This story is documented in a YouTube video at: https://youtu.be/RF4iW7L5-n4.

Genealogy mystery writer Nathan Dylan Goodwin is teaming up with FHD Forensics and its sister organization Genealogy For Justice™ to raise funding for genetic genealogy investigations.

Goodwin is inviting his fans to support his campaign to underwrite cold cases and have fun doing it. Among the prizes are signed books and naming the villain in the next Venator series novel.

"Nathan has generously joined our online fundraising team in order to help underwrite cases for the Dean and Tina Linn Clouse Memorial Fund," said Board of Advisors Chairman, Allison Peacock, President of FHD Forensics.

Winners will be chosen based on either their own single donation, or by funds raised as a team member with a personalized page on the Genealogy For Justice team on the crowdfunding website GiveButter.

Already known for the exploits of his well-loved character, British genealogist Morton Farrier, Goodwin recently launched the Venator Cold Case series set in the U.S. These stories feature a female investigator based in Utah that uses genetic genealogy to solve murder cases around the U.S.

"I have been a great supporter of investigative genetic genealogy ever since first hearing of its incredible power to bring closure to the families of murder victims and to restore the names to unidentified human remains," explained the author.

"Despite my being a writer of fiction, the real people involved in these tragic cases that are unearthed during the process of IGG are of great importance to me. This Genealogy For Justice campaign will help fulfill my firm hope that many more cases will be solved using this unique and powerful forensic approach," Nathan continued.

About Genealogy For Justice

Genealogy For Justice began as a simple online fundraiser in late 2021 called "The Hope For Holly DNA Project." It was circulated as a way to help the families of newly identified 1980 murder victims Dean and Tina Linn Clouse to search for their lost daughter, last seen with them as an infant in 1980.

After daughter Holly Marie was found alive and well in June 2022, the fund was renamed and repurposed as a memorial to Dean and Tina. The 501c3 sister organization was officially launched in October of 2022 with a goal to help other families of the unidentified become reunited with missing loved ones through closure of their cold cases.

The organization recently announced its first case closure in the case of Virginia Higgins Ray, a North Carolina native who died in a Columbia, South Carolina hospital in 1982.

About Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Genealogical crime mystery author Nathan Dylan Goodwin has been doing genealogy research since he was a boy. So it comes as no surprise that when he combined this with his love of writing, an acclaimed genre-bestselling Forensic Genealogist series was born.

In addition to his well-loved Farrier books, Nathan recently launched the Venator Cold Case series set in the U.S. Two free downloads of Nathan Dylan Goodwin's work can be found on his website.

The following press release was written by Library and Archives Canada:

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is proud and excited to offer access to the digitized 1931 Census of Canada, 92 years after it was conducted. This is the first time that LAC has provided online access to census content on the first day permitted by law. The 1931 Census data delves into where people lived, but also how they lived; it is an extremely valuable tool for genealogy and research since it captures people and their relationships, the languages they spoke and how and where they lived—whether with extended families, within their immigrant communities or in institutions and rooming houses.

The release of the 1931 Census data is taking place in two phases. Today marks the public launch of phase one, which includes 234,687 digitized images and an interface for users that allows them to browse by district and sub-district.

Phase two involves transcribing the entire census to offer an intuitive and user-friendly search experience. As soon as the fall of 2023, all users—regardless of their level of genealogical or research expertise—will be able to search the census by name or place using Census Search. To accomplish this work in record time, LAC has been working and will continue to work collaboratively with its partners Ancestry® and FamilySearch International.

Stay tuned for the latest updates via LAC’s web page Preparing the 1931 Census.

About Library and Archives Canada

The mandate of Library and Archives Canada is to acquire and preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada. Library and Archives Canada also facilitates co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.

About Ancestry®

Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With its unparalleled collection of more than 40 billion records, over 3 million subscribers and over 23 million people in a growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. For over 40 years, Ancestry® has built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen it as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families. 

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. It is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to make joyful, personal, and family discoveries. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 FamilySearch centres in 129 countries, including the main FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Quotes

“Ninety-two years ago, Canadians filled the 1931 Census and wrote their name in history. It is with great pride that Library and Archives Canada marks this date by giving access to its digitized images to our users. Historic data allows users to connect with their family’s history and all of those interested in uncovering their memories. I would also like to thank our partners, Ancestry® and FamilySearch, for embarking on this important work and helping us rapidly give access to yet another fascinating chapter of our story.” 

Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada

(Tweet this quote.)

“FamilySearch is honored to have been invited by LAC to help Canadians find their ancestors through the online publication of the 1931 Census of Canada. LAC’s collaboration with FamilySearch and Ancestry allows us to combine our efforts and technologies to more efficiently create a searchable version of the census that is both accurate and complete. We anticipate that millions of people will be able to find loved ones and answer significant questions about their families through these records.”

Stephen Valentine, Senior Vice President, FamilySearch International

(Tweet this quote.)

“Ancestry is honoured to be a key partner in making the census easy to search in record-breaking time. For the first time ever we will apply our proprietary Handwriting Recognition AI technology to transcribe a Canadian census – so you can find your family members even faster. The census provides a fascinating snapshot of an era in Canada’s collective history. Taken as a whole, it shows fascinating trends across the country, but the magic of the census happens as you look closer, learning rich details about your own family’s life at the time.”

For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau has created an interactive map of national, state and county building permit data.

The recently released tool allows quick access and insight into the dynamics of permits issued for new residential construction.

Why does it matter? Because markets for new housing can vary — hotter in some states, colder in others — and understanding trends in new residential permits is crucial to those following the market.

Among the reasons:

• They are a leading indicator. Since permit issuance is the first step in any new residential construction project, the Building Permits Survey (BPS) data serve as a leading/early indicator of future residential construction activity.
  
  
• They are reliable. Response rates for the BPS are quite high, there is no sampling error in the estimates, and average revisions to the data are relatively low.
  
  
• They are detailed. BPS is our most detailed source of construction estimates, providing monthly data with complete coverage for the nation, regions, divisions, counties and places.

The new tool allows users to follow changes in data over the past few years and to drill down to more detailed data and geographic areas.

It shows a U.S. map of housing units authorized and year-over-year change based on the size and color of circles on the states of the map. By hovering over the map, users can see the amount of change with state and county historical data going back to 2010. A forthcoming visualization will show metro area data back to 2014.

The tool also provides new data for each of the nation’s 3,143 counties and shows how many single family, multi-family and total housing units were authorized in each one.

This tool arrives on the heels of the Census Bureau release of the final 2022 annual estimates of housing units authorized by building permits. The annual building permit data include estimates by nation, census region, census division, state, metropolitan area, county and permit-issuing place.

The annual BPS provides national, state, and local statistics on new, privately owned residential construction. The survey covers all places that issued building permits for privately owned residential structures. More than 99% of all privately owned residential buildings constructed are in permit-issuing places.

The following is a press release written by the (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration:

WASHINGTON, JUNE 1, 2023 – The National Archives is improving visitor experience by redesigning the permanent galleries and the learning center, as well as upgrading the theater at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation. 

Renovations of the Boeing Learning Center will begin on June 15, 2023, and the renovations of the Public Vaults will begin on July 5, 2023. We look forward to welcoming visitors back to these two areas when we reopen in the summer of 2025.

During the renovation of the Boeing Learning Center, our Education staff will continue to facilitate on-site education programs for K-12 classes and teacher professional development sessions. Reservations for both programs should be made by emailing fieldtrips@nara.gov.

The National Archives Rotunda—home to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—will remain open during the renovation. The Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, the David M. Rubenstein Gallery, and the National Archives Store will also remain open. 

Entry to the National Archives Museum is free and reservations are not required. Timed entry tickets are available 90 days in advance. You may reserve up to six tickets per reservation and there is a non-refundable $1.00 convenience fee per ticket. To reserve tickets to the National Archives Museum please go to Recreation.gov.

The renovation is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2025, ahead of the National Archives' celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The last major renovation to the National Archives Museum took place in 2013, when the David M. Rubenstein Gallery was opened. The Public Vaults opened to the public in 2004, and this will be their first renovation. 

NOTE: This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, over the years I have been intrigued by the number of photocopies made by genealogists. So here is an article that is closely related to genealogy.

"Scanners had their moment, but nowadays it’s not as necessary to own one. However, that doesn’t mean you never need to scan a document or photo. Thankfully, you probably have some tools to do it without a scanner.

"If you find yourself scanning a lot of documents and photos, it’s a good idea to invest in an actual scanner. Most people only need to scan a few things a year, so we’ll show you some good alternatives."

The remainder of this article by Joe Fedewa and Chris Hoffman describes in great detail how to use your present smartphone (cell phone) to function as a scanner. It works! I have used my cell phone dozens of times to make digital images of old printed and handwritten records, pages from books, and even old paintings hanging on a wall.

You can find the full article in the How To Geek web site at: https://www.howtogeek.com/209951/the-best-ways-to-scan-a-document-using-your-phone-or-tablet/. 

The following is a press release written by the National Genealogical Society:

RICHMOND, VA, 1 JUNE 2023—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) began its Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia, on 31 May 2023 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Following the 1 June Opening Session’s keynote address, entitled “Diverse from the Beginning” by Christy S. Coleman, executive director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, NGS Awards Chair Judy Nimer Muhn presented awards to honor the conference’s local volunteer leadership. Also presented were awards to honor the winners of the President’s Citation, Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Lifetime Achievement Award, Lou D. Szucs Distinguished Service Award, Shirley Langdon Wilcox Award for Exemplary Volunteerism, Award of Merit, and Genealogy Tourism Award.

President’s Citation

The President’s Citation is given in recognition of outstanding, continuing, or unusual contributions to genealogy or to NGS. Janet A. Alpert, FNGS, was awarded the 2023 President’s Citation, honoring her many years of service to NGS. She served on the NGS Board from 2004–2012 as secretary (2004–2006) and president (2006–2010). In 2014, she was named a Fellow of NGS. She has served in a leadership role for every conference since 2009 and has been Conference Committee chair for the last five years. She returned to the board for a second term from 2019–2022. The President’s Citation also recognized Alpert for her ten years of service for the Records Access and Preservation Coalition (RPAC), which she has chaired since 2013.

Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Lifetime Achievement Award

The Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual whose positive influence and leadership have fostered unity and helped make family history a vital force in the community. This year’s award recipient is Angela Walton-Raji. Walton-Raji is a founding member of MAAGI, the Midwest African-American Genealogy Institute, and is known nationally for her genealogical and historical research and work with Oklahoma Native American records. She is a leader in the genealogy arena who encourages family history research regarding the freedmen of the five civilized tribes and much more.

Lou D. Szucs Distinguished Service Award

The Lou D. Szucs Distinguished Service Award recognizes exemplary contributions to the mission of NGS. This year Diane MacLean Boumenot received the award for her outstanding service to NGS. Boumenot worked for more than two years to coordinate the work of a team that reviewed content for the new NGS Advanced Skills in Genealogy course in support of the NGS Education Director Angela McGhie, CG.

Shirley Langdon Wilcox Award for Exemplary Volunteerism

The Shirley Langdon Wilcox Award for Exemplary Volunteerism recognizes a volunteer whose generosity of spirit and time has greatly benefited NGS and the genealogical community in general. This year the Society is honoring two awardees.

Deborah Lebo Hoskins, CPA, was elected treasurer to the NGS board of directors in May 2018 and began her first two-year term on 1 October 2018. She served a second term as treasurer from 1 October 2020–30 September 2022. Hoskins significantly provided hours of support and expertise when NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies merged.

Darcie Hind Posz, CG, served as an awards committee judge for seven years, during which time she devoted many hours reviewing award nominations. She also served NGS as editor of NGS Magazine (January 2015–September 2016), and as a member of the Nominating Committee for positions on the NGS Board in 2020.

Award of Merit

The Award of Merit is presented to an individual or non-profit genealogical or historical organization to recognize exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy over a period of five or more years. Their work must have significantly aided research or increased interest in genealogy. This year the NGS board of directors presented the award to the following distinguished leaders in our sector: 

Jill Morelli, CG. Morelli has been a speaker, society leader, and networker for years in the genealogy community. She was recognized for the significant time, energy, and expertise she dedicated to the establishment and support of the Certification Discussion Group. The Group helps genealogists understand and progress through the Board for Certification of Genealogists' certification process to become Certified Genealogists.

Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy. For the past ten years, Murphy has dedicated her life to educating others about African American research and genealogy in general. She has served as president, course coordinator, and instructor at MAAGI, as coordinator of genealogy education for the Center of Family History at the new International African American Museum, and more. 

David M. McCorkle. McCorkle was nominated for this award by a group of genealogists for his work in digitizing and providing easy and free access to records of critical importance to North Carolina researchers. Those efforts included the creation of a free website, North Carolina Land Grants Images and Data, to make North Carolina's land entry and grant records accessible and the creation of a nonprofit for the North Carolina Historical Records Online.

