VGS Latest News & Tips: 11 November 2016

Tomorrow: November 12, 2016

20th Annual Central Florida Family History Conference.

You must be pre-registered to attend this event.

The bus leaves Walmart on Route 441 at 7:20 a.m. sharp!

Preserving a Veteran’s Military History:

Ancestry
"This week there is a lot going on in our country as we elected a new President on Tuesday, November 8th. Did you also know that Friday, November 11th, is Veterans Day? I wonder if people will be so wrapped up in the election that they forget to honor those who helped give us the freedoms we enjoy today.
Using Ancestry Member Trees, families can create histories of their veteran’s service history. How can you do this?
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ISFHWE Excellence-in-Writing Competition:

ISFHWE
"ISFHWE's primary goal is to encourage excellence in writing and editorial standards in genealogical publishing. This embraces all media, including newspapers, magazines, newsletters, professional journals, books (including compiled family histories), online columns, society and personal Web sites, Web logs (blogs), and broadcast journalism of all sorts."
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4 Steps to Starting a Health History:

FamilySearch
"Learning about your family can help you understand your past and form more meaningful connections with family members now. But did you know that gathering information about your family can also provide important medical information? Unlike conversations about birth dates and family memories, this type of research requires conversations about health issues and medical conditions. With this type of information, the finished product is a family health history instead of a family group sheet or written family history. "
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Finding US Military Ancestors in Online Records:

FamilySearch
"If your family tree extends back for several generations in the US, chances are good that you have at least one ancestor who fought in the military. With the growing collection of online databases, learning about your military ancestors has never been easier. Military records can do much more than shed light on the details of your ancestor’s military service. They might provide insights into their lives or help you fill in family relationships."
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New Historic Records On FamilySearch: Week of October 31, 2016:

FamilySearch
"You can now access newly published indexed death records in Oregon, Kentucky, and Tennesse. Also, check out the indexed German civil registrations as well as the millions of new digital images available for GenealogyBank obituaries, North Carolina estate files, and Revolutionary War rosters."
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How to Encrypt Your Facebook Messages with “Secret Conversation” Mode:

How-to-Geek
"Facebook has finally gotten with the times and rolled out device-to-device encrypted communication to all of the billion Facebook Messenger users. Here’s how to turn it on, which shortcomings to be aware of, and why you should start using it now."
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This Day In History: 11 November

1889: Washington becomes the 42nd state of the Union.
1909: Construction begins on the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
1921: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery is dedicated.
1885 Birthday: George S. Patton, U.S. Army commander in World War II.

State Timelines:

Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Iowa:
1867: First railroad in region completed and grasshopper invasion severely damaged crops
1880: Census indicated that 262 thousand foreign born residing in the state
1907: Last lynching in the state

VGS Latest News & Tips: 11 November 2015

Today: Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Tomorrow: Thursday, November 12, 2015

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Nationwide Gravesite Locator:
U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
"Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker."
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U.S., WWI Civilian Draft Registrations, 1917-1918:
Ancestry.com
"This free database contains an index and images of World War I draft registration cards completed by approximately 24 million men living in the U.S. in 1917 and 1918. Information that may be found for an individual includes: name, place of residence, date and place of birth, race, country of citizenship, occupation, and employer."
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Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots:
Ancestry.com
"This free collection of abstracts of grave sites contains information originally published in the Senate documents of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as the Society magazine. Veterans and patriots of the Revolutionary War whose graves were found between 1900 and 1987 are included in this first volume.
Included in each entry is the name of the patriot, the cemetery in which the headstone is found, and occasionally others who are located nearby or opposite the grave."
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This Day In History: Veterans Day, 11 November
1909: Construction begins on the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
1918: The German leaders sign the armistice ending World War I.
1919: The first two-minutes’ silence is observed in Britain to commemorate those who died in the Great War.
1921: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery is dedicated.
1938: Irving Berlin’s "God Bless America" is performed for the first time by singer Kate Smith.