FamilySearch indexing is exploding

Paula Stuart-Warren  Family History Library, FamilySearch  Leave a comment

Over at the Ancestry Insider you’ll find a whole list of FamilySearch indexing statistics. Two of the numbers:

  • 354,328 — number of registered indexers as of 30 July 2010
  • 118,140,160 — records indexed this year as of 2 August 2010

A vital part of this massive indexing project is that each record must be keyed twice and revisited a third time when the first two are not the same. Greater accuracy is the aim.

To view the indexing results click here and here. Those millions of rolls of microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City are getting closer and closer to being all indexed for us by our fellow genealogists. Anyone may volunteer to help and you don’t have to leave home to do it! The website have instructions.

Last day to register online for FGS Knoxville!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies  Leave a comment

You read that correctly! Today, Sunday, 8 August 2010 at midnight is when online registration for the 2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference closes down. The same is true for registrations by regular mail. This also includes registration for special events, luncheons, and the land workshops. Click here to register today. You may also view the entire program at that website.

If Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday (you get the picture) comes and you decide you do want to attend the conference but missed this deadline, we still welcome your registration at the conference in Knoxville. You may write a check or charge it to your Visa, MasterCard or Discover card at onsite registration. Don’t worry, you will still receive the syllabus on CD, tote bag, and door prize tickets. Click here for registration hours.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies along with the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Kentucky Historical Society look forward to seeing you in Knoxville!

Tulare genealogy collection is in the NEW library

Paula Stuart-Warren  Libraries  Leave a comment

Last October I reported on the situation in Tulare [California] Public Library. When the city was building a new library there was no space in the plans for the collection of the Sequoia Genealogical Society that had been housed in the old library. That post is here.

Public reaction to this had a good result — room was made. Today people are using that collection in that new library. Read the update here.

Tech companies volunteer to digitize Arlington National Cemetery records

Paula Stuart-Warren  Cemeteries  Leave a comment

 The newspapers this summer had been full of stories about the horrible situation at Arlington National Cemetery. The records and some burials at Arlington in Northern Virginia are a mess. I can’t imagine the pain that the families of the military dead are suffering since finding out that stones are missing, some may not be buried where they thought they were, and that the records are not clear nor in great order.

Today’s Washington Post reports that a consortium of high tech companies in that area have offered to help digitize the records.

As the article states “Warner (D-Va.) reached out to the tech council after the Army’s inspector general released a report in June that found that poor record-keeping and mismanagement led to the mislabeling of dozens of graves. As a result, the cemetery’s top two managers were forced to resign.”

“Kilberg said the companies would look at adapting the system used by the Department of Veterans Affairs at its cemeteries. Senate investigators, probing about $8 million spent on automating Arlington Cemetery’s system, said that officials from Veterans Affairs thought their technology could be used at Arlington, but cemetery officials declined to use it, saying they needed to build their own system from scratch.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Click here to read one of the earlier articles.

ProGenealogists acquired by Ancestry.com

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

Wow — interesting news release that just arrived from Ancestry.com:

Ancestry.com to Acquire Professional Genealogy Firm ProGenealogists, Inc.
PROVO, UTAH (August 6, 2010) – Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) announced today that it has acquired leading professional genealogy research firm, ProGenealogists, Inc.
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, ProGenealogists specializes in genealogical, forensic and family history research. During its 10-year history, the firm has become a trusted name in professional genealogy, finding great success with client research and expanding both its domestic and international capabilities.  As a part of Ancestry.com, ProGenealogists will continue to provide premier family history research to its existing clients while extending the Ancestry.com reach across the genealogy value chain.
“We are delighted to welcome ProGenealogists into the Ancestry.com network,” said David Rinn, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development for Ancestry.com. “With this acquisition Ancestry.com can better serve subscribers who are seeking dedicated, personal support in their family history research. As a natural service extension for Ancestry.com, we expect the addition of ProGenealogists will also enhance and expand the professional research offerings currently available through Ancestry.com Expert Connect.”
“Ancestry.com is definitely in a class by itself in the genealogy industry,” said Natalie Cottrill, CEO of ProGenealogists, Inc. “We are excited to become part of the Ancestry.com family and look forward to finding new ways to help more people interested in learning about their roots.”
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Ancestry.com does not expect the acquisition to have a material impact on its financial guidance as issued in connection with its second quarter earnings release on July 29, 2010.
ProGenealogists and Ancestry.com have worked together on several initiatives over the past few years including driving the research for the NBC television program, “Who Do You Think You Are?” which traced the family histories of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Lisa Kudrow, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, Emmitt Smith, Matthew Broderick and Spike Lee. Ancestry.com will continue leveraging the expertise at ProGenealogists for similar initiatives in the future.

Dublin Evening Mail rare newspapers donated

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ireland, Newspapers  Leave a comment

Even though it’s still August 2d where I live, the August 3d edition of Irishtimes.com is reporting about some rare newspapers being donated to the Dublin City Library!

“RARE EDITIONS of the former Dublin Evening Mail dating back over 170 years are to be presented to the Dublin City Library tomorrow by an east Galway archivist and town councillor. The 157 issues of the newspaper date from February 5th, 1838, to December 31st, 1855, and have been part of the personal collection of Cllr Norman Morgan (Ind), a printer and member of Loughrea Town Council. First published in 1823, the Dublin Evening Mail was the longest running evening newspaper in Ireland when it last appeared in 1962.
Mr Burke purchased the issues some years ago at auction.”

Let’s hope they are indexed and/or digitized at some point. 

Important updates about the FGS Knoxville Conference

Paula Stuart-Warren  Federation of Genealogical Societies, Museum of Appalachia, Syllabus  Leave a comment
The 2010 edition of the annual four day genealogy conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies begins in just 16 days in Knoxville, Tennessee. There are sessions for family historians of all levels of knowledge and with ancestors from just about anywhere. You might even find a distant cousin among the many conference registrants.

  • Online Registration closes at midnight August 8th. Walk-in registrations will be welcome at the conference.
  • The Conference Syllabus is online for registered attendees to print handouts for sessions in advance of the conference.Click here for instructions.
  • Some printed syllabus copies will be available at the conference but the supply is limited. Copies are $30. All registered attendees will receive a syllabus CD.
  • There will be a few tickets for luncheons available for sale at the Registration Desk. Tickets for the Thursday evening banquet at the Museum of Appalachia are close to sold out. Order your tickets very soon!
  • The FGS Conference News Blog has had many news updates in the last two weeks.

These are my favorite things about research repositories

Paula Stuart-Warren  Archives, Libraries, Research  4 Comments

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take the most useful aspects of each of our favorite research places and combine them so that each place would have all that we love? (Yes, I know about reality, but I can dream, can’t I?) My ideal library, archive, and historical society would have:

  • Copy cards so I don’t have to carry change
  • Space and plugs for laptop computers — even next to the microfilm readers
  • Wireless internet accessibility
  • Lockers big enough for our bags that we must lock up
  • My favorite staff people
  • Staff that isn’t overworked
  • Finding aids that tell more about individual collections (online and off)
  • Comprehensive online catalog
  • Place to sit and reorganize your work for the day (where you can use the materials you had to put in the locker)
  • Onsite or close by place to eat
  • Record or book retrieval service that is not too slow
  • More materials on open shelves
  • Self-copiers
  • OK to bring in a flat bed scanner and a digital camera
  • Clear guidelines posted to remind us of them
  • Record retrieval forms that don’t take so long to fill out
  • Record retrieval request online (how many times do we need to fill our our name and address!)
  • Parking onsite or nearby and well lit
  • Public transportation at the door
  • Self-retrieval microforms
  • Clean and nearby restrooms (not on a different floor of the building)
  • Reasonable security features

I know there must be more features I love and will post those in the future. Do you have any suggestions for the perfect place to research? 

A mere twenty one days till the FGS Genealogy Conference

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

Just three weeks (or 3 weeks if you like the numbers better) or twenty one (21) days from today is the start of the FGS Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists in Knoxville, Tennessee. The event takes place from August 18-21 at the Knoxville Convention Center. I am excited about this event because it has truly been a wonderful group of people organizing this event.

The vendors are packing lots of good things to show and sell us in the Exhibit Hall, the volunteers are working on a million last minute tasks, the speakers are polishing up their lectures, the syllabus is being printed/burned to CD, genealogical societies are updating fliers and brochures, and that list of things being accomplished over these next few weeks is too long to print.

  • Have you registered? Click here to do that. You may still register at the door also.
  • Do you want to add a luncheon or other event to your prior registration? Click here and use the PIN you received when you registered.
  • Want to take another look at the special events for the week? Click here, here, and here.
  • Need more info on some of these events, Knoxville, vendors, speakers and other things? Scroll down the right side of the FGS Conference News Blog and check the labels list. Just click on those you want to read more about. Click here for the blog.

Is your non-profit organization about to lose that status with the IRS?

Paula Stuart-Warren  IRS  Leave a comment

Lori Thornton posted a timely item on her Smokey Mountain Family Historian blog and I urge you to read it. Your genealogical, historical, or family organization’s non-profit status might be in jeopardy. As Lori said, “There are many historical societies, Friends of the Library organizations, cemetery associations, fraternal organizations, and DAR chapters among those in danger.”

That tax-exempt status may be gone simply because your organization did not fill out the proper forms and submit them to the IRS. Notices were sent to organizations, newspaper and online articles have talked about it, and for genealogical societies that are members of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, they received reminders in the FGS Voice.

The IRS has extended the deadline so urge your organization’s board members to read Lori’s post and also this article from the July 27th Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune. That article states that the delinquent organizations in Minnesota alone total about 4,000!