Lost Cousins Website is free

It won't cost a penny, a cent, a rouble, or a yen to find living relatives at LostCousins between Christmas Day and January 4th - all members old and new will have subscriber privileges for those 11 days!

Make sure that you take FULL advantage of this opportunity - the more relatives you enter on your My Ancestors page, the more cousins you'll find, because every single one is a potential link to a new cousin.

Of course, the more researchers who take part in the unique LostCousins project, the greater the opportunity to make connections. That's why - for the first time ever - I'm offering you the chance to bring in your friends and relatives as new members by offering them a one-year subscription that costs absolutely NOTHING!

That's right - any new member who joins between now and January 4th 2010 quoting the offer code PROJECT1881 in the offer codes box at the bottom of the registration form will get a complimentary subscription that lasts until December 31st, 2010. There is only one catch - the new member must have at least one British ancestor who was recorded on the 1881 Census.

How many people do you know who are researching their British ancestry - but AREN'T LostCousins members? This fantastic offer is a great way to expand the membership for the benefit of existing members - but of course the new members also benefit, because they're getting a subscription that normally costs 10 pounds for absolutely nothing.

There are more special offers online in the special Christmas edition of my newsletter - for example, if you are quick, you can SAVE 15% on a subscription to findmypast!

To read the newsletter simply click the link below (if that doesn't work for any reason, just highlight it, copy it, then paste it into your browser). Remember, you don't need your password - it's not necessary to log-in just to read the newsletter.

http://lostcousins.com/newsletters/latest.htm

Peter Calver

Founder, LostCousins

Tuesday 5 January 2010, Meeting of Durham Region Branch OGS

7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Auditorium
Oshawa Public Library
McLaughlin Branch
65 Bagot Street, Oshawa, ON



Archives of Ontario, What's There for You!
Guest Speaker: Stewart Boden, Outreach Officer, A of O

A brand new and extremely informative presentation introducing to the Archives of Ontario, its new building, and the collections and services that will be of interest to genealogists. Stewart will discuss how to research at the Archives, and about the different ways to access some of the most popular records held there. For those who are already familiar with the AO, the presentation will review some of the most important changes that have been made in the past year, including the redesigned website and the expanding educational programming.

Stewart Boden has been at the Archives of Ontario since 2001. He spent five years as a Reference Archivist, helping researchers find and use photographic, architectural and cartographic records. His passion for archival advocacy led him to his current position as Outreach Officer, a job he has been doing since January 2007.

Conference 2010 Registration Now Open!

You can register on-line or download a pdf registration form from the following link:

http://torontofamilyhistory.org/2010/how-do-i-register

The programme and speakers look great!

Brian Winter's 41 Year Career

It was a pleasure this morning to read in the Toronto Star about Brian and his career . . . journalist, historian and Town of Whitby archivist. An elementary history teacher sparked Brian's interest which he turned into a career. Well done Brian.
Read the whole article at:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/localhistory/article/738341--making-new-discoveries-about-old-days
Brian is a long time member of OGS and served as Branch secretary for eleven years.

OGS Conference 2010 Programme

The programme for each day of Conference 2010 (May 14-16,2010 in Toronto) has been posted on the Conference page at:

http://torontofamilyhistory.org/2010/

Look on the left hand side and you will find many links about extra lectures, excursions, and workshops, as well as Italian and Dutch streams.

• PROGRAM—Overview
• Hands-on Research Excursion
• Libraries and Genealogy: An Ontario Library Association Workshop
• FRIDAY, May 14: Schedule
• —Toronto’s Irish Heritage Bus Tour
• SATURDAY, May 15: Schedule
• —Dutch Ancestry Stream
• —Italian Ancestry Stream
• SUNDAY, May 16: Schedule
• Lecture Streams at a Glance

At the very bottom left, there is an area to sign up for the Conference 2010 Blog, which will come to your e-mail automatically.

Registration for Conference 2010 is not up and running yet, but the information for meals and accommodations is there.

Many great speakers lined up for us!!!

Durham's December Bring and Brag - Informative , Interesting and Entertaining.

Durham's December Branch heard member presentations at its final meeting of the calendar year 2009.

Some members brought various family ephemera including jewelry, historical county atlas, medals, war ration books and even a unique spoon holder. These family artifacts helped paint a picture of the period when their ancestors were living. They demonstrated the community and familial interaction during various times of their families' histories.

