The Interior Department now led by a Native American: Deb Haaland!
Opinions ahead. Some of you may know that I am involved with Native American historical and genealogical research and related work. I have been working with Tribes and law firms since the early 1990s. I have read thousands of pages of documents in the National Archives, historical societies, other archives, and online that have made me both sad and infuriated at how other human beings were treated.
National Public Radio today stated “Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, has become the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.”
Finally, this country has a Native American heading the Interior Department! Think about that. A Native American heading the agency that oversees land in this country. Land that was largely taken from Native Americans. The new Secretary of the Interior is also female. I am doubly happy. Congratulations to Deb Haaland of New Mexico. She has been serving her state in the House of Representatives.
I truly hope there is cooperation and healing that will start to take place. Congress, are you listening? Everyone?
25 years of Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. 25!!
I remember hearing about this Cyndi’s List. I checked it. Then I met the creator, the owner, the person who added all those links to genealogy and history websites, the adjustor of links as places kept her busy by changing their URLs, and I saw one of these persons sitting at the computer doing the job. Would you believe these are all the same person? It’s true. She doesn’t even charge us to do a search on the website or to then click on an interesting link. Cyndi Ingle is a one-woman wonder. I love to seek out a neat website, database, buried index, or other item that she probably doesn’t have. Dangitall, 99% of the time she already has it.
She tells us she has more than 300K links. Under each of those links are many more links on the specific websites she tells us about.
It’s the Silver Anniversary of Cyndi’s List. She has kept it up through changing a baby’s diapers, cooking meals, taking care of parents, adding her Mom to her household, raising her beloved Boston Terriers, teaching others about websites, helping others understand HTML, and so much more.
One way to thank her is to look for Cyndi’s List on social media and like the page, tweet, or post. Use the “Submit a New Link” or “Report a Broken Link” buttons on the left side to add to the List. Then look at the upper right side of the page and click on the Donate button. What would be an appropriate 25th Anniversary gift? 25 years. 25 or 25 or 25 or maybe 25. You get the idea.
Oh, the link? https://www.cyndislist.com/
p.s. She’s also one of the main administrators of The Genealogy Squad on Facebook. A great place to post genealogy questions, get help, share help, and more. It’s a drama-free page! https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogysquad
IGGP German Genealogy Conference Registration opens today!
The 2021 International German Genealogy Conference is being held virtually this July. Registration is now open! https://iggp.org/
Feb 17, Wednesday, as in tomorrow is GRIP registration
It snuck up on me, too. Have you chosen which course(s) to take? Two weeks of GRIP this year and lots of courses to choose from. GRIP is going virtual again tas it celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Zoom worked exceedingly well last year for the classes, networking, asking questions, and even for the hands-on sessions.
Of course, I recommend the course I developed “Digging Deeper: Records, Tools, and Skills.” I also teach in the Great Lakes course. Both are taking place in the June week.
Are you ready? Have you read the registration and courses pages on the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh’s website?
The directors of GRIP have some Strategies for Registration. These are important as some courses fill up in only minutes.
Sales and free genealogy stuff examples for this long U.S. weekend
This long weekend includes Valentine’s Day and also the U.S. President’s Day. I am self-employed in the genealogy profession, so I still work on both days but my weekend is extra-long because of the extreme cold temperatures. Here in Minnesota we will have temperatures in the -20s and the “feels like” will be in the -40s. It had been a pretty mild winter, but that has changed. I am looking forward to our spectacularly beautiful spring and summer. Here are some deals and free things to keep us occupied for at least a couple more days. As always, check the details and also the content of any website before signing on or subscribing. Many subscription-based genealogy websites offer free trials.
- Check the DNA websites for lots of sales this weekend.
- Ancesty.com is giving free access to Newspapers.com this weekend. http://nwspprs.com/barefoot
- Findmypast has been adding Welsh records and many newspaper titles https://www.findmypast.com/blog/new. My grandkids have Welsh ancestry.
- MyHeritage is giving free access to marriage records this weekend. https://www.myheritage.com It has added United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 to their lineup of records.
- The Board for Certification of Genealogists is sponsoring a free webinar on Legacy Family Tree webinars. A Family for Suzanne” by Ruth Randall, CG, Tuesday, February 16, 2021, 8:00 p.m. EST.
http://legacy.familytreewebinars.com/?aid=6264
Breaking good news for now: Seattle National Archives
“SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Friday to stop the sale of the National Archives at Seattle. An agency has recommended the archives be shuttered in Seattle.
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office, along with 29 tribes and various groups, filed a lawsuit Jan. 4 seeking to declare the sale illegal. But that lawsuit could take a while to wind its way through the courts, prompting the request for the preliminary injunction. . .”
Read the full story at https://komonews.com/news/local/judge-blocks-sale-of-national-archives-in-seattle
30% savings at Arcadia Images of America books!
Now until February 17, 2021, Arcadia Publishing is offering a 30% off sale on the extensive series Images of America. Wonderful old photos of people, places, and things combined with limited history text. I’m scrolling through Minnesota, Kansas, Wisconsin, and also railroads.
Strategies for GRIP registration on February 17
Are you ready? Have you read the registration and courses pages on the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh’s website as I recommended 4 days ago? I’m asking that in my Mom voice.
The directors of GRIP have just released some Strategies for Registration. I strongly suggest reading that soon. (Mom voice again.)
Oral histories from the Iron Range area of Minnesota
Many news outlets are reporting this story. “The Erie Mining Company History Project Team, in conjunction with the St. Louis County Historical Society, is donating more than 150 oral history interviews to seven organizations in northeastern Minnesota.” Station WDIO in Duluth, Minnesota carried the story and the details can be read there.
The famed and storied Iron Range mining area of Northern Minnesota has been home to many immigrants. Other oral histories from the area can be found in various repositories in the state including the archives of the Iron Range Research Center in Chisholm, The Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Historical Society in Saint Paul.