VGS Latest News & Tips: 14 Sep 2016

Tomorrow: September 15, 2016

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

Cancelled!

Go Behind the Scenes with AncestryDNA:
Ancestry
"Learn about the science behind AncestryDNA from Dr. Cathy Ball, Vice President, Genomics and Bioinformatics at Ancestry."
Watch video... (1.18 minutes Very short)

New Courses at Ancestry Academy:
Content Update 
Go back to school with Ancestry Academy! We published lots of new courses over the summer, both full length and our new shorter videos.
Our recently added full-length courses include: 
• Four new states in our premium lineup: Massachusetts, Michigan, Vermont, and Illinois
• "The City Directory: Your Guide to the Past" 
• "Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestor: Warrior or Patriot" 
• "Hidden Treasures on Ancestry," a free course from perennial favorite Juliana Szucs
If you’re strapped for time, you can check out one or more lessons within the longer courses and save the rest for later, or turn to the Short Course Videos here.
Among our newest short courses are:
• Additional census videos
• Videos covering vital records (births, marriages, deaths)
• A video on U.S. passports
All of the most recently added courses can be found here. There's something for everyone at Ancestry Academy. You're sure to learn something new every time you visit!

6 Reasons Why A Fathers Name Would Be Missing From A Document:
Family Tree Tips
"Unfortunately sometimes you might come across a Birth, Christening, Adoption or any other vital record that has the fathers name omitted. Most of the time this will result in a massive brick wall that is nearly impossible to break down, so it’s important to find out why the fathers name was left off in the first place if you are to have any hope of finding out who he was. "
Continue reading...

Can I Search Old Newspapers from My Smartphone? YES!!!

The Ancestor Hunt
"Have you ever tried to do research of old historic newspapers from your Smartphone?  I have and it is quite difficult. Most newspaper search sites are not mobile-compatible."
Continue reading...

Is It Safe to Delete Everything in Windows’ Disk Cleanup?

How-to-Geek
"The Disk Cleanup tool included with Windows can quickly erase various system files and free up disk space. But some things–like “Windows ESD Installation Files” on Windows 10–probably shouldn’t be removed."
Continue reading...

How to Open a Specific Set of Webpages When You Start Your Browser:
How-to-Geek
"If you have certain webpages that you visit every time you open your browser, you can save time by having them automatically open when you start your browser. We’ll show you how to set this up in the five most popular browsers."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 14 September 2016
1814: Francis Scott Key writes the words to the “Star Spangled Banner” as he waits aboard a British launch in the Chesapeake Bay for the outcome of the British assault on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
1847: U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott capture Mexico City, virtually bringing the two-year Mexican War to a close.
1901: Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the 26th President of the United States upon the death of William McKinley, who was shot eight days earlier.
1864 Birthday: Lord Robert Cecil, one of the founders of the League of Nations and its president from 1923 to 1945.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Colorado:
1851: First permanent settlement established in San Luis Valley
1858; Gold discovered in Cherry Creek in now downtown Denver. Bolder & Denver settled
1861: Colorado Territory established

VGS Latest News & Tips: 7 June 2016

The Power of Apps:
FamilySearch
"I want to give a little perspective on how applications are useful in addition to the resources already available on FamilySearch.org. All 134 (and counting) family history applications in the App Gallery are intended as a complement to the FamilySearch experience."
Continue reading...

Storytelling Inspiration: 4 Questions with Maira Kalman:
Ancestry
"I first came across illustrator Maira Kalman’s work two years ago when I was gifted Girls Standing on Lawns. The book, a collection of found photos and original illustrations and vignettes, served as an introduction to her witty, unfettered, and insatiably curious world. Over the course of her career, Maira has written/illustrated 18 children’s books."
Continue reading...