Another member told the story of keeping track of a grandmother's residences. The difficulty was not where she was living but the time of day that she chose to move out or to move in, at times peculiar.

Two members demonstrated in separate presentations how their research helped them discover living 3rd and 4th cousins. This was not just a genealogical discovery but also the finding of new colleagues in research.

Another' s ancestor was a political prisoner in the 1837 Upper Canada rebellion. The curiosity was an elaborate wooden gift box carved during his stay in prison. It appears many prisoners may have occupied themselves with similar carving/engraving projects - interesting security implications too.

The meeting concluded with an extended social time , enjoying the holiday treats brought in by the members. Happy Holidays.

The next meeting is January 5th with a presentation about the new Archives of Ontario.

What's Next on Google's Buy List?

by Rick Aristotle Munarriz of the Money Times - November 13, 2009.
Read the WHOLE ARTICLE.
Rick's suggested 'buys' by Google are speculation but very interesting including the one below.

QUOTE:
"There are few things that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) loves more than ads and mobs, so it wasn't surprising to see the world's leading search engine snap up mobile marketing network AdMob this week in a $750 million all-stock deal.
I closed my coverage of the deal with two meaty questions:
* Is Google conserving its greenbacks for an even bigger purchase?
* Does Google feel that its stock is expensive at this point, making it ideal legal tender?"

Rick further 'speculates'.

Ancestry.com (Nasdaq: ACOM)
The leading genealogy site went public this month, so Google has a shot to grab it while it's still in the crib.

Ancestry.com is profitable and growing quickly. Website users have
created more than 12 million family trees, lush with profiles of 1.25
billion descendants. This isn't a perfect model; the premium
subscription approach brings in money, but it also attracts problematic
churn rates. It's also just a matter of time before free, ad-supported
models make a bigger splash.

However, Google's prime business is attracting folks looking for something. Isn't this what Ancestry.com is all about?

View Full Episodes @ the History Channel Online

Can't wait until January for Ancestors in the Attic????
Twenty seven full episodes from seasons 1-3 are available to view online at
http://www.history.ca/video/default.aspx
Choose Ancestors in the Attic from the list on the left, select an episode, sit back and enjoy.

Celebrating Genealogy and the Holiday Season

Show & Tell / Bring & Brag

TOMORROW NIGHT
Tuesday, December 1 (7:30 p.m.)
in the Oshawa Public Library Auditorium (basement),
65 Bagot Street,
just south of City Hall.

At this meeting we celebrate the season with

• Genealogical breakthroughs,
  
• Special stories,
  
• Favourite websites, interesting documents or other artifacts, etc.
  
• Members are invited share their 'ah-ha' moments.

Attendees are invited to bring festive snacks to share (optional).
Our break will be extended to ensure opportunity to chat and taste.
DURHAM REGION BRANCH
ONTARIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

New Resource at National Library of Ireland Website

Thank you to Toronto Branch's Linda Reid for this 'info'.

Marian Press (Toronto Branch) has discovered that the National Library of Ireland has launched a wonderful new resource. See: http://sources.nli.ie/About/Contents

Sources: A National Library of Ireland database for Irish research, contains over 180,000 catalogue records for Irish manuscripts, and for articles in Irish periodicals.

You can search across:

* All of the National Library's manuscripts catalogued up to the 1980s
* Irish manuscripts held in other libraries and archives in Ireland and worldwide, listed between the 1940s and the 1970s
* Articles, reviews and other content that appeared in over 150 Irish periodicals (download a full list of the journals) up to 1969

Article records give details of the author, the title, and the citation, as well as information about how to access the periodicals in the National Library of Ireland or elsewhere. Manuscript records provide key details about the manuscript including the title, in addition to where it is held and its manuscript number. All records have subject headings, which can themselves be used as searches.

Record contents generally represent the decisions taken during the original cataloguing and indexing project, and reflect the holdings of libraries and archives as they were when that work was carried out. Read more about the history of Sources.

Irish researchers will recognize this has the online successor to Hayes' Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilization and Sources for the History of Irish Civilization: Articles in Irish Periodicals.

Remember that this is "just" a catalogue (but what a catalogue!). You can't click through to see actual documents but you can order copies of manuscripts that are in the National Library of Ireland collection. Details available on the website.

