c1831–)

31. Mary Arthurs (c1835–)

6th Generation

32. William Biden (c1800–)

33. Mary Elkins (c1801–)

34. Thomas H. Randle (c1803–1889)

35. Mary Ann Shoemaker (1813–1902)

36. John Liddell 

37. Emily E. Wooben 

38. John Bomberger (c1821–)

39. Mary ----- (c1827–)

42. (probable) James Pumphrey (c1765–c1832)

43. (probable) Elizabeth Hamilton (–1820)

56. Edward Blewitt (c1805–c1870)

57. Mary Mulderig (c1803–c1860)

7th Generation

66. Joseph Elkins (1776–c1801)

67. Nancy Fonts 

84. William Pumphrey (c1734–c1786)

85. Elizabeth Kingsbury (c1738–)

8th Generation

132. William Elkins (c1751–1798)

133. Mary Points (c1748–1798)

170. James Kingsbury 

171. Anne Demilliane 

9th Generation

340. James Kingsbury (–c1726)

341. Elizabeth Hall (c1673–c1743)

342. Gabriel Demilliane 

343. Ann Young 

10th Generation

682. Richard Hall (–c1688)

683. Elizabeth ----- (–c1687)

The archives of several historic Rhode Island newspapers have been digitized and are now freely available for researchers, the Providence Public Library and the Rhode Island Historical Society said.

The newspapers were digitized with the help of a $250,000 grant from the National Digital Newspaper Program and are accessible at the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America site, the organizations said in a statement.

You can read more in a press release at http://bit.ly/3nYEIBO.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

RootsTech Connect 2021—the world’s largest event celebrating family—announces a diverse group of keynote speakers, who hail from England, India, and Uruguay. Speakers include Erick Avari, an award-winning performer in music, opera, theater, and film; Uruguayan former professional footballer Diego Lugano; and a top BBC serial drama actress who first came to prominence as a teenager, Sunetra Sarker.

RootsTech Connect, to be held on 25–27 February 2021, is a free online conference to discover, share, and celebrate family and heritage connections.

Erick Avari, born in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, is an Indian American television, film, and theater actor, writer, director and producer. He has performed in grand opera, on and off Broadway, in regional theaters, and in Hollywood blockbuster films, hit TV series, and award-winning independent films such as The Chosen. He is best known for his roles in Stargate, Independence Day, The Mummy, Daredevil, Planet of the Apes, and Mr. Deeds. Avari has been a trailblazer for a generation of South Asian actors in Hollywood. As part of his fight against stereotypical casting, he has convincingly played more than two dozen ethnicities.

Diego Lugano is a Uruguayan former professional footballer (soccer player) for many clubs in South America and Europe. He played in 95 matches as a member of the Uruguayan soccer team from 2003 to –2014. In 2010 and 2014, he captained the Uruguayan squad in the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. His career began at the Club Nacional de Fútbol of Canelones in 1999. During his career, he played for Plaza Colonia, Fenerbahçe S.K., Paris Saint Germain, Málaga, West Bromwich Albion, BK Häcken, Cerro Porteño of Paraguay, and São Paulo. He has supported many causes defending the rights of children. He is now the superintendent of Institutional Relations of São Paulo FC.

Sunetra Sarker is an award-winning actress born in Liverpool, England, to Hindu parents. Her first acting success came at age 15, when she was cast as Nisha Batra on the Channel 4 serial drama Brookside. Her career took off, and during the next three decades she acted in an array of television series, earning awards for her performances, including an award for Best TV character at the Asian Media Awards. During her career, she made time for school, graduating in IT and French from Brunel University. She is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), an independent charity to support, develop, and promote excellence in film, games, and television and creative talent in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Learn more and register for RootsTech Connect 2021 for free at RootsTech.org.

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, is a global conference celebrating families across generations, where people of all ages are inspired to discover and share their memories and connections. This annual event has become the largest of its kind in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants worldwide.

Today, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham announced his retirement in a message to the Bureau staff and expressed his heartfelt appreciation for their extraordinary accomplishments, especially those related to the successful 2020 Census. The Director also posted a blog which further responds to recent published comments and media reports regarding census data:

To the Outstanding Women and Men of the U.S. Census Bureau:

A little over two years ago, I took an oath to serve you as the 25th Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. At that time, we knew we had great challenges ahead of us, especially in conducting the most complex, technologically advanced decennial census ever.

None of us could anticipate that as we fully launched the 2020 Census, a global health crisis would upend a schedule and plans which had been carefully constructed over a decade. Nor would we anticipate the impact this crisis would have on our numerous vital household surveys and economic products which guide decisions across the public, private, and not-for-profit sector.

Many institutions demurred in the face of this pandemic, and it is easy to understand why. But you did not. You met this challenge head on and overcame it. You adapted operations to carry out the mission while following public health and safety protocols. You made great sacrifices to continue our work as you and your loved ones experienced the pandemic. You were resilient and persevered.

You adapted to serve your Country in new and innovative ways. While other organizations scaled back, you added relevant and timely new products to the Census portfolio. The world has never needed complete and accurate data more than it does now. As we pull together to beat this terrible virus and rebuild our communities, your work shines a light on the path forward.

For decades to come, scholars will study your work, not only to review and use the data you produced, but to answer the question of how the Census Bureau defied the odds to accomplish its mission.

I know, from firsthand experience, our successes are the result of your creativity, tenacity, passion, and commitment.

I have been a career civil servant stretching over several decades, serving all administrations since the mid-1980s. I have had the distinct honor of directing three statistical agencies. I retired from Federal service nearly five years ago but returned because I felt a calling to serve once more. Effective January 20, 2021, I will be retiring from my position as director of the U.S. Census Bureau. I have a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart for all you have done for our Nation.

With deepest admiration, respect, and appreciation,

Steve