VGS Reminders: 5 - 9 June, 2017

Reminders:

Thursday: June 8, 2017

German Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Topic: "Open Discussion" Member success stories & brick walls plus updates on genealogical sites and methods.

Friday: June 9, 2017

Genetic Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Rhett Butler Room at the Savannah Center

Topic: "DNA News"

Gen News:

Citrus County Genealogy Society June Meeting

The Citrus County Genealogical Society meeting will be held June 13 at 10:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto. The topic of the program will be “Naturalization Records.” Learn about how the naturalization process changed over time, the content of the records that were created and where to find them. Guests are welcome to attend. For information go to www.citrusgenealogy.com or call Mary Ann at 352-382-5515.

New Historic Records On FamilySearch: Week of May 22, 2017:

FamilySearch
"This week's update brings good news to those with family from Peru with over 1 million newly indexed civil registrations available. Also, look through the large collection of recently indexed New York Passenger Lists. Search these new free records and more from Chile, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Utah, and New Hampshire at FamilySearch by clicking on the links in the interactive table below."
Continue reading...

Battle of Midway: June 4–7, 1942:

Fold3
"On June 4–7, 1942, American naval and air forces met the Japanese near Midway Atoll in one of the most decisive naval battles of the war. The Battle of Midway would become a turning point in the naval war in the Pacific, as the Japanese losses sustained there proved irreparable."
Continue reading...

Tech:

How to Adjust Scaling for Different Monitors In Windows 10:

How-to-Geek
"Windows doesn't do the best job of scaling on high-resolution monitors. And if you have multiple monitors with different pixel densities, things can get even more confusing. Thankfully, Windows 10 has settings that can help."
Continue reading...

How to Get Notifications When Someone Posts on Instagram:

How-to-Geek
"Like Facebook, Instagram uses a feed sorting algorithm rather than have everything show up chronologically. This is great because it means you should see all the photos you most likely want to, but sometimes it means a post from a person you want to see everything from will get buried."
Continue reading...

Education:

Mail Order Brides: A History of Love in the Wild West:

Ancestral Findings
"Mail order brides were popular in the Old West in the United States. Here's why, and why so many women decided to become them..."
Listen now... 5.44 minutes

Webinars:

Researching Your Minnesota Ancestors:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"The resources for tracing Minnesota ancestry are plentiful and the number of indexes, digitized records, and microform editions are growing constantly. The plentiful published indexes, guides, and histories are also important to your research. Many of these are accessible no matter where you live. Many Minnesota related records and publications have been, and continue to be, preserved. "
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

The Increasing Need for Foreign Language Indexing:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars
"The need to make searchable records available worldwide continues to grow. While new technologies are making things easier there is still a big need for indexing records in languages other than English. Can you read a foreign language or are you willing to learn a few key words? If so, join the cause at familysearch.org/indexing."
Friday, June 9, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Presenter: Devin Ashby
Learn more or Register for this webinar...

VGS Latest News and Tips: June 2, 2017

Gen News:

Photo Mystery: Who are these female service members during WWII? 

Ancestry
"How many people does it take to solve a picture mystery? The answer in this case is the right one."
Continue reading...

Turn Major Life Events into Family History Moments:

FamilySearch
"Many of the most meaningful and important moments in our lives can be recognized only in hindsight, like that chance meeting that eventually led to an engagement ring, that one classroom lesson that started you on a lifelong career path, or the random recipe you tried one night that turned into a long-standing family tradition."
Continue reading...

DNA Kits Keeping Genealogy In Forefront:

The Daily Gazette
"Pride of ancestry never possessed my soul."
"It's an early 20th century line uttered by a wealthy politician looking to gain favor with the working class. I always liked it, and felt as though it summed up the way I felt about my ethnicity. Yet, I was curious. and while I often feigned my disinterest - and some of the time it was genuine -- I never seriously engaged in researching my family tree. Until now."
Continue reading...

