GenBlog Named a “Need to Read” Blog by Inside History Magazine

What a nice surprise I found waiting for me on Facebook when I logged on a little bit ago.  Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers tagged me in a post revealing Inside History Magazine’s 50 Genealogy Blogs You Need to Read in 2013.

I’m quite honored to be among these top blogs, especially since Inside History Magazine focuses on Australia and New Zealand.  Congratulations to all of the blogs selected, I am certainly in great company!  A special thank you to Jill Ball of Geniaus and Inside History Magazine for this wonderful honor.

To learn more about the award and see all of the blogs, see Inside History Magazine’s blog post 50 Genealogy Blogs You Need to Read in 2013.

To learn more about Inside History Magazine or to subscribe, visit their website.

Treelines Now Offers Collaboration

I received the following email today from Treelines introducing collaboration.

The #1 feature request we've gotten is that you want to work with your family to build your family tree and write stories together. Well, today is the day—now you can!

Maybe you have a story you want to write, but your cousins need to add pictures from each of their family albums? Perhaps you and your siblings have unique memories about your grandmother you want to put in one place? Now you can all work together on Treelines! Learn more about these new features! »

RootsTech 2013 Early Bird Registration Extended Until Next Friday

I just received an email that the RootsTech 2013 Conference Early Bird registration, which was supposed to end today, has been extended another week.  Here’s the scoop:

SALT LAKE CITY—The $149 early bird registration for the RootsTech 2013 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been extended until Friday, February 22, 2013. RootsTech, a family history and technology conference, is designed to help attendees discover the latest family history tools and techniques, whether they are an avid genealogist, just getting started, or looking for new solutions to better connect with their family. For more information, go to RootsTech.org.

The registration fee includes three full days of conference attendance with over 250 classes, conference materials, and an exciting exhibitor hall with hands-on labs and demonstrations from 100+ product and service providers. Attendees can also register to attend evening events, such as the opening social hosted by FindMyPast, a mini-concert performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and extended hours at the Family History Library. 

The 3^rd annual RootsTech conference has something for everyone. New this year is a Getting Started track designed to help those new to family history learn the basics, start their family tree, and get help with family research. A new Story@Home selection of classes helps attendees discover the art of storytelling and provides new ways to preserve and share their family stories. And a new, consolidated Developer Day provides a collaborative environment for family history technology developers to impact future technology innovations in the family history industry.

About RootsTech

RootsTech is a unique conference focused on helping individuals learn and use the latest technology to get started or accelerate their efforts to find, organize, preserve and share their family's connections and history. The first annual conference was held in 2011, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by leading genealogical organizations, the conference includes hands-on demonstrations and forums to provide a highly interactive environment and accelerate learning. Content is geared to young and old, beginner to advanced levels.

OCLC and FamilySearch to Partner

I received the following press release yesterday and thought I’d share it with my readers.  This sounds like a great partnership!

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OCLC and FamilySearch partnership will combine resources for richer genealogy research experience.

                   

DUBLIN, Ohio, January 31, 2013 — OCLC and FamilySearch International, the largest genealogy organization in the world, have signed an agreement that will enrich WorldCat and FamilySearch services with data from both organizations to provide users with more resources for improved genealogy research.

Under this new partnership, OCLC will incorporate data from FamilySearch’s catalog of genealogical materials into WorldCat, and FamilySearch will use OCLC cataloging services to continue to catalog its collections in WorldCat. FamilySearch will also use the WorldCat Search API to incorporate WorldCat results into search results returned by FamilySearch genealogy services.

“We’re excited to see information about FamilySearch holdings more broadly circulated, and to inform our own patrons about genealogical holdings available outside our network,” said Jake Gehring, FamilySearch’s Director of Data Operations.

“This combination of genealogical and bibliographic resources will be of enormous benefit to librarians and library users as well as genealogists,” said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. “OCLC and FamilySearch are organizations with similar goals—to connect people to knowledge and information through cooperation. We look forward to working with FamilySearch.”

FamilySearch, historically known as the Genealogical Society of Utah, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and preservation of family histories and stories, introducing individuals to their ancestors through the widespread access to records, and collaborating with others who share this vision.

