This press release just arrived from the U.S. National Archives. The budget reflects a 12% increase over the last fiscal year. In light of the many libraries, archives, and historical societies that are shutting down completely or partially due to budget inadequacies, this is a good budget growth. I do hope those in charge at NARA remember the many researchers who still need to visit the various location to use the millions of pieces of paper that are only available in original form. We still need adequate work space, lighting, staff assistance, and good hours.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2009

PRESIDENT APPROVES $459M BUDGET FOR NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Washington, DC. . . The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is receiving $459,277,000 for the current fiscal year under the omnibus appropriation bill passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on March 11, 2009.

The $459,277,000 for Fiscal Year 2009 is a $48,144,000, or 12 percent, increase over last year’s appropriation of $411,133,000.

“We are extremely pleased with the additional resources for NARA that will enable us to fund our core programs, operate the new George W. Bush Library, increase our ability to process presidential records with the hiring of 15 new archivists, and add a criminal investigator to the Office of the Inspector General”, said Adrienne C. Thomas, Acting Archivist of the United States.

“We will also be able to continue building the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) and will use the additional funds to begin development of software to provide public access to ERA and initial preservation capabilities,” she added. “With the Administration’s continued support for ERA, we are just a few years away from having public access to ERA.”

Funding for NARA’s Operating Expenses is set at $330,308,000, up from last year’s level of $315,000,000. The Operating Expenses appropriation funds rent, energy, security, and staff costs for NARA’s facilities at 44 locations around the country.

This budget also includes continued funding for new archivists hired during FY 2008, and $875,000 to further increase the number of archivists on staff. The agency is directed to report to Congress within 30 days of the specific actions it is taking to restore archivist workforce levels to pre-2002 levels.

Also included in the appropriations bill is $1,000,000 for the new Office of Government Information Services, which was created by a 2007 amendment to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Its purpose is to strengthen FOIA, monitor compliance with it by federal agencies, and ensure that the records of government remain open and accessible to the public.

The Administration also provides $650,000 to complete the review of U.S. Government records documenting the activities of the Nazis and the Japanese Imperial Government. These resources will be available for two years to enable the agency to release a supplemental report to NARA’s 2007 report on this subject.

For continued development of the ERA, the Congress appropriated $67,008,000, compared to $58,028,000 last year. The ERA had its official launch last year and this year took in the lectronic records of the Executive Office of the President from the George W. Bush Administration.

The budget also directs NARA to provide quarterly progress reports on ERA to Congress and the Government Accountability Office and to alert them to any potential delays, cost overruns, and other problems with the development of the ERA.

Congress also provided $6,325,000 to operate the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas. It is now temporarily located in a facility in Lewisville, TX until the permanent library is built with private funds on the campus of Southern Methodist University.

For repairs and restorations to NARA facilities, Congress appropriated $50,711,000. This includes funding for our base and $22,000,000 to complete work on a renovation and an addition to the Kennedy Library in Boston, MA, and $17,500,000 for the first phase of a renovation and addition to the Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, NY.

The budget also provides an additional $2,000,000 to complete repair and restoration of the plaza at the Johnson Library in Austin, TX, but makes it clear that Congress will provide no more funding for this project.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) received $11,250,000 for the current fiscal year, of which $2,000,000 will be transferred to the Operating Expenses (OE) appropriation. Last year, Congress provided NHPRC with $9,500,000 and transferred $2,000,000 to OE. This new funding level will allow NHPRC to continue its work on the Founding Fathers projects, publish historical records and support archives preservation, access and digitization grants.

It was back in 1983, June 24-25 to be exact. I still had a six year old at home. The place was Charleston, Illinois and the event was sponsored by the Illinois State Genealogical Society and Eastern Illinois University. The local host was the Coles County Genealogical Society. I enjoyed the conference and have not stopped attending such conferences.

