Genealogy Insider

Genealogy News Corral, May 13-17

Diane — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:31:09 GMT

Next Tuesday, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership will hold a tree planting ceremony in Gettysburg, Pa., to kick off its Living Legacy program: a plan to plant or dedicate a tree for each of the 620,000 soldiers who died in the Civil War.

Taking part will be 7th- and 8th-graders from Gettysburg and Hartford, Vt., who've been researching and writing about soldiers from their hometowns. Each group will plant a tree to honor one local soldier, and the soldiers' stories will be available to smartphone users through QR codes on the trees. You can watch a video about the project here.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Preserve the Pensions project are holding a drawing for prizes, including a genealogy research road trip to either Salt Lake City (home to the Family History Library) or Fort Wayne, Ind. (home to the Genealogy Center). All you have to do is enter your name. Drawings happen each day starting May 20; the research travel package will be given away May 24. Click here to learn more and enter.

Ancestry.com has changed its search results page to highlight key features, load the page faster and require less "stuff" to be downloaded to your computer. The new design lets you filter categories with one click, gives you tabs (instead of a pulldown menu) to switch between the record view and category view of search results, and bolds database titles. See before and after screenshots on the Ancestry.com blog.

Findmypast.com Military Records: Free May 23-27

Diane — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:22:31 GMT

Genealogy records site Findmypast.com will make its collection of US and International military records in honor of Memorial Day. The records will be available free of charge starting at midnight EDT on Thursday, May 23, until midnight EDT on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Us military records include include World War I Draft Registration Cards, Korean War Records, Korean War Casualty Records, Korean War POWs, Vietnam War Records, Vietnam War Deaths and Casualties, World War II POWs, World War II Army Enlistment Records, and US Army Casualties, 1961-1981.

Click here for an overview of records available for the United States, Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

During the free period, anyone can access the records by registering for free at findmypast.com. The records are normally part of the site's subscription and pay-per-view collection.

Missouri Genealogy Research—Beyond the Basics

Diane — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:26:49 GMT

You've found basic data on your Missouri ancestors from sources such as birth and death records and censuses. Now you're ready to dig deeper into more-advanced, richer genealogy resources.

You'll learn how in our May 23 webinar Secrets to Beat Your Missouri Brick Walls.

Cheryl Lang, manager of the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Mo., will show you how to take your Missouri genealogy search to the next level with

Military records and rosters
Court and tax records
Manuscripts and state-specific collections
State archives resources

She'll also give you a quick refresher on Missouri vital records, and guidance for using cluster and collateral techniques to break through brick walls.

Got a Missouri genealogy question? You can submit it to Cheryl before the event or ask during the live Q&A session at the end of the presentation.

Webinar participants will get our newly revised Missouri State Research Guide and our St. Louis City Guide, a 25-page handout of Cheryl's presentation slides, and access to view the webinar again as many times as you want.

Click here for more details about the Secrets to Beat Your Missouri Brick Walls webinar and to register.

MyHeritage Introduces Record Detective

Diane — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:14:08 GMT

Last week MyHeritage added US censuses from 1790 to 1930, and before that was Record Matching to people in your MyHeritage.com or Geni.com family tree.

Now comes another announcement from MyHeritage: Record Detective takes a record you've discovered on MyHeritage and gives you a summary of additional records about the same relative, and about other people related to that relative. You also can link to see these people in other family trees on MyHeritage.

For example, you find someone in the US census, and Record Detective will show you census entries for the person and other household members in earlier and later years, plus a passenger list showing when the head of the household immigrated.

This video demonstrates how it works:

The announcement on MyHeritage compares this to friend suggestions on Facebook. It reminds me of the "you also might like..." suggestions you get when shopping online.

"The Record Detective technology understands what record you're looking at, and brings you related records, and related people." Of course, you'll want to look at each Record Detective match and make sure it really is your ancestor.

You don't have to be a MyHeritage subscriber to get Record Detective matches, but to view many of the matching records, you'll need a subscription or pay-as-you-go credits.

Genealogy News Corral, May 6-10

Diane — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:49:18 GMT

Supermodel Cindy Crawford was spotted in the Connecticut State Library Wednesday morning, where onlookers said she was filming an episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" NBC canceled the celebrity genealogy reality series after last season, but TLC has picked it up. Singer Kelly Clarkson also is reported to have filmed for the resurrected series.

FamilySearch has added more than 9.4 million index records and images this week from the United States, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Italy, Peru, Sweden and Venezuela. They include data from BillionGraves (search results link you to BillionGraves.com to see an image of the tombstone), Michigan death certificates (1921-1952), New York, Southern District US District Court naturalizations (1824-1946), and more.

