VGS Latest News & Tips: 23 May 2016

My NGS 2016 Experience:

VGS attendees at NGS 2016 with Josh Taylor

by Donna Yambasky:  The National Genealogical Society conference was a whirlwind of learning new avenues for research, sharpening of research tools and methods, networking, and camaraderie. I was impressed by the level of expertise of the speakers and fellow participants, and by the number of the "younger generation" present. The sessions left me energized and often redirected, with enough new information and ideas to keep me busy for quite a while. I enjoyed spending time (and $) browsing the vendor area.

The huge conference facility made it easy to get in my 10,000 steps each day, and the air show jets practicing during the early afternoon each day helped the alleviate the after-lunch energy slump with building-rattling noise!

A big thank you to the VGS for the conference scholarship. Our society is well known to many of the speakers and other attendees and I was proud to share the honor of representing the VGS. I strongly encourage anyone with an opportunity to attend a future conference to do so.

The 1916 Easter Rising – The Aftermath:
Ancestry
"20th May 1916, exactly 100 years ago today, my great grandparents Edward Mulligan and Bridget Merrins were married in Dublin. It was a typical Irish wedding for the time. There was one aspect of the wedding that was not typical however. Edward and Bridget were married just weeks after the 1916 Easter Rising. Dublin was in ruins and the mood in the city was extremely tense. Here is my grandfather Mick’s description of the wedding day as passed to him from his mother."Continue reading...

Creating a Phased Parental Kit at GedMatch:
DNAeXplained
"In the article, Concepts – Parental Phasing, I explained why it’s so important to have at least one, if not both of your parents DNA tested in addition to your own DNA. Having at least one parent tested allows you to determine, at least for the matches that match both of you, which side the genetic ancestral connection is from, assuming the match is only from one side."
Continue reading...

Bring a Family Story to Life with Oral Histories:
FamilySearch
"Do you have a family member that tells the funniest family stories? I do. My Aunt Peg remembers important details about the lives of my grandparents—and more importantly about my deceased mother—that really bring me back to a formative time in my family’s history. Without my mom, Aunt Peg is my connection to the past. But what happens when Peg is no longer around?"
Continue reading...

How to Add an Indicator to See What Virtual Desktop You’re On in Windows 10:
How-to-Geek
"The ability to have multiple desktops was missing for a long time in Windows, until Windows 10 finally added it. We’ve covered how to use virtual desktops in Windows 10, but there’s at least one missing feature that we’ll show you how to add."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 23 May
1785: Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals.
1900: Civil War hero Sgt. William H. Carney becomes the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor, thirty-seven years after the Battle of Fort Wagner.
1934: Gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed by Texas Rangers.
1910 Birthday: Artie Shaw, bandleader and clarinetist.