Come to Our Office Saturday 21 Nov. 2009

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Members and visitors welcome.
Many, many genealogical resources for Durham and beyond
are available in our office for family history research.

Featuring today
Six additional 'new to us' computers now available
for research on the Internet - high speed!
Software includes Firefox, Safari, Adobe Reader, and more .
Help available for computer use.
Come in and we can help you get started
on your family history/genealogy.

Thank you to TVOntario for donating
these iMac computer systems to the Branch.

The Durham Region Branch OGS office is located in the
Tower building, Oshawa Airport, South Field
Enter via Rossland/Stevenson Rds.

Military Records on Ancestry

Ancestry.ca and Ancestry.com have announced that most of their military collections will be available to search for free until November 13. This is in honour of Remembrance Day (Canada) and Veterans' Day (U.S.).

Another $80,000 for Whitby Library Archives to Digitize Historical Images

This is great news for Brian Winter (archivist), Ian Ross (Library CEO), Sarah Ferenz (digitization technician) and Whitby Library & Archives users. These digitized images will be added to the 'Our Ontario' database/website where there are already 3455 images added by Whitby under the first donation. "It really adds a dimension to the archive that was never there before by making all these pictures available to so many more people and it never would have without this funding," said Whitby archivist Brian Winter. The hope is to add the archive's remaining historical photos (about 3000) to the online digital database of photos. Like the first, this donation was anonymous.

Colleen Fitzpatrick is on the Case

Anyone who has attended an OGS Annual May/June Conference in recent years had an opportunity to hear a most interesting presenter - Colleen Fitzpatrick - forensic genealogist extraordinaire. Her credentials are comprehensive, her books are insightful and her successes are numerous. The Orange County Register just published a four part series about her combined use of expert genealogy skills , superb problem solving skills and extensive scientific knowledge. Whether or not you are familiar with her work, these articles are very interesting. Below are four links to the OC Register articles -cases she has solved and a case she is working on now.

The Four Articles:
The Man with No Memory
Hand in the Snow
Titanic’s Unknown Child
Will the Man with No Memory be the first case Fitzpatrick can’t solve?

Learn more about Colleen
Colleen's Web Site

Lady Teviot a Success at Durham Branch Meeting

The Tuesday October 6th meeting of Durham Region Branch Ontario Genealogical Society was very successful. There was a large audience and Lady Teviot was deservedly well received. She delivered a very interesting talk about 'The Parish Chest' which would have been in each of the churches throughout England as far back as 1538 (Henry VII). They contained BMD and financial data and a vivid picture the the life and times in the community. The auditorium was buzzing all evening. Credit goes to all the volunteers who assisted.

The following informational materials were left by Lady Teviot. They will be at our branch office.
1. "Research Your Family History with Us", Sussex Family History Group brochure.
More information at www.sfhg.org.uk
2. "Sussex Family History Group HANDBOOK", July 2009,
3. "Our Really Useful Information Leaflet", Federation of Family History Societies (www.ffhs.org.uk), 2009.
View at www.ffhs.org.uk/tips/first.php After First Steps, the tabs at top lead you to Websites, Record Offices, Societies, Adoption.

Lady Teviot is also speaking in Ottawa at the BIFHSGO Meeting, Saturday 17 October 2009 at 10:00 a.m., a Ltibrary & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa.(www.bifhsgo.ca/events.htm)

Bus Trip to the Archives - Kawartha Branch

This day trip to the new Archives of Ontario (or OGS's North York Library Collection) is open to all.

$31.00 per person - Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

Oshawa pick-up and drop-off with be at the King St. Swiss Chalet parking lot, leaving at 9:00 a.m and returning about 6:30 p.m. Call soon to book your place on the bus and to obtain full details. June James at 1-705-745-1421, Alvina Seawright at 1-705-748-9417, Eleanor Aldus [eleanoraldus@sympatico.ca] 1-705-741-6066 (after mid Oct. for Eleanor). The bus will make a round trip from Peterborough, stopping for dinner at the Oshawa Swiss Chalet (King St. Hwy 2).

Lady Mary Teviot to Speak in Oshawa

- - - - COMING IN A FEW DAYS - - - -

Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Durham Region Branch
Ontario Genealogical Society

7:30 p.m.,
McLaughlin Branch Auditorium, Oshawa Public Library,
65 Bagot Street, Oshawa.
The guest speaker for this month is Lady Mary Teviot
who is visiting Ontario from West Sussex, England.