Tech:

An iPhone Switcher’s Guide to Choosing Your First Android Phone:

How-to-Geek
"So you’ve been thinking about dabbling in that water for a while now. You’re wondering, “what’s life like on the other side?” Switching from iPhone to Android can be daunting, though, because you have so much more choice—how could you possibly choose from so many phones? We’re here to help."
Continue reading...

How to Enable Click To Play Plugins in Google Chrome:

How-to-Geek
"Chrome no longer supports any plugin except Flash, and even Flash won’t run automatically unless you give it permission. However, Chrome’s new click-to-play behavior is a little different from the old behavior."
Continue reading...

Education:

How to Find Family Members for Homeless Genealogical Artifacts:

Ancestral Findings
"Did you get a family heirloom that doesn't belong to your family? Here's how to find it 's true owner and why you should do it."
Listen now... 5.46 minutes

VGS Latest News & Tips: 31 March 2017

Gen News:

Genetic Communities™ beta: New Innovation from AncestryDNA:

Ancestry
"Today, we are pleased to share the roll-out of a new beta experience for AncestryDNA that we call Genetic Communities™. Applying rigorous statistics and scientific development, we’ve created a unique experience that can connect you through your DNA to places your ancestors called home and the migration paths they followed to get there.
This new experience gives you a more detailed connection to the people, places, cultures, and stories that led to you."
Continue reading...

Noah Wyle: Confederate Veteran’s and Widow’s Pensions:

Ancestry
"The end of the American Civil War presented many difficult issues to resolve in regards to how the states and individuals previously in rebellion were to be treated. Among the more controversial of these issues was the treatment of soldiers who had served the Confederate cause. Although the United States government provided pensions for veterans of the Union Army, they naturally had no intention to do the same for the veterans of the Confederacy. Over time, the states that formerly constituted the Confederacy, as well as three states that remained in the Union but had large numbers of citizens who fought for the Confederacy, set up their own local pension programs."
Continue reading...

Searching for Women in World War II:

Ancestry
"Prior to World War II, the primary roles of women were homemakers, mothers, wives, and daughters. Their main job was to stay home, take care of the family, and run the household. The man’s role was to go into the workforce and bring home the paycheck. This isn’t to say women did not hold jobs outside the home, but the overall professional arena belonged to men. As the war years approached, women began to have more options.  Many more women attended college and joined the workforce."
Continue reading...

Tech:

How to Set Up Find My iPhone on iPhone:

Lifewire
"If your iPhone or iPod touch has been lost or stolen, it's not necessarily gone for good. If you set up Find My iPhone before it vanished, you may be able to get it back (or at least keep the person who has it now from accessing your data). It's crucial that you enable Find My iPhone before your device goes missing. After it's already gone, it's too late."
Continue reading...

Is the Find My iPhone App Required to Find a Lost iPhone?

Lifewire
"Find My iPhone is a huge asset for people who have lost their iPhones or have had them stolen. The free service provided by Apple uses the iPhone's built-in GPS to track the location of your phone. Even better, it lets you do things like locking the phone over the internet so the person who has it can't use it or remotely deleting all the data on the phone.
But what if you didn't install the Find My iPhone app on your phone before it was lost or stolen?
Continue reading...

Education:

Why Some Genealogy Family Tree Websites Don’t Work:

Ancestral Findings
"Do family tree websites work? The vast majority of them do, if you know how to use them the right way. On today’s Ancestral Findings Podcast, I’ll show you what you need to know to get them to work for you."
Listen now... 5.46 minutes

VGS Latest News & Tips: 20 February 2017

Reminders:

Tomorrow: February 21, 2017

Italian Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

Gen News:

A Guide To Understanding Catholic Records:

FindMyPast
"Our Catholic Heritage Archive is a ground breaking project that will eventually see as many as 100 million Catholic records published online for the first time ever. Since this is a new record set, we've put together this comprehensive guide to understanding your search results."
Continue reading...

