VGS News & E vents:1 September through 7 September

Coming Events:
Monday: September 2, 2019

The Jewish SIG & Roots Magic SIG Meetings have been cancelled
Labor Day & Hurricane Possibility

Tuesday: September 3, 2019

Adoption & Mystery KIN SIG Meeting

Canceled at the Rec Center
If you are on her reminder list, watch for more details.

Thursday: September 5, 2019

Eastern European Genealogy SIG Meeting:

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

Gen News and Announcements:

Hotel Reservations Now Open for the National Genealogical Society’s 2020 Family History Conference

NGS
"FALLS CHURCH, VA, 15 AUGUST 2019—Starting 15 August 2019, you may reserve accommodations for the National Genealogical Society’s forty-second annual Family History Conference, Echoes of Our Ancestors, which will be held 20-23 May 2020 at the Salt Palace Convention Center (SPCC), 100 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah."
Announcement Brochure...

What the FGS/NGS Merger Could Mean for Societies"

Amy Johnson Crow
"The Federation of Genealogical Societies just announced its agreement to merge with the National Genealogical Society. Here’s why that could have an impact well beyond just merging conferences."
Continue reading...

The U.S. National Archives Offers Millions of Free Genealogy Records Online: Find Them Here

Family History Daily
"While there is probably a U.S. National Archives center near you, today, you don’t have to travel at all to access many of their records. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) offers a rich trove of online documents, known as Access to Archival Databases (AAD), and it’s completely free."
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When There’s a Surprise in DNA Results:

Amy Johnson Crow
"DNA has led to incredible discoveries. The news and social media are filled with stories of adoptees finding biological family members and siblings being reunited after decades apart. But there’s another kind of discovery that isn’t talked about as often—surprises in the DNA results."
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23andMe Now Connects to the FamilySearch World Tree:

Kitty Cooper
"You can connect your family tree at FamilySearch to your 23andMe profile as part of a Beta test of this exciting new feature. Then your DNA relatives can see the names of your grandparents (if deceased), great grandparents, and so on, via a nice compact list where every generation is clickable to see the full names, dates, and locations."
Continue reading...

Technology:

Daily News Roundup: You Can Disable Human Review of Alexa Recordings?

How-To Geek
"Recent reports have surfaced claiming that Amazon, Google, and Apple have been providing select employees with audio recordings from the respective smart assistants. Each business confirmed the practice but claimed the human review was for improving performance."
Continue reading...

Education:

Searching Through Military Pension Records:

Ancestral Findings
"Military pension records are a good source of first and maiden names for female ancestors. If the wife outlived the husband and applied for a pension, she was required to prove her marriage to her husband."
Listen now... 2.56 minutes

Webinars:

Combining DNA and Traditional Research - In-Depth Case Studies:

Legacy Family Tree
"DNA testing has exploded onto the genealogy scene in recent years and is now one of the most important tools available to advance family tree research. In order to successfully use DNA testing for genealogy, however, it's essential to combine it with traditional research. This presentation will concentrate on several in-depth case studies that demonstrate what can be achieved when you combine long-established research methods with DNA test results. These case studies will cover verification of family tree lines, the breaking of brick walls, the testing of hypotheses and the solving of hitherto unfathomable mysteries."
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Michelle Leonard
Learn more or Register for this webinar...