FamilySearch: 100 million records indexed in the first half of 2010!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Uncategorized  Leave a comment

This press release was received from FamilySearch. Mighty impressive numbers!

22 July 2010

Online Volunteers Index a Whopping 100 Million Records Already This Year

FamilySearch Indexing is excited to announce that our dedicated volunteers have completed 100 million records in the first half of 2010, and is on track to complete a targeted 200 million by the end of the year. Patrons can search the completed indexes and images at pilot.familysearch.org.

More volunteers are always needed—particularly on international, non-English projects. New projects were added for Brazil, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, and Russia.

Interested volunteers can start helping any time by registering at www.indexing.familysearch.org and selecting a project.


New Projects in the Past Month
·         Brasil, Minas Gerais—Church Records, 1706-1952
(In partnership with Universidada Federal de Minas Gerais)
·         Mexico, San Luis Potosi—1930 Federal Censo
Recently Completed Projects
(Note: Recently completed projects have been removed from the available online indexing batches and will now go through a final completion check process. They will be published at pilot.familysearch.org in the near future.)
·         Chile, Concepción—Registros Civiles, 1885–1903 [Parte 2A]
·         Jamaica—Civil Births, 1878–1899 [Part C]
·         Jamaica—Civil Births, 1900–1930 [Part A]
·         U.K., Bristol—Parish Registers, 1837–1900 [Part C]
·         U.S., Military—1920 Federal Census
·         U.S., New York—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., South Dakota—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Utah—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Utah—County Marriages, 1887–1966 [Part A]
·         U.S., West Virginia—1910 Federal Census
·         U.S., Wyoming—1910 Federal Census

Ancestry.com completes acquisition of Genline.se

Paula Stuart-Warren  Ancestry.com, Genline  Leave a comment

Late this afternoon, MarketWatch carried a press release showing that Ancestry.com has completed the acquisition of the large Swedish research website Genline.se. I am speculating that this will soon give Ancestry World Deluxe subscribers access to “26 million pages of digitized Swedish church records spanning more than 400 years from the 17th to the 20th century.” I would think there will be some big announcements at the Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference next month in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Click here to read today’s full press release.

Paying to view current obituaries?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Newspapers, Obituaries  2 Comments

Viewing current obituaries will soon be costing us more. Think about the fortune it costs for a family to have an obituary published in the newspaper. Now if someone else wants to check the newspaper for funeral details it might cost a few extra bucks. An article by David Brauer in yesterday’s Minnesota Post gives some details about new online newspaper metering. He later posted about a way to fool the system. I don’t want to give easy access to that link — you will have to find it yourself. I love to read the current obits for free and understand today’s economics, but it seems targeted at senior citizens to make a buck. Paying for access just to obits seems a bizarre way to begin. Why not sports articles or scores? Why not advertising?

The first user of the paid obit checks is LancasterOnline which says that “If you are a frequent visitor, staying in touch with our community, you may read seven obituaries for free each month.”

Here’s a link to another interesting column about the changing service.This includes lots of statistics on which the newspaper is basing its decision.

Just a couple days ago I told a group of fellow genealogists that it was interesting to read both the St. Paul and Minneapolis newspapers online from Friday evening until Monday morning and see little local news. It’s like living, crime, accidents, and other events stop for that time period. But we know it really doesn’t stop. The newspapers are only published once a day and on the weekends the staffing has been cut to the barest minimum. No longer are we being kept informed of our local area — well, unless a TV news story or an Associated Press article can be reported in the newspaper. Truly, the local flavor is going, going, going . . .

I guess I like the local funeral homes that also publish obituaries on their websites — and so far do so at no charge. After all, the families or the funeral home compile the obituary and send it electronically. In today’s world the work for the newspaper has been cut back. 

Many newspapers will not post news about upcoming events (even with text and photos provided for free) but will send a reporter to the event and publish the article after the event. How is that helpful? So, if I ran a newspaper — oh wait, I wear enough hats already.

So, my wish is that newspapers don’t become like the airlines. Keep good customer service. Charge if the bottom line requires. But give us lots of the news we are looking for. Tell us about upcoming events so that we may attend them. If you are going to charge to publish obits and then charge someone extra to look at them, charge equally for other info. Hmmm — do sports teams or city councils get charged to post news about their activities or events? But the grieving family does and then might have to pay to access what it paid to have published. Off my soapbox.

Does your laptop computer overheat?

Paula Stuart-Warren  Computers  Leave a comment

I happen to have a 4 year old laptop computer that overheats. For the last year I have had a cooling pad device that sits under it. The USB part that plugged into the computer worked fine but the end that plugged into the device itself was too loose. I was having all kinds of computer issues as it was not being kept cool enough.

I did some online research and found a good replacement. I didn’t want to wait so I went to Office Depot and actually found the one I wanted in the store! It is a “Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad.” It has one fan and you need no power other than plugging it into a USB port on your computer. This brand has space between the computer and the device for air to circulate. It can be elevated by popping open the stand and this also helps to circulate the air.

I have no financial interest in either Belkin or Office Depot but thought I would share this information on a product that really does work. I feel this has bought me some time to save more before I must buy a new laptop. This is the only computer I have so I really appreciate this product.

Fergus Falls [Minnesota] State Hospital

Paula Stuart-Warren  Institutions, Minnesota Historical Society  Leave a comment

Myths & Legends: Stories from the Fergus Falls State Hospital

Today’s Fergus Falls Daily Journal carried a bit of history of this hospital for the insane and an announcement about a presentation this Friday. “Join the Otter Tail County Historical Society for Myths & Legends: Stories from the Fergus Falls State Hospital on Friday, July 16, 6:30 p.m. on the State Hospital campus. The third Minnesota State Hospital for the Insane was opened in Fergus Falls in July 1890.”

Click here to read the full story.
Click here to search the catalog for the many records and histories that are housed at the Minnesota Historical Society.

2010 August FGS Knoxville Conference update

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

If you haven’t checked the FGS Conference News Blog lately, you have missed some important and exciting updates about the August 18-21 four day conference being held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Everyone is welcome to attend and the lectures and vendors offer something for all levels of interest.

  • Hotel availability status
  • Big door prizes to be awarded on Friday evening
  • Lots of details on the Thursday evening activity
  • Conference news about vendors in the Exhibit Hall
  • Expanded info on the Wednesday sessions designed to assist genealogical, historical, and family organization volunteers
  • More detail from some speakers about their lectures and themselves
  • Announcement on the FREE Kids Camp

Click here for the full program.

Saturday record retrieval at the National Archives in D.C.

Paula Stuart-Warren  National Archives  Leave a comment

This press release is from the U.S. National Archives. Oh, how I wished for this service during the years I spent much of my time there. These record pulls are for the textual records that must be retrieved for you to view. Please note this is for July but if used may become a regular option.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  July 6, 2010

National Archives Announces Pilot Program in Research Room at Archives I in DC. New Saturday records retrieval at Archives I – all Saturdays in July, 2010

Washington, DC. . . For the month of July, 2010, the National Archives in Washington, DC, (Archives I) will undertake a pilot program to provide archival records retrieval services on Saturdays.  This pull service is only for records that have designated retrieval information, and this pilot program is for Archives I only.

Records will be retrieved for use in the research room at the following “pull” times: 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.,
1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.  For details about this pilot program and specific Saturday records retrieval procedures at Archives I in July, see http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/newsletter/researcher-news.pdf

For information on research at Archives I in Washington, DC, specifically, see
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/researcher-info.html
For information on general research at National Archives facilities nationwide, see
http://www.archives.gov/research/start/plan-visit.html

National Archives Celebrates July 4 with New Logo and 1st Ever Parade Float!

Paula Stuart-Warren  National Archives  Leave a comment

I received this press release from the U.S. National Archives today. I was at the National 4th of July parade several years ago and it was rather neat to be in the nation’s capitol on Independence Day! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2010

National Archives Celebrates July 4 with New Logo and 1st Ever Parade Float!