After 75 Years, WWII Soldier’s Lost Dog Tags Make It To Rock Hill Family:

The Herald
"During World War II training in the Arizona desert in 1942, Army soldier James Thompson lost his dog tag."
Continue reading...

Pentagon Launches Effort To Solve A Baffling WWII Mystery:

ABC News
"The Pentagon is launching efforts to solve a baffling World War II mystery: whether dozens of U.S. sailors listed as missing from a ship disaster were actually recovered and buried all along as unknowns in a New York cemetery."
Continue reading...

Tech:

How to Install macOS Sierra in VirtualBox on Windows 10:

How-to-Geek
"Whether you want to occasionally test a website in Safari, or try out a little bit of software in the Mac environment, having access to the latest version of macOS in a virtual machine is useful. Unfortunately, you’re not really supposed to do this—so getting macOS running in VirtualBox is, to say the least, tricky."
Continue reading...

How Do You Convert an Unknown Media File Type to MP3?

How-to-Geek
"If you have a media file with an unknown extension type, then getting it to easily play in your favorite media player can be a frustrating experience. Should you convert the file or is there a better solution? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post helps a reader deal with a problematic media file."
Continue reading...

Education:

FamilySearch Indexing: Get Started!

YouTube
"Interested in learning how to index with FamilySearch? Watch this video and learn how easy it is to download our FamilySearch Indexing software and register to become an indexer!"
Continue reading...

Free British Isles Research Seminar:
Family Search
FamilySearch is offering a FREE British Isles Seminar on March 13 through March 17 and you can either attend at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City or ONLINE!
You need to register to attend.
Read the FamilySearch Wiki article HERE...
Download the event Brochure HERE...

VGS Latest News & Tips: 25 January 2017

Reminders:
Today: January 25, 2017

Brick Wall SIG Meeting

8:30 AM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

Today: January 25, 2017

General Monthly Meeting

10:00 AM in the Atlanta Room in the Savannah Center

Guest Speaker: Drew Smith
Topic: "Organizing Your Genealogy Files and Correspondence."
"Overwhelmed with too many paper documents, digital files, and email messages? Learn to organize these so that you'll quickly find just the one you need."

Gen News:

Let’s Stop Hand Wringing About DNA and Genealogy:

Lisa Louise Cooke
"The comments generally go along the lines of:
“They’re going to be sorely disappointed when they see you have to do research.”
“It really isn’t that easy.”
“All these new people want is their ethnicity estimate.”
Those statements are well-intentioned… but they miss the bigger picture."
Continue reading...

Researching the Battle of the Bulge:

Ancestry
"This month marks the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Bulge, which was fought during World War II from 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945, in the Ardennes in Europe. It was in this battle, that my cousin James Privoznik of the 90th Infantry Division, lost his life on 11 January 1945 near Bras, Belgium."
Continue reading...

Worth a Thousand Words: How to Find and Use Image-Only Collections on FamilySearch:

FamilySearch
"If you’ve entered your family names into a genealogy database like FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com and didn’t find the answer you were seeking, don’t give up hope! Did you know there are millions of pages of digitized records online at FamilySearch.org that don’t show up when you conduct a general search?"
Continue reading...

Tech:

Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: Which One Should You Buy?

How-to-Geek
"Amazon blew the industry wide open with its release of the Echo back in 2014, and has since become the company’s most popular hardware product. However, Google has since gotten in on the fun with the Google Home, a direct Echo competitor that aims to reign supreme. But which one should you buy if you’re in the market for a virtual home assistant? Here are some key points to know about both devices to see which one might be best suited for you."
Continue reading...

How to Schedule a Scan in Windows Defender:

How-to-Geek
"Windows Defender automatically performs background scans during your PC’s idle moments, but doesn’t include an easy way to schedule a full scan. There is a way to do it, though."
Continue reading...

