FGS appoints new FORUM editor

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, FORUM  Leave a comment

A press release from the Federation of Genealogical Societies with some exciting news.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Selects Family History and Publishing Expert to Head its Electronic Quarterly Magazine

December 27, 2010 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) today announces the appointment of Matt Wright as Editor of its electronic quarterly magazine, the FGS FORUM.

For the past 15 years, Wright has worked professionally in the publishing industry producing magazines, journals, books, and electronic newsletters. Matt graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1996 with a degree in Communications and currently works at BYU, where he builds online courses in the University’s distance education department.

During his career, Matt has also worked for FamilyLink.com, Ancestry.com, Utah Business magazine, and
USATODAY® online, among other organizations and groups. He currently also works as editor of APGQ, the quarterly journal of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

With the helpful encouragement of a genealogist-father, Raymond S. Wright, III, Matt has participated in family history research on his own, and for others, for over 20 years. His more recent involvement has been focused on producing genealogy publications.

Beginning with the Spring 2011 issue of the FGS FORUM, Matt Wright takes over the editor duties from Sandra Hargreaves Luebking who announced her retirement in October 2010 after serving as editor for the past 25 years. During that period, Luebking built FGS FORUM into one of the most popular genealogy-related quarterlies available.

The member genealogical societies of FGS, as well as the entire genealogical community, look forward to working with Matt in his new position as editor of the FGS FORUM.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference — four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

[Note: Subscription details for FORUM is on that same site. Currently the cost is $15.00 for one year and $25.00 for two years. I have been a subscriber for about 20 years! I have enjoyed working with Sandra and will miss her but I have also worked with Matt in one of his other editor capacities and know the excellence will continue.]

New York Genealogical and Biographical Society names new editors!

Paula Stuart-Warren  New York, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society  Leave a comment

I receive many important press releases and love to share the genealogical and historical news. I take special pleasure in posting this press release. It involves two friends. I have known Laura for just a few years and have been impressed with her work ethic and great spirit. I have known Karen for about twenty years and we have spent time at each other’s home, have worked together in business and volunteer work, and I admire her dedication. They are already hard at work on the upcoming issues. Congratulations my friends!

NEW YORK –  The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society has selected Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG, and Karen Mauer Green as the new co-editors of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, replacing Patricia Law Hatcher who retired after completing the October 2010 issue. The NYG&B Record, issued continuously since 1870, is the second oldest genealogical publication in America and one of the field’s most
important scholarly journals.

Laura Murphy DeGrazia is currently the guest editor of the January issue of the Record. Recently she completed a two-year term as president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, where she remains a trustee and a member of the Executive Committee.  Her articles and reviews have appeared in the NYG&B Record, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and other publications.  She holds a BA from Adelphi University, where she was a Presidential Scholar, and an MA in Computer Science with honors from Hofstra University. Ms. DeGrazia lives on Long Island.

Involved in genealogy since 1977, Karen Mauer Green has written six books, as well as numerous articles, columns, and reviews. In 1982 she founded Frontier Press, a source for genealogical and historical books. She served the Association of Professional Genealogists as board member and regional vice-president, and the Federation of Genealogical Societies as board member, national conference chair, vice-president for administration, and in numerous other capacities. She has a BS in history with honors and an MA in Museum Studies from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Ms. Green lives in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Their selection was the result of a lengthy national search directed by a committee that included former Record editor Harry Macy Jr., FASG, FGBS and three current trustees of the NYG&B: Anita Anderson Lustenberger, CG, FGBS; Elizabeth L. Bradley, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Public Programs and Lifelong Learning at the New York Public Library; and Luke Ives Pontifell, founder and CEO of Thornwillow Press.

McKelden Smith, president of the NYG&B, said, “The search put me in touch with some of the leading genealogists in the country, who were enormously helpful on a very granular level.  I was hugely gratified by the intense interest the leaders of the field have in the future of the Record, and I am certain that Laura and Karen will have their support.”

He said that an important issue for scholars was that the standards of the NYG&B Record be firmly upheld. “Both Laura DeGrazia and Karen Green are fearsome partisans for rigorous scholarship, while at the same time they are congenial, affirmative, and diplomatic. The NYG&B Record is in extraordinarily capable hands.”

Their first issue of the NYG&B Record will be published in April.  Inquiries about publishing in the NYG&B Record should be sent to [email protected]

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories: Fun with relatives

Paula Stuart-Warren  Christmas  Leave a comment

In the early 1980s as more grandchildren came along and my parents went through a tough time after my Dad’s serious illness, we cut back on gifts. We began choosing names. Also, we started playing the “dice game.”

Each person was to bring several gifts valued at about $1.00 each and wrapped in newspaper. They were all dumped into a pile and if you shook doubles, seven, or eleven with the dice, you got to take a wrapped prize. When they were all gone, you unwrapped them, picked out 2-3 to save and put the rest in front of you. Then the dice went around again for about 15 minutes. Doubles, seven, or eleven meant you got to “steal” an unprotected gift from someone else. Certain gifts kept getting “taken” by others. Grandma Gert (Cook) Hanley always looked forward to this game. There were always a few “special gifts.” No one really wanted
them but would actually take them to rewrap them very specially for the next year and someone else would win them. Now the great grandchildren beg to play this game and we will do so at a family brunch the day after Christmas. They think the gag gifts are hilarious but also enjoy the packs of gum, candy bars, popcorn and other things they get to win. Once in a while a package held a $5.00 bill and that caused an uproar. Some of us obtain special gifts all year long to make this game more fun.

We also played this game with my children’s paternal grandparents and the rest of that side of the family. One year Grandaunt Kay Rowan put an old girdle in the dice game. It was complete with garters and that reappeared for several years. I remember my brother-in-law modeling that one year.

Christmas memories are special. I hope we have built them so that my grandchildren remember.

Madness Monday: Football in the cold

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  1 Comment

I am not talking about ancestors here. Well, maybe someday my descendants will think I was mad. My inspiration for this is the recent collapse of the Metrodome here in Minnesota and the subsequent need for the Minnesota Vikings to play tonight’s football game in the cold at the new stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Last weekend’s 15-18 inch snows, coupled with an inflated dome roof (now deflated) already beyond its supposed life span, is the reason that the Minnesota Vikings will play the Chicago Bears outdoors. People have
been working around the clock to get the Minnesota Gopher’s stadium cleared of feet of snow to be ready for the Vikings first home outdoor game in 29 years.On top of all that, it is snowing right now and the forecast is for another 5-9 inches of snow.

My mad memory is that back in 1976 I attended a nighttime Vikings game in the cold. In Minnesota. In winter. In the snow. In the open air Metropolitan Stadium. I believe it was December of that year but the old calendars are packed away on a tall shelf right now. I know the year because I was pregnant with our third child, Patrick, and he was born the next March 4th. So I was six months pregnant. It was a business “must do” event as we were being treated by a salesman from whom my husband, Jim, purchased items for the business where he worked.

Other than freezing my butt off, I remember the dinner that proceeded the game. We went to a French restaurant and the salesman ordered raw oysters for everyone. Oh, the queasiness began for me. I did not eat them but watched the guys slurping them down. Watching wasn’t good either.

I drank hot chocolate during that game and never really felt warm. It was the next year, 1977, when I began my interest in family history. Was it prompted by my ancestors who really knew what it was like to be cold?

I will be watching the Vikings and Bears tonight on TV, in my robe, with the quilt, and drinking hot chocolate. At home.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories: Christmas Stockings

Paula Stuart-Warren  Christmas  Leave a comment

Christmas stockings have always been a favorite of mine. I loved getting the huge oranges in mine as a child. We didn’t have a fireplace or a staircase so they were always pinned to the back of one couch.

Once I was married I made stockings for me, my husband, and as they were born, for our three children. We didn’t have a fireplace in either of our homes but in the second home we had a beautiful wooden staircase with the old fashioned spindles where the stockings “were hung with care.” I really miss that special place in our 1907 house for the stockings.

Now I just do stockings for the four grandchildren. If they are not with me on Christmas morning I call them
and tell them Santa filled them to overflowing. The get their stockings later that day or whenever we next get together. My youngest three live out of town and we sometimes celebrate early but I save the stockings for Christmas morning.

I love that phrase about good things coming in small packages. When I was married my husband and I always put special items in each other’s stockings. Often I would received meaningful charms for my charm bracelet.

As my grandchildren get older and have their own children, it will be stockings for the new crop of little ones. However, that is not in the near future. So, this year on Christmas Eve after the three youngest grandchildren are safely asleep in my bedroom I will fill the set of stockings I have for them at my house. The oldest granddaughter will just have to stop and get hers later that day.