The collections of FamilySearch include historic documents of genealogical value such as civil registration records; church records; and probate, census, land, tax and military records. The collection also contains compiled sources such as family histories, clan and lineage genealogies, oral pedigrees and local histories. FamilySearch has also been a pioneer in the use of technology and processes for image capture, digital conversion, preservation, online indexing and online access. FamilySearch has operated on OCLC’s OLIB library management system since 1996 to manage the vast metadata in its catalog.

FamilySearch offers a unique service to users around the world through its network of more than 4,600 family history centers. In each center, trained FamilySearch volunteers provide individualized help for family history patrons seeking access to records and the information they contain.

WorldCat is the world’s most comprehensive database of library materials. Updated at a rate of nearly one new record every second, WorldCat is a cooperatively-created catalog of items held in thousands of libraries worldwide, including public, academic, state and national libraries; archives; and historical societies. These libraries have cataloged their regular collections as well as many special collections—including digitized materials—devoted to local history. This makes WorldCat an indispensible tool for genealogy research.

Find more about FamilySearch or search its resources online at FamilySearch.org. More about WorldCat is on the OCLC website. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org.

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. 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 for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

About OCLC

Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 74,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat.org on the Web. For more information, visit the OCLC website.

Kick Off RootsTech 2013 at the Keynote Session on Thursday, March 21

As an Official Blogger for RootsTech 2013, I get to share news with you before it's made public.  This keynote session will be held from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM on Thursday, March 21, 2013.  And while I haven’t heard what the topic or theme will be, I’ll bet it will be a great presentation since D. Joshua Taylor is one of the three speakers.  I’ve heard keynotes and lectures from Josh in the past and he is an excellent speaker and is always a wealth of knowledge. 

The other two speakers are Dennis C. Brimhall, who is the President and CEO of FamilySearch International, and Syd Liberman, who is a well-known storyteller who grew up in Chicago.  Since I won’t actually be at RootsTech this year, I hope I get to see this keynote session as a live video stream or a recorded video.  I believe they streamed and recorded all the keynotes last year, so I’m hopeful!

And don’t forget.  If you are planning to attend RootsTech 2013 and haven’t already registered, the early-bird rate of $149 will expire on February 15, 2013.  So hurry on over and register today!

Here’s some additional information on Thursday’s keynote speakers:

Dennis Brimhall is currently the President and CEO of FamilySearch International.  FamilySearch International is a worldwide organization helping individuals find, preserve, catalogue, and search genealogical information. FamilySearch International is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Colorado Hospital from 1988 to 2005. A native of Provo, Utah, Mr. Brimhall earned an undergraduate degree in zoology from Brigham Young University in 1972 and a master’s degree in management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1974.  Mr. Brimhall and his wife Linda have four children and live in Dammeron Valley, Utah.

Syd Liberman is a nationally acclaimed storyteller, an author, and an award-winning teacher. Many of his best-loved stories deal with growing up in Chicago and raising a family in Evanston, Illinois. Syd is also known for his original historical pieces. He has received commissions to write stories for some of America’s leading institutions and agencies, including the Smithsonian; Historic Philadelphia, Inc.; NASA; and the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. His work has garnered awards from the American Library Association, Parents' Choice, and Storytelling World. Syd was one of six tellers featured on the television special The Call of Story. He has also performed numerous times at the Timpanogos and National storytelling festivals.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is the Business Development Manager – North America for brightsolid online publishing, the creator of findmypast.com. A nationally known and recognized professional genealogist, lecturer, genealogical author, and researcher, Taylor is the current president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the former Director of Education at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Taylor holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit, and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society. Taylor was also a featured genealogist on NBC's Who Do You Think You Are?.

NGS Call for Papers for 2014 Family History Conference

The 2014 NGS Family History Conference will be held in Richmond, Virginia, May 7-10, 2014.  I received an email earlier today announcing they will be accepting lecture proposals from speakers beginning January 1, 2013. 

The email in its entirety is included below.

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National Genealogical Society Issues Call for Papers for the
2014 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia

Beginning 1 January 2013, speakers as well as organizations interested in sponsoring lectures or tracks are invited to submit lecture proposals for the NGS 2014 Family History Conference, Virginia: The First Frontier, to be held 7–10 May 2014 in Richmond, Virginia. The first permanent English settlement in North America, Virginia has been home to countless individuals—some remained for generations; others moved on to the next frontier. Building on the records and history that draws so many back to their roots in the Old Dominion, we will explore the origins of those who settled within Virginia’s borders whether they came by land or sea.

