VGS News & Events: May 10 through May 16, 2020

Practice Social-Distancing

Coming Events:  Due to Covid-19, no Rec Center meetings in May. Some SIG's are having virtual meetings. Be on the lookout for emails announcing the meetings and how to connect to them or go to "Coming Events" for  more details.  These are the meetings scheduled for May as of this posting.

Monday, May 11, 18 & 25

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

1:00 pm

Mary Frances Gerace, Coordinator

They are currently holding ZOOM meetings each Monday the 1:00 p.m.

Contact the coordinator for login information

Monday, May 11

“I Remember Mama—But Not Her Maiden Name”  (Evening Live Webinar)

7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Online Webinar

Our guest speaker will be: Mary Kircher Roddy, CG

Description: Women can be hard to identify.  If they married, they probably changed their names.  See more than 20 great strategies for finding the maiden name of "troublesome" women in your family's past - and a few more strategies for discovering married names for those sisters, daughters and aunts who have "disappeared." 
Please register for the webinar HERE...

Tuesday, May 12

Preserving Family History SIG Meeting  (Preserving Family History)

2:00 pm

Online Webinar

Tom Sodeman and Nancy Schultz , Coordinators

Topic: "Blending Social History With Family History" 

Presenter: Nancy Flanagan Schultz

Description: It's a challenge to make your family history research interesting to read. It's nearly impossible to learn details about what your family was actually experiencing. Learn how to enrich your family narrative by researching 'social history' gathered from a variety of background sources to enhance your story.
Please register for the webinar HERE...

Thursday, May 14

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

9:30 am

Online Webinar

Dianne Fedderson & Steven Buhrow, coordinators

Presentation: "What Makes German Genealogy so Challenging & Your Tools to Overcome the Hurdles"

Presenter: Bernhard Guenther:
Please register for the webinar HERE...

Wednesday, May 19
Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

10:00 am

Online Webinar

Karen Pickelsimer, Coordinator.

Presentation: "Digging Deeper into FamilySearch"

Presenter: Annette Burke Lyttle

Please register for the webinar HERE... 

Note: Date Change

Tuesday, May 19

Family Tree Maker SIG Meeting
1:00 pm

Online Webinar

John DeAngelo, Coordinator

Presentation: "Setting Up Family Tree Maker for the New User"

Description: Have you recently purchased Family Tree Maker and don't know where to begin? Or, have you been using Ancestry.com for your research and want to download your tree into Family Tree Maker? Learn these and other ways to access your data using Family Tree Maker.  We will also cover the correct methods to add your names, dates and places into your software.

Please register for the webinar HERE...

Wednesday, May 27

VGS General Monthly Meeting  (Monthly Meeting)

10:00 am

Via Online Webinar

Presenter: Drew Smith

Topic: “Your Ancestor’s Fan Club: Using Cluster Research to Get Past Brick Walls”
Description: Our ancestors were each surrounded by family, associates, and neighbors. By researching them, we discover additional records pointing to our own ancestors.
Please register for the webinar HERE...

Gen News and Announcements:

The Genetic Detective: ABC News Series Follows Investigative Genealogist:

ABC
"ABC is on the case! The network just announced the premiere date for their new TV show, The Genetic Detective. The documentary series “follows investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore."
Continue reading... 

Access from Home: New, Essential Family History Resources 

American Ancestors
"I hope all is well for you. I am writing to share some resources which your members may find valuable towards their genealogical research. American Ancestors is here to help your members access our best-in-class family history programs and services online. Our online learning resources provide authoritative genealogical support for genealogists and family historians around the world. We offer free live webinars, how-to videos, downloads, online courses, and more!
If you think the members of Villages Genealogical Society would be interested, please share the following link with your members for access to our resources."
Continue reading...

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 27 April 2020

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch added 1.8 million free, historical records this week from Guatemala, and more from England, Ireland, Peru, Chile, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Puerto Rico and American Samoa. The United States collections added civil, burial, and obituary records from CA, RI, SD, HI, VA, GA, MI, MS, ID, NE, NC, IA, NJ, LA, PA, and UT."
Search now...

Ancestors and Epidemics:

Sassy Jane Genealogy
"Are you researching the deaths of ancestors due to infectious diseases? The Library of Congress can help."
Continue reading... 

Hunterdon County, New Jersey Probate Records

Brouwer Genealogy
"Once again we turn to FamilySearch.org and here again we're going to use their catalog search to look up Hunterdon County, New Jersey. There are a couple of categories here that are of interest: Probate Records, with five titles, and Probate Records - Indexes, with one."
Continue reading... 

Unlock Your Ancestor’s Story with Naturalization Records:

FamilySearch
"Your ancestors’ naturalization records may hold the key to unlocking their life stories. These records likely hold clues that could lead you back to their hometown and even introduce you to more ancestors"
Continue reading... 

Technology:

How to Mute Everyone on a Zoom Call:

How-to Geek
"While video-conferencing on Zoom, sometimes other people’s video feeds become too noisy. Hosts can mute everyone’s microphones to stop this. Whether someone stepped away to quiet a noisy parrot or is being disruptive, here’s how to mute them."
Continue reading... 

Education:

Finding Ancestors with Common Surnames:

Ancestral Findings
"Do you have an ancestor with an incredibly common surname or a surname that is a place, verb, or noun? These people can be tricky to identify in old records."
Listen now...   8.22 minutes

Webinars:

Leveraging MyHeritage's German Resources Effectively:

Legacy Family Tree
"Researching German ancestors? Learn about the German historical records you can find on MyHeritage and how to make the most of them."
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: James M. Beidler
Learn more or Register for this event...