Who Do You Think You Are? U.S. 2011 edition begins February 4th

Paula Stuart-Warren  Who Do You Think You Are?  Leave a comment
 December 16, 2010
NBC ANNOUNCES THE CELEBRITIES TRACING THEIR FAMILY TREES ON SEASON TWO OF ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?’ PREMIERING FEBRUARY 4
Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and Ashley Judd Take a Look Inside Their Family Histories on NBC’s Genealogy Alternative Series Produced by Lisa Kudrow

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 16, 2010 – Viewers can take an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities when NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” returns for its second season on Friday, February 4 (8-9 p.m. ET).  The celebrities who star in the series are Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and Ashley Judd.
From executive producers Lisa Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback”) and Dan Bucatinsky (“Lipstick Jungle,” “The Comeback”) – through their production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment and Shed Media U.S. (“Supernanny,” “The Real Housewives of New York City”) — “Who Do You Think You Are?” is an adaptation of the award-winning hit British television documentary series that leads celebrities on a journey of self-discovery as they unearth their family trees that reveal surprising, inspiring and even tragic stories that often are linked to crucial events in American history.

“I’ve been a fan of the U.K. version of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ for a long time, so it’s very rewarding that the U.S. version is back with more compelling stories this season that are illuminating, touching and aspirational,” said Kudrow.  “This is such a unique show for network television and we’re all thrilled that the American audience has embraced it.”

From the trenches of the Civil War to the shores of the Caribbean, and from the valleys of Virginia to the island nations of Australia and Ireland, “Who Do You Think You Are?” will reveal the fabric of humanity through everyone’s place in history.  Each week a different celebrity takes a journey into their family’s past, traveling all over the world.  While giving viewers an in-depth look into their favorite stars’ family tree, each episode will expose surprising facts and life changing encounters that will unlock people’s emotions, show just how connected everyone is not only to the past, but to one another.

Ancestry.com is NBC and Shed’s official partner on the series and will help provide the research used to tell each story.  “We’re thrilled with this year’s strong lineup and look forward to helping Americans go on their own journey of discovery alongside the stars,” said Josh Hanna, Head of Global Marketing for Ancestry.com.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” is produced by Shed Media U.S. in association with Is or Isn’t Entertainment.  Alex Graham, Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Jennifer O’Connell and Al Edgington are the executive producers. The unique, award-winning series is based on the popular BBC television documentary series from Wall to Wall Productions, created and executive-produced by Graham.

Shed Media U.S. is noted for its strong characters and memorable casting, and produces several popular television shows including: ABC’s “Supernanny,” Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City” and “Bethenny Getting Married?,” Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog,” VH1’s “Basketball Wives” and CMT’s “World’s Strictest Parents.”  Is or Isn’t Entertainment has been developing and producing television and online content since 2003, producing the critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated series “The Comeback” currently making its own comeback on The Sundance Channel.  The company’s critically acclaimed web-series “Web Therapy,” won the 2010 Webby Award for Best Online Comedy — and recently had the unprecedented addition of Meryl Streep to its illustrious cast list.  Showtime is in talks to license 10 half-hour episodes comprised of actual webisodes, to air in early 2011.

Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world’s largest online family history resource, with nearly 1.4 million paying subscribers.  More than 6 billion records have been added to the site in the past 14 years.  Ancestry users have created more than 20 million family trees containing over 2 billion profiles.  Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries that help people discover, preserve and share their family history, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

Give your genealogical society a Christmas gift

Paula Stuart-Warren  Christmas  Leave a comment

Do any of you have your genealogical society (or maybe more than one) on your Christmas gift list or for end of the year donations?

Does your society have a wish list of books, CDs, databases, or equipment? Add something from that list to your last minute shopping. Have you noticed that no one has been helping with refreshments at the meeting?. Offer to do that for a year. Maybe you could offer to help staff a “Q & A” table at meetings or teach a class.

Has there been a drop in the number of members? Offer to send emails to those with lapsed memberships. Maybe you could offer your technology skills to update the computer that is causing problems or assist with the upkeep of the website.

Might your society benefit from some sort of fundraiser? How about chairing a silent auction in 2011. This means soliciting items for the auction and overseeing things on the day it is held.

You could combine a gift to your society with a New Year’s resolution to get some of your family research into print. Offer to write an article next year for a society publication and use your own research as the topic. It’s a bit of a selfish gift but so worthwhile.

Is your time quite limited due to family, work, and church or school obligations? Any society would appreciate a gift of a check. Whether it is for $25.00, $50.00 or more, it will be put to good use.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories: Family Celebrations

Paula Stuart-Warren  Christmas  Leave a comment

I was just thinking about how our family Christmas celebrations have changed over the years. As parts of the family added children, older family members died, and spouses were added the who, when, and where varied.

Until I had been married a few years Christmas Eve was always celebrated with my Dad’s side of the family. This meant Grandma and Grandpa Stuart, Aunt Dorothy’s family, and Aunt Jean’s family. Christmas Day was celebrated with Mom’s side of the family. When I was very young that included my Grandma and Grandpa Hanley, Aunt Jeanie, Grandaunt Catherine, and even my great grandmother we called Nana. In the late 1950s
my Mom’s sister Jeanie’s family would join us. That is the day that changed most dramatically as many of the elderly relatives died. Jeanie’s family grew and they didn’t venture out to join us.

My Grandma Gert Hanley lived until 1999 and until the last couple years of her life she always joined us on Christmas Day. She loved Christmas. We spent many of those Christmas’ at my sister’s home. They built it so that Grandma’s wheelchair could get into the house.

When my older two children were very young we still spent Christmas Eve with my Dad’s two sisters and their families. Christmas Day was spent at both my parents home and with my husband’s family. As our family grew and the kids found it a bit trying to leave their own presents and celebrating too early in the day we split Christmas between the families. Then we would celebrate Christmas Eve with my husband’s family and Christmas Day with my family. For many years they came to our home. This included my in-laws, my mother-in-law’s sister and brother, my husbands’ sister and brother and their growing families.

This is the second Christmas without either of my parents. I still find it difficult to celebrate without them. This year my older two children and their families will celebrate with me on Christmas Eve. My daughter and her family will stay overnight and I get to see the excitement of those three children on Christmas morning.

I always wanted to have Christmas at my own home for my parents, siblings, and their families. However, the many steps into my home prevented this due to the many years my grandmother and mother were in wheelchairs. That house was big enough for a real party. Now I am in a much smaller place but my daughter has convinced me that I do have room to have my family over for brunch on December 26th. I am looking forward to that.

I am guessing that Christmas celebrations have changed for your families over the years, too. It’s part of the normal changes in the life of any family. Whatever you do for your Christmas celebration, even if it isn’t on the exact day, be sure to hug those family members and let them know you love them. This works well by phone, too. for those who don’t live near you.

40 Best Genealogy Blogs nominee!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Blogs  3 Comments

In the July 2011 Family Tree Magazine, they will name the “40 Best Genealogy Blogs—the Family Tree 40.” I am honored to be among the nominees. Now I need your vote and please do vote for your other favorites, too!I like this way of letting other genealogists know about the many bloggers who share knowledge, experience, and tips with other researchers.

To vote, use the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ft40-2011voting.

The nominees are divided into eight categories. In each category, please choose five blogs (you’ll get an error message if you choose too many). Thomas MacEntee has prepared the full list on another blog and he added the author/editor of each blog. Click here for that list.

Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20. You may vote multiple times.(That’s Family Tree Magazine’s phrase — not mine, but of course I think it is a great idea.)

Research in original records

Paula Stuart-Warren  Repositories, Research  1 Comment

Yesterday when I was at the Minnesota Historical Society I noticed something that made me smile. I saw more than a dozen people sitting at tables researching in original records. Most of them stayed at it for many hours, going through file folders of records or multiple volumes of records. Others arrived later in the day to stay through the evening hours. I have no way of knowing exactly what they were working on, but it was exciting to see so many boxes of original records being used.

So often today, researchers including genealogists, historians, editors, writers, and others turn to online resources. I do that too. But the gems in those millions of files and record volumes at historical societies, archives, courthouses, and libraries are also waiting for us. I have no official statistics, but I would venture a guess that only a smidgen of those items have been microfilmed and/or digitized.

Even better is that this is a great time of year to do this type of research. Others are busy being in the holiday mood and that opens up lots of space and staff assistance time for dedicated researchers. Keep this in mind for 2011. From Thanksgiving week through New Year’s Day is a great time to research. Many of these places have an online presence that includes a catalog, other finding aids, and some other clues to the records they hold.