VGS News & Events: March 8 through March 14, 2020

Coming Events:

Monday: March 9, 2020

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Monday: March 9, 2020

7:00 PM Live Webinar

Topic: “Blacksheep Ancestors and Their Records”
There is still time to register:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2245309800913996813
Handout is available on our website under "Members Only"

Tuesday: March 10, 2020

Preserving Family History SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Destin Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: "Video Capture of Family History" - Tom Sodeman

Wednesday: March 11, 2020

Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Wednesday: March 11, 2020

New to Genealogy SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Neptune Beach Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: "Where to Begin & Genealogy Software"

Thursday: March 12, 2020

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Saturday: March 14, 2020

African American SIG Meeting

2:30 PM in the Jasmine Room at the Hibiscus Recreation Center

Gen News and Announcements:

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 2 March 2020

FamilySearch
"Explore over a million new, free, historical records this week from France, Ireland, and Africa.  Search additional in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, England, Colombia, Chile, Jamaica, and the United States (CA, HI, IA, MS, NC, PA, TN, VA, WI), plus the Native American Census and Public Records."
Search now...

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 24 Feb. 2020

FamilySearch
"Browse nearly 1M new free, historical records on FamilySearch this week from Spain, France, England, Finland, and Sierra Leone. Additional new records are searchable from Austria, American Samoa, Colombia, Peru, Jamaica, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and the United States (AK, CA, HI, IN, IA, LA, MI, MN, MT, NC, PA, SC, UT, VA)."
Search now...

Sneak Preview: FamilyTreeDNA’s myOrigins Version 3.0

DNAeXplained
"Thursday afternoon at RootsTech, Dr. Paul Maier, Population Geneticist for Family Tree DNA presented a sneak peek at their ethnicity product, myOrigins 3.0.
I’m glad to be out from under non-disclosure now so I can talk about version 3, as this update promises to be amazing in more ways than one."
Continue reading...

Ancestry.com Continues to Grow & Make Records Available:

GenealogyBlog
"Ancestry is the industry leader with the largest family history record collection in the world, and it keeps growing. We have a long-term commitment to records, increasing our investment each of the last four years, totaling more than $300 million over 20 years. This continued global investment demonstrates the value Ancestry places on historical records in enabling members to make new discoveries."
Continue reading...

Georgia Adds 206 Historical Newspaper Titles in Winter 2020 Update:

The Ancestor Hunt
"The Digital Library of Georgia just announced that 206 titles have been added during the fall of 2019 to the Georgia Historic Newspapers website."
Continue reading...

770 Free Online School Record Collections from the Southern States:

The Ancestor Hunt
"Do you research school records? I'm not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I'm talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example."
Continue reading...
Combining Genetics With Genealogy To Identify The Dead In Unmarked Graves:
Genealogy à la carte

"The method developed by Montreal researchers to identify the remains of a man, who died in 1833, may lead to identifying many of the thousands of remains in unmarked graves in Quebec’s old cemeteries."
Continue reading...

Technology:

The Top 10 Email Scams:

Lifewire
"Internet scams are nearly as old as the internet, and many have roots in cons that existed before the internet. Malware protection software doesn't help much with many of these types of scams. These scams rely on tricking the user, they don't deliver malicious software."
Continue reading...

Education:

Favorite Genealogy Myths Debunked:

Ancestry 5 Minute Find
"Spend five minutes with Anne Gillespie Mitchell and you'll learn how hints power users get the most of their hints."
Watch now... 

Webinars:

Mining the Newspaper Databases on MyHeritage for Your Family History:

Legacy Family Tree
"Newspapers can provide information about births, deaths, marriages, moves, business, naturalization's, court cases, and more. MyHeritage provides access to several newspaper databases. This class provides an overview of what is available and techniques to help improve your chances of finding information about your relatives."
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Janice M. Sellers
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

LucidChart and Other Tools for Genetic Genealogy:

Legacy Family Tree
"In addition to company tools and traditional third-party tools, genetic genealogists find themselves adapting tools to help achieve their research goals. For example, LucidChart is a charting tool that allows genealogists to create dynamic family tree diagrams. We will examine this and other tools genetic genealogists can use in their daily research."
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D.
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