Among the topics being considered are lectures on the history, records, repositories, and ethnic and religious groups of Virginia and neighboring states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee with special emphasis on migrations into, within, and out of the region down the Carolina and Great Wagon Roads, over the Appalachian Mountains, and across the south to Texas and beyond. Other regional topics of interest include the origins of the early settlers, land and military records (especially the French and Indian, Revolutionary, and Civil wars). Proposals are also solicited for the broader genealogical categories including federal records, the law as it relates to genealogy, methodology, analysis and problem solving, and the use of technology including genetics, mobile devices, and apps in genealogical research.

Sessions are generally limited to one hour. Camera-ready syllabus material, due 17 February 2014, is required for each lecture or workshop presentation and will be included in the syllabus distributed to all conference registrants.

Proposals should include the following information:

• speaker’s full name, address, telephone, and e-mail address
• title of the presentation, not to exceed fourteen words, and a brief but comprehensive outline
• lecture summary, not to exceed twenty-five words, to be used in the program brochure
• identification of the audience level: beginner, beginner-intermediate, intermediate, intermediate-advanced, advanced, or all
• speaker biography, not to exceed twenty-five words
• résumé of recent lectures by the speaker

Speakers are expected to use an electronic presentation program and provide their own digital projector. NGS will provide projector support, which consists of a VGA cable, cart, and power strip. No live Internet connections will be provided.

Submit each proposal electronically through the NGS website, between 1 January and 1 April 2013. Speakers may submit up to eight proposals. NGS members will be given first consideration as speakers. Interested individuals and organizations should follow published guidelines at the NGS website.

Organizations wishing to sponsor a lecture or track of lectures should review the details and sponsor requirements at Sponsored Call for Papers. The deadline to submit sponsored lectures is also 1 April 2013.

About NGS

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

$40,000 Raised for the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project

Big announcement today from the Illinois Genealogical Society (ISGS).  In less than six months, ISGS received $10,000 in contributions from individuals and organizations, which ISGS then matched, making it $20,000.  Ancestry.com will then match that amount, making it a total of $40,000.  What an amazing job!

If you’d like to contribute to the Preserve the Pensions project, you can do so by visiting http://www.preservethepensions.org.

Below is the full press release from ISGS:

December 11, 2012 – Springfield, IL. The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) is
proud to announce that it has completed its recently launched $10,000 War of 1812
Pension Match Challenge with strong support from ISGS members as well as the
genealogical community.

On June 18, 2012, the 200th anniversary of the declaration of the War of 1812, ISGS
announced its $10,000 War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge. ISGS made a
commitment to match any contribution (up to the first $10,000) made to the Preserve
the Pensions project before December 31, 2012. In addition, Ancestry.com announced
that it would also match all monies donated during the campaign, resulting in all
contributions being quadrupled. A total of $40,000 to be donated to the Preserve the
Pensions project will result in 88,888 additional pages of the War of 1812 Pension and
Bounty Land Warrant Application Files being digitized over the next few months.

The Preserve the Pensions campaign (http://www.preservethepensions.org),
sponsored by the Federation of Genealogical Societies (http://www.fgs.org) along
with Ancestry.com, Fold3 and the National Archives, seeks to raise over $3.7 Million
needed to digitize the War of 1812 pension files that are currently stored in the National
Archives and make them freely available online. With over 180,000 Pension files in this
historic record set and over 7.2 million pages, access to these records will benefit not
only genealogists and family historians, but a variety of researchers. In addition, the
digitization project will help preserve and halt further damage to these historical
documents. The files are being digitized as funds become available and many files are
already viewable by visiting http://go.fold3.com/1812pensions.

ISGS President Jane Haldeman notes: “The ISGS board made a strong commitment to
the preservation of the War of 1812 Pension Records when it issued the fundraising
challenge earlier this year. ISGS thanks all who contributed, especially those members
of the genealogy community who are not members of ISGS. Digitizing these records will benefit ALL genealogists and hopefully result in more people locating information about their ancestors.”

About Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) was formed in 1968 through the
cooperative effort and forward thinking of Illinois genealogical society representatives,
who envisioned a statewide genealogical organization. ISGS is a not-for-profit,
nonsectarian, educational organization. ISGS was established for the following
purposes:

• To stimulate an interest in the people who contributed to the establishment and
  development of the State of Illinois.
• To seek, preserve, and make available data pertaining to individuals, families,
  and groups who lived in Illinois and to events which took place therein.
• To inform people of the value of, and need for, preserving family and local history
  for posterity.
• To encourage the formation of local genealogical societies and to coordinate and
  disseminate information.

Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ILgensoc), Twitter
(http://www.twitter.com/ILgensoc) and on our blog at http://ilgensoc.blogspot.com.

Findmypast.com Releases Thousands of British Army Service Records from 1760 to 1902

I received the following press release earlier today from Findmypast.com.  Looks like an interesting collection of records.  Not sure if it will help me out, but perhaps it will help out one of my readers.  I will post an example shortly.

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LOS ANGELES (Dec. 7, 2012) – Findmypast.com, an international leader in online family history, today added 20,000 British soldiers’ records from the Royal Hospital Kilmainham from 1771 to 1822, along with several thousand other significant military documents, to its already extensive collection of historical records.

The records show details of soldiers, including their height, weight, color of hair and eyes and any distinguishing features such as a tattoo or scar, as well as where they served and their regiment.

The task of cataloguing just the records from Kilmainham took a team of 14 people from the Friends of The National Archives volunteer group more than three years and includes the records of 19,109 soldiers. The Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the building that now houses the Irish Museum of Modern Art, was established in 1681 to house sick and veteran troops from the British Army.

Among the Kilmainham pensioners’ documents is Private Hugh Burke from Wicklow, Ireland, who was known as a “green redcoat” or Irish soldier serving in the British military. Burke was pensioned from the army on June 26, 1816 after four years’ service. According to the record, he was deemed unfit for further service after “a gunshot wound to the left shoulder received in action near New Orleans in America on the 8^th of January 1815.”

The Battle of New Orleans is famous because it was the last major battle between the British and American forces in the War of 1812 and was fought after a peace treaty had already been signed. The Treaty of Ghent, which signaled the end of the war, came into effect at the start of February 1815 but due to slow communications the news did not reach New Orleans until two weeks later. Unfortunately for Private Hugh Burke, this left him with “a mark on each side of his left shoulder” - entry and exit wounds from the bullet.

“These records are invaluable for anyone researching Irish or British ancestry and looking for vivid details about their ancestors,” said D. Joshua Taylor, head genealogist for findmypast.com. “This significant addition to our world collection provides a glimpse into the lives and careers of these soldiers, some of whom were born in the U.S. or fought within U.S. borders.”

William Spencer, military expert at the National Archives added: “Many soldiers born in Ireland served in the British Army from the 18th-20th centuries yet the careers of these brave men have been hidden amongst some fragile and complex records. The digitization of the Kilmainham papers in WO 119, will at last provide access to the brave men of Ireland.”

The Royal Hospital Kilmainham pension records are part of a larger collection of military discharge documents today released by findmypast including:

• Royal Hospital, Kilmainham: pensioners’ discharge documents 1771-1822 (known as WO 119 at the National Archives)
• Royal Hospital, Chelsea: pensioners’ discharge documents 1760-1887 (WO 121)
• Royal Hospital, Chelsea: pensioners’ discharge documents, foreign regiments 1816-1817 (WO 122)
• War Office: Imperial Yeomanry, soldiers’ documents, South African War 1899-1902 (WO 128)
• Royal Hospital, Chelsea: documents of soldiers awarded deferred pensions 1838-1896 (WO 131)

Findmypast.com’s expertise at digitizing historical records and uniting communities provides the tools to help people connect with their past, present and future.

To learn more about findmypast.com or to get started on your own family history search:

• Like findmypast on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/findmypastus
• Follow findmypast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/findmypastus
• Follow findmypast on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/findmypastus

About findmypast.com – Findmypast.com (owned by brightsolid) is the U.S. site of findmypast, an international leader in online family history. Findmypast connects people to core and unique U.S., English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Australian and New Zealand records dating back as far as 1200.  

About brightsolid – Findmypast.com is owned by brightsolid online publishing, a British-owned world leader in online genealogy, with over 45 years’ experience in family history and a record of online innovation in the field of family history nearly two decades long. With nearly 18 million registered users across its family of online genealogy brands, brightsolid hosts more than a billion genealogical records from across the globe. The company reported a 75 percent growth in turnover and a 47 percent growth in gross profits in its most recent published accounts and was voted Best Genealogy Organization in the Online Gene Awards.

