VGS News & Events: 30 September 2018 through 6 October 2018

Reminders:

Monday: October 1, 2018
Jewish Genealogy SIG Meeting:
10:00 AM in the MacArthur Room at the Eisenhower Recreation Center
Topic: "Jewish Given Names and Surnames"  Phil Goldsmith

Monday: October 1, 2018
Roots Magic SIG Meeting:
2:30 PM in the New Smyrna Room at the Recreation Center

Tuesday: October 2, 2018

Adoption & Mystery KIN SIG Meeting

9:00 AM at the Lake Miona Recreation Center

Tuesday: October 2, 2018

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

1:00 PM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center
Topics: How did the Ancestry DNA change your findings?  Libraries, On Line Sites and of course Brick Walls

Wednesday: October 3, 2018

French Canadian Genealogy SIG Meeting:

9:00 AM in the Julio Iglesias Room at the La Hacienda Recreation Center
Topic: “The Immigration of Our Early Ancestors to New France” by Geri Schembari

Thursday: October 4, 2018

Eastern European Genealogy SIG Meeting:

1:00 PM in the Daytona Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center

Friday: October 5, 2018

British SIG Meeting:

9:30 AM in the Courageous Room at the Lake Miona Recreation Center

Did you miss the September General Monthly Meeting or the September Evening Webinar?  You can hear the meeting and watch the presentation on our website.  Log-in under "Members Only"  Once you have logged in you will get a list of menu options, select "Webinar & Meetings"  The handout(s) are also there...

Gen News & Announcements:

22nd Annual Florida Family History Conference

You’re invited to the 22nd Annual Florida Family History Conference on Saturday, November 10th, 2018 from 9am – 4:00pm. We are one of the largest family history conferences on the East Coast of the United States! This east coast event brings world-class speakers from all over the country to help you find your family’s history! Our goal is to bring you the latest news on where to find information on your ancestors as well as big, new changes to Internet research sites.

Location: We are proudly holding the conference again at OLYMPIA HIGH SCHOOL at 4301 S. Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32835.

Our Keynote Speaker again this year features Crista Cowan, Corporate Genealogist at Ancestry.com!!
Learn more including how to register, cost and bus info...

New Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of September 10, 2018

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch expands its free online archives this week with over 1 million indexed records from England and Wales from the National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957. New additions also include content from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Liberia, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the United States, including information from the following states: Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Border Crossings from Canada to the United States and World War I Americana Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919. New records are also available from the Billion Graves Index."
Search now...

New Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of September 17, 2018

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch expands its free online archives this week with over 1.7 million indexed immigrants and passenger lists records from Australia. New additions also include content from Colombia, England, France, Italy, Peru, Sweden, Wales, and the United States (California, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, and border crossings from Canada to United States)."
Search now...

Finally, Ancestry’s New Ethnicity Estimates:

Kitty Cooper
"We all got an email from Ancestry announcing new ethnicity reports for everyone. Adding five times the reference populations plus a better algorithm that can often indicate the modern countries. This time I really do have the new ancestry composition estimates!"
Continue reading...

Figuring Out An Ancestor’s Actual Birth Year:

Kitty Cooper
"Records that include your ancestor’s birth year are not necessarily accurate. Most records before the modern computerized era have self-reported ages, from censuses to marriage records, so often show incorrect information."
Continue reading...

Ancestry.com’s “Location Traps” Are Causing Researchers to Miss Important Records:

Family History Daily
"While just about all of us have used Ancestry.com at some point, very few have really uncovered everything they can from Ancestry's massive databases. With so many records and resources it is incredibly easy for vital records to get buried. You might be surprised by how many brick walls are broken down and "missing" records located by utilizing a new set of advanced tips and search tricks."
Continue reading...

Why Searching for Your Ancestors by Full Name Can Sometimes Be the Worst Way to Find Them:

Family History Daily
"As any experienced genealogist will tell you, names seldom play by the rules. Our ancestors’ monikers were often misspelled, shortened, abbreviated, confused, changed and even left out of records completely."
Continue reading...

2 Updates to MyHeritage DNA Upload You Need to Know:

Genealogy Gems
"We’re happy to announce another industry first from MyHeritage! We now support the upload of 23andMe v5 and Living DNA data files, in addition to supporting data uploads from all major DNA testing services, including Ancestry, 23andMe (prior to V5) and Family Tree DNA (Family Finder)."
Continue reading...

Tech:

Google Maps is Renaming Entire Neighborhoods:

How-to-Geek
"Google is a powerful company, but did you know it can rename entire areas of a city, seemingly accidentally?
Jack Nicas, writing for the New York Times, outlines several instances this has happened. Here’s one:"
Continue reading...

Education:

The Do’s and Don’ts of Genealogy Research:

Ancestral Findings
"Whether you are new to genealogy or a veteran, your work can only benefit from a refresher in these basic genealogy do’s and don’ts. Today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast I’ll share the things you need to know to make your work shine."
Listen now... 7.57 minutes

Webinar(s):

Remote Research in the Databases of the Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has been collecting genealogical information since 1890 to support both the application process for membership and to honor the service of Patriots. The Society operates a marvelous library in Washington, DC. Over the last few years they have scanned and provided public access to extensive online resources."
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Legacy 9 Unlocked (part 7): Adding Email Correspondence

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"In this series, Legacy’s Geoff Rasmussen will guide you through the step-by-steps of properly adding genealogy documents, citations, and digital media to your Legacy Family Tree 9 software. Each class is based on a different chapter in his popular book, Legacy 9 Unlocked: Techniques, Tips and Step-By-Steps for Using Legacy Family Tree to Record Your Genealogy. Watch them in order if you want to  follow the mystery or jump around to capture the instructions."
Friday, October 5, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Geoff Rasmussen
Learn more or Register for this webinar...