New Courses on Ancestry Academy:
Ancestry Academy’s online course library continues to grow! Not only do we have four new full-length courses, but we’ve also added a variety of short Getting Started and beginner videos—with more to come each month! These shorter videos are accessible from the Ancestry Academy home page, as well as through links on relevant pages of the Ancestry website and its related product sites, Fold3 and Newspapers.com.
Come check out these new offerings, including the four new courses below taught by experts in the genealogy community:

Discovering the History of Your House on Ancestry, with Marian Pierre-Louis
You may have joined Ancestry to learn about your ancestors, but did you know you can also research the history of your house? Researching the history of your house could be just as fulfilling, as you learn about the families that once lived there. The big difference between genealogy and house history research is that we only want to trace the homeowners when they lived in the home; we don't typically trace them from generation to generation.

The Lure of the Train Whistle: Researching Railroad Workers, with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA
Understanding the records of a particular area will help you be a better researcher. In this course, you will get a feel for the wide range of records that are available to you in this state of 254 counties and over 171 million acres of land. By the end of the course, you will be more confident with researching your Texas ancestors.

Family History: Putting the Pieces Together, with Donna M. Moughty
You’ve started your family history but the pieces don’t seem to fit and the jigsaw puzzle isn’t revealing a picture as you’d hoped. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning a piece in another direction or fitting it into a different place in the picture. This class will look at the basics of sound research, utilizing the principles of "The Genealogical Proof Standard" to focus your research. Creating clear objectives and searching appropriately to meet the objectives will save time and provide better results.

Behind the Scenes: The Science Behind AncestryDNA Results, with Catherine A. Ball, PhD
We walk through the scientific process upon which your AncestryDNA results are built, primarily focusing on DNA matching as a case study. Using the scientific method, we look at the development of a new version of DNA matching: from our hypothesis and suspicion of false positive matches, to results from extensive research and data exploration, and finally to the development and evaluation of new algorithms. We discuss the advantage of our large database, which has led to, and will continue to lead to, other influential findings powering new AncestryDNA features.

Find these courses and more on Ancestry Academy!

Learn These Handy Shortcuts to Get Around the Windows Control Panel:
How-to-Geek
"Ever since Vista, Windows’ Control Panel has been a little difficult to navigate. Windows 10’s new Settings app is better, but not as feature filled. Here’s an easier way to get to the page you want: Use these shortcuts and the Windows Run menu."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 7 June
1767: Daniel Boone sights present-day Kentucky.
1775: The United Colonies change their name to the United States.
1903: Professor Pierre Curie reveals the discovery of Polonium.
1909 Birthday: Virginia Apgar, American physician and medical researcher.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Virginia:
1607: Jamestown is formed and 21 Jamestown settlers died with one month
1608: Jamestown plagued by disease & starvation, 66 dead
1622: Jamestown Massacre, 500 settlers killed

VGS Latest News & Tips: 16 May 2016

Tomorrow: Tuesday: May 17, 2016

Genetic Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Rhett Butler Room at the Savannah Center

A Report From The NGS Conference:
VP Pat Adams

This was the second national conference I have attended and what a different feeling for me from the first.  I found that this conference for me was like a school reunion of sorts.  I felt right at home as I chatted with many of our past speakers including J. Mark Lowe, Diahan Southard, Ann Staley, Donna Moughty and Dick Eastman.   I made some new contacts as well and hope to bring them to The Villages to speak at future meetings.
When I am at conferences I usually wear three hats.  First, as Program Chair, I am always on the lookout for topics and speakers.  Second, as co-chair of the British SIG, I will usually attend at least one session whose focus is researching The British Isles.  Third, I look for topics that can assist me in my research with either a brick wall or just additional general research.  I will tell you about some of them in a future post.
However, the most fun for me is the exhibit hall.  Just ask my roommates.  I am like a kid in a candy shop.  In fact, many of the vendors had candy at their booths and I happily volunteered to help them out by eating some.  I sign up for drawings, because you can’t win if you don’t enter.  I am so glad I had two and a half hours each day to spend there.  Grab a little lunch and then wander around and talk to the vendors.  That is another great thing about the exhibit hall.  Vendors like Ancestry, Family Search, My Heritage, Find My Past and Genealogy Gems offer 30 minute mini sessions throughout the luncheon period which can be very informative and may even help you to break down one of those brick walls.  The exhibit hall is often as enlightening as the sessions.  I always learn something new when talking with vendors.
I hope you all were able to see our group photos with both the NGS president, Jordan Jones, and FGS president, Josh Taylor.  Nice photo ops and good publicity for us.  By the way, two of our attendees won door prizes at the NGS banquet.  Pat Rand won an Ancestry DNA kit and Joanne Read won a year subscription to Research Ties.  Congratulations to both of you.
I want to thank the VGS for the scholarship and I hope all of you will get an opportunity sometime to attend a state or national conference.   It’s a great way to exhaust, yet re-energize yourself!