You can search or browse (in the case of unindexed record images) these records for free on FamilySearch.org. Link through to each collection from here.

Get a new take on your Irish Famine-era ancestors with findmypast.ie's new online Famine Memorial. Launched to coincide with the National Famine Commemoration 2013 in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland, the memorial gathers record collections—emigration, census, newspaper, criminal and land records, as well as directories—that highlight aspects of Irish life that were affected during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852).

You'll need to be a subscriber or use credits to view records, but the memorial also provides interesting background information about the famine that anyone can view.

Family Tree DNA announced it has lowered the price of its mid-level maternal line mtDNA test, called mtDNAPlus, to $49. This two-thirds price reduction was made possible by a new squencing technique. The company also has lowered the price of its 12-marker Y-DNA test to $49. Order either test here.

"Genealogy Roadshow" Coming to PBS This Fall

Diane — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:13:19 GMT

Another genealogy TV series is coming to PBS. And this one might satisfy those of you looking for prime time stories about the ancestors of ordinary Americans (as opposed to the public figures whose family trees have been fodder for "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.").

Genealogy Roadshow, premeiring nationally this fall, according to an announcement from PBS and Nashville Public Television, will " combine history and science to uncover fascinating stories of diverse Americans."

"After participants are chosen, genealogy, history and DNA experts will use family heirlooms, letters, pictures, historical documents and other clues to hunt down more information. These experts will enlist the help of local historians to add color and context to the investigations, ensuring every artifact and every name becomes a clue in solving the mystery."

The first season will feature participants from four cities: Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Detroit.

If you're in Nashville, you can go here to apply to have your genealogy featured on the show.

Genealogy Roadshow is being produced by Krasnow Productions, and is based on a same-name show in Ireland produced by Big Mountain Productions.

Follow the Genealogy Action at The NGS 2013 Conference

Diane — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:48:04 GMT

The National Genealogical Society's annual conference is going on now in Las Vegas. Want a taste of the family history action? Here's where to find one:

Visit the National Genealogical Society (NGS) on Facebook for photos, and check out the official NGS 2013 Conference Blog.

Genea-Musings blogger Randy Seaver is posting photos and writing about sessions he's attended

Genea Philibert-Ortega, who's presenting several sessions, is blogging about her presentations and opportunities for the folks at home on Gena's Genealogy.

Family Curator blogger Denise Levenick is giving daily conference reports.

Find posts about sessions and the exhibit hall on the Ancestry Insider blog.

You'll find a list of all the NGS 2013 Family History Conference Official Bloggers here.

The conference hashtag on Twitter is #NGS2013.
On Friday at 7 p.m. Pacific you can join a genealogy Twitter Chat called GenChat live from the NGS conference. Learn more about GenChat here.

New Workshop Helps You Use Google Earth to Improve Your Genealogy Search

Diane — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:29:12 GMT

I don't need to write a lot about what you'll learn from our Map Your Family History with Google Earth One-Week Workshop, coming up May 17-24, thanks to this awesome video that Google Earth expert Lisa Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems put together:

The workshop offers video sessions and step-by-step written lessons from Lisa and other Family Tree University experts on locating ancestral towns, using maps in your research, and using the tools of Google Earth to explore and display your ancestors' places in a fascinating way.

And Lisa will be be on hand to answer participants' Google Earth questions in our exclusive workshop message board.

Find out more about the Map Your Family History With Google Earth One-Week Workshop on FamilyTreeUniversity.com.

Free, Online Northern Ireland Valuation Revision Books (1864-1933)

Diane — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:01:58 GMT

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has released a new genealogy resource for Northern Ireland.

PRONI, along with FamilySearch, has digitized the Valuation Revision Books, 1864-1933. These books contain a list of landholders and their property valuations in counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.

The records are handy for filling in gaps between Griffiths Valuation (which ends in 1864) and the 1901 census (the earliest surviving Irish census).

Here's what the Valuation Revision Book pages look like:

You'll need to know where your ancestor lived in Northern Ireland to best use the collection.

Access the Valuation Revision Books on PRONI's website (click the Search Valuation revision Books button on the right). There, you can enter a placename (city, county, parish, or townland; or a street or ward name in Belfast and Londonderry) and digitally "flip" through books pertaining to that place. You also can browse by county and parish.

Note that 44 of the roughly 3,900 books are still be digitized.

Searching for Irish roots? Get in-depth guidance in Family Tree Magazine's Ultimate Irish Genealogy Collection, available only in May.

National Photo Month Giveaway: Photo Preservation Kit!

Diane — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:22:35 GMT

Did you know that May is National Photography Month?