I still have the syllabus and the list of the registrants. It was interesting to scan the list and see names I recognize. Some are still involved in genealogy, several later became friends, and some have passed on. I don’t recall meeting any of them at the conference, it was later some of these folks and I became friends. I can just imagine the genealogy conference those that are no longer with us are having!

Just some of those names I recognized are Doris Roney Bowers, Peter Bunce, Carole Callard, Bob & Mary Lou Delahunt, Pat & Ray Gooldy, Joan Griffis, Marty Hiatt, Dorothy Lower, Sam McDowell, Michelle McNabb, Robert Parkin, Joanna D. Posey, George Schweitzer, Carol and Donald Shiffman, Byron Sistler, Roberta Smith, Loretto Szucs, and David Thackery. I am sure there were some others whose names I should have recognized.

I probably heard Lou Szucs speak about Chicago research. I have always remembered a session that had slides about historic barns but as I look over the program, cannot figure out what that session was. There was a session on Computer Genealogy by Joanna D. Posey. Oh, I wish I could hear that today and compare it to the way things are now. One sentence from the syllabus material for that session made me giggle a bit tonight: “Would you like your computer to talk to other micro-computers or to a large data bank to exchange genealogical information?”

The following is part of a press release received from the National Genealogical Society:

“Millions of Americans hunger to connect with their roots, and there’s no better way to start than by attending a four-day event packed with experts and family history hobbyists with the same goal. The National Genealogical Society, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, announces its 31st Family History Conference to be held at the Raleigh, North Carolina Convention Center 13-16 May 2009.

This premier event features more than 160 exciting educational sessions and workshops by many of the top names in family history research from North Carolina and around the nation. The variety of topics—from beginner workshops, to understanding and using DNA testing for family history, to finding resources for Native American, African-American, Scots-Irish, and other ethnic groups, to complex problem-solving, and more—provide tools for everyone from the merely curious to those who aspire to become credentialed or professional genealogists.

A bonus of the conference is the exhibit hall filled with software, books, and myriad genealogy-related products, where attendees can meet their favorite authors and genealogists. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are sponsoring many informative sessions that focus on effectively using their websites to find family connections. Optional luncheons and dinners provide opportunities for breaking bread with like-minded family history enthusiasts while learning from entertaining speakers. Conference-goers might choose a luncheon featuring a favorite speaker or support a meal sponsored by an organization such as the local host North Carolina Genealogical Society or the New England Historic Genealogical Society or the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

To see the entire exciting program, pre-conference events such as a free African-American Genealogy Forum on 12 May, and registration details, visit www.ngsgenealogy.org/conferences“

Before each Conference, The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) receives requests inquiring if there are other conference registrants looking for a roommate. It’s a great way to share costs. The 2009 Conference is in Little Rock, Arkansas from September 2-5 and the local host is the Arkansas Genealogical Society.

FGS will provide contact information (via e-mail) to those seeking a possible roommate at one of the Little Rock conference hotels. Roberta (Bobbi) King, a FGS Board member from Colorado, is once again providing this free service.

Bobbi and FGS will not be doing the actual roommate matching; that contact and decision is up to the individuals seeking a roommate.

To be a part of this service, all you have to do is e-mail your request to Bobbi and provide details including your name, state/province, e-mail address, telephone number, and some details about the type of roommate you are seeking. This would include such things as smoker/non-smoker, late or early to bed and to rise, arrival and departure days, whether or not you have already booked a room, male or female roommate preference, and any other requirements or information you feel you should provide such as snorer, light sleeper, need room totally dark, has TV on or off most of the time, etc.

The information you provide will not be posted online. It will only be shared with others seeking a roommate. Once you make a match, please let Bobbi know so that she can remove your name from the list.

