VGS News & Events: 21 April through 27 April 2019

Coming Events:

Monday: April 22, 2019

Technology SIG Meeting:

10:00 AM in the Destin Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center

Tuesday: April 23, 2019

Midwest SIG Meeting:

2:00 PM in the Clearwater Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center

Gen News and Announcements:

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 1 April 2019

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch added new, free, indexed historical records this week from the United States: Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Border Crossings from Canada to the United States, and from Billion Graves Index."
Search now...

How Genealogy Can Bring Your Family Closer This Easter:

FindMyPast
"Are you going to take the time you spend with your family this Easter for granted? In this smartphone-swiping age of constant distraction, here's what can you do to ensure Easter brings your family even closer."
Continue reading...

Ancestry.com Adds Boston, Massachusetts Archdiocese Roman Catholic Sacramental Records, 1789-1900

Ancestry
"This collection includes an index to the Catholic sacramental records collected by the Boston Archdiocese. The Boston Archdiocese, erected in 1808, is currently comprised of the Counties of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Plymouth in Massachusetts, but historically included the states of Connecticut, Maine, all of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. While no images are currently available on Ancestry, a link to the digital images, which are published on the American Ancestors website, has been provided."
Search now...

3 Reasons Every Family Historian Should Take a DNA Test:

FindMyPast
"DNA is a legacy passed down from our ancestors, a record that contains clues and evidence about their lives and relationships. Taking a DNA test unlocks that legacy and provides powerful evidence to support or refute our existing research."
Continue reading...

The Dangers of Using GEDCOM:

Genealogy's Star
"Even back in the time when GEDCOM was commonly used to transfer genealogical data between two programs, the process produced an "error" file with information that could not be copied. Over time, the information that is not transferred has grown."
Continue reading...

Facebook Launches New Tool To Help Users Memorialize Loved Ones:

NBC
"Facebook on Tuesday announced changes to how it handles the profiles of users who have died, including using artificial intelligence to help keep the profiles of deceased people from showing up in places that might cause distress."
Continue reading...

Technology:

What’s the Difference Between My Photo Stream and iCloud Photos?

How-to-Geek
"Keeping your family photos safe from device failure is the primary reason backups exist. iCloud claims to back up all your photos “in the cloud,” but the way it works varies depending on what settings you have enabled."
Continue reading...

Education:

New Ways to Find Maiden Names:

Ancestral Findings
"Are you still looking for an elusive maiden name in your family tree? Today, I’ll give you three new suggestions to help you uncover it and discover a new family line."
Listen now...  6.40 minutes

Webinars:

Censuses Around the World: What You Need to Know About Census Collections and Genealogy:

Legacy Family Tree
"Explore the incredible census collections we have in the MyHeritage database (U.S., Canada, England, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, etc.) and how you can integrate them into your family history research."
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Mike Mansfield
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Comparing the Genealogy Giants: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage 2019 Edition:

Legacy Family Tree
"Should you use Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com or MyHeritage.com? Or should you be using more than one site to accomplish your family history goals? Learn how these genealogy giants compare in 2019 for historical records, online trees, DNA tools and access options. This overview of each site's strengths and weaknesses will help you know which to use now and which to keep in mind when your research interests or budget change."
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Sunny Morton
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

How I Built My Own Brick Wall

Legacy Family Tree
"We identify ways that researchers have built their own "brick wall" through inexperience, lack of organization, and incorrect assumptions. We discuss how to resolve these issues and the speaker will share her own growing pains as a budding genealogist."
Friday, April 26, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
Learn more or Register for this webinar...