The Parish Chest
This presentation includes a range of records generated by the Anglican Church: how to access, how to use, and how they can enhance your family history research.

Newly Revised Family Tree of Confucius Just Released

Before this release the last update over 70 years ago. You think your research has been tough. Imagine 79 generations, two million names. This year is the 2560th anniversary of Confucius's birth. A recent back up was stored in a buried coffin. Learn more at . . .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6230959/Confucius-family-tree-unveiled.html
First learned about this story reading Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN)

1911 Irish Census

All thirty-two counties for 1911 are now available and searchable on these sites (thank you Rose and Joyce).

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

Maps, Maps, and more Maps of Scotland

At the last Durham Region Branch OGS meeting, Bruce MacDonald mentioned the map CD that he had picked up at the National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh) this past summer.

The web page is http://www.nls.uk/maps/ . He found the people extremely helpful and willing to help him to find the map he needed. It was an 1869 Argyllshire map. They scanned it and then burned it onto a CD (a TIF format - high quality), for a nominal cost of £7 (approx $14). He highly recommends this service to anyone searching Scottish ancestors, as often the town names over the years, change name, spelling or disappear all together (the later was his issue). He hopes this helps someone.

It is a very impressive, organized and extensive repository of maps.

Snippets

DOORS OPEN OSHAWA Sat.-Sun., Sept. 26-27, 12-4 p.m.

AJAX SENIORS Centre(Call): Intro Genealogy Course presented by N. Trimble. NOV 17, 9-11 a.m.

A FALL EVENT Bruce/Grey OGS Branch, Sept 26, Durham, ON
http://alice.bmts.com/~bgogs/

NORFOLKLORE Sept. 26, between 10am and 4pm, Simcoe, ON
http://www.norfolklore.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=1

9th ANNUAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL Oct. 3, 10 a.m., at the Oshawa P. L.

FAMILY HISTORY COURSES Fall ‘09, Toronto Branch
http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html

APPLICATIONS due ‘Brian W. Hutchison Genealogy Scholarship’, DEADLINE Dec. 31
http://www.afhs.ab.ca/scholarship/images/2009scholarshipapplication.pdf

OPENING/TRAINING on New Office Research Computers – WATCH THIS BLOG

Ancestry and Drouin

Well, you may have missed it.

In the past week . .
Ancestry and the Drouin Genealogical Institute disagree, sever their relationship and the collection is pulled from the Ancestry site.

No sooner that news was out and about, then . .
Ancestry and the Drouin Genealogical Institute reach an agreement and the collection is back on the Ancestry site.

All are friends again. :-)

Websites to Show Current Surname Distribution

These websites were briefly introduced at our last branch meeting. They show surname distribution based on registered landline telephones. Some of the information I found suggested possible new places to research some of my ancestors.

The first link came from a recent edition of Kindred Spirits, most interesting results.
http://publicprofiler.org/worldnames

The following are web sites are country based. More variable results.

Austria: http://www.verwandt.at/karten
Canada: http://www.dynastree.ca/maps
France: http://www.familleunie.fr/cartes
Germany: http://www.verwandt.de/karten/
Spain: http://www.miparentela.com/mapas
Switzerland: http://www.verwandt.ch/karten/
USA: http://www.dynastree.com/maps

Have fun.

Oshawa Community Museum

As a follow up to the presentation by Peter Martin at our Branch meeting on September 8th, here is their web address:
http://www.oshawamuseum.org/
For more information contact Jennifer Weymark, Archivist at:
archivist@oshawamuseum.org

Tomorrow - Family Health Trees - September 15th

Just In!!! Oshawa Historical Society Meeting
OPL – McLaughlin Branch 7:00 p.m.
“Family Health Trees” authors, Luanne McNabb, Elizabeth Curtis, Kathleen Barclay Bowley discuss Medical History and DNA in Genealogical Research.

9th Annual Heritage Festival

Location: OSHAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY McLaughlin Branch
Date & Time: October 3 @ 10:00:00 AM

Join us for our 9th Annual Heritage Festival. An amazing showcase of Durham’s heritage resources will be on display free to the public throughout the McLaughlin Branch. Be sure to visit the exhibitors from museums, historical societies, genealogical and military groups, scrapbookers and many others who will be exhibiting and promoting their services.
No registration required. Free parking all day.
For more Information, please contact
Nicole at 905-579-6111 ext 5243.