Education:

Genealogy Goals for 2017:

Crista Cowan: Ancestry.com
"It's almost the New Year. Join Crista Cowan for a quick look back and what new genealogy tools and databases have become available in 2016. Then, let's look forward to 2017 and share ideas about possible genealogy goals for the new year."
Watch video... 24.16 minutes

VGS Latest News & Tips: 16 December 2016

Today: December 16, 2016

Scandinavian Genealogy SIG Meeting

10:00 AM in the Clearwater Room Sea Breeze Recreation Center
Topic: "How Scandinavian countries celebrate Christmas"

Upcoming FREE Webinar!

Legacy Family Tree
"No, No, Nanette! What negative evidence is... and isn't"
December 20, 2016

Read more and.or register...

Genealogy Tip: Social History Finds in the Newspaper:

GenealogyBank
"What is social history and why is it important to genealogists? Social history is how historical events and everyday life affected your ancestors. Social history is less about the general study of history, which concentrates on the lives of the famous or infamous, and more about the everyday lives of ordinary people. As family historians, we use newspapers to find mentions of our ancestors’ names."
Continue reading...

How A Dog Tag Found In A French Farm Is Finally Being Reunited With The Family Of The Ranger Hero Who Lost It In One Of WWII's Most Brutal Battles:

DailyMail
"When a French farmer stumbled across an American World War II dog tag as he cleared a building, he assumed it was evidence of another sorry casualty of war."
Continue reading...

The Secret of the Silver Cup: Opening the Door to Personal History:

Verissima
"The ornate silver cup had been given to my husband at his birth, inscribed with his name and birth date. When our child was born, the same cup was inscribed again with the name and birth date of our son. We had always been puzzled by the original inscription on the cup:"
Continue reading...

Archivists Still Piecing Together Veterans Records Damaged By 1973 Fire In St. Louis:

St. Louis Public Radio
"Archivist Marta O’Neill was standing inside a warehouse-sized storage bay at the cavernous National Personnel Records Center, just off interstate 270 in north St. Louis County.
It houses only B-files: the 6.5 million records salvaged from the 1973 fire at the center’s old facility on Page Avenue."
Continue reading...

How to Develop a Better Eye for Taking Good Photos:

How-to-Geek
"Digital cameras have gotten really good. Most of the time, you can put them in Auto, press the shutter button, and, click, you’ve a perfectly adequate photo of what’s in front of you. It won’t be anything special (and it’ll be the exact same photo that everyone who was standing nearby took), but you’ll have something to share with your friends on social media."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 16 December

1773: To protest the tax on tea from England, a group of young Americans, disguised as Indians, throw chests of tea from British ships in Boston Harbor.
1835: A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants’ Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch Church.
1950: President Harry Truman declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea.
1485 Birth: Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, who bore him six children; only one, Mary I, survived to adulthood.

State Timelines:

Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
Minnesota:
1803: US received western part in Louisiana Purchase
1819: St. Paul & Minneapolis settled
1823: First steamboat reached Fort Snelling from St. Louis
1836: Wisconsin Territory include Minnesota

VGS Latest News & Tips: 6 Sep 2016

The Return of Captured Records from World War II:
NARA
"Today’s post comes from Sonia Kahn in the National Archives History Office. It is part three of a series on the history of some of the seized foreign records housed at the National Archives."
Continue reading...

Is My Family’s ‘Slave Name’ the Wrong One?
The Root
"I have been working on my family tree for years, and cannot find anyone on my father’s side earlier than my great-grandparents Texas Williams, 1871-1951, and his wife, Nettie Howard Williams, 1875-1912."
Continue reading...

5 Things to Remember When We Email DNA Matches:

Georgia Genealogist

"1.  Make it personal. DNA matches are family. Our email tone should be warm and engaging. Warm fuzzy rather than cold blunt emails are much more likely to elicit a reply. Use "Hello there!" "Hi! We're cousins!" or other less formal email introductions.

Continue reading...

85 Years in the Making – AncestryDNA Reunites Siblings:
Ancestry
"The story was not a new one for Dale Frye. He had grown up knowing about a half-sister who was conceived in California, 20 years before he was born, following a short stay there by his father.
Dale took an AncestryDNA test with the hopes of finding some clues on his sister."
Continue reading...

How to Shut Down a Windows PC Without Installing Updates:
How-to-Geek
"You’re working on your laptop and you realize that it’s time to go. So, you shut down your laptop, but Windows insists on updating. Ten minutes later, you’re still waiting for Windows to update and you’re going to be late."
Continue reading...

How to Share a Google Calendar with Other People:
How-to-Geek
"We all lead busy lives, and keeping track of appointments and events is key to maintaining your sanity. Lots of people use Google Calendar to manage their schedules, which means it’s very useful to share some of your calendars with other people, like co-workers or family members."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 6 September
1522: One of the five ships that set out in Ferdinand Magellan’s trip around the world makes it back to Spain. Only 15 of the original 265 men that set out survived. Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines.
1901: President William McKinley is shot while attending a reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by 28-year-old anarchist Leon Czolgosz. McKinley dies eight days later, the third American president assassinated.
1972: The world learns an earlier announcement that all Israeli athletes taken hostage at the Munich Olympics had been rescued was erroneous; all had been killed by their captors from the Black September terrorist group; all but 3 terrorists also died in shootout around midnight.
1800 Birthday: Catherine Esther Beecher, educator who promoted higher education for women.

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
California:
1782: Los Angeles settled
1830: Russians began to settle
1841: First immigrant train reached California

VGS Reminders: 1 - 5 August, 2016

There Are No VGS Meetings This Coming Week:

WARNING!
Fake Urgent Chrome Update making rounds, do not open Chrome-update.bat file:
Techdows
"Many Chrome users reported on twitter, Google product forums and on reddit that while they’re browsing certain sites they’ve suddenly seen a new window opened labelled with Urgent Chrome Update having download now button (definite scam, don’t click on the download button or any ware in that window) and immediately a batch file was downloaded to computer with name Chrome-update, be aware! This can happen to you."
Continue reading...

Sinking of the USS Indianapolis: July 30, 1945
Fold3
On 30 July 1945, after delivering parts for the first atomic bomb to the United States air base at Tinian, the ship was torpedoed by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58, sinking in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship.
Continue reading...

Pokémon Go Has Full Access to Your Google Account. Here’s How to Fix It [Updated]:
How-to-Geek
"Update: Niantic has released a patch that fixes this problem. We’ll be leaving this article here for posterity, but as long as you have the latest version of Pokémon GO on your device, you should be free of the concerns outlined below."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 29 July
1848: A rebellion against British rule is put down in Tipperary, Ireland.
1915: U.S. Marines land at Port-au-Prince to protect American interests in Haiti.
1990: Boston Red Sox hit 12 doubles in a game, setting major league record.
1918 Birthday: Edwin Greene O’Connor, author (The Last Hurrah).

State Timelines:
Even though it is hard to tell what made people move or disappear, these are just a few possibilities.
South Carolina
1830: Train service between Charleston and Hamburg began
1860: Seceded from the Union
1919: Boll Weevil began crop devastation

VGS Latest News & Tips: 7 March 2016

Researching the U.S. Naval Armed Guard in World War II:
Ancestry
"What I did know, was grandpa served in the U.S. Naval Armed Guard during World War II. I also knew he returned from the war a very different man than the one who left to serve his country. These basic facts posed many questions for me. What was the Armed Guard? Why did my grandpa return a different man? What kind of action did he see and what was his experience? Where do I locate information?
Continue reading...

Longevity Pedigree Chart:
DNAeXplained
"The longevity pedigree isn’t my original idea, but it’s fun and can be quite useful, so I’ve created a longevity pedigree chart for both my mother’s and father’s lines."
Continue reading...

Ancestry Product Update: Tree Color Preferences:
Ancestry
"Some members have shared it was difficult to read light text on a darker background. Others actually preferred it. We have come up with several color options so you can choose what works best for you.
Continue reading...

Windows 10 May Delete Your Programs Without Asking:
How-to-Geek
"When you install a major Windows 10 update, you may reboot to find some of your programs missing. Yes, Windows 10 may remove your programs without asking you–but you can get them back pretty easily."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 7 March
322BC: The Greek philosopher Aristotle dies.
1876: Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone.
1906: Finland becomes the third country to give women the right to vote, decreeing universal suffrage for all citizens over 24, however, barring those persons who are supported by the state.
1707 Birthday: Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 10 November 2015

Tomorrow: Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Irish Genealogy SIG Meeting

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

U.S. Marine Corps Birthday – Happy 240th from GoDaddy!
"On November 10, 2015, we celebrate the 240th U.S. Marine Corps birthday. In honor of this occasion, GoDaddy celebrates the men and women who proudly fight to keep America safe. Happy Birthday Mother Green – Happy Veterans Day - and thank you to everyone who has served, is serving or will serve in the future."
Watch video...

In Memory: Ancestry Launches Historic WWII Collection:
Ancestry.com
"As the world prepares to pay tribute to the men and women who have fought and died for their country this Remembrance weekend, we are proud to launch a key collection of detailed records pertaining to fallen soldiers from the Second World War.  The WWII Service Files of War Dead (1939-1947) collection contains over 29,000 records of Canadian military personnel killed in action during the conflict."
Continue reading...

DNA FAQ:
WikiTree
"Here are frequently asked questions and answers related to WikiTree and genetic genealogy."
Continue reading...

DNA Tests Open More Shroud of Turin Mysteries:
USA Today
"The mysteries of the Shroud of Turin are proving to be very stubborn in the face of modern technology. An Italian team analyzed DNA from the relic some believe is the burial cloth of Jesus but failed to find conclusive proof of its origins, the Independent reports."
Continue reading...

This Day In History: 10 November
1647: All Dutch-held areas of New York are returned to English control by the treaty of Westminster.
1775: U.S. Marine Corps founded.
1879: Little Bighorn participant Major Marcus Reno is caught window-peeping at the daughter of his commanding officer—an offense for which he will be courtmartialed.
1882 Birthday: Frances Perkins, first woman cabinet member–Secretary of Labor.

VGS Latest News & Tips: 6 July 2015

How to Enable the Undo Button in Gmail (and Unsend that Embarrassing Email)
How-To-Geek
"There isn’t one of us who hasn’t sent an email we wish we could take back (if even just to proofread it one more time). Now with Gmail you can."
Read more...

Genealogy: World War II 1941-1945, Researching and finding military records:
Barry J. Ewell
"I have made it a practice to search World War II records for males and females that I have found in the 1920-1940 U.S. Federal censuses that were between the ages of 16 to 60 years of age between 1941-1945.There is a good chance they served or registered for service in WW II.  With the online availability of records, searching for military records should be part of your research process for males who were born between the years of 1891 and 1927."
Read more...

Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963:
Ancestry.com
"Pennsylvania’s Department of Health began keeping birth and death records on a statewide basis on January 1, 1906. This collection includes death records beginning on that date through 1963."
This collection was recently updated again with additional records.
Search now... (Subscription required)

New York Butcher Is Named as Real Live Uncle Sam:
New York Times
"In parades across the country on Saturday, lanky men on stilts sporting red and white striped pants, star-spangled top hats and gray goatees will pretend to be Uncle Sam. In Conway, Ark., James Black would perform that role after he retired as a cattle hauler and bus driver until he died in 2009 at 76.
But nobody there ever asked Helen Hauptmann Painter’s two sons to play the part of America’s folkloric icon. Which was an oversight,"
Read more...

This Day In History:
1971: Satchmo dies: Louis Daniel Armstrong, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, dies in New York City at the age of 69. He was born in 1901 in New Orleans.
1885: Louis Pasteur gives the first successful anti-rabies innoculation.
1775: Congress issues a “Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms”