VGS Latest News & Tips: 24 February 2017

Seminar 2017 L-R VP Annette Lyttle, Guest Speaker Cyndi Ingle, President Pat Adams

Gen News:

Savor Your Family's History: Share Your Treasured Recipes:

FamilySearch
"You might have a family heirloom hidden in your kitchen—and it isn’t the china."
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Investigation Puts Ancestry DNA Kits To The Test Among Sets Of Triplets:

Inside Edition
"Millions of people are purchasing and using home DNA kits to determine their ancestry. Inside Edition enlisted the help of two sets triplets and a set of quadruplets to investigate the accuracy of the at-home tests."
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An Attempt To Save South Carolina's Historical Documents Is Destroying Them:

NPR
"When you think of an old map or manuscript, you might picture something yellowed, tattered or even torn because of how long it has been around. But millions of historic documents, from presidential papers to personal slave journals, are facing an issue apart from age: a preservation method that has backfired."
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Tech:

How to Stop Legitimate Emails From Getting Marked as Spam:

How-to-Geek
"Email services automatically classify messages as “spam” if they look spammy. And in general, they do a pretty good job. But those filters aren’t perfect, and occasionally you may see messages you want getting sent to the spam folder."
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What Do the Emoji Next to My Snapchat Friends Mean?

How-to-Geek
"Next to some of your Snapchat friends, you’ll see little emoji."
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Education:

Confessions From a Family Historian (What I Should Have Done Right From the Beginning):

Ancestral Findings
"Are you a beginning genealogist? Don't make the same mistakes at the start that I did. In today’s episode, I’ll give you advice to help you make your research solid from the start"
Listen now... 7.57 minutes

VGS Latest News & Tips: 29 April 2016

Free DNA Discoveries from GEDmatch.com:
Young Savvy Genealogists
"GEDmatch.com is a website which allows users from each of these testing companies to upload their DNA test results. No matter where you live or which of the testing companies has performed your test, GEDmatch.com is free for you to use. You are then placed into a database, which includes users from each of the major testing companies."
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Never Satisfied... The Lure of DNA
Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist
"So The Legal Genealogist picked up some new cousins this week. Well, not exactly new, of course, but newly discovered, thanks to DNA."
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Remembrance: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive:
Ancestry
"Bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer convinced me a while ago that our relationship with food is important to understand because it represents so much more than sustenance. His grandmother’s chicken with carrots wasn’t delicious simply because she prepared it a certain way."
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Windows Defender and a Malware-Free System:
How-to-Geek
"In this lesson we are going to talk about one of the most confusing security products that are bundled with Windows: Windows Defender."
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This Day In History: 29 April
1852: The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published.
1861: The Maryland House of Delegates votes against seceding from Union.
1918: America’s WWI Ace of Aces, Eddie Rickenbacker, scores his first victory with the help of Captain James Norman Hall.
1863 Birthday: William Randolph Hearst, American newspaper publisher.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 21 December 2015

Family Holiday Traditions:
GenealogyBank
"Dr. Charles Crouch and his family of Petersburg, Virginia, had a long-running family tradition: they sent the Abner T. Holt family of Macon, Georgia, a fruit cake every Christmas – for 57 years!"
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Genealogy Clutter Buster Mini Boot Camp:
Geneabloggers
Date: January 16, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. EST
Cost: $5.95 provided you register by January 11
Presenter: Lisa Alzo
"Are you drowning in a sea of papers, documents, old photographs and other research materials? Feeling like a family history hoarder? If you want to start the New Year off right as a more efficient and organized genealogist, then you won’t want to miss this genealogy mini boot camp. Author, lecturer, and instructor, Lisa A. Alzo will show you how to purge your inner packrat and bust through the clutter. In this 90-minute workshop you will learn... "
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Holiday Recipe Ideas for Good Old-Fashioned Home Cooking:
GenealogyBank
"What are you cooking up for your family and friends this holiday season? A big traditional family dinner? A casual get-together with friends featuring lots of appetizers? Maybe you love to bake and the holiday season gives you an excuse to make all kinds of festive tasty treats."
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War of 1812:
Library and Archives Canada
"The War of 1812 took place from June 18, 1812 to February 16, 1815. During this conflict between the United States and Great Britain, many military events occurred on Canadian soil. To learn more about the War of 1812, we invite you to read the historical overview."
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Nonprofit Pushes Open Records Bill Through State Government:
Lyndsay Jones: Indiana Daily Student
"Like many other adopted children born between 1941 and 1993, Pam Kroskie wondered about her birth mother and wanted to contact her. And like other children adopted during these years, Kroskie couldn’t do it — state law prevented her from looking at her birth certificate."
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Oak Ancestry - Irish Genealogy:
Oak Ancestry Ad
"We offer a friendly, professional and confidential Irish genealogy research service for those who wish to explore the story of their Irish ancestors. Whether it is a gift for a loved one or your own personal journey, Oak Ancestry will endeavor to provide our clients with a clear and detailed family history report at a reasonable price."
Watch video... (1:52 minutes)