Patricia M. Gailes. Gailes was recognized for her many roles in Southeastern Massachusetts, including as the former vice president of Bristol Chapter, Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc. (MSOG, INC.), for the creation of a genealogy research room at the local library, and for obtaining grant funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council to cover speaker fees for the Chapter. Patricia has served as vice president of Dighton Historical Society, Inc., and chairman of the Dighton Historical Commission for the town.

Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI). The Institute has grown over the last ten years and has taken its place as a trusted educational and training institute for the beginner, the intermediate researcher, and the professional. Today MAAGI welcomes a record number of participants from multiple states. 

Genealogy Tourism Award

The Genealogy Tourism Award is awarded to the following leaders in the promotion of local genealogy research:

Miriam Weiner. Weiner was nominated for this award because of her significant and long-term focus on the Jewish records and archives of Eastern Europe, notably Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and more. Building relationships with archivists and government officials, Weiner has opened doors for researchers from across the world. She has augmented this work by leading tour groups at these repositories. Weiner’s development of relationships fostered good will and key records access and preservation in areas and countries with frequent conflicts and lack of resources and staffing that would have resulted in record loss.

Homestead National Historical Park. Homestead National Historical Park actively works to educate and share the enormous impact of the Homestead Act of 1862. In 2019, it received digital assets from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln-Center of Great Plains Study about six black homesteading communities. The park’s job is to share those stories on their website as the Black Homesteaders Project. This Project grew to an innovative collaborative effort between the Homestead National Historic Park and descendants of homesteaders, researchers, genealogists, and volunteers.

The Library of Virginia (LVA). LVA is the premier destination for Virginia family history researchers through its in-person and online programs. It also utilizes social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and the Virginia state tourism site to reach thousands of people to spread the word about the exciting historic sites and repositories found throughout Virginia.

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B). For more than a decade, the NYG&B has organized research trips every year to New York City and Albany, New York. The research trips to New York City and Albany offer guided tours and lectures by the NYG&B and consulting NYC experts for researchers seeking to learn about the most important collections in local libraries and archives. 

The NGS 2023 Family History Conference continues through Saturday, 3 June.

From an article by Sydney Trent published in the Washington Post:

One of the nation’s oldest and largest genealogical societies, founded to help Americans trace their family ancestries, will apologize Thursday for its history of racism, which includes a founder who was a eugenicist, and early resistance to integration.

“In order to be credible, we have to be transparent, and we have to fully discover what our past was, as so many organizations are doing right now,” said Kathryn Doyle, president of the National Genealogical Society, based in Falls Church, Va.

The society’s effort began in 2017 after complaints about the lack of diversity among the expert presenters at the society’s annual conferences. It gained momentum, she said, after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked a national conversation on race.

While the society members used their digging prowess to scour the organization’s archives, “we haven’t looked at everything yet,” Doyle said. “There may be more.”

The apology, which will be made public at the organization’s conference in Richmond, comes five months after the American Society of Human Geneticists issued a similar apology and announced steps to rectify past harms, which also included the promotion of eugenicist beliefs. The ASHG is the largest group of human geneticists in the world.

Beliefs in biologically superior and inferior races — which contradict modern genetic knowledge — have permeated both the study of genetics and the practice of genealogy.

In a report to be issued with its apology, titled “Our Journey from Exclusion to Inclusion,” the National Genealogical Society noted that its founding in Washington, D.C., in 1903 coincided with the rise of the American eugenics movement, which was based on the long-discredited theory that humanity can be improved through breeding, with supposedly pure White people of European ancestry as the ideal.

One NGS founder, Joseph Gaston Baillie Bulloch, a physician from Georgia and president of the group from 1909 to 1912, was an adherent of eugenics, the report said. In a 1912 article he published in the society’s quarterly journal, he advised how genealogy should be used to protect the White race from genetic mixing and “tainted blood.”

You can read more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/31/national-genealogical-society-apology/. 

A well-known genealogist who specializes in African American genealogy is holding a webinar next week. The following is from the brochure that describes the event:

Many African American genealogists do most of their research in census records. They then try to leap from census records to slave research. When it doesn't work they do not know where to turn. They bypass a multiple of records necessarily for success in slave genealogy.

You can read the brochure at: https://filedn.com/lwhnSvLzTkI41rItzEOPak0/graphics/After%20the%20Census%20flyer.jpg

To register for the webinar, go to (you might want to do that now as seating is limited).