How Can You Save $90 On RootsTech 2013 Conference Registration? Read This Post!!

For the second year-in-a-row, I have been selected as an Official Blogger for RootsTech!  The third annual RootsTech conference will be held March 21-23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Building on the success and growth over the past two years, RootsTech 2013 is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet!  Registration is now open…keep reading to find out how you can save $90 on the full conference rate.

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, offers an opportunity unlike any other to discover the latest family history tools and techniques, connect with experts to help you in your research, and be inspired in the pursuit of your ancestors.  You will learn to use the latest technology to get started or accelerate your efforts to find, organize, preserve, and share your family’s connections and history.

RootsTech has something for everyone, whether you’re an avid genealogist, just getting started, or simply want to discover the latest technologies and solutions to better connect with your family.  At RootsTech, come prepared to experience world-class content from speakers all over the country, an exciting exhibitor hall, and great keynote speakers.  Check out the session listing to see all the great presentations that are scheduled.

New In 2013!  A full track of Getting Started classes and labs will help those new to family history learn things like where to start, how to build their family tree, and how to use technology to explore your connections.

Now for the good stuff.  As a GenBlog reader, you can take $90 off the full conference rate between September 24, 2012 and October 12, 2012, by using the discount code RT129 when you register.  That’s right, $90 off, brining the registration fee to $129 for three days of learning, networking, and just plain fun!

So what are you waiting for?  Head over and register today!!

International Society of Family History Writers and Editors 2012 Excellence-in-Writing Competition Winners

I just received word about the winners of this year’s ISFHWE Excellence-in-Writing Competition!  Unfortunately, I was not among the winners this year, but that’s what I get for waiting until the last minute (literally…oh wait, I did that last year too and still took third place!).  Even though I did not place, I’d still like to recognize this year’s winners.  Let’s give them a round of applause!

Category I – Columns

• First - A Big Game for the Big Day – Shelley Bishop
• Second - Newel King, 91^st Ohio Volunteer Infantry – Shelley Bishop
• Third - Wanted: Larger ‘Needles’ – James M. Beidler

Category II – Articles

• First - Blue Collar Breakthroughs – Sunny Morton
• Second - Academic Libraries: A Good Reason to Head Back to Campus – Mary Penner
• Third - An Identity Crisis: Using Indirect Evidence to Prove …. – Debbie Parker Wayne, CG

Category III – Original Research Story

• First - Common Ground – Courtenay O’Bryan Auger
• Second [tie] -The Long and Winding Road: The Search for the Clark Farm – Cheryl Roach
• Second [tie] - James Holmes: He Was Tickled to be Pickled – Marjorie Waterfield

Category IV – Unpublished Author

• First - The Butchers of Marshall Avenue – Carla Love Maitland

Category V – Unpublished Work by Published Author

• First - The Bones of Hobo Hollow – Paul K. Graham
• Second - Ella’s Letter – Nancy Waters Lauer
• Third - Civil War Perils of Springtime – M. Carolyn Steele

The rules for the 2013 competition will be posted at the ISFHWE website soon, but if you happen to be at the FGS Conference, you can stop by the ISFHWE booth (#628) to pick them up.

Findmypast.com Announces Partnership with Federation of Genealogical Societies

I received a copy of this press release earlier today and thought I’d share it with my readers.

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Findmypast.com Announces Partnership with
Federation of Genealogical Societies
Partnership makes records available to findmypast.com and
creates a vital source of revenue for local societies

LOS ANGELES, August 30, 2012 – Findmypast.com, an international leader in online family history research, today announced a national partnership with Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) to preserve, digitize and provide access to local records from genealogical societies across the country.

The collaborative initiative will help preserve genealogical records and provide a vital revenue stream for the societies. Throughout the remainder of 2012, findmypast.com will release records from the following pilot partners:

• New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, the most authoritative source for research on New York familie
• Illinois State Genealogical Society
• Williamson County (Texas) Genealogical Society

“As we aggressively grow our business in the U.S., we are looking to form partnerships that benefit both the genealogical community and findmypast.com,” said Chris van der Kuyl, CEO of brightsolid, the parent company for findmypast. “This partnership will benefit our customers by giving them access to records that can’t be found anywhere else and participating societies will receive royalties for record images viewed.”

The records are a fantastic addition to a growing collection of US records on findmypast.com. FGS members who participate will reach new audiences as each society and their collection will be promoted by findmypast.com. 

The society collection complements the new US and international records that will be made available on findmypast.com and could include:

• Newspapers and obituaries
• Bible records
• Cemetery records
• Birth, marriage and death records
• Land records
• Court records

“Through its partnership with findmypast.com, the Federation of Genealogical Societies is pleased to offer a way for its member societies to engage with content providers and publishers,” said Pat Oxley, President of FGS. “Currently, one of the biggest challenges for societies is the pressure to provide online content, while also growing their membership and operating budgets. Through this partnership, societies will generate income and entice new audiences.”

About findmypast.com
Findmypast.com (owned by brightsolid) is the U.S. site of findmypast, an international leader in online family history with over 18 million registered members worldwide. Findmypast connects people to core and unique U.S., English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Australian and New Zealand records dating back as far as 1200. 

About brightsolid
Findmypast.com is owned by brightsolid online publishing, a British-owned world leader in online genealogy, with over 45 years’ experience in family history and a record of online innovation in the field of family history nearly two decades long. With nearly 18 million registered users across its family of online genealogy brands, brightsolid hosts over a billion genealogical records from across the globe. The company reported a 75 percent growth in turnover and a 47 percent growth in gross profits in its most recent published accounts and was voted Best Genealogy Organization in the Online Gene Awards.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

TNG Version 9 Now Available

The following press release was issued by Next Generation Software.

TNG version 9, a major upgrade for The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding, is now available from Next Generation Software (http://www.tngsitebuilding.com). The new release will be on sale exclusively at the RootsTech Family History and Technology Conference in Salt Lake City until Feb. 6, after which it will be available to the general public as well.

This new version includes many style upgrades for a more elegant and modern appearance, plus three new template designs. The Template Settings page has also been improved, allowing users to more easily customize the images and messages used on their sites.

Other new features include social media sharing icons, an improved timeline page, better media sorting, enhanced user rights, and the incorporation of the latest Google Maps API. Along with the new maps also comes the ability to geocode place records in bulk, and to have all new places automatically geocoded at the time of entry.

Sites running the new version should also notice a decrease in download times for most pages, due to the introduction of image sprites and the elimination of deprecated functions. For example, where before each public page was loading about 30 images for the icons used there, that number has now been reduced to only three.

About a hundred other new features, improvements and fixes are documented on the TNG web site. A 20-minute demonstration on the changes will be given at RootsTech on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 2pm in the Exhibit Hall.

TNG makes it easy to put your genealogy on your web site in dynamic fashion. Instead of forcing you to create and upload thousands of pages each time you publish your family tree, TNG uses a database to store your information and create the pages only as they're needed. When you want to make a change, you only need to upload your GEDCOM file again, or enter the new facts directly online. TNG also allows you to link photos and other media to the people in your tree.

TNG is commercial software ($32.99 USD one-time license fee). In order to run TNG, your web site must support PHP (a programming language) and MySQL (the database). Existing users may upgrade to the latest version online for $14.99 or $16.99, depending on their currently installed version.

TNG was created in 2001 and can now be seen on more than 12,000 genealogy web sites world wide. For more information, please see http://www.tngsitebuilding.com

For Genealogists Who Like Facebook Games

The following press release was issued by Funium LLC.

Funium LLC, of Lehi, Utah announces the launch of Family Village Premier on Facebook. The social media game is oriented toward helping people have fun building their family tree and help them discover interesting documents and information concerning their ancestors and family members using Facebook.

In the Alpha version of the game launched last September the game grew to 92,000 users. With input from the players and with help from former Disney executives the game has a wonderful fun game flow and interesting quests that will draw the whole family in to “protecting” your family legacy.

RootsTech Announces Winners of the Developer Challenge

I received the following details after the winners were announced at Friday’s keynote session.  Some of these look pretty interesting.

Congratulations to the winners of the of the RootsTech Developer Challenge!

