PhotoDater™ is now available on the MyHeritage mobile app and on the Reimagine app! PhotoDater™ is a revolutionary FREE feature that uses AI technology to estimate when historical photos were taken, and it’s available only on MyHeritage. MyHeritage first released PhotoDater™ on the MyHeritage website back in August 2023. Now, users can enjoy PhotoDater™ on the MyHeritage app for iOS and Android and on the Reimagine app. It’s also available when using a mobile web browser! 

PhotoDater™ reduces the guesswork regarding undated historical photos that may have puzzled you until now. A date estimate can unlock additional clues about a photo, helping you to figure out who appears in it and at what event it was taken. Each new clue has the potential to open up new avenues of discovery in your research. If you aren’t familiar with PhotoDater™ yet, watch this video to see what it can do. 

PhotoDater™ is a welcome addition to the suite of photo features, and was warmly received by MyHeritage users, who have enjoyed exploring the new clues it provides for their family history research. With Thanksgiving and the holiday season on the horizon, family gatherings provide the perfect opportunity to reminisce, scan old family photos, and unlock the mystery of when they were taken, all from your mobile device.

You can read a lot more about PhotoDater™ in the MyHeritage Blog at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2023/11/photodater-now-available-on-the-myheritage-and-reimagine-mobile-apps/. 

The following was written by Findmypast:

• Findmypast is free this Veteran’s Day weekend, enabling anyone to trace the wartime experiences of their ancestors

• Unearth your ancestors’ remarkable stories in the newspaper archives

• Honour and share their legacies on a Findmypast family tree and discover the details of their lives in Census, military records and more

• Share your discoveries on social media with the hashtag #RememberThemAll
  

To mark Veteran’s Day, Findmypast is making its website and collections completely free to the public*. From Thursday 9 November to Monday 13 November, anyone will be able to uncover the wartime experiences of their ancestors, from nurses to soldiers to home front civilians. 

With free access to over 14 billion records and an interconnected tree network, it’s easier than ever to uncover your ancestors’ wartime stories. 

Explore the rich stories of bravery, community and tragedy in over 70 million searchable historical newspaper pages, digitised in partnership with the British Library. You’ll find details about your ancestors that you won’t get in other records, helping you to make connections and gain a deeper understanding of their wartime experiences. 

Research by Findmypast into the newspaper collection has already uncovered some remarkable stories – like that of Jessie Eskdale Walker and Captain Albert Angel White: 

• Jessie Eskdale Walker was part of a first aid party assisting air raid victims, when another bomb fell nearby, killing or injuring most of the party. Eskdale Walker, despite suffering from shock, remained at her post and began rescue work. Assisted by two local Constables, she attended to the injured despite a gas meter nearby having caught fire, creating dangerous conditions. Eskdale Walker was awarded the British Empire Medal for her brave actions despite the present risk to her safety and went on to become an ambulance driver.

• Captain Albert Angel White: Captain White was master of the West Hartlepool steamer Stonepool. In 1939 at the beginning of World War II, Capt. White was engaged in the first straight fight of the war between a defensively armed merchant-man and a U-Boat. The merchant vessel exchanged ‘shot for shot’ with the submarine, fighting it off but receiving damage. Accounts from the era suggest that “by his resolute and skilful action the Master saved his ship.” For his bravery, White was awarded the O.B.E. in December 1939.

You can also delve into the exclusive 1939 Register, military records, hospital and migration records, and many more, to build a detailed picture of your ancestors’ lives. 

Preserve your findings with Findmypast’s simple online family tree builder. Allow the clever hints to get your family history going further, faster and with more accuracy, and share your wartime ancestors’ legacy with friends and family.

Jen Baldwin, Research Specialist at Findmypast, said: “We’re making our entire site free this Veteran’s Day weekend to help everyone to discover their ancestors’ experiences and stories from this tragic and momentous period in recent history. We hope that people will feel more connected to the people in the past who gave so much for our present. From soldiers and nurses to civilians and volunteers, we will remember them all this Veteran’s Day weekend.”

Search for free at https://www.findmypast.com/ 9-13 November. 

*Records on Findmypast will be free to access for all signed-in users from 10am GMT Thursday 9 November, until 10am GMT Monday 13 November.

NOTE: This webinar is being held in the UK and will describe UK laws and customs. It will not be of much interest to people in other countries:

Register for Title Research’s next informative webinar for free.

On Wednesday 29th November at 12pm, Title Research will discuss how historical events play a significant part in the make-up of a family, impacting the genealogical research that they carry out today. In under 20 minutes, Technical Manager Simon Barber will cover:

• A selection of case studies
• The use of genealogy to resolve apparently complex family relationships
• How insurance can be used to support research

Even if you can’t join on the day, all registrants will receive a link to the recording after the webinar has taken place.

Click here to register for the free webinar.

Title Research provides a range of genealogical research and asset repatriation services for legal professionals. Their services are designed to streamline the estate administration process, take the effort out of locating the correct people or assets, and mitigate the risk of future disputes or complications. If you have any questions about genealogical research, asset repatriation, or how you can work with Title Research, call them on +44 (0) 345 87 27 600 or email info@titleresearch.com.

This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I found it to be interesting and decided to pass it on here.

The following is a press release written by the American Library Association:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gen Z and Millennials are using public libraries, both in person and digitally, at higher rates compared to older generations, according to a new report released today by the American Library Association (ALA). Gen Z and Millennials: How They Use Public Libraries and Identify Through Media Use draws on a nationally representative survey to reveal the attitudes and behaviors young Americans have regarding library use and media consumption.  

Authored by Kathi Inman Berens, Ph.D., and Rachel Noorda, Ph.D., both of Portland State University, the report and survey data show that 54 percent of Gen Z and Millennials visited a physical library within the previous 12 months. Of the 2075 Gen Z and Millennials surveyed in 2022, more than half who self-reported visiting a physical library said they also borrow from a library’s digital collection. The data also revealed younger Americans’ distinct preference for physical versions of books: survey respondents read and bought on average twice as many print books per month as any other category.  

“Great news: Younger generations of people are reading books, buying books, and visiting libraries,” said Dr. Noorda. “Not only are Gen Z and Millennials engaging with books, but they are also engaging with other forms of media. They are gamers, readers, writers, and fans who are comfortable with malleability between media categories and forms.” 

Libraries are drawing even Gen Z and Millennials who don’t self-identify as readers. More than half of the 43 percent of Gen Z and Millennials who don’t self-identify as readers have been to their local library in the past 12 months.  

"These digitally-immersed generations make clear that libraries are about more than books,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski. “Programming relevant to teens and their parents – coding clubs, job application help, gaming – draws even non-readers to the library, as does the physical space to connect and collaborate." 

Library services and programs that attract non-readers are based on the specific needs of local communities and are the focus of the Public Library Association’s 2022 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Survey.  

"Libraries are popular among Gen Z and Millennials, even among self-identified non-readers. Gen Z and Millennials want and need the resources public libraries offer,” said Dr. Inman Berens. “Just as they flit between multiple media formats, they also jump between modes of access: libraries to bookstores to influencer posts to subscriptions, and back again. Libraries are a notable way Gen Z and Millennials discover books." 

Through analysis of survey and demographic data, the authors uncovered additional key findings, including: 

• Younger library users view the library as a place to “sample” materials, supplementing and informing their purchases and paid subscriptions of books, information, and media.  

• Members of the survey cohorts who also identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color are more impacted by wait times for digital materials; more Black and Latinx Gen Z and Millennials report using digital collections than the general survey population.  

• Seventy-five percent of Gen Z and Millennial physical library patrons believe a library wait of one week or less is “long.” 

The Gen Z and Millennials public libraries and media use report builds on earlier data collected by the authors in Immersive Media 2020, published by the Panorama Project, which sought to understand how today’s readers and consumers view books in relation to other forms of interactive media. Both reports are intended to serve library professionals, educators, publishers, and local governments in assessing and planning outreach and services geared toward various generational cohorts. 

About the authors 

Dr. Kathi Inman Berens is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar of digital culture, former Annenberg Innovation Lab fellow, prize-winning author, and Associate Professor of Book Publishing and Digital Humanities at Portland State University. She is co-editor of the Electronic Literature Collection Volume 4 and writes about commercial and non-commercial contemporary publishing. 

Dr. Rachel Noorda is Director and Associate Professor of Publishing at Portland State University. Her research is primarily focused on consumer behavior, marketing, and entrepreneurship in the book industry. She regularly works with book organizations and has conducted previous research about libraries with Dr. Kathi Inman Berens in Immersive Media 2020. 

About the American Library Association 

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org. 

Genetic genealogy leads to perpetrators being arrested and victims being identified in previously unsolved cold cases going back decades. Now, a company has created the first-ever database to track cases being solved by this technology.

Some of the trends they’ve already discovered are surprising.

Several cases featured by True Crime Arizona on forensic genetic genealogy have focused on Jane or John Does being identified after years, but not all cases have been fully solved. This new database sheds some light as to how many genetic genealogy cases have resulted in arrests, and there’s something pretty startling that comes to light from this data.

“It’s a treasure trove for anyone wanting to see the real-world impact of DNA and genetic genealogy with crime solving,” said Marc McDermott, who founded ‘Genealogy Explained.’ McDermott created the first searchable online database, ‘Genealogy Explained, ’ detailing cases solved by genetic genealogy, all coming from the Forensic Genetic Genealogy Project.

To date, the database shows 621 criminal cases have been solved involving 293 perpetrators.

You can read more in an article by Briana Whitney published in the azfamily web site at: https://tinyurl.com/35kr7k9e.

A partnership between the Museum of the American Revolution and Ancestry.com makes it easier for African American and Native American families to get answers about ancestors who served during the Revolutionary War.

Philadelphia local radio station KYW reports that Ancestry.com has digitized a rare collection of military documents from the war that descendants can search online for free.

The museum acquired the records in 2022 from the Patriots of Color Archive.

The trove comprises nearly 200 rare documents, including original muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers and discharge forms. For people of color, it’s almost impossible to find these government papers.

This development paints a better picture of their ancestors’ service to the nation.

“A lot of people don’t realize how many Black and Native men served in the Revolution,” Amiee Newell, director of collections and exhibitions at the museum. “It was in the thousands — not tens or hundreds.”

The museum will use the collection to tell the soldiers’ stories.

“We are starting here to work on a digital project to go even deeper into the soldiers’ stories,” said Newell. “So stay tuned for that.”

The names and legacies of nearly 5 million veterans and service members have been added to an online database operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, doubling the number of individuals whose military records and contributions are commemorated, the agency announced Thursday.

The Veterans Legacy Memorial, which was launched in 2019, is an interactive VA website that honors the men and women who served in the U.S. military, dating to the Revolutionary War. 

“Keeping alive the legacy of veterans who have served is a personal mission,” said Matt Quinn, undersecretary for memorial affairs at the VA. “You see my grandfather, my father, my brother and three of my uncles are interred in veterans’ cemeteries. Their grave marker should not be the final remembrance.”

The newest addition of 5 million names to the site represents veterans and service members interred at private cemeteries across the country, the VA said. 

The online memorial honors veterans and service members with individual web pages that users can visit to submit photos, post tributes and learn about their military service. 

Service members at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the nation’s oldest national cemetery, are among the veterans identified on the website. 

The VA has used public databases to help identify service members and veterans and to provide background on their military records. 

You can read more in an article in the Stars and Stripes web site at: https://tinyurl.com/yfzhsj5n.

Here is a list of all of this week's articles, all of them available here at https://eogn.com:        

From an article on the Valdosta State University web site:

Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections has received a $22,205 grant from the Lyrasis Catalyst Fund to kickstart an effort to make South Georgia history more accessible to everyone.  

Through a five-year Community Archives Digitization, Access, and Preservation Partnership project, VSU plans to document and preserve some of the more important holdings of small historical societies and community archives across the university’s 41-county service region. This project involves digitization; metadata creation; making items accessible across multiple platforms locally, regionally, statewide, and nationally; and digitally preserving the materials within VSU’s state-of-the-art digital preservation system.

Deborah Davis, certified archivist and director of Archives and Special Collections at VSU, said the Community Archives Digitization, Access, and Preservation Partnership project is essential because community archives in rural South Georgia lack the resources to make their holdings available to researchers outside their local areas. They also need guidance on best practices for sustainably preserving their historical materials.

“When you do searches for South Georgia history and culture, there’s not a whole lot that comes up,” she shared. “This project will allow community leaders and historians across our region to partner with VSU and use digitization as a method of historic preservation to collect and record the stories, images, and documents of their cities and towns — and expand access to information that was previously restricted to a physical location.

“There is a demand for digitized historical content, and there are a lot of interesting things to discover about South Georgia. We want to do our part to encourage an appreciation for and understanding of local Southern history and make learning about that history more accessible.”

Work on the Community Archives Digitization, Access, and Preservation Partnership project started over the summer. VSU is currently partnering with the Lowndes County Historical Society, Thomas County Historical Society, Brooks County Historical Society, Grady County Historical Society, Pinevale Alumni Association, Snake Nation Press, and local independent researchers to select important and imperiled collections for scanning, access, and preservation and to share archival best practices.

VSU is also collaborating with the Digital Library of Georgia.  

Because Archives and Special Collections provides an exploratory environment designed to promote active learning, Davis said this project will provide internship opportunities for VSU students from various fields of study. This type of hands-on, inquiry-based experiential learning can help students learn to think critically and with purpose, while also allowing them to engage with the public and transform historical research for future generations.

Davis will retire from VSU after three decades of service in December. She plans to return to the Community Archives Digitization, Access, and Preservation Partnership project as a volunteer and looks forward to having more time to build and nurture relationships with community leaders and historians across South Georgia. 

“I’m excited about my changing role with the university and the impact that will allow me to have on our region,” she added. “I look forward to becoming more of a consultant, matching the expertise and resources of VSU Archives and Special Collections to possible projects with community-based archives across rural South Georgia.”

Douglas Carlson, a certified archivist who currently serves as technical assistant for Archives and Special Collections, is projected to succeed Davis. As principal investigator for the Lyrasis Catalyst Fund grant, he will be supported by Davis and Dallas Suttles, a certified archivist and computer technology expert who will oversee the project’s digitization and digital preservation workflow. VSU’s Information Technology team will maintain the server space needed for the project.

VSU Archives and Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of Odum Library.

The Catalyst Fund provides support for new ideas and innovative projects, particularly projects with community impact.

VSU was one of five institutions of higher education across the United States selected by Lyrasis for a Catalyst Fund award.

While VSU’s project focuses primarily on South Georgia, Davis said that it has the potential to serve as a model for similar historical preservation initiatives across the United States, especially in rural areas served by regional university archives.

Lyrasis is a community-supported nonprofit committed to ensuring a lifetime of access to shared academic, scientific, and cultural heritage archives, libraries, museums, and research communities.

From a press release by the Smithsonian:

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum has launched a new digital campaign on its website to gather stories from the public that will help shape the future of the museum. The campaign will ask contributors to share a story of a woman from their family, community or past who has inspired them to think differently. Submitted stories will feed into the museum’s first digital exhibition to launch during Women’s History Month in March 2024.  

Women have contributed to America’s most defining moments—moments that shaped constitutional rights, yielded scientific breakthroughs and created the symbols of the nation. Yet a diversity of women’s stories has not been widely told. The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum will expand the story of America through the often-untold accounts and accomplishments of women—individually and collectively—to better understand the past and inspire the future.

“We are excited to see what the stories that people share will uncover,” said Melanie Adams, interim director of the museum. “This campaign is one of our first steps toward increasing the visibility of women in American history and recognizing the women who have shaped this country—in large and small ways. We look forward to sharing these stories with the world online and eventually in person, hopefully on the National Mall alongside other Smithsonian museums, which together create a rich and diverse picture of America’s past, present and future.”

Approved by Congress in 2020, the museum is now seeking a physical location on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to place women’s history at the center of the American story. The storytelling campaign is one of several upcoming digital initiatives from the museum to engage with audiences and share inspiring content in the lead up to the opening of the physical building.

P.S.  The link is: https://womenshistory.si.edu/story