VGS Reminders: 13 - 17 February 2017

January 2017 General Meeting - New Member Registration
Thanks to our Volunteers we can't do it without you!

Reminders:

Monday: February 13, 2017

Family Tree Maker Uses SIG Meeting

1:00 PM in the Patriot Room at the Mulberry Grove Recreation Center

Tuesday: February 14, 2017

Genealogy Writers SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Churchill Downs Room in the Pimlico Recreation Center
Topic: "How to Interview Your Relatives" with guest speaker Bob Boerst, VGS Newsletter Editor and former Human Resources executive.

Wednesday: February 15, 2017

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

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

Wednesday: February 15, 2017

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Chateaugay Room at the Chatham Recreation Center
Topic: "Getting Started on Your Genealogy" 

Thursday: February 16, 2017

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Friday: February 17, 2017

Scandinavian Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Clearwater Room Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: "Arkivverket - The Norwegian Online Digital Archive."

Gen News:

Black History Month 2017 – Access Black History Records:

Fold3
In recognition of Black History Month, Fold3 want to remind you to access all publications in its Black History Collection.
Whether you're searching for your ancestors or looking for primary documents to help with other research, the Black History collection gives you access to more than a million documents, records, and photos that help to capture the African-American experience during five eras of American history: Slavery, The Civil War, Reconstruction & Jim Crow Laws, World War I & II, and the Civil Rights Movement
All the titles in our Black History collection contain valuable insight into the history of African-Americans in the United States, but titles that are especially rich in information include:
• Danish West Indies – Slavery and Emancipation 
• Suppression of Slave Trade and Colonization (1854-72)
• Amistad – Federal and Supreme Court records 
• American Colonization Society
• Board of Commissioners – Emancipation of Slaves in DC 
• Court Slave Records for DC
• South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732-1872 
• "Colored Troops" 
• And more!

Understanding What Is Meant By 2nd Cousin Once Removed And Similar!

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...

What Does Your German Surname Say About You?

Ancestry
"German-Americans are the largest single ethnic group in the U.S. If you are one of 46 million Americans with German ancestry, your surname could yield some interesting clues to your family history."
Continue reading...

Tech:

How to Get Notifications for Only the Emails You Care About in Gmail:

How-to-Geek
"Email is a powerful tool that we all use, but it can also be exceedingly annoying to get notifications for every single message that hits your inbox. With Gmail, however, there are a variety of ways to keep things silent, yet still immediately know about the messages that are important to you."
Continue reading...

The Best Cheaper Alternatives to Photoshop:

How-to-Geek
"Adobe Photoshop is the professional image editor. It’s name is now a verb for image editing (which is something that Adobe absolutely hates). Photoshop though, isn’t the only editor in town. Over the last few years, new image editing apps have come along that are almost as good as Photoshop, for a fraction of the price. Let’s have a look at some of them."
Continue reading...

Education:
Webinars:
Legacy Family Tree

Be Your Own Digital Archivist: Preserve Your Research
Cyndi Ingle
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2017
Register HERE...

Weaving DNA Test Results into a Proof Argument:
Karen Stanbary, CG
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2017
Register HERE...

Finding Missing Persons With DNA Testing:
Diahan Southard
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2017
Register HERE... 

VGS Latest News & Tips: 20 July 2016

Foundations of Irish Genealogy by John Grenham Now Available:
GeneaWebinars
"For the first time, a comprehensive beginning Irish genealogy course is available online, worldwide, from the foremost Irish genealogy authority, John Grenham. He is the author of the definitive Irish genealogy guide Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. The six-class series introduces you to Irish genealogy and then progressively takes you through the major Irish records sources. Taught with humor and an authentic Irish accent, Grenham brings together Irish research in a way only the most knowledgeable Irish researcher can."
Continue reading...

Discovering Pocahontas: A family surprise
Genealogy Adventures
"I never get tired of saying that it’s been the women in my family tree who have revealed my most profound and memorable genealogy surprises. This shows no signs of abating. Yet another lady in my tree has revealed something remarkable."
Continue reading...

ARCHIVED: DNA with Blaine Bettinger

Dear Myrtle

"Thanks to our friend Blaine Bettinger for the informative discussion about DNA test results and the impact this can have in our genealogical paper-trail. We managed to discuss autosomal, yDNA and mtDNA testing; mirrored trees, triangulation, and a bit about ethical issues when sharing DNA results."