This Day In History: December 21
1620: The Pilgrims land at or near Plymouth Rock.
1790: Samuel Slater opens the first cotton mill in the United States (in Rhode Island).
1862: The U.S. Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor to be awarded to Navy personnel who have distinguished themselves by their gallantry in action.
1911 Birthday: Josh Gibson, baseball player for the Negro Leagues, Home-Run King.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 30 November 2015

Ancestry.com is quietly transforming itself into a medical research juggernaut:
Fusion
"Ancestry.com is poised to become one of the most unlikely, yet powerful, scientific tools in the world."
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New Ancestry.com Features:
Ancestry
"As of December 15th, 2015, the old website will be retired and the new Ancestry will be the only Ancestry website available. Here are some features we will introduce."
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Working with the LifeStory Feature on Ancestry:
Ancestry
"Every life is a series of moments stitched together over time. Your ancestor's life is much more than just dates and places. With LifeStory you can follow their journey through maps, family photos, historical events, and more. You'll also see a timeline of major events in your ancestor's life and a rich biography that Ancestry creates for you."
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“Grandbaby Cakes” Author Shares Her AncestryDNA Experience Plus, A Very Unexpected Surprise:
AncestryBlog
"For me, the journey of finding out who I am and where I came from has always been rooted in the family tales passed down through oral history. I shared many of them in my brand new cookbook, Grandbaby Cakes, but little did I know, I was just scratching the surface."
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Genealogist Uncovers Ancestors and a Lifetime of Joy:
Community Advocate
"Hudson, MA – Is it possible to move forward into the future while looking at the past? Doris (Parker) Blais Bonnell, a genealogist and genealogy instructor, thinks so. That’s what she’s been doing for nearly her whole life."
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This Day In History: November 30
1782: The British sign a preliminary agreement in Paris, recognizing American independence.
1861: The British Parliament sends to Queen Victoria an ultimatum for the United States, demanding the release of two Confederate diplomats who were seized on the British ship Trent.
1900: Oscar Wilde dies in a Paris hotel room after saying of the room’s wallpaper: "One of us had to go."
1835 Birthday: Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), American writer best remembered for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 23 October 2015

A New, Easier Way to Start a Skype Conversation and Invite Anyone to Join:
Skype
"Today, we’re excited to announce something new – a small change that will make a big difference to how people use Skype every day. We’ve started to roll-out the ability for users to invite anyone to join a Skype chat by sharing a unique link – send it however you want, in an email, on Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger or Twitter."
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Send Us Your Stories for a Chance to Win a Kindle!
MyHeritage
"Do you have a family history discovery story that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it! Share your story for a chance to win one of three Kindles, and to have your story featured on our blog! To enter, send us an email with your story, to stories@myheritage.com by October  31."
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Census Search Secrets:
Ancestry.com
"In the case of censuses, census enumerators would have had to pass rigorous exams, be multi-lingual, and have perfect penmanship. Alas, this was not the case. Enumerators were often political appointees who just happened to have the right connections, and anyone who has worked with census records can attest that nice handwriting was definitely not a requirement!"
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12 Months of Fascinating Family Finds: September 2015 Recap:
Crestleaf
"The Most Fascinating Family Finds for September 2015. We’re happy to see so many of you stepping up to the plate by researching your family history and documenting your findings along the way."
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71 Forgotten Recipes for Pancakes and Cereal:

Barry Elwell

"Recipes in this sampling represent over 50 cookbooks from 1832 to 1928 and are represented exactly as they were presented in in the original cookbook.  No correction has been made for grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The recipes are provided for your enjoyment. If you choose to try any recipes, you do so at your own risk without guarantee of satisfaction."

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This Day In History: October 23:
1641: Rebellion in Ireland. Catholics, under Phelim O’Neil, rise against the Protestants and massacred men, women and children to the number of 40,000 (some say 100,000).
1918: President Wilson feels satisfied that the Germans are accepting his armistice terms and agrees to transmit their request for an armistice to the Allies. The Germans have agreed to suspend submarine warfare, cease inhumane practices such as the use of poison gas, and withdraw troops back into Germany.
1929: The first transcontinental air service begins from New York to Los Angeles.
1869 Birthday: John Heisman, American college football coach for whom the Heisman Trophy is named.