“Genealogy Roadshow” Hosts Mary Tedesco (ORIGINS ITALY Founder), D. Joshua Taylor, and Kenyatta D. Berry return for season 3 of “Genealogy Roadshow” beginning May 17, 2016 (tomorrow) at 8:00 PM EDT on PBS stations. Set your DVR and be sure to tune in each week!
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Albuquerque, NM
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Miami, FL
Tuesday, May 31, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Houston, TX
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Our Favorite Stories
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Boston, MA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Providence, RI
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 — Genealogy Roadshow Los Angeles, CA

What’s New At Ancestry Academy?
"Have you checked out the latest courses in Ancestry Academy? If not, you may have missed out on many of their new offerings."
Continue reading...

I Found My Dad After 33 Years of Searching:
by Stephanie Booth
"He didn't even know she existed, but Katherine Benoit-Schwartz was determined to know more about the father she'd never met.​ Katherine Benoit-Schwartz, 53, describes a feeling familiar to many adults who were adopted as children. Without knowing anything about her birth parents, "I felt a personal disconnect from who I was."
Continue reading...

Get Windows 10 for Free After July 29th, with a Little Prep Now:
How-to-Geek
"Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10’s free upgrade offer will expire on July 29, 2016. After that, you’ll have to pay $119 to upgrade on any computer that hasn’t already made the leap. But with a few simple steps, you can “reserve” that free copy now, so you can upgrade after July 29 without paying."
Continue reading...

Seen on the Street Corner: A Genealogy DNA Problem...
Dick Eastman: eogn.com
You never know what you might find through your DNA Test...
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 16 May
1868: President Andrew Johnson is acquitted during Senate impeachment, by one vote, cast by Edmund G. Ross.
1920: Joan of Arc is canonized in Rome.
1963: After 22 Earth orbits, Gordon Cooper returns to Earth, ending the last mission of Project Mercury.
1804 Birthday: Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, founder of the first U.S. kindergarten.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 14 April 2016

Today: Thursday: April 14, 2016

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Laurel Manor Room at the Rohan Regional Recreation Center

Tomorrow: Friday: April 15, 2016

Scandinavian SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Clearwater Room at the Sea Breeze Regional Recreational Center

View From Space Hints at a New Viking Site in North America:
New York Times"A thousand years after the Vikings braved the icy seas from Greenland to the New World in search of timber and plunder, satellite technology has found intriguing evidence of a long-elusive prize in archaeology — a second Norse settlement in North America, further south than ever known."
Continue reading

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry Reached 1 Million Records of Holocaust Survivors’ and Victims’ Now Searchable Online:

Ancestry

Nearly five years after the launch of the World Memory Project, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry announce that the one millionth name of individuals persecuted by the Nazis are now searchable online for free, thanks to the efforts of contributors to the innovative crowdsourcing initiative."

Continue reading... 

Exploring Pension Application Files:
AncestryAcademy
"Military pension application files contain rich detail, revealing post-war experiences. Laws dictated eligibility. Explore who awarded pensions, pension types, eligible parties, and locating pension application files. Survivors applying for pensions had to prove relationship to a veteran, creating valuable documents which include evidence of kinship. Affidavits, pages from family Bibles, and medical examination records are examples of the types of items found in pension application files."
You do not need to register to view these videos.
Go to the Class...

How to Enable Right-Clicking on Web Sites That Block It:

How-to-Geek

"Though it’s less common these days, many sites still use JavaScript or an HTML attribute to disable right-clicking on their pages. It’s a practice we hope goes away, but in the meantime, it’s not too hard to get around those restrictions."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 14 April
1828: The first edition of Noah Webster’s dictionary is published.
1860: The first Pony Express rider arrives in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, Missouri.
1865: President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated in Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth.
1866 Birthday: Anne Mansfield Sullivan, teacher who educated Helen Keller.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 18 March 2016

Today: Friday: March 18, 2016

Scandinavian Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Clearwater Room Sea Breeze Recreation Center

Are you familiar with Ancestry Academy?

Ancestry (The academy is a separate subscription service.)"Ancestry Academy's online course library continues to grow! Check out this new courses taught by experts in the genealogy community:"
"MyCanvas: Creating Family History Keepsakes, by Lorilee Wagner (FREE)"
This course will teach you how to use the tools and features of the MyCanvas program. You will learn how to create and customize your own family history books and family tree posters. This is the most flexible online publishing program, enabling you to create photo books, posters, and calendars the way you want, not the way the program dictates.
View course...

Closing Up Shop at 23andMe and the Trap:
DNAeXplained
"How could a DNA testing company be more unfriendly towards genealogists? I don’t know, but if you can think of something, I’m sure 23andMe will implement it."
Continue reading...

How to Upload FTDNA Results to GEDMatch Despite The Ban on Uploads:
DNA Genealogy
"As of Wednesday, March 16, GEDMatch has stopped accepting FTDNA transfers due to concerns over privacy.  Hopefully this is a temporary issue and FTDNA and GEDMatch resolve their differences soon."
Continue reading...

Genealogy Roadshow Announces Season 3:
Episode 1, airs on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 on PBS.
"The diverse cast of participants featured will be from cities around the country, including Boston, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and more.
Over the course of the series, genealogists Kenyatta D. Berry, Joshua Taylor and Mary Tedesco work with anecdotal clues, documents and family heirlooms to unite participants with histories and family they never knew existed."
Continue reading...

New RootsMagic (7.1.0.7) Update Available

Roots Magic

"We have released a new minor update for RootsMagic 7 users, version 7.0.1.7.  This update addresses a number of issues in our new direct FTM import." 

See other update features...

Exploring the Probate Records County by County:

Ancestry

"Probate records vary not only from state to state, but also from county to county. How one county arranged its records might not be exactly the same as a neighboring county. There are also surprising record collections that may be included – as well as some records that are missing. "

Continue reading...

This Day In History: 18 March

1874: Hawaii signs a treaty giving exclusive trading rights with the islands to the United States.
1881: Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth opens in Madison Square Gardens.
1911: Theodore Roosevelt opens the Roosevelt Dam in Phoenix, Ariz., the largest dam in the United States to date.
1837 Birthday: Stephen Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (1885-1889 and 1893-1897), the only U.S. president elected for two nonconsecutive terms.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 16 March 2016

Today: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

Board of Directors Meeting

9:00 AM at the Pinellas Library

Today: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Jasmine Room at the Hibiscus Recreation Center

Today: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Chateaugay Room at the Chatham Recreation Center

Tomorrow: Thursday: March 17, 2016

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

Noon in the New Smyrna Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center

6 Tools to Make Archival Research More Efficient:
Inside Higher Ed
"As an historian, I spend a lot of time in the archives, rifling through dusty old boxes in search of treasure for my dissertation. Learning how to do archival research has been an exercise in learning to work more efficiently. Because grant budgets can only go so far, it’s important to make use of every minute when visiting faraway libraries and repositories, capturing as much information as possible to bring home with me. Here at GradHacker, we’ve featured many tools for organizing your research data once you’ve already collected it."
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Get Ready For St. Patrick's Day! Finding Your Irish Roots in Irish Catholic Parish Registers :
Ancestry
"I feel like the doors to my Irish ancestry have suddenly been opened wide with the recent addition of more than 10 million Irish Catholic Parish Registers on Ancestry. For many of us, this collection represents the best chance of discovering a written record of our ancestors and their families online."
Continue reading...

Are you familiar with Ancestry Academy?
Ancestry (The academy is a separate subscription service.)
"Ancestry Academy's online course library continues to grow! Check out this new courses taught by experts in the genealogy community:"
"Effective Searching for Canadian Records, by Lesley Anderson"
This course is a basic overview of how to use Ancestry’s Canadian website, Ancestry.ca, but there are many useful hints for anyone starting out on Ancestry no matter which country you're researching in. Topics include family trees, hints, and DNA, which cross a broad spectrum of other Ancestry websites besides Ancestry.ca. Who knows? You may also discover that you have a family member or distant cousin who once lived in or visited Canada.
View course details...

Why Do TV Shows and Movies Cover Up Logos?How-to-Geek
"Have you ever wondered why some TV shows go to great lengths to obscure logos on laptops and other well-known products? The reasons are seemingly simple, but not necessarily clear cut."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 16 March
1621: The first Indian appears to colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1833: Susan Hayhurst becomes the first woman to graduate from a pharmacy college.
1850: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is published.
1751 Birthday: James Madison, fourth President of the United States (1809-17).

VGS Latest News & Tips: 15 March 2016

Today: Tuesday: March 15, 2016

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

1:00 PM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

Tomorrow: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

Board of Directors Meeting

9:00 AM at the Pinellas Library

Tomorrow: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Jasmine Room at the Hibiscus Recreation Center

Tomorrow: Wednesday: March 16, 2016

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Chateaugay Room at the Chatham Recreation Center

The Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke - Your Family History Show:
"BYUtv’s new reality series Relative Race (http://www.relativerace.com/) premiered on February 28, 2016. The show “features four married couples as they travel across the US in search of long lost relatives, armed with only paper maps, a rental car, a $25 per diem and a flip phone.” (Interview with two contestants later in the show.)"
Continue reading or listen to podcast...

The VGS Newsletter Has Been Sent:
If you didn't receive a copy of the newsletter via email then we probably don't have your current email address or it was placed into your spam email folder. Check your spam folder before contacting the Society with your correct email address. Members can update their email address HERE.

Concepts – Identical by…Descent, State, Population and Chance"
DNAeXplained
"In genetic genealogy, what does it mean when someone says they are “identical by” sometime…and what are those various somethings?"
Continue reading...

How To Disable Autocorrect in Windows 10:
How-to-Geek
"Autocorrect is kind of a love/hate thing no matter what platform you use it on. In Windows 10, it works much the same as on other platforms, automatically replacing misspelled words if they are in the dictionary and applying a red underline if the word isn’t found at all."
Continue reading...

Are you familiar with Ancestry Academy?
Ancestry (The academy is a separate subscription service.)
"Ancestry Academy's online course library continues to grow! Check out this new courses taught by experts in the genealogy community:"
"Written in Stone: Researching in Cemeteries, by Amy Johnson Crow, CG℠"
"In this course, you'll learn how to approach cemetery records, use what you gather in your research, and explore many options you may have never thought of to make the most of any cemetery visit. Amy will discuss tombstone inscriptions, symbols, military burials, and even how to take the best pictures when you're on your visit to your ancestor's final resting place."
View course details...

This Day In History: 15 March

1493: Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first voyage to the New World.

1892: New York State unveils the new automatic ballot voting machine.
1934: Henry Ford restores the $5-a-day wage.
1767 Birthday: Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States (1829-1837).