VGS Latest News & Tips: 19 October 2016

Today: October 19, 2016

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Defender Room at the Lake Miona Recreation Center
Topic: Virginia Genealogy Research

Today: October 19, 2016

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Chateaugay Room at the Chatham Recreation Center
Topic: Choosing & Using Genealogy Software

Tomorrow: October 20, 2016

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

Noon in the New Smyrna Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: Webinar: "Get What You Came For" by Tom Kemp

RootsMagic User Group on Facebook:
Roots Magic
"Our RootsMagic User Group on Facebook is now over 12,000 members strong.  The Facebook user group makes it easy to connect with other RM users, ask questions, share ideas, and otherwise discuss how to use the software.  And if you are a Family Tree Maker user with questions about switching to RootsMagic, you are invited as well.

The group is accessible to anyone with a Facebook account, but for those who don't have (or want) a Facebook account, we still have our regular RootsMagic forums available.

Even though the group is listed as a "closed group", most requests for membership will be approved. This is to help prevent any spam or ads. Spammers will be banned from the group.

To join the RootsMagic or Personal Historian users group on Facebook, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RootsMagicUsers/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PersonalHistorianUsers/
and click the green button that says "+Join Group".  A group administrator will then approve you (there are multiple admins but this can take a little while if none of them happen to be online at the time) and you will then have full access to the groups.

DNA’s New ‘Miracle’: How Adoptees Are Using Online Registries To Find Their Blood Relatives:
The Washington Post
"Last year, Bob Nore, a Vietnam War veteran in Huntsville, Ala., was working on a family tree and wanted to trace his ancestors’ history and origins. So he sent a vial of saliva and $89 to a DNA registry for analysis.
The results showed British and Nordic stock — no surprises. But then Nore received a message from the registry that floored him: We have found a very high probability of a father-son relationship between you and Son Vo."
Continue reading...

Family Heritage Festival Has Something For Every Genealogist:
Tampa Bay Times
"Wherever your roots grow, the second annual Family Heritage Festival sponsored by the Hillsborough Public Library should have something for both newcomers and experienced family historians.
The featured speakers are local genealogists George Morgan and Drew Smith. Morgan will present "Introduction to U. S. Immigration Passenger Lists," while Smith will present "DNA 101: The Basics for Beginners" and "DNA 102: Understanding and Using Test Results."
The program on Saturday (Oct. 22) will run from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the John F. Germany Library, 900 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. The event is open to the public at no charge. Questions should be directed to 813-273-3652.
Continue reading...

Genealogy Workshops:
NARA
"The National Archives and Records Administration has several Nationwide Workshops scheduled.
Participate in our biggest genealogy event of the year! The National Archives will host a free, live, two-day virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast.
Dates, time and description of events...

How to Set Your Google Account to Automatically Delete (or Share) Upon Your Death:
How-to-Geek
"Want to share your family photos after your death, but take your search history to the grave? All that and more is possible with Google’s Inactive Account Manager. Let’s take a look at how you can put your Google account on autopilot when you’re no longer at the wheel."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 19 October
1781: Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington and Count de Rochambeau at Yorktown, Va. Cornwallis surrenders 7,157 troops, including sick and wounded, and 840 sailors, along with 244 artillery pieces. Losses in this battle had been light on both sides. The Revolutionary War is effectively ended.
1873: Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities draft the first code of football rules.
1917: The first doughnut is fried by Salvation Army volunteer women for American troops in France during World War I.
1817 Birthday: Tom Taylor, British playwright whose play Our American Cousin was being performed at Ford’s Theater when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Georgia:
1755: French expelled from Acadia by British arrival
1767: Pennsylvania Quakers arrived in Wrightsboro
1773: English & Scots settle in large numbers