VGS Latest News & Tips: 20 December 2016

Understanding What Is Meant By “Second Cousin Once Removed” And Similar Relationships:

Family Tree Tips
"A lot of people and myself included when they start researching don’t know the actual meaning of relationships like “Second Cousin Once Removed” or “Third Cousin Twice Removed” and only know the simple stuff like great grandfather, great great grandmother etc."
Continue reading...

AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search:

randymajors.com
"This tool helps you build a better Google search for finding web pages mentioning your ancestors. It returns a more focused set of search results by using advanced Google search techniques including exact phrases, forward and reverse name order, alternate name spellings, logical operators, and so on. Nothing magical, just a big time-saver!"
Continue reading...

The Genealogy Gems Podcast: Episode 198

Lisa Louise Cooke
"This episode’s got a bit of holiday sparkle! Lisa Louise Cooke welcomes Genealogy Gems Book Club author and Victorian lifestyle expert Sarah Chrisman to the show to talk about Victorian holiday traditions, some of which may still live on in your own life. Following that conversation, Lisa shares a fun description of Victorian-era scrapbooking: how it’s different than today’s scrapbooking hobby but also how it reminds her of modern social media."
Continue reading...

How Refrigeration Changed the United States:

Ancestry
"Refrigeration and air conditioning are conveniences that we mostly take for granted in modern buildings and houses. At least I certainly do, after living on the Gulf Coast of Florida for the greater part of my life. Although my ancestors have lived in this sub-tropical environment since the early 1900s, I can’t imagine going through the summer without it."
Continue reading...

UK History:

Ancestry

" Don't let your UK history go undiscovered. Download our research guide and learn 3 tips on discovering your UK ancestors.

Download guide...

Android Guide: Keeping Your Device Secure:

How-to-Geek
"Whenever you walk out your front door with your phone, you carry with you the contents of your life. “Security” may seem like a boring topic, but your phone has all kinds of important, personal, and sensitive information on it—even if you think it doesn’t. When it’s so easy to lose your mobile device or have it stolen, you have to ask yourself: why take chances when protecting your data is so simple?"
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 20 December

1802: The United States buys the Louisiana territory from France.
1933: The German government announces 400,000 citizens are to be sterilized because of hereditary defects.
1938: First electronic television system is patented.
1914 Birthday: Harry F. Byrd Jr., first independent ever elected to US Senate by a majority of the popular vote (Virginia).

State Timelines:

Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Mississippi:
1825: Vicksburg incorporated
1898: Gulfport incorporated
1907: Boll weevil attached cotton crop
1917: Payne Field established in West Point to train Army Pilots

VGS Latest News & Tips: 27 October 2016

Today: National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair:
NARA
"Yesterday the National Archives began hosting a two-day, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast.
Sessions continue today and registration is not required."
More details...

Expand Your Family Tree: 4 Effective Ideas:
Crestleaf
"At one point or another, every genealogist takes a look at their family tree and wonders if it may be missing some information. Whether your family tree is already robust or the branches are fairly sparse, your family’s history can certainly be expanded upon — no matter how deep you are into your research. But how do you start expanding your family tree even if you think you’ve exhausted every potential resource?"
Continue reading...

Why Your Family Name Was Not Changed at Ellis Island (and One That Was):
NY Public Library
"Between 1892 and 1954, over twelve million people entered the United States through the immigration inspection station at Ellis Island, a small island located in the upper bay off the New Jersey coast. There is a myth that persists in the field of genealogy, or more accurately, in family lore, that family names were changed there. They were not."
Continue reading...

DNA Testing Links 300-Year-Old Remains Of A Baby To A Colonial Maryland Governor:
The Washington Post
"The surviving pieces of the baby’s skull are paper thin in places. There are holes in the cranium. And the infant has the classic “rosary bead” rib deformities of the ancient childhood disease rickets."
Continue reading...

How to Back Up Your Text Messages to Dropbox or Google Drive on Android:
How-to-Geek
"You never know when you’re going to need to reference an old text message with an important bit of info, and the easiest way to make sure you never lose anything is by backing up. Fortunately, pushing all of your Android phone’s text messages to the cloud is super easy."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 27 October
1553: Michael Servetus, who discovered the pulmonary circulation of the blood, is burned for heresy in Switzerland.
1791: President George Washington transmits to Congress the results of the first US census, exclusive of South Carolina which had not yet submitted its findings.
1809: President James Madison orders the annexation of the western part of West Florida. Settlers there had rebelled against Spanish authority.
1858 Birthday: Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States (1901-1909).

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Hawaii:
1878: Population: 76% Native Hawaiian, 10% Chinese, 6% Mixed Hawaiian, 2% American
1880: Mauna Loa eruption adds 24 square miles to shoreline
1887: Pearl Harbor ceded to United States

VGS Latest News & Tips: 25 October 2016

Tomorrow: October 26, 2016

Brick Wall SIG Meeting

8:30 AM in the Rhett Butler in the Savannah Center

Tomorrow: October 26, 2016

General Monthly Meeting

10:00 AM in the Rhett Butler in the Savannah Center
Topic:"Little Known & Under Used Features of The VGS Website."

Tomorrow: National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair:
NARA
"On October 26 & 27, 2016 (Wednesday & Thursday), the National Archives is hosting a two-day, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast. Viewers have the opportunity to participate with the presenters and other family historians during the live event on YouTube. All of the session videos and handouts will be available from this web page free of charge. You can watch the sessions and download the materials at your convenience. Registration is not required."
More details...

Teddy Roosevelt Shot; Delivers Campaign Speech Anyway:
GenealogyBank
"It almost seemed like a political advertising campaign gone awry – but one no consultant would ever dare propose. When Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party to run for a third term as president in 1912, it became known as the “Bull Moose Party” after he declared: “I’m as fit as a bull moose.” Then, thanks to a would-be assassin’s bullet, Roosevelt got the chance to back up that claim."
Continue reading...

Bundle of Ten DNA Guides by Diahan Southard – 28% Off through October 31
GenealogyBlog
"Diahan Southard has now written ten 4-page laminated guides on DNA research. These have all turned out to be extremely popular. FRPC is now making a bundle of all 10 available through October 31 at 28% off! That’s just for just $64.44 (plus $5.50 p&h).
Continue reading...

Doctor, Doctor! Medical Directories Reveal The Legacies Of UK Medicine:

Ancestry

"Spanning more than 350 years, Ancestry’s new UK Medical Registers document the careers of some of the most notable names in British medical history, including the man who discovered Penicillin, Britain’s first recognised female doctor and even a pair of suspected serial killers from the world of medicine."

Continue reading...

Do you have a St. Louis Ancestor?
Add their story to our NEW biography collection!
StLGS
"In honor of Missouri’s 200th birthday in 2021, we are encouraging StLGS members to submit short biographies and accompanying photos of their St. Louis City/County ancestors. Each bio should be no longer than 500 words and each photo should be a high quality JPG image; please submit all writing and photos electronically. You may submit as many bios as you like."
Continue reading...

Documenting and Passing on Family Treasures:
Olive Tree Genealogy
"My grandmother Ruth gave me many family treasures when I was a teenager. They mean the world to me and I spend a lot of time mulling over how best to get the next generation interested in them."
Continue reading...

How to Manage, Customize, and Block Notifications in Android Lollipop and Marshmallow:
How-to-Geek
"Android has always done notifications consistently well over its various iterations. In Android Lollipop and Marshmallow, notifications have gotten even better, giving users specific, granular control over notifications for every application installed on your device."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 25 October
1916: German pilot Rudolf von Eschwege shoots down his first enemy plane, a Nieuport 12 of the Royal Naval Air Service over Bulgaria.
1923: The Teapot Dome scandal comes to public attention as Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana, subcommittee chairman, reveals the findings of the past 18 months of investigation. His case will result in the conviction of Harry F. Sinclair of Mammoth Oil, and later Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, the first cabinet member in American history to go to jail. The scandal, named for the Teapot Dome oil reserves in Wyoming, involved Fall secretly leasing naval oil reserve lands to private companies.
1954: President Dwight Eisenhower conducts the first televised Cabinet meeting.
1881 Birthday: Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptor or over 6,000 works.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Hawaii:
1819: First missionaries embarked for Hawaii
1824: Uprising bordered on Civil War
1848-50: Private land ownership introduced