Lady Mary Teviot to Speak in Oshawa

Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Durham Region Branch Ontario Genealogical Society

7:30 p.m., McLaughlin Branch, Oshawa Public Library, 65 Bagot Street, Oshawa. The guest speaker for this month is Lady Mary Teviot who is visiting Ontario from West Sussex, England.

The Parish Chest

This presentation includes a range of records generated by the Anglican Church: how to access, how to use, and how they can enhance your family history research.

'Bio'

Lady Teviot has been involved with Family History Research for over 35 years. She has undertaken lecture tours in Canada, Australia, South Africa, USA and New Zealand and is an accredited speaker for Surrey, East and West Sussex W.I.’s. Her company is Census Searches Ltd. ( http://www.census-searches.co.uk )which undertakes research into family history, probate and media research.

She is President of the Federation of Family History Societies. She is also Vice Chairman of the Friends of East Sussex Record Office and a Member of the Council of the British Records Association.

Lady Teviot took part in the second series of Heir Hunters on BBC 1 and is participating in the third series which will be shown during the summer of 2009.

http://www.durham.ogs.on.ca

Bruce & Grey Branch Ontario Genealogical Society Fall Event

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009

Durham Memorial Arena, Saddler Street Durham, ON

Evva C. Benson, A. G.

Evva C. Benson graduated in 2000 from Brigham Young University earning a B. A. in Family History and a B. S. in Economics. She is employed in the British Reference Unit of the Family History Library. She has earned her Accredited Genealogist credentials in both Enland and Ireland. Evva enjoys spending her free time with her family, hiking, and eating cheese.

Evva was so well received that we invited her back. Don't miss her this year. Keep checking the website for information for her program.

Go to the following link. More details and the application form are after the calendar.
http://www.bmts.com/~bgogs/calofevent.html
Thank you to Korleen Halbert, Vice Chair BGOGS for this information.

Two Web Sites for People Researching Ancestrors in Durham (Region)

Wesley Johnston of Clovis, California has created two web sites that may be of interest to people seeking genealogical information in Durham. He offers both for consideration.

From Cornwall to Canada in 1841: http://www.wwjohnston.net/famhist/pedlar1841.htm
This is a web page about a detailed narrative of the voyage of four ships with 600 Cornish people who settled in and around Oshawa, Columbus (English Corners) and nearby areas in both Old Ontario County and Old Durham County.

Columbus St. Paul's Anglican Families: http://www.wwjohnston.net/famhist/ontario-cemeteries/columbus-st-pauls-anglican.htm
This is the first of several web pages that will use the cemetery stones in the Columbus church cemeteries to reconstruct the families of the area (which includes many in Darlington as well as East Whitby Township) and show their cross-relationships. It is far more than just another cemetery page. The research behind each stone takes many hours -- or even days and weeks in some cases. The connections with areas to the north (Orillia, Prince Albert, Port Perry, Little Britain) are strong, and there is also a connection to the Staffa area in the Huron tract, but he has not yet figured out how to make these explicit.
---------------
These pages have some 'broken links'. Worth visiting if 'your people' were there. Email Wesley with any comments, questions . . . from his website: wwjohnston@aol.com

The Soldier in later Medieval England

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded a Research Grant worth just under £500,000 to Dr Adrian Bell of the ICMA Centre and Professor Anne Curry of the University of Southampton to challenge assumptions about the emergence of professional soldiery between 1369 and 1453.

The project has an innovative methodological approach and will be producing an on-line searchable resource for public use of immense value and interest to genealogists as well as social, political and military historians. The project employs two Research Assistants over three years and also includes one Doctoral Research Studentship - all of whom began work on 1st October 2006. The whole team is working on a jointly authored book, conference papers, and articles.

Check out the site: www.medievalsoldier.org

Thank you to Dr Fraser Dunford, Executive Director, Ontario Genealogical Society

Free Trial - World Vital Records

World Vital Records is offering free access to over 1 billion records until midnight on August 13, 2009. You don't have to provide a credit card number.
Go to: www.worldvitalrecords.com
Be patient - you can expect it to be busy.