The Ultimate Family History Interview:

Legacy Family Tree
"One of the most important sources of genealogy information is oral history. Learn the tips, tricks, and more to get the most information from the family members you interview."
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Nicka Smith
Learn more or Register for this event...

VGS Latest News & Tips: 12 May 2016

Today: Thursday: May 12, 2016

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Reliance Room at the Late Miona Recreation Center

These Old Passport Applications May Hold the Missing Genealogy Info You Need:
Family History  Daily
"Many family historians are not aware of the fact that millions of passport applications were collected by the US Department of State between the years of 1795 and 1925.
These applications are kept by the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) and are packed full of personal information that can help you in your research."
Continue reading...

A City’s History is Key to Genealogical Research- Discovering New Digital Tools:
Genealogy Jen
"Much like the surge of excitement I felt before starting 3rd grade with Mrs. Lonborg, I felt fist-pumping  gratitude as I discovered a new FREE digital  researching tool today."
Continue reading...

3 Places to Find Your Ancestor’s Obituary:
GenealogyBank
"Gena Philibert-Ortega provides three genealogy tips to help you find your ancestor’s obituary. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen."
Continue reading...

The Genealogy Professional Podcast:
Episode 39 - Blaine Bettinger
"In this episode we hear from a leading expert in genetic genealogy. Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is an intellectual property attorney by day and a genetic genealogist by night. In 2007 he started The Genetic Genealogist, oBlaine Bettingerne of the earliest blogs on the topic. Dr. Bettinger has been interviewed and quoted on personal genomics topics in Newsweek, New Scientist, Wired, and others. He authored I Have the Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What? in 2008, which is distributed by Family Tree DNA to all of their new customers."
Continue reading...

How to Add a Calculator to Microsoft Word:
How-to-Geek
"To do basic arithmetic in Word, you normally have to open the Windows calculator to get your answers, then manually insert them into Word. However, there is a third-party add-in for Word that provides a popup calculator that will calculate numbers in your document, and automatically insert the answer."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 12 May
1926: The Airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
1932: The body of Charles Lindbergh’s baby is found.
1935: Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio by “Bill W.,” a stockbroker, and “Dr. Bob S.,” a heart surgeon.
1820 Birthday: Florence Nightingale, English nurse and hospital reformer.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 11 May 2016

Today: Wednesday: May 11, 2016

Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Tomorrow: Thursday: May 12, 2016

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

9:30 AM in the Reliance Room at the Late Miona Recreation Center

When It Comes to Genetic Genealogy, Women Need Not Apply:
Huffpost Entertainment by Megan Smolenyak
"Not long ago, I observed that genealogy is now officially a TV genre. One of the reasons I felt confident in making this claim is the frequency with which I am approached by television producers about forthcoming shows. They reach out to pick my brains and I generally do my best to help because I have a conspicuous bias: I’d like to see as much genealogy on air as possible. But yesterday I received an inquiry that made me check the calendar to be sure it was 2016."
Continue reading...

Ancestry Updates Handling of Media:
Ancestry Insider
"Ancestry.com has updated their media upload experience. You can drag and drop files to upload or select them explicitly. While the upload takes place, you can add additional metadata about each file: title, media type (photo, document, etc.), place, and description. And you can link the file to persons in your trees."
Continue reading...

Sort, Scan, Share: How to NOT Drown in Family Memorabilia:
Family History Daily
"Not long ago, I observed that genealogy is now officially a TV genre. One of the reasons I felt confident in making this claim is the frequency with which I am approached by television producers about forthcoming shows. They reach out to pick my brains and I generally do my best to help because I have a conspicuous bias: I’d like to see as much genealogy on air as possible. But yesterday I received an inquiry that made me check the calendar to be sure it was 2016."
Continue reading...

Government Hill Resident Finds Tombstone Buried In Yard, and It's Not The First:
mySA
"A woman in Government Hill was working on landscaping in her yard this week when she found a tombstone for a 65-year-old man about four inches into the dirt."
Continue reading...

How to Password Protect Documents and PDFs with Microsoft Office:
How-to-Geek
"Microsoft Office lets you encrypt your Office documents and PDF files, allowing no one to even view the file unless they have the password. Modern versions of Office use secure encryption that you can rely on–assuming you set a strong password."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 11 May
1792: The Columbia River is discovered by Captain Robert Gray.
1858: Minnesota is admitted as the 32nd U.S. state.
1860: Giuseppe Garibaldi lands at Marsala, Sicily.
1912 Birthday: Phil Silvers, comedian and actor.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 26 Mar 2015

Darned Posthumous Marriage:

We depend upon records to reveal the "truth" about our pasts. Yet sometimes records have anomalies. Read about such a case from ancestry insider.
Read more...

Enhancements to FamilySearch’s Personal Trees:

Robert Kehrer, senior product manager for search, recently announced enhancements to FamilySearch Genealogies, its personal tree feature previous called Community Trees. FamilySearch Genealogies are searched or submitted from https://familysearch.org/family-trees. To reach that page, click on Search and then on Genealogies.
Read more...

UK Mapped Out by Genetic Ancestry:

Finest-scale DNA survey of any country reveals historical migrations.
Ewen Cllaway writes "Researchers have found genetic signatures among Britons that betray their historical roots in particular locales of the United Kingdom, leading to the finest-scale map of genetic variation yet created. The analysis — which shows a snapshot of clusters of genetic variation in the late 1800s, when people were less likely to migrate far from their region of birth — reflects historical waves of migration by different populations into the island."
Read more...

FDA permits marketing of first direct-to-consumer genetic carrier test for Bloom Syndrome:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today authorized for marketing 23andMe’s Bloom Syndrome carrier test, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic test to determine whether a healthy person has a variant in a gene that could lead to their offspring inheriting the serious disorder.
Read more...