To contact Bobbi: [email protected]

I will be presenting a lecture titled “Baker’s Dozen: Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History” on Saturday, March 21st at the Swedish Genealogical Society of Minnesota‘s Quarterly Meeting. This lecture demonstrates ways to get that writing started without becoming overwhelmed. It includes ideas for sharing family history with family members who otherwise might groan. They might not even realize you are indoctrinating them into the fascinating history of their ancestors. If you use several of the “Easy Ways” over a year or two, your end result will be that much of your family history is in some sort of print that can easily be modified for a larger publication.

The meeting takes place from 1:00 – 4 p.m. at the Minnesota Genealogical Society Auditorium at 1185 Concord Street North, South St. Paul. Click here for a map. The library is open that day from 10:00 – 4:00. Free parking is next to the building.

If you would like to attend the meeting, the Society asks for a donation of a few dollars or so to cover expenses such as room rental, coffee and cookies, speaker fees, etc.

In just one month, I will be presenting four lectures at the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society’s Spring Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To learn more and register for the event click here. These are the lectures:

NUCMC and its Cousins: Keys to Lost Ancestral Records: One of the important aids since 1962 is the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections and its modern cousins. Where might Great Aunt Sadie’s diary be today? Where are the records of the circuit rider who traversed Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan located? Frequently, genealogists think that there may be no records for part of the family. However, there may be substantial information buried away in a manuscript collection.

Tho’They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records: So many researchers put up artificial brick walls because their ancestors weren’t land owners, were perennial renters staying one step ahead of the bill collector, or didn’t leave behind a ten page will listing all the children. Our poorer relatives are traceable and this lecture will show helpful records.

Organizing Your Genealogical Materials: How tall are the stacks of your genealogical materials and in how many rooms are your papers and books stored? This lecture will help you organize sensibly and give tips to keep you on top of your organization.

Finding Ancestral Places of Origin: Still looking for great-grandma or grandpa’s place of origin, and it wasn’t under the apple tree? Where in Sweden was Aunt Lily born? This lecture shares records and research strategies which may help you identify that place.

It’s an easy drive from many cities: Kalamazoo is only 95 miles from Ann Arbor; 61 Lansing; 117 Racine WI; 54 South Bend, IN; 111 Toledo, OH; 121 Dearborn MI; 86 Chicago; 132 Elkhart, IN; 86 Fort Wayne. I hope to see you there.

There’s no record. All the records are gone. No one knows what happened to it. Don’t give up — something may turn up. An article in the Maine Antique Digest tells the story of auctions of major collections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania artifacts, memorabilia, maps, manuscripts and official records.

One amazing purchase at a 2005 auction was on behalf of the New Jersey State Archives. This was a collection of 17th century New Jersey records that had been in private hands for 300 years. For more details on the collection, finding aids, and an article about it from the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (September 2005) check out the state archives page on the Proprietors and Adventures: A Rediscovery of Colonial New Jersey.

Many items pertained to Benjamin Franklin, Western history, family history, Lewis & Clark, Indian affairs, printing history and that’s just a small portion of the items auctioned off. Be sure to read the article. One reality will sink in and that would be the fact that some of the purchases were made by private collectors. Maybe one day they will sell or donate the items.

I have had several inquiries wondering what happened to my columns in the Ancestry Weekly Journal/Ancestry 24/7 Family History Circle. In December, Ancestry decided to take the writing of the columns “in house” and change the focus. This meant that all of us doing the writing for our excellent editor, Julianna Smith, were let go. That was not an easy task for her.

I am still writing regularly for Ancestry Magazine and FGS Forum and occasionally for other genealogical publications. s

I received a press release from Footnote.com that lists some of the recent new and updated content. Footnote is a subscription database with images that are indexed and digitized. I have discovered some wonderful items via Footnote. Not for my own family, but for clients and for my niece. Some of the new content is in conjunction with Black History month which is celebrated every February. The press release ended with these intriguing words, “Big content announcement coming soon!”

So, I sat and stared at the emailed press release and politely shouted: TELL ME! But, I will just have to wait like everybody else.

What’s New on Footnote.com: