Showing posts with label Library of Congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Library of Congress. Show all posts

Saturday, October 24, 2020

VGS News & Events: October 25 through October 31, 2020

Learn more about the seminar here...

For the foreseeable future, The Villages Genealogical Society will continue to conduct virtual monthly general meetings using our GoToWebinar facilities and they will be recorded. Many SIG's have access to Zoom Video Communications for their meetings.  The most accurate list of up coming meetings can be found on our website under "Coming Events."

Zoom access information will not be posted on our website for security reasons. Contact the SIG coordinator directly for Zoom meeting access information.

Coming Events:

Tuesday, October 27
Midwest SIG Meeting
2:00 pm
Online Zoom Meeting
Dona Black & Laurie Sarauer, coordinators
Topic:  "Waterways to the Midwest” with Annette Burke Lyttle

Wednesday, October 28
VGS General Monthly Meeting
10:00 am to 11:15 am
Live Virtual Meeting
Guest Speaker: Luana Darby, AG
Topic: “The Librarian Knows Where It’s At—Using State Archives and Local Libraries Resources Online” 

Wednesday, October 28
VGS General Monthly Meeting
11:30 am to 12:45 pm
Bonus Live Virtual Meeting
Guest Speaker: Luana Darby, AG
Topic: “Finding Hidden Gems: Strategic Searches on the Internet”

Gen News and Announcements:

Library of Congress Acquires Archives of the National Woman’s Party:

New York Times
"The donation, timed to the centennial of the 19th Amendment, doubles the library’s holdings relating to the party, which fought for women’s suffrage and the Equal Rights Amendment. ”

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 12 October 2020

FamilySearch
"Explore 1.5M new historical Ohio Voter Records (1893–1960), and over 600K New York, Index to Passenger Lists (1897–1902) and New York, Southern District Naturalization Records (1824–1946), at  FamilySearch this week. Additional records were added to the United States collections (CA, DC, HI, IA, KS, MS, MI, NJ, NY, OK, SC, TX, VA, and WA), Mexico, Aguascalientes Catholic Church Records (1601-1962), Bolivia Catholic Church Records (1566–1996), Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Norway, Nova Scotia, Peru, Puerto Rico, and South Africa. ”

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 19 October 2020

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch adds 100K Costa Rica Civil Registrations (1823–1975), a new collection of German Catholic and Lutheran Church Records (1537–1981), and expands available records for Argentina, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, Finland, France, Guatemala, Norway, Peru, Spain, S. Africa and the United States  (See Indiana Marriages, 1811–2007, Wisconsin Naturalization Records, 1807-1992, US City and Business Directories, ca.1749-1990, Washington Voting Records, 1876–1940,  Kansas Birth, Baptism and Death Records, 1811–1940, plus more for CA, HI, IA, MS, OK, SC, TX, and VA). ”

Reclaim The Records takes on the US National Archives for Billions of Records

Genealogy's Star
"It is about time that this happened. The National Archives and Records Administration is supposed to be the nation's record keeper but only %-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept and of those only a vanishingly small number of records are digitized and available to the public other than by actually visiting the locations of the main archives or one of the branch archives. ”

1926 Census of the Irish Free State is Back in the News:

IGN
"The 1926 Census of the Irish Free State is once again making headlines. Today, it's the subject of a piece on RTÉ, Ireland's national news service, which carries a statement from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) referring to the publication on social media of data and images purporting to be from the census taken in 1926. Such publication, as the CSO makes clear in its statement, is strictly prohibited. It has also posted a tweet to this effect, see below. ”

Technology:

How to Scan with Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 10:

How-to Geek
"Windows malware is still a big problem. That’s why Microsoft ships an antivirus named Microsoft Defender with Windows 10. It scans for malware in the background, but you can also perform a full-system scan with Defender.
First, open the Start menu and type “Windows Security.” Click on the “Windows Security” app icon that pops up."

Education:

A Quick Guide to Using the US Census for Genealogy:

Ancestral Findings
"Are you a genealogy beginner? If so, have you used the US census yet? Have you ever heard of the US census? This is a brief outline of what the census is and what it can do for you in your genealogical research, as well as where to find it."
Listen now...  4.21 minutes

Webinars:

Jumpstart Your MyHeritage Family Tree with Instant Discoveries:

Legacy Family Tree
"Jump start your family tree by learning how to add and evaluate instant discoveries to your MyHeritage family tree. Each Instant Discovery™ is based on MyHeritage’s superior Smart Matching™ technology from other MyHeritage family trees and Record Matching technologies from other family tree collections with automatic elimination of incorrect matches."
Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 2:00pm Eastern
Presenter: James Tanner

The New Ethnicity Estimates:

Legacy Family Tree
"The new Ethnicity Estimate introduce a whole new level of detail to MyHeritage's DNA tests. Learn more about this new presentation and what they can teach you about where you come from."
Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 2:00pm Eastern
Presenter: MyHeritage Webinars

In Black and White: Finding Historical Newspapers From Around the World

Legacy Family Tree
"Family historians know that newspapers are vital to research but it’s not always easy to find them. We’ll explore finding aids for historical newspapers around the globe to help you find what you need."
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 2:00pm Eastern
Presenter: Gena Philibert-Ortega

Friday, May 22, 2020

VGS News & Events: May 23 through May 30, 2020

Never Forget!

Practice Social-Distancing
Coming Events:  Due to Covid-19, no Rec Center meetings this coming week. Some SIG's are having virtual meetings. Be on the lookout for emails announcing the meetings and how to connect to them.

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 British Institute, Is Going Virtual.

ISBGFH
The British Institute, usually held in October in Salt Lake City, is going virtual this year. It will be October 12–14, and students can choose among three courses:
• Tracing Your Irish Family History with Chris Paton
• Hidden Treasures in Welsh Family History with Darris Williams
• English Research: Fundamentals and Beyond with Paul Milner (who was our speaker last month)
More details here:

Search All Military Records On MyHeritage FREE:

MyHeritage
In honor of Memorial Day, we’re offering free access to all military records on MyHeritage from May 20–26, 2020.
Continue reading...

Fold3: Access All Records Free

Fold3
"To honor Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, we're proud to offer free access* to everything on Fold3® — now through Monday."
Search Free...

New Free Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of 18 May 2020

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch added 7 million new land, obituary, death, and divorce records this week to United States collections. Additional indexed records and images were added for American Samoa, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Niue, Peru,Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sweden, and Venezuela. Other United States records were added for AZ, CA, GA, IA, ID, LA, ME, MI, MO, MT, NC, NE, NM, NY, OK, OH, OR, PA, UT, VA, and WI."
Continue reading...

Newspaper Navigator Surfaces Treasure Trove of Historic Images – Get a Sneak Peek at Upcoming Data Jam!

LofC
"Although Library of Congress buildings are closed to the public, projects like Newspaper Navigator are busy unlocking even more digital content for members of the public to access from home!"
Continue reading...

How to Print Your Family Tree, and Why You Shouldn’t:

Family History Daily
"When someone asks to see your family tree, what do you do? Your first instinct might be to go to your online tree and hit “Print.” After all, just a few decades ago, printing a paper copy was the only option available to genealogists who wanted to share their research with others."
Continue reading...

10 Ways I Wish I Had Organized My Research Library:

DNAeXplained
"My organizational lament isn’t so much about the physical locations of my books, but about the organizational tools and methods of finding the correct book when I need it. I know I’m missing things in my research as a result."
Continue reading...

Technology:

How to Master Notifications on Your iPhone:

How-to Geek

"The iPhone is a notification machine. Left unchecked, it will ping you about every little thing from every single app, all day long. It’s time to take control and master iPhone notifications once and for all."
Continue reading... 

Education:
How to Trace Your Ancestor's World War I History:
Ancestral Findings

"World War I was a century ago. Now, more people are starting to become interested in tracing the military histories of their WWI ancestors. Records are located in a variety of places. On today’s episode of the Ancestral Findings Podcast, I’ll show you how to find them and piece them together."
Listen now...   8.48 minutes

Webinars:

Enlightened Design with the MyHeritage Chart Creation Tool:

Legacy Family Tree
"Show off your MyHeritage tree to your family and friends with a beautiful chart. Learn all the hidden tips and tricks to create a customized masterpiece a perfect representation of your family history. Just a few easy steps and your beautiful chart arrives in a tube on your doorstep."
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Janet Hovorka
Learn more or Register for this event...

Mistrust Transcriptions: And Here's Why:

Legacy Family Tree
"I think we’ve all been there...we find a transcribed Birth/Baptism, Marriage, Death/Burial or Census entry, and it either 1) looks completely wrong, 2) looks too good to be true, 3) has no supporting citation or source information. So, how do we know 1) where it came from? 2) whether it’s actually correct, or even complete?"
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Dr. Bruce Durie
Learn more or Register for this event...


Saturday, December 22, 2018

VGS News & Events: 23 December 2018 through 29 December 2018

Season's Greetings!

Coming Events:
No Meetings This Coming Week...
Enjoy the holidays!

Gen News and Announcements:

New Historical Records on FamilySearch: Week of December 10, 2018:

FamilySearch
"FamilySearch added over 8 million indexed records from Ireland, England, Peru, the United States, and Ukraine. Of the records, 4.4 million originate from the 1911 Ireland Census. In the United States, records come from Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Washington, West Virginia, and The Veteran's Administration."
Search now...

How to Collect Family Stories at Christmas:

FindMyPast
"Even if you've conducted extensive family research and exhausted online databases, chances are you can still find out something new by speaking to your family members. Christmas is the ideal opportunity."
Continue reading...

Doing the DNA Happy Dance:

George Morgan
 "The time has come to get off the bench and get into the game. You can’t procrastinate about learning about DNA and what it can do for your genealogical research any longer. DNA is the most recent addition to our genealogical research toolkit and I can personally attest to its power."
Continue reading...

World War I: A Wartime Clipping Service Update: All 400 Volumes Now Online:

Library of Congress
"The massive collection, World War History: Newspaper Clippings, 1914 to 1926, is now fully digitized and freely available on the Library of Congress website. The 79,621 pages are packed with war-related front pages, illustrated feature articles, editorial cartoons, and more. You can search by keywords, browse the content chronologically, and download pages."
Continue reading...

The 10 Collections You Need to Know for Irish Genealogy Research:

Family History Daily
"When you are ready to cross the pond and research your Irish ancestors, don’t forget to take this list of important online family history collections with you. Irish genealogy records are more abundant than you can imagine and many repositories offer free access."
Continue reading...

Technology:

Make Your iPhone Easier to Use With These Hidden Accessibility Features:

How-to-Geek
"Your iPhone or iPad is packed with features that can make it easier to use, whether you want larger text or help swiping. You can also use your AirPods as hearing aids or turn your iPhone into a magnifying glass."
Continue reading...

Education:

The History of the Christmas Tree:

Ancestral Findings
"Christmas trees are an expected part of Christmas now, but how did they come to occupy such a special place in the Christmas celebrations of the western world? Believe it or not, the answer can be found all the way back in ancient Egypt. Today, I’ll share with you the story of the modern Christmas tree."
Listen now... 8.04 minutes

Webinars:

Proving Identity and Kinship Using the GPS: Finding a Freedman's Family

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Facing identity and kinship problems? Confused by multiple, same-named men? Learn how applying the Genealogical Proof Standard resolved similar challenges in the search for a freedman's family. A case example traces a South Carolina family of color, differentiates multiple men of similar profiles who lived in the same time and place, resolves conflicting evidence, identifies a freedman's last slave owner, and ultimately finds his enslaved birth family. The methodology and record types apply to reconstructing all families."
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Presenter: Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGL
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

That Splendid Little War: Researching Your Spanish American War Ancestors

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Discover your ancestors that served in the war with Spain along with records of the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) in which United States troops participation on land and sea. This lecture focuses on the many records at the National Archives and other research facilities covering all three military conflicts."
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Michael L. Strauss, AG
Learn more or Register for this webinar...


Saturday, November 25, 2017

VGS News & Events: 26 November 2017 through 2 December 2017

Coming Events:
Monday: November 27, 2017
Technology SIG Meeting:
10:00 AM in the Destin Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: Google Pictures, How to create a Christmas genealogy gift for the grandchildren. A review of features that may reside in your genealogy software and some photoshop tips.
Tuesday: November 28, 2017
Midwest SIG Meeting:
2:00 PM in the Clearwater Room at the Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: Presentation on the history of Midwestern settlement and a discussion of the group's goals, expectations, and suggestions for future programs.
Friday: December 1, 2017
British Genealogy SIG Meeting
9:30 AM in the Courageous Room at the Lake Miona Recreation Center
Topic: "Transferring your FamilySearch Results to a Spreadsheet" Pat Rand

Register For Our Next VGS Live Webinar:

VGS
On December 4th at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, 5 p.m. Pacific) we'll have Blaine Bettinger, the Genetic Genealogist, presenting "Introduction to DNA." Blaine is also going to be one of our speakers on the 2019 VGS genealogy cruise, so if you’re not familiar with him, this is a great way to become so. The webinar will be open to everyone who is a member of VGS, but you do have to register using this link:

"In addition to learning about Y-DNA and mtDNA, we’ll learn about the newest tool available to genealogists, autosomal DNA.  Genealogists can use these tools together with traditional research to explore their ancient ancestry, find genetic relatives, and break through brick walls."

FREE! DNA Buying Guide:

Genealogy Bargains
"My brand new book, DNA Buying Guide - Holiday 2017 Edition, is a MUST READ before you make any upcoming DNA test kit purchase. I've researched all the available DNA tests from the major DNA testing companies and this new guide answers almost every question you may have."
Offer good through Monday, November 27, 2017
Continue reading...

Black Friday: 50% Off Ancestry Gift Subscriptions, DNA Kits as Low as $49 and More!

FamilyHistoryDaily
"If you’ve been waiting for some amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday genealogy deals to come along, the time has  come. Top companies are offering big savings this weekend so grab them while you can. Most of these deals end on Cyber Monday or shortly after."
Continue reading...

Gen News & Announcements:

Ancestry Product Update: Person Page Changes:

Ancestry
"We recently released a couple changes to the Fact and Lifestory pages and wanted to share how you can benefit from this update:"
Continue reading...

Don't Get Caught In The Trap Of Believing All The Records You Need Are Online:

Legacy News
"Do you have a brick wall that you can’t break through? Maybe this is the reason. Online records are great and I love being able to sit back in my office and go click click click with my mouse but I also do old fashioned research at courthouses, archives, and libraries."
Continue reading...

Free genealogy is alive and well:

AncestorNews Genealogy
"When I first launched my book 52 Weeks of Genealogy, I saw several comments from people who felt that the era of free genealogy was over.  I think many people have the notion that Ancestry.com is the only game in town and without a subscription you can’t really climb the family tree. For me, it’s quite the contrary. Here’s my thinking:"
Continue reading...

4 Fabulous Ways to Use the Library of Congress for Genealogy:

Lisa Louise Cook
"The Library of Congress (LOC) is a dream destination for many U.S. genealogy researchers, but most of us can’t get there in person. Here are 4 ways–all online–to access the mega-resources of the Library of Congress for genealogy.
Continue reading...

Spreadsheet Magic - Importing Data From Ancestry.com

Mary Kircher Roddy
"Did you know you can import results from an Ancestry.com search directly into an Excel spreadsheet?  Think of the many ways you could use this technique to create a data set and then manipulate it to see patterns in the data.  A spreadsheet could be a great tool to study and correlate you ancestor's FAN club - their Friends, Associates and Neighbors."
Continue reading...

10 Disturbing Things In Your Family’s Genealogy, Part 1

Living with Beth
"I’ve been tracing my family’s history for decades. It’s an enthralling, fascinating hobby, but genealogy isn’t all moonlight and roses. As mentioned in my post about genealogy myths, our ancestors probably didn’t lead simple, idyllic lives. There were no “good old days.”
Continue reading...

10 Disturbing Things In Your Family’s Genealogy, Part 2

Living with Beth
"This is part two of a two-part post regarding things you might find disturbing about researching your family’s genealogy."
Continue reading...

New Historic Records on FamilySearch: Week of November 20, 2017

FamilySearch
"Five historic Denmark Censuses, 1835 to 1855, were added on FamilySearch and millions of civil registration records  from Uruguay. Many more records from Brazil, Great Britain, Peru, and Portugal were also published."
Search these new free records...

Technology:

Things To Do on Your iPhone to Stop Government Spying:

Lifewire
"In an increasingly chaotic and frightening world, more people than ever are concerned about the government surveillance. Surveillance is probably easier than ever before thanks to the wealth of data captured and stored on devices like the iPhone.
Luckily, they also contain features that help us protect our digital privacy and prevent government spying."
Continue reading...

What The “KRACK Attacks” Mean To You:

Ask Leo
"Earlier this week, a vulnerability was disclosed in the WPA2 security protocol that, in the worst case, could allow an attacker to potentially gain access to some or all of the encrypted information transmitted over a Wi-Fi connection.
This isn’t a bug, and it’s not a failure of one manufacturer or another. This is a weakness in the protocol itself.
If you use Wi-Fi on any device, it’s worth understanding how big of a risk this might be, and what steps, if any, you might want to take."
Continue reading...

Education:

Was the First Thanksgiving Actually Held in Florida? An Interesting Historical Analysis:

Ancestral Findings
"Did the Pilgrims really have the first American Thanksgiving, or does the honor belong to someone else? It all depends on how you look at it.  Join me today on the Ancestral Findings Podcast to learn more."
Listen now... 8.52 minutes

Webinars:

Understanding Alabama:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Alabama presents the budding genealogist with both unique challenges and unique opportunities. Explore the records and repositories you'll need to consider. Learn Alabama's place in classic southern migratory patterns, and the reasons for it. Discover opportunities for African American research not found in other southern states."
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Rorey Cathcart
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Find Your Immigrant Ancestors AND their Relatives in the New York Passenger Arrival Records:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"Until now, no organization has indexed the millions of additional names and relationships listed in the New York passenger arrival records which provide information about the arriving immigrant’s nearest friend or relative in his home country as well as information about a friend or relative in the USA. These additional names and relationships are now available in a searchable index for the first  time and can help genealogists find elusive passenger arrival records and solve difficult genealogical problems. This webinar will provide a brief history of passenger arrival records collected at the Port of New York and focus on using the newly updated and expanded index on MyHeritage to improve find ability in these important immigration records."
Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Mike Mansfield
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

Saturday, March 4, 2017

VGS Reminders: 6 - 10 March 2017

Reminders:
Monday: March 6, 2017
Jewish Genealogy SIG Meeting:
10:00 AM in the MacArthur Room at the Eisenhower Recreation Center
Topic: "Finding the Immigrants - Using the Ellis Island Website and the Steve Morse One-Step site"
Wednesday: March 8, 2017
Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting
10:00 AM in the Osceola Room at the Chula Vista Recreation Center
Thursday: March 9, 2017
German Genealogy SIG Meeting
9:30 AM in the Reliance Room at the Late Miona Recreation Center
Topic: Margaret Sgritta will present: "Calvinists"
Thursday: March 9, 2017
Crista Cowan & Ancestry.com Return to The Villages
3 Sessions during the Day: Did you register to attend?
Friday: March 10, 2017
Genetic Genealogy SIG Meeting
10:00 AM in the Ricardo Montalban Room at La Hacienda Regional Recreation Center
Topic: "Maximize the Power of Your DNA Test Results"

Gen News:

Library of Congress and Digital Public Library of America Launch Partnership with Maps:

Hyperallergic
"The Library of Congress has joined the Digital Public Library of America as a content hub and is sharing around 5,000 objects from its map collections."
Continue reading...

BYUtv’s Relative Race Returns March 5:

FamilySearch
"Contestants racing up their family trees is the premise of BYUtv’s award-winning reality series, “Relative Race,” which premieres its second season Sunday, March 5, at 7 p.m. (MST)."
Continue reading...

Uncommon Places To Find Family History Details:

Deseret News
"D. Joshua Taylor, host of “Genealogy Roadshow” on PBS, has found some interesting ways to track his ancestors through history. One ancestor of his was in the circus, and the constant traveling made the man difficult to track, Taylor said during a panel at the RootsTech family history and technology conference on Feb. 10."
Continue reading...

Tech:

How to Remove Hyperlinks from Microsoft Word Documents:

How-to-Geek
"If you copy text from the web and paste it into Word, it can be annoying when the hyperlinks transfer with it. Here’s how to easily paste text without the hyperlinks, or remove hyperlinks from text that’s already in Word."
Continue reading...

How to Set Up Your New Chromecast:

How-to-Geek
"Google’s Chromecast is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to stream just about anything on your TV. Here’s how to set it up."
Continue reading...

Education:

Techniques for Finding Your Ancestor’s Home or Land:

Ancestral Findings
"Why should you look for your ancestor's home or land in your genealogy research? There are many good reasons. In this episode, I’ll give you the Why and How so you can locate their residence."
Listen now... 6.21 minutes