Washington, DC . . .
On Sunday, July 4, the National Archives celebrates Independence Day with its annual ceremony, its first ever National Independence Day Parade float, and a brand new logo.

The first ever National Archives Independence Day Parade Float features the Declaration of Independence and other “National Treasures” from the holdings of the National Archives. This float will launch the National Independence Day Parade in front of the National Archives Building. The parade starts at 11:45 AM.

The float also features a brand new National Archives logo. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, was designed by noted architect John Russell Pope. Inspired by Pope’s classical architecture and sculptural detail, the logo features a majestic stone eagle. The eagle symbolizes protection – underscoring the role of the National Archives as guardian of this nation’s records.

“Eagles traditionally represent strength, courage, farsightedness, and immortality, and wings symbolize forward movement, swiftness, and protection. The National Archives strives to carry out its mission with the vision to serve not only the citizens of today, but also those of the future,” said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero. “Each day our staff across the country works to find new ways to make the rich resources in our holdings accessible and usable more quickly and efficiently. We are a strong, courageous advocate for transparent, participatory government that is accountable to its people,” the Archivist added.

The “Trajan” font selected for this new logo connects with inscriptions on the National Archives Building. Trajan font is named for Roman Emperor Trajan, known for his extensive public building program. The font is based on the letterforms of Roman square capitals, influenced by the style of the chiseled writings of the Romans during the first century A.D. The bronze color of the logo represents the large bronze doors of the National Archives Building that both guard and provide access to the records the National Archives holds in trust for the public.

For more information on the annual July 4th Celebration at the National Archives, see  http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/events/july-august.html#july4th

Combine genealogy, history, and a visit to part of Minnesota’s beautiful lake country!

Paula Stuart-Warren  Minnesota, Research  Leave a comment

Combine genealogy, history, and a visit to part of Minnesota’s beautiful lake country! The Becker County Historical Society and Heart O’Lakes Genealogical Society announce their first joint open house on Saturday, July 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Becker County History Museum. The museum is in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota at 714 Summit Ave at Front Street. Detroit Lakes is in Northwestern Minnesota and is definitely a vacation destination.

“Attendees will be given the opportunity to learn how both societies assist in historical and genealogical research requests.” How perfect is this1 Check out the research library while your non-genealogy friends or family tour the museum, browse the gift shop, golf, swim, boat or even just sit and enjoy a wonderful summer day in Minnesota.

Check out the full notice from June 25th at D-L Online [Detroit Lakes].

Info on the Detroit lakes area:  http://www.visitdetroitlakes.com/
Info on Minnesota tourism:  http://www.exploreminnesota.com/

Yale Library to Digitize Documents on New England’s Native Americans

Paula Stuart-Warren  Native American, NEHGS, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Yale University  Leave a comment

The Yale University Office of Public Affairs released this press release on June 22nd. I found reference to it in several of the news outlets I follow.

“New Haven, Conn. — Yale University Library has received a grant of $250,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support “The New England Indian Papers Series: The Connecticut Colony Collection, 1603–1783,” an online compendium of important and rare historical documents relating to the Native American peoples of Connecticut during the colonial period from First Contact to 1783. The grant is part of the NEH’s “We the People” program, which encourages and strengthens the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture.”

It’s a lengthy press release. One thing is doesn’t mention is that it is somewhat more difficult to track Native Americans in New England because many members of those tribes moved out of New England, some by force and some by choice. During the 19th and 20th century when the Bureau of Indian Affairs was keeping track of Native Americans, those that remained in New England and New York were not included. If we find that some of those who moved westward interacted or married into other tribes that may yield some details. Native American in New England may have purchased land, had births, deaths, marriages, christenings and other things recorded. There may be some church, probate, or census records that include them.

Archives and historical societies have many materials that are helpful in researching New England Native American Ancestry, as does the New England Historic Genealogical Society. No matter the tribe or the locality, the search begins with the same basic records we use for all our ancestors. Then we branch off to other resources.