Of course, photography plays a huge role in family history research. Nothing connects you with an ancestor and inspires you to discover more about his or her life, than a photograph.

This one is one of my favorite family pictures. It shows my great-great-grandfather about 1910 in front of the cigar store he opened in Cincinnati. He's standing third from left. His son, my great-grandfather, is in the doorway on the left.

This National Photo Month, we want to help you celebrate and preserve your favorite family photos by giving away one of our new Photo Preservation Kits (now available in ShopFamilyTree.com).

The kit contains specially selected archival photo storage and preservation products from archival supplier Gaylord Bros., plus easy-to-follow instructions from Family Tree Magazine's Family Archivist, Sunny Jane Morton.

You can enter our National Photo Month Sweepstakes here. And you'll get two extra chances to win for every friend who registers using your referral link (which you'll get after you submit your entry).

Our National Photo Month Sweepstakes entry deadline is May 20.

You'll also find these National Photo Month specials at ShopFamilyTree.com:

Photo Detective Collection: Contains the Family Photo Detective ebook by Maureen A. Taylor, Digital Photography Essentials Family Tree University Independent Study course, and more
Amateur Photo Restoration video class
Genealogist's Essential Scanning Kit: Contains our Top 10 Scanning Tips for Genealogy download, Digitize Your Genealogy Documents video class, and more

Genealogy Karma: New, Free Volunteer Record Lookup Website

Diane — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:24:04 GMT

Genealogy website Mocavo is reviving the spirit of the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) volunteer record lookup website in its Genealogy Karma website.

RAOGK, started by Bridgett and Doc Schneider and one of Family Tree Magazine's 101 best free genealogy websites in 2010, went offline in 2011.

Genealogy Karma offers a similar, free option for getting records from a faraway repository or cemetery. You can post a lookup request and tag it with a keyword (such as "birth record" or "tombstone") so volunteers can find it.

Researchers who register as volunteers with the site can answer your request, do the lookup and send you the results.

When submitting a lookup request, follow these tips for a faster response:

Be details. Use indexes to find the volume and page number of the record you need, and provide those details in your request. If you want a tombstone photo, call the cemetery or search online to find the cemetery location, plot and grave number.
Double-check all the names, dates and other information in your request.
You also might offer to compensate the volunteer for expenses such as mileage and postage.

Of course, registering with Genealogy Karma as a volunteer is the ultimate way to say thank you for a request someone has answered.

Click here to learn more about how to use the Genealogy Karma site.

Genealogy News Corral, April 29-May 3

Diane — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:10:44 GMT

In commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Civil War Trust, History, and the Center for Civil War Photography are calling for submissions to the 2013 Civil War Photo Contest. Amateur photographers age 13 and older can enter in five categories by uploading photos to the Civil War Trust’s Flickr page and tagging them for the correct category. The deadline is August 16.

You’ll find the rules and entry instructions here.

FamilySearch has added more than 1.7 million index records and images to its free FamilySearch.org record search (click on the Search link at the top of the site). The records come from Austria, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Ukraine, and the United States. You can see the full list of updates and click through to search or (for as-yet unindexed record images) browse here.

Ancestry.com will hold an Ancestry Day in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 11 (the Saturday of next week’s National Genealogical Society conference in Vegas). Registration for Ancestry Day costs $25; you can register and view the program here.

If you’ll be across the country in Washington, DC, during May, look into attending one of the genealogy records workshops at the National Archives. Topics include Civil War court martial records (May 15), nonpopulation censuses (May 18), and a genealogy clinic (May 18). You’ll find details here (scroll down to May).

MyHeritage Adds US Census Records for 1790 to 1930

Diane — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:57:29 GMT

Genealogy site MyHeritage announced that it has added the entire collection of US decennial censuses from 1790 to 1930—searchable indexes and record images.

MyHeritage has offered the 1940 US census since shortly after it was released to the public last year.

The census records are accessible with a MyHeritage.com annual data subscription (on spacial for $6.35 per month, billed annually) or with prepurchased credits (5,600 credits cost $39.95 and are good for 180 days). That's except for the 1940 census, which is free to search and view, along with select other collections.

If you have a tree on MyHeritage, the census records also will be included in Record Matching notifications. Also in MyHeritage.com's records collection are vital, military, immigration, newspaper and other records.

Census records are among the most popular resources for family historians, and often the starting point for new researchers. This addition brings MyHeritage into closer competition with Ancestry.com as a commercial provider of records for genealogy research.

I'm still checking into where MyHeritage's 1790-to-1930 census records were imaged and indexed. (Update: That information isn't being released due to a confidentiality agreement, according to MyHeritage spokesperson Schelly Talalay Dardashti.) Its 1940 census was indexed separately from both the records on Ancestry.com and those on FamilySearch/findmypast/Archives.com, giving you another search option for hard-to-find family in 1940.

Another plus for using MyHeritage.com: The website is available in 40 languages, making its records searchable by people all over the world who had family in the United States.

New Webinar: How to Do Genealogy Using the New FamilySearch.org

Diane — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:53:56 GMT

FamilySearch.org made news last month in genealogy circles when it relaunched a polished new FamilySearch.org website.

The new FamilySearch.org relocates some favorite features (to the consternation of several genealogy bloggers), updates its Family Tree online trees program, and emphasizes the new photo and story uploading features, as well as the attractive fan chart.

In our May 9 webinar, Making the Most of FamilySearch.org, you'll get a tour the new site and learn to make the best use of its ancestor-searching potential.

Our presenter, Family Tree Magazine contributing editor Rick Crume, will show you:

how to navigate the redesigned FamilySearch.org

the best search strategies for FamilySearch.org's free genealogy records databases

how to find and use the genealogy records databases that aren't covered by the FamilySearch.org global search

differences between the site's new Family Tree program and its user-submitted Genealogies

how to access FamilySearch records that aren't online

how to take advantage of FamilySearch.org's genealogy help features

... and more

You can submit your questions about FamilySearch.org to Rick before the webinar, and there'll be a Q&A session at the end.

Webinar participants will receive our how-to guide for ordering FamilySearch microfilm, a PDF handout of the presentation slides and access to view the webinar again as many times as they like.

The Making the Most of FamilySearch.org webinar is May 9 at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Mountain and 4 p.m. Pacific). For a limited time, you can save $10 on your registration with our early bird special!

Click here to learn more and register for Making the Most of FamilySearch.org.

Tips for Playing the Genealogy Odds in Las Vegas

Diane — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:59:50 GMT

Do you plan to seek your genealogical fortune at next week's National Genealogical Society 2013 Family History Conference in Las Vegas?

The conference, May 8-11, offers opportunities to take classes; shop for genealogy books, software, subscriptionwebsites and more; collaborate with other researchers; and take local history tours.

Valley of Fire State Park

Nearly all of present-day Nevada was in Utah territory from after the Mexican-American War until 1861. The discovery of gold in California in 1848, and silver in Virginia City's Comstock Lode in 1859, sent miners rushing through the area, leading to the formation of Nevada Territory in 1861. Nevada became a state three years later.

As the Comstock Lode dwindled during the 1880s, Nevada entered a depression that lasted until new mineral deposits were found in 1900. The railroad and federally funded irrigation projects helped, too.

Nevada legalized gambling in 1931. The Las Vegas Sun has more local history here.

If you plan to play the genealogy odds during your trip to the NGS conference (or from home), improve your chances with these Las Vegas research tips.

Local repositories you can visit in person and/or online include:

Clark County Genealogical Society: One of several local NGS conference hosts, this society houses its research materials and provides volunteers at the Heritage Room of the Paseo Verde Library in nearby Henderson, Nev.
Las Vegas FamilySearch Library at 509 South 9th Street: This large branch of the Salt lake City Family History Library has a vast collection of local research books and microfilm, in addition to helpful volunteers and 50 computers with access to subscription databases. It'll be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday of the conference, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Saturday.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Special Collections at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway: Find manuscripts, maps, photographs, oral histories and more related to local history, plus the Nevada Women's Archives.

These tips and resources also will help you find Las Vegas and Nevada ancestors:

Statewide birth and death certificates begin in 1911, and marriages and divorces don't start until 1969. These, of course, document many couples from other states who wed in Vegas (and perhaps then changed their minds about too-hasty vows). Many counties have marriage and divorce records back as far as 1862; nearly all began birth and death registration in 1887.

The free Nevada Online Census Database indexes about 310,000 US census entries from 1860 through 1920.

Find data from 1862 and 1863 Nevada Territory censuses, plus maps, state land patents and more online in the Nevada State Library and Archives' (NSLA's) digital archives. In addition to those partial territorial censuses, NSLA has an 1875 state census on microfilm (you also can search the 1875 Nevada state census on Ancestry.com).

Got miners in your family tree? The Nevada Historical Society in Reno has mining company records including payrolls, customer lists and an “accident file” of miners killed in work-related mishaps before 1900.

For purchases of Federal land, patents issued after 1908 are searchable online through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office record search. Records of earlier transactions are at the BLM's Nevada office in Reno.

Research your genealogy across the USA with Family Tree Magazine's newly updated State Research Guides e-book.