Canadian Necrology Website??

Not sure if you know what the Canadian Necrology Website is?

It is an online reference tool available through UofT that is freely accessible. It may be a useful tool for people interested in looking up obituaries of prominent and lesser known Canadians. This one is created by the University of Toronto and most of the information comes from newspapers such as the Globe, the Star and the Gazette [Montreal]. This site covers information from the late 18^th century to 1977.

Check it out at: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/necrology/

Also, for those of you interested in looking up Whitby people, the Whitby Public Library has a local newspaper index too that is available (and searchable) online.

Thank you, Krista Jorgensen for this information.

NORFOLKLORE XXXIII

Canada’s oldest and original genealogy fair takes place in Simcoe on Saturday September 26, 2009 between 10am and 4pm. Now in its 33^rd year, the fair is a genealogist’s dream come true. Exhibitors and professional & amateur researchers from across Ontario converge for one day of information sharing, shopping and swapping. Meet with representatives of various OGS and UEL branches, chat with publishers, shop for research materials or services, and check out the used book section.

All this and more is offered for only $5.00 per person. General Admission to the Fair includes entry into the nearby Eva Brook Donly Museum and one-day use of their extensive archival collection (a $5 savings off the regular research admission!)

Same price but NEW Location!

NORFOLKLORE XXXIII takes place at the Simcoe Seniors Centre, 89 Pond Street in downtown Simcoe. The museum is just a short 2 block walk away.

For more information about the Museum and Norfolk Historical Society, visit www.norfolklore.com or for a direct link to Norfolklore Genealogy Fair information click on http://www.norfolklore.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=20

Free Access to 1911 Census Across England and Wales

The National Archives (UK) announces:

Thousands of people across England and Wales will soon get the opportunity to delve into their family history online for free.

The National Archives, in collaboration with UK-based family history website findmypast.com, is providing seven archives and libraries around England and Wales with free access to the recently completed online records of the 1911 census.

The census, available at 1911census.co.uk, provides a snapshot of life in the early 20th century, showing the name, age, place of birth, marital status and occupation of every resident in every home, as well as their relationship to the head of the household.

Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, said: 'The 1911 census has been hugely popular and we are excited to be able to help family historians across the country benefit from this fantastic resource.

'Digitising records allows a far greater audience to access them, and that is especially important with records like the census, which are extremely important for genealogists,' he added.

The seven institutions soon to launch free access to the census records are:

• Birmingham Archives & Heritage
• Devon Record Office (Exeter)
• The National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)
• Manchester Archives and Local Studies and Greater Manchester County Record Office
• Norfolk Record Office
• Nottinghamshire Archives
• Tyne and Wear Archives

Before planning a trip, visitors are urged to contact the relevant institution to find out the when the service will be available.

Remember that the "free access" is only at the institutions listed above. It is hard to imagine how they will cope with the demand.

Thank you Toronto Branch for sharing this news.

Summer Reading = Interesting Web Sites

Hopefully this summer provided you with some leisure time to catch up on your genealogy reading. While reading the May through September issues of three Moorshead publications, Family Chronicle, Discovering Family History, and Internet Genealogy several interesting web links were noted. The list is eclectic - have fun exploring.

Visual History
http://images.google.com/hosted/life
http://www.britishpathe.com
http://www.itnsource.com
http://www.archive.org/details/universal_newsreels
http://www.movietone.com

Passenger Lists / Immigration:
General
http://www.stephenmorse.org
NYC
1830-1892
http://www.castlegarden.org
1846-1851
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/subject-list.jsp?cat=SB298&bc=sb
1892-1924
http://www.ellisisland.org

Old and New Maps:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps
http://www.davidrumsey.com
http://www.uwm.edu/library/digilib/maps/

Finding Genealogy Conference Blogs:
http://blogfinder.genealogue.com/conferences.asp

Creating your genealogy/family history website in the "Cloud":
(for advanced computer users)
http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php
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These are simply FYI - they look interesting - enjoy.

1930 US Federal Census During the Depression

Don't miss this FREE offer if you have USA research.

Footnote’s 1930 US Federal Census takes a remarkable resource and makes it better for historians and genealogists by letting anyone quickly enrich it with photos, documents, stories or other facts about that person.

Free for August ONLY.
Register Now for Free Access

Simply register and get Free Access to the 1930 Census during the month of August.

No Credit Card required. Enjoy!

26 days left

Our Branch Website Selected Best for its Design, Timeliness, Unique Content and its Blog.

This information was received as the summer hiatus was beginning.
Unfortunately it was not noticed but just this week it was discovered. Congratulations to Branch Webmaster Dan Delong.

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Below is from John D. Reid on his Anglo-Celtic Connections website:

"The best OGS branch website. Three of the Ontario Genealogical Society 30 branches stand out for their web sites. Each branch has a web site. Most provide basic information about the branch and its programs. A few show the hallmarks of considerable work that has gone into the site -- they deserve recognition. This evaluation wasn't exhaustive, but it did have criteria: design, timeliness and unique content.
The three OGS Branches (in alphabetical order) that stood out from the others are:(drum roll)
Durham Region, Quinte, and York Region. There was another near miss.

And the best site:(drum roll)
Durham Region: Unique resources, a blog and RSS feed make this well designed site the best overall."
JDR May 28,2009.

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MyBlood Genealogy Data Base Program (PC and Mac versions) by Vertical Horizon

OGS Durham Region Branch Members,
I am working on a revision of my earlier review of the MyBlood genealogy program. New features have been added which I will address. The review will appear in the 2009 Fall Edition of our branch newsletter, Kindred Spirits. It is too lengthy for this Blog. I think you will like what this software can do and how it does it. I have added of few notes below to whet your appetite.
Guy

My first review appears soon at http://mause.ca in the August newsletter DoubleClick.

From their Web Site:

MyBlood is a genealogy application that targets every level of genealogists. It delivers simple views but deep insights on complex genealogy data, by combining relational database technology under the hood with superior visualization on the outside.
MyBlood supports is multilingual and comes with a separate program to easily add your own translations of other languages if required. MyBlood runs in the exact same way on the PC (XP or Vista) as it does on a Mac (OS X). With full support for the international GEDCOM format, it produces highly portable data sets avoiding any vendor lock in. With out of the box integration with Google Maps for ‘places’ and ‘locations’ it allows you to visualize moves, travels, emigrations or other kind of events in your family history in an unprecedented way.
MyBlood will also bring a more natural way of working with any kind of media file like tagging people on pictures like many social network sites tend to do today.

About Vertical Horizon
Vertical Horizon is an independent, Belgium based, start-up company that brings together the power of personal computing with in depth knowledge of genealogy. This resulted in the development of MyBlood, a state of the art genealogy application. Vertical Horizon was started by seasoned and experienced IT professionals with a passion for genealogy. The Antwerp based company is owned and financed by its management team.

Visit http://www.myblood-line.com/

Genealogists Encouraged to Embrace Change

from the Mormon Times online.

David E. Rencher encouraged participants at BYU's Conference on Family History and Genealogy to adopt new technology, such as Family Search's new online applications. He knows it is a hard sell for some.

"I clearly remember the day when we took the old paper copy of the card catalog out of the Family History Library," Rencher, FamilySearch's Chief Genealogical Officer said. "We nearly had a riot on our hands when we began taking those drawers away."

The same thing happened 10 years later when microfiche were replaced by computer indexes. "Change moves on," Rencher said.

For the rest of this very interesting article about coming significant changes at Family Search cick line below . . .
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_living/family_history/?id=9933

See additional coverage of BYU's Genealogy and Family History Conference.

A Hong Kong Diary Revisited - The Family Remembers

Attached is a pdf brochure ** for a recently published diary of a Lieutenant L.B. Corrigan of the Winnipeg Grenadiers who was imprisoned by the Japanese after the fall of Hong Kong. The book is an actual transcript of the officer's extensive diary that was kept continuously through the years of imprisonment and hidden by him in various places throughout the camps and retrieved at liberation. The officer's daughters have published the diary with some added family history material. This book would be of interest to those with family members that were Hong Kong veterans because it gives such a detailed account of day to day life in the camps. It also would be of interest to those interested in World War II history in general as the diary includes Lieutenant Corrigan's voyage to Hong Kong and the battle itself.