Continue reading...

Go directly to the webinar... (1hr 7 min)

Digitized Record Indexes Are Great, But They're Not Everything!

Family Sleuther

"A rainy 4th of July holiday may upset patriotic Americans with a hankering for outdoor BBQs and fireworks, but I was perfectly content to hole up inside and dive into genealogy. God Bless the USA, my internet connection, and digitized probate records!"

Continue reading...

WWI Draft Registration Cards:
Fold3
"Did you have any male family members living in the United States during 1917–18 who were born between 1872 and 1900? If so, there’s a good chance you’ll find them in Fold3’s WWI Draft Registration Cards (via the National Archives)."
Continue reading...

How to Stop Your iPhone from Tracking Your Frequent Locations:
How-to-Geek
"You probably know that your iPhone (and iPad) can track your location, which can be super helpful for things like marking where a photo was taken or letting friends and family know where you are. But you may not know that, by default, iOS keeps track of locations you visit frequently so that it can make better local suggestions and give you a more personalized Today view in your Notification Center."
Continue reading...

How to Set Up SIM Card Lock for a More Secure iPhone:
How-to-Geek
"Locking your iPhone’s SIM card adds yet another layer of security, meaning that even if someone can get into your phone, they still can’t use it to call, text, or access your data plan."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 20 July
1881: Sioux chief Sitting Bull surrenders to the U.S. Army.
1942: The U.S. Army Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) begins its first training class at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
1969: Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men to walk on the moon.
1591 Birthday: Anne Hutchinson, religious liberal, one of the founders of Rhode Island.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Rhode Island:
1729: Ship captains had to pay 50 pounds for each immigrant not from England, Ireland or the Channel Islands
1740: Population reaches 25,000
1747: Rhode Island gained Bristol, Tiverton, Little Compton, Warren & other towns in Bristol County from Massachusetts
1774: Slave importation outlawed

VGS Reminders: 18-22, 2016

Genetic Genealogy SIG Meeting, April 2016

Wednesday: April 20, 2016

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

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

Wednesday: April 20, 2016

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Thursday: April 21, 2016

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

America's First Military Draft Begins: April 16, 1862
Fold3
"On April 16, 1862, the Confederacy—in need of troops to fight in its armies—passed the Conscription Act, the first effective general military draft in America."
Continue reading...

NGS Releases Mobile App for 2016 Family History Conference:
NGS
"The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announces the release of its mobile app for the NGS 2016 Family History Conference, which will be held 4‒7 May 2016, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The app is available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and web-enabled devices. To download the free NGS mobile app, go to http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/mobile-app/."

This Day In History: 16 April

1818: The U.S. Senate ratifies the Rush-Bagot amendment to form an unarmed U.S.-Canada border.

1862: Slavery is abolished in the District of Columbia.

1922: Annie Oakley shoots 100 clay targets in a row, setting a woman’s record.

1867 Birthday: Wilbur Wright, designer, builder and flyer of the first airplane.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 9 February 2016

Tomorrow: Wednesday: February 10, 2016

Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Osceola Room at the Chula Vista Recreation Center

Conferences Leave You Hungry for More? Try An Institute!
Ancestry
"Whether brought on by frustration, desperation, or total lack of ideation, we all hit that point where we look in the mirror and wonder if we’ll ever really find Aunt Mary. If your brick wall begins to feel impossible to scale, I have some advice: to learn more about your ancestors, you might need to learn more about genealogy first."
Continue reading...

Black History: Remembering Struggles, Sacrifice and Service:
Fold3
"Throughout U.S. History, African Americans have played an integral part in the development and achievement of this country. Fold3 is now revealing a side of the African American story that few have seen before. View more than a million rare photos and documents for Free during February."
Access All Black History Records & Documents.
Free with registration: Start Now...

Finding Your Ancestor’s Story:
GenealogyBank
"Everyone loves a story – and a story is infinitely better when it involves your family. RootsTech presentations this week have been stressing the importance of telling the stories of our ancestors’ lives – but the government records and official documents we rely on often provide cold, dry facts and not a lot of information to fill in a story. Stories require context and detail.
That’s where a collection of newspapers, such as GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, really helps a genealogist."
Continue reading...

Woman, 82, Tracks Down And Meets 96-Year-Old Birth Mother:
NaplesHerald
"Eighty-two years after she was born to a teenage girl and put up for adoption, Betty Morrell finally has met her 96-year-old birth mother, thanks to the dogged persistence of her granddaughter during 20 years of searching."
Continue reading...

How DNA And ‘Recreational Genealogy’ Are Making A Case For Reparations For Slavery:
The Guardian
"More than a decade in the writing, scholar Alondra Nelson’s new book The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations and Reconciliation After The Genome has been published at an appropriate moment. Through DNA, the book examines the construction of race in the contemporary United States and offers new ways to think about it, from the kind of “post-racial” social construction of blackness in Rachel Dolezal to the essentialist, biologically determined (and intellectually inferior) notion of blackness promulgated by Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 9 February
1799: The USS Constellation captures the French frigate Insurgente off the West Indies.
1825: The House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams, sixth U.S. President.
1864: Union General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Bacon in their hometown of Monroe, Mich.
1773 Birthday: William Henry Harrison, ninth U.S. President and the first to die in office.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 19 January 2016

Today: Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

1:00 PM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center
Tomorrow: Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Board of Directors Meeting 9:00 a.m. Pinellas Library
Tomorrow: Wednesday, January 20, 2016

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Today: Colonial Days at Brownwood Paddock Square:
Our Irish Special Interest Group will be a participant.
Noon to 4:00 p.m. Feel free to stop by and say hello.

Finding Your Military Veterans on Fold3:
Ancestry
"Fold3 is a great resource to discover historic military documents and can be used to learn and share the story of the veterans in your family tree. In this course you will study the fundamentals and guidelines to successful searching and browsing on Fold3, as well as the value of different types of military documents and what information they can provide. We will delve into the different military records and talk about the fun facts you might find while researching the veterans in your family."
This is a free online course.
Quick Course Overview...

Mocavo and Findmypast Are Coming Together:
Mocavo Announcement
"We wanted to let you know that in the coming months Mocavo will be coming together with its sister site, Findmypast. This will create a single experience for our US customers in a move that aims to deliver a more focused, efficient and comprehensive service to US family historians.We are now in the process of moving all Mocavo site content to Findmypast so you’ll soon be able to enjoy everything currently available on Mocavo and more. As part of our 'Free Forever' promise, Mocavo subscribers will continue to enjoy free access to all of the same records that were previously published for free on Mocavo. If you are a Mocavo subscriber, we will be transferring your account over to Findmypast soon so stay tuned for updates."

How to use Google Photos for Genealogy:
Cousin Detective
"To me, the single most important thing in the genealogical detective world is finding and sharing photos. All the hard work of piecing the giant puzzle together really pays off when you find a distant cousin who has photographs of your relatives -- especially really old ones that you'd never dreamed of finding."
Continue reading...

The Ancestry 200:
DNA eXplained
"Sounds like a race doesn’t it, but it isn’t. It’s a milestone checkpoint of sorts, so I thought I’d take a few minutes and take a look at where my Ancestry DNA shakey leaf tree matches are, and how they are performing."
Continue reading...

Social Media, Death and Mourning:
A Grave Interest
"We share our hopes, our dreams, our joys, and our disasters on social media - be it new jobs, long-distance moves, joyous births, long-awaited marriages, or the finality for us all - death. But is social media the right platform to use to share and express our grief?"
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 19 January
1523: In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli publishes his 67 Articles, the first manifesto of the Zurich Reformation which attacks the authority of the Pope.
1923: The French announce the invention of a new gun that has a firing range of 56 miles.
1937: Howard Hughes flies from Los Angeles to New York in seven hours and 22 minutes.
1809 Birthday: Edgar Allan Poe, American author and poet (“Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee.”)

VGS Latest News & Tips: 23 September 2015

Today: Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Brick Wall SIG Meeting

8:30 AM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

Today: Wednesday, September 23, 2015

General Monthly Meeting

10:00 AM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

Family Traditions and Memories from the Kitchen:
Ancestry.com
Each recipe in my family is like a piece of fabric. When sewn together, they become a quilt of sorts, woven with a myriad of memories."
Continue reading...