First Place: Jimmy Zimmerman, NoteFuser – NoteFuser connects your Evernote® notes to Geni.com or new.FamilySearch.org person records. It also allows you to easily create Evernote® powered research logs and other notes with one click.  Make sure you watch the NoteFuser Demo video on the homepage http://notefuser.herokuapp.com.

Second Place: Brooke Schreier Ganz, LeafSeek – LeafSeek helps you turn your genealogical or historical record collections into searchable online databases. LeafSeek includes features such as built-in geo-spatial searches, pop-up Google Maps, Beider-Morse Phonetic Matching, name synonyms, and language localization to help you turn your spreadsheets of names and dates into a full-featured genealogy search engine.  Check it out at leafseak.com.

Third Place (tie): Brigham Young University Computer Science Department, 20 Minute Genealogist – 20 Minute Genealogist is a site that will visualize your family tree using your new.FamilySearch.org credentials.  You can see who in your tree needs work and instantly link to FamilySearch and Ancestry to search for the missing information.  Sign up to be a beta tester at twenty.byu.edu. 

Third Place (tie): Ellie Rasmus, Facetree – Facetree has been developed as a way of using genealogical data from GEDCOM files as context to improve the accuracy of face recognition.

Man Attempts to Match Revolutionary War Pay Documents to Descendants

Just received the following press release from JustaJoy Family Heirloom Exchange.  Now that I have some things off my plate, I can finally sit down and write my review of this website, which is slated for later this week.

October 17, 2011
For immediate release

Man Attempts to Match Revolutionary War Pay Documents to Descendants

Doug Miller, resident of Santa Clarita, CA, has found a new calling. An avid genealogist with records on his own family back to the 16^th century, Miller has long understood the enchantment of the ancestral call, and now he hopes to share the obsession in a very unique way.

For more than thirty years, Miller has collected land grants, steel engravings, conveyance receipts, Revolutionary War pay documents and other pieces of ephemera. These items would be interesting to any collector, but the genealogist in Miller told him that they would especially be precious to family historians. He explains, “Although I always understood that these pieces were desirable, I never really knew what to do with them until I met Joy.”

Joy is Joy Shivar, owner of the JustaJoy.com Family Heirloom Exchange, an indexed website designed to match original antiques and artifacts back to families. “It always seems that the person in charge of distributing an estate is the wrong one and important family items end up in the hands of antique dealers or collectors. JustaJoy.com is designed to alleviate this situation. We call it ‘Antique Hunting in the Family Tree’ for ‘Orphaned Heirlooms’”, she explains.

Besides documents, other items found on the website include pictures, newspapers, advertising pieces, family Bibles, furniture, trophies and other engraved items, yearbooks and much more. JustaJoy.com is currently advertising original items associated with nearly 40,000 families and, according to Shivar, new surname-related items are added nearly everyday by the antique dealers and others who own them. A $20.00 annual membership fee entitles users to full access to all information on each item including the name of the current owner, contact information and the asking price. Buyers and sellers work directly and the site does not charge commissions, buyer’s premiums or final value fees. The site is called an "Exchange" because persons interested in selling simply join the site as a member, all of whom have access to the "Add a new Surname Listing" function.

An important feature of the site is the “Surname Notification” service. Members are automatically notified as new items are added that match any of the names on their personal surname list (up to twenty can be entered). Although sold items remain on the site as a resource, the surname notification is important to interested buyers because there is usually only one of each original item available.

Miller met Shivar at a recent conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies held in Springfield, IL and as she explained the service provided by JustaJoy.com, he instantly thought of his archive and how valuable his pieces could be to the right descendant.

Miller can picture the joy that an e-mail, associated with one of his items, could bring. “It’s a win-win-win for everyone,” he said, “I’m excited to be a part of it.”For more information on the JustaJoy.com Family Heirloom Exchange visit www.JustaJoy.com or contact Joy Shivar at 704-948-1912 or Joy@JustaJoy.com

Friday Finds – 07/29/11

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things that I’ve learned or found.

Online Articles/Posts

• Exec. Director of National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Md. is Myth-buster, Works on Shows
• Help Needed to Return WW2 Dog Tag to Soldier's Descendants
• Genealogists Track Down Missing Links in Family Histories:  Historical Detectives at Work at Galesburg Library
• Terrebonne Resident Digs for Native American Roots
• Daughters of the American Revolution Challenged by Bates Family of Virginia
• Locals Catch Genealogy Bug
• Spoon River College Outreach Center Offers New Series of Genealogy Classes

New-to-Me Blogs

• Stardust’n’Roots
• Family Cherished
• Marian’s Roots & Rambles
• Empty Nest Genealogy
• Just Folks
• Our Family:  Brick Walls
• Reflections

Print Articles

• “A Key to Success:  Your Online Presence,” written by D. Joshua Taylor, available in the June 2011 issue of the APG Quarterly
• “Tracking Irish Generations in Land Valuation Records,” written by Richard M. Doherty, available in the July/Aug/Sept 2005 issue of NGS NewsMagazine
• “Researching Your Freemason Ancestor,” written by Kathryn Parker, available in the Oct/Nov/Dec 2005 issue of NGS NewsMagazine

Websites

• Mocavo (even thought I’ve only had time to do a few quick searches, I’m pretty impressed with the genealogy-specific search engine)
• Canadian County Atlas Digital Project
• Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants

Are You Up for the Challenge?

As many of you know, the Federation of Genealogical Societies is working to raise money in order to digitize the War of 1812 pensions.  The goal is to raise $3.7 million and to have the digitization of records completed in 2015.

You can help by contributing to the fund.  A $25 donation will digitize 50 images…a $500 donation will digitize 1,000 images.  No amount is too small, even $5 will digitize 10 images.

While you can make a donation directly to FGS (as I did months ago in honor of Marsha Hoffman Rising and two of my 1812 ancestors), you might consider participating in the challenge put out by the Indiana Genealogical Society.  Why? Because IGS is offering matches up to the first $10,000, meaning if you donate $10, IGS will match it with another $10.  In other words, if individuals contribute a total of $10,000, IGS will also contribute $10,000, for a total contribution of $20,000.  That’s a pretty great deal!  In September, IGS will present a check to FGS at the FGS 2011 Conference for all the money raised in conjunction with this challenge.

So far IGS has raised over $4,500 and hopes to reach their goal of $10,000.  To make a contribution to the IGS challenge, visit the War of 1812 Pensions Digitization page on their website.  There, you can also keep tabs on how close they are to their goal and see a list of contributors.

Kane County, Illinois Deaths, Pre-1916 Index Now Available Online

The Illinois State Archives has two different statewide death record indexes on their website.  One is for deaths that occurred from 1916-1950, the other is for deaths prior to 1916.  The first is a complete index, but the index prior to 1916 is still a work in progress.

Today, without even noticing at first, I realized that Kane County had been entered.  I was looking for someone I’ve never researched before.  When I found what I was looking for, I at first moved on, without giving much thought to what had just occurred.  About a half-hour later, it dawned on me that pre-1916 deaths had not previously been entered for Kane County.  So I started plugging in known names of those who died prior to 1916 and there they now were.

According to the page Counties Included in the Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Kane County is complete for 1877 to 1915.  A note at the bottom of the page indicated the page had been updated on 2/22/11.  It does not indicate which counties have recently been added/updated, so there may be more than just Kane County.

This is certainly a relief as I plan my Kane County research trip.  While I had found some of the death records while in SLC in 2009, further research uncovered more people who died during that period.  I was all set to work at the IRAD at Northern, searching the index first and then acquiring the records.  Now, from the comfort of my home, I can search the index and have the details ready to find the actual records, thus saving me lots of time that I can now spend on other research!

MyGenShare Update

Received the following email yesterday regarding the new site MyGenShare.com.

MyGenShare.com is almost ready for beta testing.

The planned launch of MyGenShare.com was set for May 2009.  The launch of the website has been delayed for late summer.  I have chosen to delay the launch so that the MyGenShare can team can:

• Take advantage of new technology that will greatly enhance the user experience.
• Expand available content for patron use.

Prior to the launch of MyGenShare, we will conduct beta testing to give the website a thorough review to make sure it is ready to serve the needs of genealogists.

MyGenShare.com is a website where genealogists will find thousands of educational and mentoring resources for the beginner to the most passionate across hundreds of topics. Resources include a rich and growing selection of articles, tutorials, videos, podcasts, and slideshows.

Kindest regards,
Barry J. Ewell
barry.ewell@mygenshare.com

MyGenShare.com is coming soon
Click here for more information:  http://www.mygenshare.com

Register to become a beta tester for MyGenShare.com
http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1175822