To order a copy of A Hong Kong Diary Revisited or for more information, contact Sheilagh Purcell, 905-373-0490, hkdiary@hotmail.com

** Please note eldtconsulting.com is a webspace of mine. GL

Top 25 Genealogy Blogs

. . . . as of 3 April 2009
Heather Henderson

Genealogy blogging is all the rage and on the rise. A Google search for genealogy blogs currently results in nearly half a million options, with over seven times that number for "family history" blogs. Nielsen Buzz Metrics BlogPulse shows a steady trend for genealogy and family history blogs with spikes correlating to celebrity family history activity in the news. Of the millions, 25 surface as the most popular all-around genealogy blogs, with a tie for 25th place according to rankings from Technorati.*

http://www.progenealogists.com/top25blogs2009.htm

*For this study, hundreds of genealogy blogs were evaluated based on their overall content, Technorati rating, and industry experience. Due to the ever-changing nature of the blogosphere and the authority basis of Technorati rankings, it is anticipated that this list will change frequently. Note that Technorati does not list Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN) as a blog; statistics drawn elsewhere.

Thank you to "ProGenealogists - Trusted Family History Research"

New Genealogy TV Show this Fall

I first heard about this via my RSS feed from Dick Eastman's BLOG (on my iGoogle homepage).

The article from the Bradenton Herald (Florida) explains a new genealogy show produced by Brigham Young University through a new initiative, The Generation Project. It sounds like our "Ancestors in the Attic" but with a U.S. focus. It apparently will air in October 2009 on cable, somewhere.

This bit of information prompted me to visit BYU-TV on the Internet. At BYU-TV they have some genealogy programs already. If you wish to wish to see any live or archived shows you will have to download and install a video 'plug in'. It is very easy to do. I suspect that if the new show is not available to us in Ontario, it will show up on BYU-TV.

As I hear more news I will update you on our, Durham Region Branch(OGS) BLOG.

ProQuest® Announces African American Heritage Resource

From a ProQuest® News Release . . .

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 10, 2009 - ProQuest announces the first digital library resource dedicated to the unique needs of African American genealogical research. Available fall 2009, ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking new resource that provides key genealogical and historical records specific to tracing the lives of African Americans. The resource goes further to set itself apart by including a critical set of research and social networking tools that address the common genealogy need for research guidance, personal assistance, and mentoring.

Genealogical research for African Americans can be more challenging than other genealogical inquiries as a consequence of slavery and the changing legal status of African Americans. Records made prior to the Civil Rights era were segregated and are difficult to find, and oral histories passed down from generation to generation may be incomplete or inaccurate. Chris Cowan, vice president of publishing for ProQuest, notes that “With limited local resources and no dedicated electronic library resources for African American family history research, libraries have found it challenging to meet the unique needs of their users. Now, ProQuest African American Heritage helps to fill that gap by bringing together genealogical and historical resources critical to researching African American heritage back into the 18th century and helps people put together missing pieces of their past. ”

For much more detail go to:
http://www.proquest.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/09/20090710b.shtml

Celtic Quest Tours to Ireland

Richard Doherty, one of the speakers at the Irish Workshop on August 8, conducts annual trips to Ireland under the name "Celtic Quest". This year there is a group going to Dublin October 10-17 and to Belfast October 17-24. Details and brochures are available at www.celticquest.net

Thank you to Toronto Branch for this information.

Limerick Burial Records and California Digital Newspaper Collection

Limerick Burial Records Online (Reported in Eastman's Online Newsletter)
Burial records for the City's largest cemetery, Mount Saint Lawrence, dating back to 1855 are accessible on the internet free of charge.
The newspaper article with the announcement is at:
http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/City-records-online-decision-is.5348402.jp
The images from the burial register are at:
http://www.limerickcity.ie/Press/LimerickBurialRegisterOnline/
They aren't indexed.

Irish research has certainly changed over the last few years. First the National Archives decided to post images and indexes for the surviving census records (online at no charge). Hopefully other city councils will make their burial records freely available the way Limerick has. It's a far cry from the 1980s when local heritage centres offered us printouts for an exorbitant fee of indexing done by unemployed youth and we were denied access to original records.

California Digital Newspaper Collection (reported in Eastman's Online Newsletter)
A collection of California newspapers is online at: http://cdnc.ucr.edu/
A successful search on this database will give you a list of hits. Then when you click on a hit you have the option of seeing a transcript of the relevant section. This gives you a fast way of determining whether it is worth your time to download the image of the page.

Thank you to Toronto Branch for this info.