The 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon: March 12-13, 2020

Legacy Family Tree
"Join us in making history as we embark on The 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon, where you will learn how to trace your ancestors from the world's top genealogists and educators. From advanced Googling to DNA, from The Great Lakes to Australia and Germany, there's something for everyone... in every time zone. And thanks to FamilyTreeWebinars.com and MyHeritage, the entire event is free! Pop in for a session or two, or stick around for the full 24 hours — it's completely up to you. There will even be time for Q&A and door prizes. If you can't join us in real time, we've got you covered: all recordings will be available absolutely free for a week."
Starts Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Various
Learn more or Register for this marathon...

VGS News & Events: 15 October 2017 through 21 October 2017

Coming Events
Monday: October 16, 2017

Roots Magic SIG Meeting

1:00 PM at the Pinellas Library

Tuesday: October 17, 2017

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Wednesday: October 18, 2017

Mid-Atlantic States SIG Meeting

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

Thursday: October 19, 2017

New England Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Friday: October 20, 2017

Scandinavian Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Wednesday: October 25, 2017

General Monthly Meeting

9:30 AM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

A Live Webinar: 

Presentation: "What Do You Mean There’s No Record?! Using Vital Records Substitutes"  Guest Speaker: Amy Johnson Crow, CG

If you are unable to attend this meeting you can view this presentation remotely but you must register.

Register Here...

Latest News & Announcements:

Imputation Matching Comparison:

DNAeXplained
"In this article, I want to discuss only one topic, and that’s the results of imputation as it affects matching for genetic genealogy. DNA.Land is one of three companies known positively to be using imputation (DNA.Land, MyHeritage and LivingDNA), and one of two that allows transfers and does matching for genealogy
This is the second in a series of three articles about imputation.
Continue reading...

Why We Need Family History Now More Than Ever:

FamilySearch
"The United States celebrates October as National Family History Month and for good reason. Knowing, recording, preserving, and sharing our family histories can provide countless benefits to individuals, families, and entire societies."
Continue reading...

New Historic Records on FamilySearch: Week of September 25, 2017:

FamilySearch
"Good news to those with South Africa roots--over 1 million free images of historic records were published this week. Many more were published from Australia, Austria, England, Find A Grave, France, Ireland, Italy, Paraguay, and Peru!"
Continue reading...

Find Ancestors in AL GA KY NC SC TN & VA:

Georgia Pioneer Families
"Merged its 8 genealogy websites to offer a better platform to help genealogists find ancestors in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia using a single password. Databases consist of: images of wills, estates, deeds, marriages, military records, bible records, cemeteries, births, deaths, obituaries and over 5,000 traced families. To learn more,click on any of the links (above) and examine the contents of individual databases on each site."
Continue reading...

World Archives Project:

Ancestry
"With a few keystrokes, you could bring a family together.
You can play an important role in helping people find their family history. And all it takes is a computer, some basic software we provide and a little of your time."
Continue reading...

Professional genealogist offers advice on tracing African-American roots:

Ancestry
"Genealogical research in America’s Deep South can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but the task can be even more daunting for an African American family looking to fill in gaps in their family tree. While some families have had remarkable success in tracing their ancestors through the period of slavery and its aftermath, many unique obstacles exist."
Continue reading...

Developing a DNA Testing Plan:

FamilySearch
"You have taken your DNA test and you have your ethnicity estimate, but how does genetic testing actually help you with your genealogy? Where do you begin?"
Continue reading...

RootsTech 2018:

RootsTech
"We’re thrilled to announce that RootsTech 2018 will officially begin a day earlier than our prior conferences, on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Join us for class sessions beginning on Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. MST. Classes will also be offered at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
Following these class sessions, the General Session will begin at 4:30 p.m., featuring popular speaker Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International."
Continue reading...

New on Ancestry.com

Ancestry
Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812:
This collection contains images of Church of England baptism, marriage, and burial records for the years 1538–1812 from Derbyshire, England.
View this collection...
Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1916:
This collection contains images of Church of England baptism records for the years 1813–1916 from Derbyshire, England.
View this collection...
California, County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980:
This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records from various counties throughout California that took place between the years of 1849 and 1980.
View this collection...
Montana, Birth Index, 1870-1986:
Index to birth records from Montana between 1870 and 1986.
View this collection...

Technology:

How to Set Up a Facebook Page:

How-to-Geek
"Facebook Pages are a great way to promote your business, a cause, or just your hobby. Unlike Groups, which are more of a community feature, Facebook Pages work mostly like a regular Facebook Profile. You can use them to share posts, photos, videos, and whatever else you want. You can also send and receive messages. It’s basically just a profile but for something that’s not human. The biggest difference is that any number of people can Like and Follow the page."
Continue reading...

How to Automatically Enable Do Not Disturb on Your iPhone While Driving:

How-to-Geek
"A new feature in iOS 11, “Do Not Disturb While Driving” figures out if you’re driving or not and toggles Do Not Disturb accordingly. Here’s how to enable the feature."
Continue reading...

How to Stop iPhone and iPad Apps From Asking for Ratings:

How-to-Geek
"Lots of iPhone and iPad apps ask for ratings, and they often don’t stop. Even if you do leave a review just to stop seeing the review requests, new apps you install will pester you for reviews, too. iOS 11 fixes this problem, limiting how often apps can ask for ratings and allowing you to stop these requests entirely."
Continue reading...

Education:

The Biggest Genealogy Research Mistakes You Don't Want to Make:

Ancestral Findings
"Don't let your genealogy research be incorrect. Make sure your genealogy is as true as it can be. Join me on and I’ll talk about the three biggest genealogy mistakes and how to avoid them."
Continue reading... 5.31 minutes

Upcoming Webinars:

Databases, Search Engines, and the Genealogical Proof Standard:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"With billions of indexed records available online, what methodologies should the researcher employ to best leverage these resources in keeping with genealogical standards?"
Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
Presenter: David Ouimette, CG
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"The Works Progress Administration left behind a legacy that is used by family historians today. In this presentation we will discuss The WPA, projects under the WPA relevant to genealogy, and how you can research some of those records today."
Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Gena Philibert-Ortega
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

City and Rural Directories: More than Just Names:

American Ancestors
"City and rural directories can be incredibly useful resources for genealogists. They can help you pinpoint a time and place for ancestors on the move, offer occupational information, and even help give clues to death and marriage dates. Join Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure to learn how these resources were created, what information is generally provided, where to locate these sources online or in print, and how to use these records effectively in your family history research."
Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 3:00p.m.
Presenter: Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

VGS News & Events: 27 August 2017 - 2 September 2017

Members awaiting our first live webinar: August 23, 2017

About Our First Live Webinar:

First, let me say thank you to all those who attended the live webinar at the Savannah Center and to those who attended remotely and others who have seen the presentation from the "Cloud."
The cloud version will be available until a little after Thanksgiving Day. All members should have received an email with that link and a copy of the 12-page handout.

Second, in the 12 years that I have been the webmaster, this event generated more non-solicited comments from members than any other previous event including seminars.

Thank you for your comments.

Third, many of your comments were thanking me for the success of this event. I had very little to do with that. Your thanks should be directed to The Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS) and to our VP Annette Burke Lyttle. The FSGS provided the "Go to Meeting" platform to make this type of meeting possible. It is provided free to affiliate member societies of which The VGS is one. Annette is often the moderator of the monthly FSGS webinar's and our program chair. It was her idea to try this type of event and the expertise to make all this technologically possible. Thank you FSGS and Annette. The success of this type of presentation has given us several ideas. Stay tuned for future events.
Lastly: Thank you to our guest speaker Mary Kurcher Roddy for a terrific presentation. She lives in Washington State. We connected with her for a test at 9:30 a.m. but it was 6:30 a.m. at her location.

There are No VGS meetings scheduled for this coming week.

Gen News & Announcements:

3 New SIG's May Be Forming:

The VGS

At our August monthly VGS meeting, Dale Heins circulated Special Interest Group (SIG) Interest Sheets for three (3) new SIGs.  We understand that many of you are either Seasonal Residents or just away on vacation.  The new SIGs which we are looking to form are:

ADOPTION SIG: The intent of the ADOPTION SIG will be to educate and guide members in their search for unknown family members, both recent and in the more distant past, using both DNA and traditional genealogical research, utilizing: Instruction and advice for making contact with DNA matches, Techniques and third-party tools for use with DNA, Social media and online directories for finding living people, Newspaper databases and other tools for traditional genealogy and Mutual support network for those seeking birth families.

MID-WEST SIG: The intent of the Mid-West SIG will be to assist VGS Members in researching their genealogy in the Mid-Western area of the United States.   This SIG will cover the following states: Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa & Missouri

ROOTS MAGIC SIG: The intent of the RootsMagic SIG will be to assist VGS Members in using the RootsMagic genealogy software including the following areas: Inputting ancestors information and building your databases, Adding media to your entries, Creating sources and documenting your entries, and Syncing your database and cloud storage.

If you have an interest in any of these SIG's, please contact The VGS SIG Coordinator, Dale Heins, of your interest. He can be reached HERE.

US Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards:

Fold 3
"Do you have an ancestor who received a U.S. Army or Navy pension between 1907 and 1933? Check out Fold3's collection of US Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards!"
Continue reading...

Were Your Ancestors Affected by Disaster? This Site Will Help You Uncover Their Stories:

Family History Daily
"Family History is about more than just finding the names and important dates of those that came before us, it is a quest to discover the narratives of our ancestors lives. But finding that information can be difficult and sometimes requires creative solutions, such as reviewing old newspapers or examining historical events that affected large populations."
Continue reading...

4 Events That Changed Our Ancestors’ Lives Forever, and the Records They Left Behind:

Family History Daily
"When it comes to history and genealogy, the two topics can never be separate. Our ancestors’ daily lives, family connections, and records were influenced by events in history that they could not control – and the aftermath of these historic events often brought about quite a change for those affected.
Let’s take a look at some of the events that may have influenced your American family members over the years as well as some related free resources for researching them."
Continue reading...

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Digital Library of Georgia
"The Georgia Historic Newspapers database is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of Georgia HomePlace. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia."
Search newspaper contents now...

The Best Genealogy Software:

Top Ten Reviews
"Genealogy software's job is to store, organize and chart the family history you have. We ranked software based on features that make the job easier. Before you purchase any genealogy software, it's best to consider what you already know about your family. If you're just beginning to research your family, look for software that connects to online databases. On the other hand, if you already know a significant amount about your family or just want to digitize your records, look for strong reporting and citation options. Below are other aspects to consider as you choose with genealogy software to buy."
Continue reading...

Changing Place Names in Genealogy Research:

LDS Genealogy

"It doesn't take long for a genealogical researcher to find that place names can get rather slippery. Not only are we faced with boundary changes in cities, counties, states and countries, even very local areas can change their names from time to time."
Continue reading...

RootsMagic Updated to Version 7.5.3.0: 

RootsMagic
"We have released an update for RootsMagic 7 users, version 7.5.3.0.  This update adds a few requested features to our Ancestry TreeShare feature, as well as fixing a few bugs."
See what's new...

Computer Club Event:

VGS webmaster, John DeAngelo, will be the guest speaker at The Villages Computer Club meetings on September 1 and repeated on September 8th. I will speak about things you should be aware of before starting your genealogy research. Meetings are at 1:00 p.m. at the La Hacienda Center and Lake Minona respectively.

Tech:

5 Ways to Run Windows Software on a Mac:

How to Geek
"Macs have a thriving ecosystem of software, but some programs still only support Windows. Whether you want to use business software or play Windows PC games, there are many ways to run Windows programs on your Mac."
Continue reading...

Education:

The Missouri Compromise: What Was it and How Did it Contribute to the Civil War?

Ancestral Findings
"The Missouri Compromise was an important factor in the events that led up to the American Civil War. On today’s episode, I’ll talk about how it contributed to the war that was to come."
Listen now... 4.44 minutes

Upcoming Webinars:

Getting Started with Evidentia:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"A quick overview of using Evidentia software to organize and share your research with Legacy Family Tree software. We will cover entering and cataloging your first source, analyzing your evidence, and exporting that evidence for use in Legacy Family Tree."
Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Edward A. Thompson
Learn more or Register for this webinar...