4 Free Online Photo Editing Tools to Restore Your Family Photos:
Crestleaf
"So you’ve scanned your family photos and created backups using a flash drive, CD or cloud photo backup software to preserve your family memories. Good for you! The next step is to restore your older, discolored family pictures to keep your family tree sitting pretty."
Continue reading...

How to Use Multiple Apps at Once on an iPad:
How-to-Geek
"Recently released iOS 9 added a long-awaited feature to the iPad and iPhone: the ability to have multiple apps on-screen at the same time. iPads support three different types of multitasking: Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture. The other app-switching gestures on an iPad still work, too.
Continue reading...

Here's What Happens When You Order an AncestryDNA Test:
Nextadvisor Blog
"DNA testing has been around for quite some time now, and increasingly more genealogy services are offering people the chance to learn more about their origins and ethnicity by providing mailable DNA testing kits. But how exactly do these tests work? And what all do you receive in the mail when you order one? We decided to explore the growing curiosity behind these tests by ordering one and testing it for ourselves. Ancestry is one of the most well-known genealogy services, so we opted to start with its DNA test first. Here's how it works."
Continue reading...

Drumming Out:
Fold3
"Are you familiar with the historical military practice of drumming a soldier out of the army?
This process of dishonorably discharging a soldier had its origins in the British army in the 17th century and was later picked up by the American military. Soldiers could be drummed out for a variety of reasons, from thievery to desertion."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: September 23
1779: The American navy under John Paul Jones, commanding from Bonhomme Richard, defeats and captures the British man-of-war Serapis.
1805: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike pays $2,000 to buy from the Sioux a 9-square-mile tract at the mouth of the Minnesota River that will be used to establish a military post, Fort Snelling.
1806: The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives back in St. Louis just over three years after its departure.
63BC Birthday: Augustus Caesar, first Roman Emperor, who introduced Pax Romana, the era of peace.

VGS News & Tips: 24 August 2015

Have you checked out Fold3's new WWI Panoramic Unit Photos yet?

Fold3
This free collection, via the National World War I Museum, includes a variety of WWI-era panoramic images. Many of the photos are group shots of military units, but there are also group photos of other organizations connected to the military, as well as images of military cemeteries, Navy ships, military camps, and more.
Continue reading...

How to Configure and Customize the Taskbar in Windows 10:
How-to-Geek
"If you’re already well on your way to becoming a Windows 10 convert, you might have noticed there have been a few tweaks to the way the taskbar is configured and customized for the average user."
Continue reading...

RootsMagic Software and Windows 10:
Genealogy & History News
“Will RootsMagic run on Windows 10?” The short answer is “Yes”.
Continue reading...

DNA test brings Florida man ‘home’ to St. John Valley:
Bangor Daily News
"MADAWASKA, Maine — Gary Skillings’ life has all the elements of a good mystery novel: A mother’s mysterious pregnancy, family intrigue, DNA research and the discovery of long lost relatives thousands of miles away."
Continue reading...

Department of Interior, Indian Affairs -- Hiring a Genealogist
NGS
" A job announcement for a genealogist (permanent professional position) in the Department of Interior, Indian Affairs."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: August 24
79: Mount Vesuvius erupts destroying Pompeii, Stabiae, Herculaneum and other smaller settlements.
410: German barbarians sack Rome.
1572: Some 50,000 people are put to death in the ‘Massacre of St. Bartholomew’ as Charles IX of France attempts to rid the country of Huguenots.
1960 Birthday: Calvin "Cal" Ripken, Jr., shortstop and third baseman for Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001) who broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played.

VGS News & Tips: 17 Jun 2015

Reminder: Board of Directors Meeting Today at 1:30 p.m.

The Battle of Bunker Hill: June 17, 1775:
Fold3
"On June 17, 1775, American colonists clashed with the British in the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution."
Read more...

5 Simple Ways to Organize Your Digital Family Photos:
Crestleaf
Tips & Tools to Get Digitized Family Pictures Organized
Read more...

Facts, Photos and Fair Use: Copyright Law for Genealogists:
June FSGS Poolside Chat:
"Judy Russell, JD, CG will be providing information about copyright laws and how they apply to what we, as genealogists, do. Materials and records created by others are the bread-and-butter of genealogy. But whether copyright law allows use of old photographs, reports and articles can be murky at best. Understanding what is and isn’t copyrighted and what genealogists can and can’t use is the key to staying out of trouble and to protecting our own work. "
Tomorrow: Thursday, 18 Jun 2015: 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Read more and Register...

An Update to Apple Watch Already?
About Technology
"OK, truth be told, it's not that there's a new version of the Apple Watch, it's that there's an update coming to the software that runs the watch. And it's going to add a whole bunch of goodies."
Read more...

This Day In History:
1944: Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic.
1910: Red Foley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor is born; he died in 1968.
1898: The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 7 May 2015

Today: May 7, 2015

Eastern European Genealogy SIG Meeting:

1:00 PM in the Triple Crown Room at Churchill Recreation Center.

Meeting Cancellation - Tomorrow, May 8:

Genetic Genealogy SIG Meeting

Sign PDF Documents Without Printing and Scanning Them From Any Device:
How to Geek
"Need to sign a document and email it? Don’t print, sign, and then scan it back in again. Skip the entire process and apply your signature electronically. It saves time and you don’t need a printer or scanner."
Learn how...

Fold3 Offers Free Access to the World War II Collection:
Fold3.com
"This May 8 marks the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in 1945. If you have family members who served in World War II, or are just interested in the time period, take a look at Fold3’s World War II Collection, which you can access for free from May 1st to 15th."
Read more...

Latest News From My Canvas By Alexanders's:
"MyCanvas, formerly a branch of Ancestry.com, is alive and well under the ownership of Alexander’s. MyCanvas allows users to easily create family history books, genealogy charts, photo collages, and more. Once the book has been designed and ordered, Alexander’s will professionally print, bind, and ship your customized creation to your door. Check out this video to see the process from start to finish."
Read more...

Mystery of 72-year-old message makes sleuth of homeowner.
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
"Gary Tefft was more than a little intrigued when he tore out a cabinet during a home remodeling in Bay View and found the contractor had written on a hidden panel: “#12109, Phil Herriges & Sons. Feb. 20, 1943. Ralph leaves Monday for the Army.” Tefft didn’t know if Ralph was one of the mentioned sons or if he ever came home from the war, but he set out on a quest to find out."
Read more...

Bounty Land Records:
Family History Expos.com
"Bounty land records identify the earliest date of residence or arrival for ancestors. Bounty land records frequently supply other places of residence for them which leads you to additional places to search for them. These sources identify ancestors both military and non-military. Here are a few facts about bounty lands:"
Read more...

This Day in History:
1992: The Space Shuttle Endeavor is launched on its 1st mission.
1946: Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with around 20 employees.
1847: The American Medical Association is founded and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 15 Apr 2015

Meeting Reminder - Tomorrow, April 16:

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

A Phonetic Secret Weapon:

Jen Baldwin, Mocavo
Within the world of family history, all of us are eventually faced with the challenge of reading sloppy handwriting. Whether we discover it on a census record, documentation of a birth, or a lengthy property deed, record keeping has never been known to be an arena of clear, concise writing and perfect spelling. Deciphering the writing is one challenge, but there are times when the handwriting makes finding your ancestor a challenge because it is spelled phonetically.
Read more...

FREE Access to Fold3 Civil War Collection:

Fold3.com
Through the end of April you can have FREE access to the Civil War Records collection at Fold3.
Gain access and search...

FamilySearch.org News:

FamilySearch is pleased to announce that the following genealogy sites Fast Foto Game, Match Game, Missing Parents, Research Indicators For Decendents, Research Indicators For Your Relatives, and Tree Hints For Your Relatives and Kinpoint are now certified by FamilySearch.
Read more...

Teach Yourself and Others: New Online Training Now Available:

FamilySearch.org
Several new classes have been added to the FamilySearch Learning Center. These new classes include:
Selected Video from RootsTech 2015 Conference
How to Use Family Tree
Using FamilySearch
German Research Help Classes
Read more...

This Day in History:

15 Apr 1955: McDonald's restaurant dates its founding to the opening of great franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.

15 Apr 1947: Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color line.

15 Apr 1755: Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London.