What's a Google Alert?

What's a Google Alert?

DearREADERS,
Someone wrote to inquire, "What's a Google Alert?"

If you go to http://www.Google.com and search for 'google alert' without the quote marks you'll get to the area where you can tell Google to send you an email for specific reasons throughout the day.

FIRST SPECIFY THE SEARCH TERM. In my case I have several (ancestors, ancestry, family history, genealogy).

THE EXPLAIN WHERE YOU WANT GOOGLE TO SEARCH. I choose 'comprehensive', although you could request that Google look only in specific internet collections (news, blogs, webs, groups).

THE TELL GOOGLE HOW OFTEN TO SEND THE ALERT (once a day, as it happens, once a week.)

THEN CLICK THE CREATE ALERT button.

Once you have search terms on your Google Alert list, you can edit the parameters or delete the alert entirely.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

ACROSS MY DESK: Brown University cataloguing rare maps

ACROSS MY DESK: Brown University cataloguing rare maps

DearREADERS,
My Google Alert for the word 'genealogy' (without quote marks) notified me of an interesting Brown University map project:

---------------------------------------------------------
Brown University cataloguing its repository of rare maps
By Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer November 18, 2006

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As prospectors poured west in the 1840s to find riches during the California gold rush, they turned to a valuable map that depicted the gold fields in yellow and the best routes to get there in blue.

In another continent more than 75 years later, a tourism map replete with swastikas was used in Nazi Germany to promote the country as an alluring destination.

Both maps belong to a Brown University collection of more than 1,000 rare maps that librarians are in the process of cataloging online in an effort to move into the digital age.

---------------------------------------------------------

To read the full article see:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/11/18/brown_university_cataloguing_its_repository_of_rare_maps

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy.

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Sources -- Individual (in PAF or otherwise)

DearREADERS,
On Ancestry's PAF (Personal Ancestral File) message board, located at: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=topics.software.paf

Ol' Myrt found the following posting from NRS:"I need to clean up and standardize the way I am entering sources and cannot decide when to use Individual Sources. Every source for the individual? Only those sources that are not linked to an event? Sources that include more information than the event they are linked to? (I used to use Individual Sources almost exclusively but have been criticized for not having sources linked to events.) Is there a standard practice?"

OL' MYRT'S RESPONSE:There are several schools of thought here.

-- KEEP SOURCE CITATIONS IN NOTES This concept is appreciated by long-time users of PAF, where earlier versions didn't have the source citation options. The advantage is that one can quickly scan through the list of transcribed documents and bibliographic citations, easily arranging them in chronological order. This method makes it very easy to copy/paste what you have on an ancestor to post on a message board or send via email to another researcher who might be a cousin.

-- UPDATE SOURCE CITATIONS FROM NOW ON. With this plan, users of previous versions of PAF gradually add new sources using the event sources and individual source citation options, even electing to transfer old sources to the newer format.

---------------------------------------------------------
THE USUAL REFERENCE WORKS FOR SOURCE CITATIONS INCLUDE:
---------------------------------------------------------
-- Mills, Elizabeth Shown. EVIDENCE! Citation & Analysis for Family Historians. (1997, reprint 2006) Genealogical.com ISBN: 0806315431

-- Mills, Elizabeth Shown. QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Resources. (2005) Genealogical.com ISBN: 0806317612

---------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER READING:
---------------------------------------------------------

-- Board for Certification of Genealogists. The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. Genealogical.com (out of print).

-- Silicon Valley PAF Users Group. Family History Documentation Guidelines 2nd edition. http://www.svpafug.org/docguidelines.html

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy.

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod

WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
Eight hours ago, the Apple Corporation, makers of the iPod, reported a major breakthrough:

-----------------------------------------------------------
Apple Teams Up With Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM & United to Deliver iPod Integration
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/nov/14ipod.html

CUPERTINO, California-November 14, 2006-AppleR today announced it is teaming up with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to deliver the first seamless integration between iPodR and in-flight entertainment systems. These six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the seat back displays.

"There is no better traveling companion than an iPod, and now travelers can power their iPods during flight and even watch their iPod movies and TV shows on their seat back displays," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. "We're excited to work with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to offer iPod users an even better in-flight experience."

In-flight iPod connectivity will be available to Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United passengers beginning in mid 2007.

Additionally, Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring even more leading airlines in-flight iPod connectivity in the future.

The iPod ecosystem continues to flourish with more than 3,000 accessories made specifically for iPod that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems, and more than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles currently offer iPod connectivity.

iPod and iTunesR are leading the digital music revolution, providing the best way to listen to music on the go, at home, in the car and now on an airplane. With nearly 70 million iPods sold, the iPod is the world's most popular digital music and portable video player and the iTunes Store is the number one online music store with over 1.5 billion songs purchased and downloaded worldwide. The iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) features over 3.5 million songs, 65,000 podcasts, 20,000 audiobooks, 5,000 music videos, 250 television shows and over 100 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.

Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online store."

---------------------------------------------------------
SO, DearREADERS, OL' MYRT HAS FINALLY JUMPED INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. I just
placed my order for an 80GB iPod (capable of playing audio and video content). I ordered through my favorite online retailer Amazon.com, with promises that I'll receive the unit in 3-5 business days.

You know I love producing podcasts, popularly known as DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR, which was the first of a wide variety of genealogy and history genealogy podcasts. I've been listening to everything on my personal computer, and can now see that podcasts have become a mainstream method for exchange of audio files. The reason I purchased the 80BG VIDEO iPod, is that I expect producers of genealogy video clips to make them available for download and personal viewing before too long. Wouldn't it be great if Roots Television charged .99 cents for a genealogy video track like iTunes does for a song track?

Since June, Ol' Myrt here has researched what to do now that her Sony CD player no longer works. Finally it dawned on me that I can merely transfer my classical music CDs to digital format, transferring them to my iPod when it gets here. Then I can plug my iPod into my car stereo system, or dock it on an iPod speaker system at home. I don't particularly plan to walk around with ear buds (iPod talk for those teensy-tiny earphones). It is nice to note that amid the shuffle of my favorite classical music, I can listen to the latest Dick Eastman or Genealogy Guys podcast.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Moving GENSMARTS data from one computer to another, etc.

Moving GENSMARTS data from one computer to another, etc.

DearREADERS,
Ol' Myrt sent a copy of this morning's column "Demonstrating GENSMARTS" to
software producer Aaron Underwood. He replied just a few hours later
explaining that:

-----
RE: GENSMARTS ON MACS: "It does work with Mac emulators, but requires some
special settings and configurations that not everyone, it seems, is capable
of getting correct. We have posted in our forum what successful users have
told us they did, but we have had some people who say they tried it and
couldn't get it to work. [...] Since we don't support it working on the Mac,
we have that blurb on the website.

It should work fine with Imac when running Windows, of course. The above
comment relates to VirtualPC."

-----
REGARDING MULTIPLE DATABASES behind the "AVAILABLE ONLINE" BUTTON: Aaron
writes "when there's more than one database sitting "under" the AVAILABLE
ONLINE button, the cursor changes to a "multi-page" icon when you move it
over the button, rather than the standard pointer. So that's a clue when to
hit the "down arrow" and when to hit the button itself." Actually Ol' Myrt
missed this tiny change in the mouse pointer on the screen. Might be my
bi-focals, eh?

-----
REGARDING TRANSFERRING GENSMARTS MARKERS FROM OLD TO NEW COMPUTER:
http://www.gensmarts.com/newComputer.html
Its basically a matter of moving all the files from the GENSMARTS FOLDER on
one computer to the next.

However, it is necessary to "install" the GENSMARTS software on your new
computer so Windows will know what to do with the program itself. The new
installation will not destroy the GENSMARTS data files.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Demonstrating GenSmarts

Demonstrating GenSmarts

DearREADERS,
This past Saturday, Ol' Myrt had the distinct pleasure of giving a
presentation about GENSMARTS, the artificial intelligence software that
helps researchers look at their genealogy database and come up with
suggestions of books and online resources that might provide documentation
to prove an event or family relationship.

Ol' Myrt knew she could rely on her PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate
what happens when one does a GENSMARTS SmartSearch for an online census
record, etc. (One never knows if wireless internet connections will work in
real time during the class.)

BUT THE INTERNET CONNECTION DID WORK Saturday, so I had a blast showing the
class how fantastic GENSMARTS really is! On your command, GenSmarts opens a
new window, goes to the appropriate census search at Ancestry (or
HeritageQuest) and literally types in the ancestor's name, and clicks the
Ancestry.com search button, while you sit back, and watch the action!

Ol' Myrt demonstrated how to save the census graphic, switch to RootsMagic
(or other genealogy software) to immediately attach the graphic to each
person in the family mentioned in the census record. I also showed how to
copy/paste Ancestry.com's database description and URL for proper
bibliographic citation. It is also wise to make a transcription of the
census record in an ancestor's notes in RootsMagic, and then copy/paste that
typed descriptive paragraph from the head of household's notes to each of
the other applicable family members' notes.

OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED DURING THE CLASS:
-- how to narrow the search to one root ancestor (Ol' Myrt gets over 40,000
GenSmarts suggestions with her database of 16,000+ names)
-- how to mark entries as FOUND, NOT FOUND, IGNORE (Ignore is what I do for
irrelevant suggestions, such as looking for a marriage record in one place
when I've already found it in another state.)
-- how to pull up PLAN TO SEARCH marked items
-- how to search just for MISSOURI +marriage, etc.
-- how to narrow the search to a specific research facility
-- how to print a list of entries to search on the shelves at the Dallas
public library (or any of the listed research facilities for that matter)

NOTE: The comment on the GENSMARTS website about GENSMARTS not working on a
Mac with Windows emulator might need to be changed. One class participant
has a brand new MAC, and reports that GenSmarts does work according to his
experience. I asked GENSMARTS creator Aaron Underwood to comment on this,
and will let my readers know ASAP. I want to be sure that all elements of
GENSMARTS work properly before recommending it to my MAC readers and
listeners.

BTW I NEVER recommend hitting GENSMART'S "AVAILABLE ONLINE" button, as there
can be more than one database to search, and I don't want people to miss the
opportunity to search each. OL' MYRT INSISTS that people hit that down-arrow
button to the right of the "AVAILABLE ONLINE" button. Then check out the
list of applicable online resources, being careful to work through each
database. During class Saturday, I also explained the differences between
Browse, SmartLink and SmartSearch.

HOW DOES GENSMARTS WORK? In layman's terms, GENSMARTS looks at the names,
dates and localities you've typed into your genealogy management program and
compares each with databases online at a variety of places including
Ancestry, HeritageQuest, 1837online.com, etc. GENSMARTS also looks at online
catalogs of books held at libraries throughout the US. GENSMARTS is
particularly strong for the US, with some Canadian and British entries as
well. The RESULT OF THE COMPARISON is a "to-do list" that you work through
to find indexes and ultimately documents that prove family relationships.
Locating a christening record could list the parents of your ancestor. Of
course not all documents are scanned and available online, so GENSMARTS
points researchers to offline resources.

GENSMARTS EXPLAINS THE LOGIC behind each suggestion and includes the ability
to email the suggestion to someone (perhaps a distant cousin who will be
visiting Salt Lake's Family History Library next week.) I've sent a carbon
copy email to my own "Gmail" account, so that I could access the GENSMARTS
suggestions without bringing my laptop or printing them out. I merely signed
on to my Gmail account using the Family History Library's computers to
remind myself of a specific call number for an index book.

Saturday's GENSMARTS presentation was well-received, with over 100 people
attending the class, standing room only. At least ten people mentioned they
purchased the program a number of years ago, but never really knew how to
use it. The class sparked interest in using the program to effectively work
through research possibilities tailored to one's particular ancestors. Two
Family History Centers (including the Bellevue Washington FHC) are
interested in getting their free copy of GENSMARTS for their FHC computers.

I've asked Aaron to send me a new GENSMARTS CD since it includes several
free training videos - one is about 15 minutes long, the other is 60 minutes
long. This is just the sort of thing you might like to share as a program
for your local genealogy society. Ol' Myrt plans to provide a 90-minute
training session on GenSmarts 19 Dec 2006 as part of the continuing
education program I am teaching on Tuesdays at our local FHC.
http://bellevuewafhc.com. I'll use excerpts from the videos to provide a
different voice for my students' learning experience.

BTW, I moved my podcasts, including my interview with GENSMARTS' Aaron
Underwood, to http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com

OL' MYRT DOES HAVE A QUESTION FOR GENSMARTS: Is there any way to transfer
the results of my GENSMARTS work from one computer to another? For instance,
I don't want to rework the list just because I am moving from my old desktop
to this new laptop. I can see this sort of utility would be useful as
genealogists, like the rest of the world, tend to replace our computers
every few years or so.

FOR FURTHER READING & TO DOWNLOAD A FREE GENSMARTS DEMO see:
http://www.gensmarts.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Roots Television is a big hit

Roots Television is a big hit

DearREADERS,
Why should the internet for audio/video streaming be confined to the
pop-music culture?

Ol' Myrt has been watching ROOTS TELEVISION on her computer screen, and I'd
like to report that this archive of audio/videocasts from a variety of
producers looks mighty interesting. One of my class participants today
stated she loved internet audio-streaming in the form of genealogy podcasts,
but wondered about audio/video streaming of genealogy content over the
internet. I recommend that she (and my dear readers and listeners) check
things out at:

http://www.rootstelevision.com

The 8-minute Overview will automatically begin to play shortly after your
arrival to the site. If you wish to view another program, you don't have to
wait until the current program concludes.

CHOOSE THE TAB OF INTEREST
-- Featured
-- Military Roots
-- Military films
-- Shorts
-- Roots books
-- Ancestors, Season Two

THEN SCROLL DOWN TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THE DESIRED VIDEO CLIP in the
collection.

Some of the audio/video streams are only 2-3 minutes long. Of special
interest see:

ROOTS BOOKS --> Hispanic Roots Part 1-4 hosted by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack,
featuring George Ryskamp, author of Hispanic Roots.

Sometimes as you click to view an audio/video stream, you'll have to sit
through a short commercial for AOL, Bounty paper towels or the like.

Admittedly, you'll need a high speed connection to the internet, which is
becoming the norm among computer savvy genealogists. Audio/video streaming
takes up more "bandwidth" than regular web pages.

The audio quality is excellent, and the video quality is state of the art
for current internet video streaming standards. You will notice a little
"jerkiness" in the video stream on even the most professional presentations.
Other, less formal, short subjects were obviously recorded with
lower-quality equipment and display with a more pronounced pixilated effect
even on my 1280x800 monitor.

The overall concept of sharing genealogical how-to family history info via
an internet audio/video stream is simply marvelous.

So move over YouTube (where you can upload and view personal videos)-- ROOTS
TELEVISION is here.

We're giving notice to Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken that
there IS another use of internet audio/video streaming.

Although there are indeed a TON of pop-music fans -- genealogists far
outnumber them! Ol' Myrt's hat goes off to Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and
crew for pulling ROOTS TELEVISION together - cutting edge technology for
family historians in the information age!

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE, your friend in genealogy.

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

GENERATIONS: A Bequest That Binds, and Divides

GENERATIONS: A Bequest That Binds, and Divides

From: Alison Pinsley
DearMYRTLE,
In the New York Times edition dated 11/12/06 Westchester Section, there is an article under GENERATIONS entitled "A Bequest That Binds, and Divides" which speaks of the family of a Holocaust survivor which argues about what to do with her letters. The author of the article, Ann Kirschner is the author of "Sala's Gift" (Free Press, 2006).

DearALISON,
THANKS for the heads up, and GREAT hearing from you again. If my readers hurry TODAY to the New York Times website, they will find the full article online before it is locked in the "subscribers only" portion of the website. Here's an excerpt:

"This battle was not about money, or jewelry, or real estate. We were at odds over faded pieces of paper, a precious archive of letters and photographs that were mailed to my mother, Sala Kirschner, during her five years in Nazi slave labor camps. She had kept the secrets of these letters for nearly 50 years, breaking her silence only when she was about to undergo cardiac surgery in 1991. Until the day she gave me the letters, neither my father, a G.I. from New York who met the beautiful young survivor named Sala Garncarz soon after liberation, nor my two brothers knew any more than I did about her once large family, her experiences in the camps or the hundreds of letters that she preserved at great risk. "

The full article currently resides at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/12Rgen.html

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Determine what records were kept

Determine what records were kept

DearREADERS,
In response to recent articles written by Arlene Eakle, Ol' Myrt wrote the following:

THANK-YOU, Arlene, for these last two thought-provoking articles. Beginning genealogists give up too quickly and do not consider alternative source documents. The same is true when one follows a migration pattern back in time to a different locality. If records aren't kept in the older area in the same format or similar jurisdictional archive, the fledgling assumes there are no records. Indeed, when encountering ancestors in ANY locality, one must do a thorough inventory to "Determine what records were kept.."

To view Arlene's original columns, see her genealogy blog:
http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress

-- The BIG Lesson - Loss of records is not loss of ancestry
-- Irish Record Holocaust: 30 June 1922

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

ACROSS MY DESK: Danish version of Legacy

NOTE: This is just in from Geoff Rasmussen of LegacyFamilyTree.com. All inquiries should be addressed to him at: Geoff@LegacyFamilyTree.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Millennia Corporation Releases New Genealogy Software for Danish Researchers
Surprise, Arizona, November 9, 2006 – Millennia Corporation, a leader in family history software, today announced the release of the Danish language edition of Legacy Family Tree.
The software, used by beginners and professionals to record, plan, and share their family trees, is now the premier choice for Danish researchers.

"Until now, the choice for many [Danish] genealogists has been Brother’s Keeper or Family Tree Maker," wrote Lars J. Helbo in Alt om DATA (Everything about Data magazine). "The first has a rich set of functions and a perfect localization, but the user interface is not up to date. The latter has a modern user interface, but lacks a number of vital functions. If that was the dilemma, Legacy has the solution. Legacy simply combines Brother’s Keeper’s and Family Tree Maker’s strengths without their weaknesses."

Key Features
- user interface, reports, help files – all in Danish
- Danish census forms from 1769-1950
- Timelines of Danish history
- checklist of suggested sources for Danish research
- same excellent features as the regular edition including over 100 reports, To Do List, calendars, expert tips/advice, statistics, web site searches, and much more...

Pricing and Availability
Legacy Family Tree 6.0 - Danish Edition, is now available at http://www.legacydansk.com for US $29.95.

Other Languages
Legacy is also currently available in the following languages: English (Australia), English (Canada), English (United Kingdom), and English (USA).

Translation is in progress for the following languages: Afrikaans, Deutsch (German), Eesti (Estonian), Español (Spanish), Français (French), Italiano (Italian), Nederlands (Dutch), Norsk - Bokmål (Norwegian), Norsk - Nynorsk (Norwegian), Português (Brasil), Suomi (Finnish), and Svenska (Swedish).

More information about the translations is available at http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/InternationalLegacyVersions.asp

About Millennia Corporation
Founded in 1984, Millennia Corporation publishes the award-winning Legacy Family Tree genealogy software program, with headquarters in Surprise, Arizona. More information can be found at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com.

Ancestry's open access to Immigration Collection

Ancestry's open access to Immigration Collection

DearREADERS,
A BIG THANKS to Dick Eastman http://www.eogn.com for sending out the notice about Ancestry.com's offer of free access to the new Immigration Collection through Nov 30th. From Ancestry we read:

"The IMMIGRATION COLLECTION has just tripled in size. This is the first time such a comprehensive collection of passenger lists has been made available online, with more than 100 million names from over 100 American ports. We're celebrating the announcement by giving you free access to the Ancestry Immigration through Nov 30th."

Check it out at: http://www.Ancestry.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

1837Online changes it's name

DearREADERS,
Ol' Myrt here has taken 2 days off from parent caregiving to visit a tiny cottage on Vashon Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle. I'm traveling sans laptop, but you'll never guess where I ended up on the first morning away -- at the local public library at a computer terminal. Hmmm...

Good thing I checked my email. I discovered an important bit of news:

1837Online.com has changed it's name to FindMyPast.net "reflecting the expansion of [their] range of online records and services to both the UK and overseas markets. Originally named after the date when civil registration was introduced in England and Wales, the website has outgrown its former name. Since launching in 2003, the range of records offered has significantly expanded, with over 400 million records now dating as far back as 1664."

All vouchers (pre-paid viewing rights) at 1837online transfer automatically to the new site. In fact, if you type in 1837online.com it will automatically move your web browser to the new site.

Is my 1837online voucher still valid?
You will still be able to redeem any 1837online vouchers on the findmypast.com site. Simply visit www.findmypast.com, sign in and click on activate voucher on the left hand green menu bar.

Will anything change with my 1837online account?
As far as your account is concerned nothing will change. You will hold exactly the same account details including username and password but it will be with findmypast.com. If you wish to contact us you will find our telephone number and new email addresses in contact us on the homepage.

Is my subscription still valid?
Your subscription still remains exactly the same and will not be changed.

LONGTIME readers of DearMYRTLE will recall it was through 1837online (now findmypast.net) that I located several marriage and birth records for ancestors from England, ordered same online, and received them at my home in Bradenton Florida within about 2 weeks.

I LOVE the internet.

OK, now I am off to explore the west side of the island. The torrential rains have finally stopped, and the locals claim there is lots of something called "sunshine" to enjoy today.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.

Genealogy classes at the Bellevue WA FHC

Genealogy classes at the Bellevue WA FHC

DearREADERS,
If you live in the Bellevue WA (greater Seattle area) be sure to come to the NW FAMILY HISTORY EXPO, Saturday the 11 Nov 2006 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 14536 Main St., Bellevue, WA 98007. In addition to the keynote address, there will be a choice of FIVE classes per hour. Ol' Myrt will be teaching two topics:

-- From an Index to the original document
-- GenSmarts Research Software
For details see: http://www.nwfamilyhistory.net

---------------------------------------------------------
ALSO, Ol' Myrt will be teaching a series of free classes!
---------------------------------------------------------
Each class is a stand-alone topic, so it's not necessary to attend all classes to benefit. They are held 10am-11:30am on Tuesdays at the Bellevue Washington Family History Center located at 10675 NE 20th Street, Bellevue, WA. Since we'll be meeting in the building adjoining the FHC, researchers can continue to work during the class period. Call 425-454-2690 to pre-register to be assured of a handout. Walk-ins are welcome, but will need to download the handouts via the internet after class.

14 Nov 2006 Women are from Venus: Finding Female Ancestors
21 Nov 2006 Getting from index to the original document
28 Nov 2006 What to expect from US Federal Census Records
5 Dec 2006 Union Civil War Pension Files: a case study
12 Dec 2006 RootsMagic: Have your genealogy & share it too!
19 Dec 2006 GenSmarts: Artificial intelligence for family historians

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Upcoming podcast with FamilyTreeDNA

Upcoming podcast with FamilyTreeDNA

From: CEBeal@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
I have subscribed to your columns for many years and it was very negligent of me not to inform you that you were on the wrong track in one of your more recent editions of your column on DNA testing! I apologize because I took it for granted that you knew what a valuable tool genetics could be for genealogy research, please forgive me!

I was a pioneer in establishing a DNA project, I selected SOUNDEX B400 surnames as a group to be included in my project and was very early in using Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) as a provider of Y-DNA testing for the BEAL/BEALE/BEALS/BEALL/ BELL surnames. My web site at: http://hometown.aol.com/bealsurnamedna/whatsnew.html will provide you access
to a successful DNA PROJECT. Please visit the links derived from that web page.

-- Several articles of success in the use of DNA as a tool of genealogy research are at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bealldnaproject/news.html

-- Beall News Release Regarding Descent From Colonel Ninian BEALL of Maryland to Charles Lyman Beall, III, 12 June 2006
http://home.earthlink.net/~bealldna/ydna/beall/news.html

-- Roberta Hull's New Article on Ninian Beall
http://home.earthlink.net/~bealldna/ydna/beall/articles.html

-- New! The Beal 'One Name Study' has been added to the British based 'Guild of One Name Studies' website at www.one-name.org by Ann Beal Logan. The study includes surname variants of Beall/Beals/Bale

[DNA is] really an important adjunct to family genealogy research.

I want to thank you for the many years I have enjoyed your columns and more recently your broadcasts!
Chuck,
Charles E. Beal
BealsurnameDNA@aol.com
Project Coordinator/Manager for THE BEAL SURNAME DNA PROJECT
Family Genealogist, member of the National Genealogical Society, New England
Historic Genealogical Society, Old York Historical Society, Mayflower
Society, Beals Historical Society, Clan Bell International and the Beal
Family Association.

DearCHUCK,
YES, Ol' Myrt here IS learning new tricks. My original interest in DNA was to support the Brigham Young University research on the topic, but it involved such anonymity that there was no real feedback for participants. I've spent time on your website and found many interesting genealogical breakthroughs came about because of the DNA work your family organization
has completed. With your kind permission, I am quoting your work:

---------------------------------------------------------
WHY I STARTED THE BEAL SURNAME DNA PROJECT
By Charles E. Beal
---------------------------------------------------------
I had noticed a number of questions that were being asked about our
ancestors and no one could provide satisfactory answers.

-- There were individuals with the surname Beal, Beale, Beals, Beall and
Bell that had never traced their ancestors beyond a few generations. They
had no idea which lines were theirs.

-- Others had traced their ancestors for many generations, but still were
looking for the place of origin and the first ancestor that had started
their line.

As examples:
-- BEAL: My first ancestor William Beale, b. 1664, York, ME. He had
Zaccheus, Richard, Obadiah, William, Jr., Samuel, Simeon and Benjamin to
carry on the family name. Later 4 generations down, Jonathan, Jr., dropped
the "e" off and then the surname Beal carried down another 8 generations to
my great grandsons, Christopher and Stephen Beal.

-- I have cousins that were spun off from various generations who still
carry the surname Beal. They all ask who was the father of William Beal and
from where in England did he come?

-- Another line, now determined by Y-DNA testing to not to be related,
Arthur Beal, Edward, Mainwarring, Manwarren Beal, also of York, ME and
England has many descendants living in the Jonesport and Beals Island area.
I was very interested in proving or disproving a relationship with my line
and finding their origin. This line has the fabled strongman, Tall Barney of
Beals Island. You can find a News Release giving the details of the search
and the determination of NO relation by checking my What's New web page.

-- In Hingham, ME & England, John Beal, started his American line and other
lines of Beal existed at Portsmouth, ME; Boston, Marblehead, MA; York, VA;
PA, NH and the other colonies. John Beal's descent has now been identified
and a genetic signature established by Y-DNA testing!
They most often went by these surnames: Beal, Beale, Bale, Beel, Biehl,
Beals, or other variations of the surname.

-- A legend exists that the Beale, Beall and Beal families were "Border"
Scot Clans that raided into England during and after the 1100s. We even see
Beal villages remaining today in Northumberland and North Yorkshire,
England. Who established these villages?"

NOTE FROM MYRT: For more see:
http://hometown.aol.com/bealsurnamedna/whybealDNA.html
---------------------------------------------------------

So, DearCHUCK, my interview with Bennett Greenspan, of FamilyTreeDNA.com will be available later this week through my podcast: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com

As I see it now, the advantage of DNA testing is to narrow down through WHICH of the Beal/Bell lines one descends, and therefore benefit from:

-- coordinating documentary evidence research with proven cousins

-- avoid wasting time working the non-related Beal/Bell lines

Is Ol' Myrt thinking along the right track?

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Family History Minute podcast

Family History Minute podcast

DearREADERS,
Although the Lebanon, Pennsylvania newspaper today referred to podcasting as the "latest genealogy fad" I believe this form of sharing information is here to stay. Ol' Myrt thinks you'll like listing to a new kid on the block in this genre:

FAMILY HISTORY MINUTE: www.familyhistoryminute.com
Produced by: Brian Mickelson FHMfeedback@gmail.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Problem with a name

Problem with a name

From: Phyllis
DearMYRTLE,
I'm having a problem with the name of "Elisamer" Martin in my family
history. He was [probably] born in Vermont circa 1793, married Irene Ripley
in 1814 (from info handed down, not verified), moved to Ohio circa 1815, had
children James, Ann Eliza, Edward, Eunice, Rachel, William, Simeon, Sarah
Rebecca, George Washington. Irene Ripley has been easy to trace back to
William Bradford of Plymouth Colony.

These are the various spellings in census records:

-- Elisamer or Elisamor Martin, 1820, Washington Co, OH
-- Elisamer Marten, 1830, Union Co, OH
-- Elisha Martin, 1840, Springfield, Clark Co, OH
-- E. Martin, 1850, Dayton, Montgomery Co, OH

I've looked up Scottish names in Cyndislist.com, but no clue there. Does a
"mer" on the end of a name have a meaning? Someone suggested it was a
junior, but I haven't had any luck tracing a Elisa or Elisha in Vermont.

Later census records of his children have him born in Vermont, so I feel
certain that's where he was born.

He died in September, 1859, probably Piqua, Miami Co, OH. No luck in
verifying this, however I found the 1860 census with just Irene. I have
Ancestry.com. I think you mentioned a website with census records of those
who had died within a year of the census, or was it just wishful thinking?

Another problem - I haven't been able to find his parents. There were James
Martins in early census records in Vermont, but I have ruled them out
because of not having sons his age. James is not a name in the Ripley
family, so I feel it was probably Elisamer's father's name.

Three "cousins" and I have shared our information on this family, and we are
all stumped on the spelling of the name and not being able to trace the
Martins any further back.

DearPHYLLIS,
OK, OK, kiddo. Let's take a deep breath and see where this discussion takes
us.

FIRST, let's note that spelling variations are not all that serious.
Although we pick the most likely when entering an ancestor's name in our
genealogy management programs, we are careful to transcribe each supporting
source document with spelling, punctuation and grammar intact.

THE GIVEN NAME of surviving children MAY but do not always conform to a
naming pattern such as first male named after the paternal grandfather, and
second male after the maternal grandfather. An earlier child, who did not
survive, may have been named for a grandparent.

ScotlandPeople explains "Variations in forenames are very common in the
records. The name by which a person was born or christened, might look very
different when they married or died. For example, Elizabeth might be known
and/or recorded as Elisabeth, Eliza, Betty, Betsy, Beth, Bessie, Elspeth,
Elsie, to name but a few. Some of the influences brought to bear on Scottish
forenames are indicated [in the remainder of the article.] See:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=551&561

The SURNAME Martin doesn't "have to be" Scottish.

YES, there were "mortality schedules" enumerated 1850-1880 with the US
federal census. Each schedule's purpose was to list those who died during
the previous 12 months from the "census date" including name, age and cause
of death. Be careful: the census date for some years was in June. The
collection can be browsed (page by page) or searched by name at Ancestry.com

EXPAND the census search to include neighbors as well as other people in the
township. It is entirely likely your Martins came from the same places as
the neighbors. Vermont is one suggestion, but there are literally hundreds
of MARTIN households in the 1790 census for all of Vermont, so you'll need
to narrow it down by looking for clues in the known areas.

WHEN LOOKING AT SURVIVING DOCUMENTS about Martin to provide ancestral clues,
please note that VERY FEW are found online at this point in time. You've
mentioned using the online census records at Ancestry.com.

Ol' Myrt recommends using the Family History Library catalog online at:
http://www.familysearch.org to find appropriate microfilms of original
records to order and view at your local Family History Center. If you wish
to locate a center near you, you'll also find that at FamilySearch.org. On
microfilm, you'll be planning to:

1. Search each of the known locations for Elishmer's probate file. Most
certainly he owed someone money, even if he died intestate (without a will.)
Perhaps there is a mention of siblings back in Vermont.

2. Look at church records in the area for the christening records of the
known children. Perhaps the grandparents were mentioned or acted as
sponsors.

Perhaps in book format, or online at www.USGenWeb.org find out about county
histories which might explain where people came from that settled your
ancestor's part of Ohio. Most of these books were lengthy, over-sized
volumes, published between 1880-1910, and usually refer to even the
pre-Revolutionary War time period. People often paid money to have their
photo and bio inserted. Unfortunately most do not have an every name index,
unless a benevolent genealogical or historical society decided to undertake
the huge task.

4. There is a system of regional archives in Ohio. Find out about this and
other resources such as the microfilm collection of 48,000 rolls of Ohio
newspapers at: http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/statearc/

5. Print out and study the OHIO RESEARCH OUTLINE developed by experts at the
Family History Library. This and other helpful guides are available at:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Citing family bibles

DearREADERS,
Noted genealogy author & speaker Elizabeth Shown Mill's EVIDENCE! CITATION & ANALYSIS FOR FAMILY HISTORIANS explains that the primary citation in footnotes or endnotes for a family bible should follow this format:

1. Family data. Charles Bertrand Family Bible, LA SAINTE BIBLE, new edition (Paris: Pourrat Freres, 1838); original owned in 1996 by Gary B. Mills(1732 Ridgedale Drive, Tucaloosa, AL 35406). The Bertrand Family Bible passed from Charles to his daughter Henritte (Bertrand) Charlesville, to her daughter Minerva (Charleville) Mills, to her grandson, Gary B. Mills.

HERE'S THE TEST:
-- Can you explain how this detailed primary citation would prove useful to researchers?

-- WITHOUT PEEKING on p64 IBID, can you provide a bibliographic citation for the family bible?

-- What has Ol' Myrt neglected to provide in this brief article?

The FIRST THREE CORRECT ANSWERS posted on my blog will receive a free copy of my INTERNET GENEALOGY "little book." My blog is located at: http://dearmyrtle.blogspot.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Barbara Dodson Walker named UGA Fellow

ACROSS MY DESK: Barbara Dodson Walker named UGA Fellow

NOTE: The following is just in from Tom Kemp, from the Utah Genealogical
Association. All inquiries should be addressed to him at:
thomas.j.kemp@gmail.com

UGA Names Barbara Dodson Walker a Fellow

Barbara Dodson Walker, President Emerita of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society has been named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. Carol Smith, UGA President made the announcement at the AAHGS sharing banquet during their annual conference in Salt Lake City Oct 27th.

Thomas Jay Kemp, member of the UGA Board of Directors and long time friend of Barbara Walker flew out from Connecticut to present the award. The citation he read said in part:

It was once written by Stephen Grellett (1773-1855), "I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show ., let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

We of the Utah Genealogical Association have such an opportunity with the Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society holding its annual conference here in Salt Lake City. We of the UGA do not want to miss this opportunity to honor one of the nation's most loved and respected genealogists.

Our honoree tonight is an expert in the study and recording of African American life and history, She was born in Washington , D.C. and grew up in the Georgetown area. She earned a B.S. in elementary education at Miner Teachers College in 1951, and an M.Ed. in 1972 from Federal City College. She pursued additional graduate work at Purdue University and the University of the District of Columbia. During her thirty-two year career in education (1951-1983) she served in the D.C. Public Schools

Our honoree is a charter and life member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. She currently holds the title of President Emerita. She has served also on the boards of Georgetown Heritage Trust, where she coordinated the documentation of the homes in the historic district of Georgetown; multiple terms on Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies; and she has just completed serving the Association for the Study of African American Life and History as its treasurer for the past six years.

Our honoree is the wife of the late James Dent Walker who was well known as a leading genealogist for his work at the National Archives. In 1969 he was a speaker at the First World Conference on Records held here in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a Fellow of the National Genealogical Society and following his death in 1993 he was inducted into the National Genealogical Society's Hall of Fame in 1999.

It is therefore a distinct honor that tonight we honor Barbara Dodson Walker, President Emerita of the Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society for her life's work and dedication to genealogy and that I do hereby name Barbara Dodson Walker a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association.

NOTE: For more info about UGA, see: http://www.infouga.org/site

Re: Taylors & DNA testing

RE: Taylors & DNA Testing

DearREADERS,
Ol' Myrt here just finished recording an interview with Bennett Greenspan about using DNA to solve genealogical brick walls. I finally get it! I had previously discouraged a TAYLOR researcher from thinking of DNA as the answer to her genealogical "brick wall". See my column last week titled DNA & Finding the parents http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/1025.htm

Now Ol' Myrt understands how participating in a DNA surname project can narrow down your search, and put you in touch with the TAYLORS whose male lines share common DNA markers. That would literally save you hundreds of hours barking up the wrong TAYLOR family tree.

I know you'll enjoy next week's DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR podcast, which will include the Greenspan DNA interview. I'll let you know as soon as the podcast is released.

NOTE: Recent email from FamilyTreeDNA included a supportive response from a surname group participant. The names have been changed to maintain the person's privacy:

"I talked with you there on three occasions about Y-DNA testing. Since that time I've had myself tested and got two friends to test for their own genealogy. I want to tell you that I am most pleased with FTDNA and the Scarlet Family Project. For a long time I had lingering doubts about my genealogy resulting from an apparently well-written 1952 book that said of my grandfather's grandfather's family, "sons died," even though all the genealogical evidence disputed that statement. FTDNA has confirmed my genealogy back to Louis Starlet/Scarlet (1778-1848) with 25/25 markers through a distant cousin, most of whose line was curiously omitted from a diary written by Louis' son Robert. With the results from other Scarlet
cousins, one marker off, we now have evidence supporting our Scarlet genealogy even further back. I have found my whole experience with Y-DNA testing through FTDNA really worthwhile and fascinating. Thank you!"

If you'd like to know more about participating in a DNA surname project,
visit Greenspan's website: http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Welsh circa 300-1500AD ancestry going online

Welsh circa 300-1500AD ancestry going online

From the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6106074.stm

"Anyone who thinks they may be descended from big names in Welsh history will be able to go online to use a genealogy project begun almost 80 years ago. The Welsh database from 300-1500AD is based on 26 volumes by Peter Bartrum, aged 99, who started it in 1929. Family historians may be able to shed light on links to the likes of Llywelyn the Great or Owain Glyndwr.

Aberystwyth University is putting them online - but it will take three years to transfer to a computerised system. However, once completed people will be able to trace an ancestral line by searching a name online.

"Anyone who can trace their ancestry back to the 16th Century should be able to go back much further thanks to Dr Bartrum's work" said Prof Gruffydd Aled Williams.

Mr Bartrum, who is from London and has no family ties with Wales, handed his work over to the university recently. [...]"

Oklahoma Centennial Project(s)

From: Labeth Myers
DearMYRTLE,
I love getting your emails and have learned a lot from you. I feel especially fond of you because you are from the general area of some of my husband's family: The George W Pendarvis family, including his great aunt, Louisa Pendarvis, who lived in Bradenton. I was delighted to find this article in The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, Sunday, Feb.12, 2006. I wish I was in good health so I could help with this project. I knew you would love to read this, too.

DearLABETH,
THANK-you for scanning the article titled BURIED MEMORIES by staff writer Ann DeFrange, which is now in the "pay-per-view" area of the newspaper's website. The article mentions 77 book "Oklahoma Centennial Project" each one an index to county cemeteries. If you'd like to learn more about publications in this project see: http://www.oklahomacentennial.com/Publications.php?Category=14

It is there that I discovered the upcoming Oklahoma Land Tract Book Index to overcome the problem of land records filed only by land description. Once completed, you can search by name of purchaser. That's a LOT easier.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

ACROSS MY DESK: RootsMagic, Inc. Releases Family Atlas Genealogy Mapping and Publishing Software

ACROSS MY DESK: RootsMagic, Inc. Releases Family Atlas Genealogy Mapping and
Publishing Software

New software makes creating family maps fun and easy

SPRINGVILLE, Utah, October 31, 2006 - RootsMagic, Inc., a leader in family
history software, today announced the release of Family Atlas, a new Windows
software program that lets users create custom family maps based on their
own genealogy data.

For years family history enthusiasts have had to create maps by hand, but
now Family Atlas makes that a thing of the past. Family Atlas users view
their family information on an interactive world map (either spherical or
flat), and can zoom in or out to see additional detail like state and county
boundaries.

Family Atlas directly imports data from popular genealogy software including
RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, PAF, Legacy and GEDCOM. Places are
automatically geo-coded by matching them against the 3.5 million name world
place database included with Family Atlas.

Sites of important family events are easily pinpointed by adding custom
markers automatically tied to the genealogy data. Markers can be based on
specific people and events, or on your entire family tree, making it easy to
see migrations and clusters in family data. Markers can also be added by
hand, making possible historical marker sets like "Civil War Battles" and
personal marker sets like "Our Family Vacations". Both hand-entered and
data-based markers can easily be combined on the same map.

Publishing beautiful maps is a breeze with Family Atlas. Users can enhance
their maps with text, migration lines, text bubbles, photographs and other
objects. Users can save or print their maps, or export them to PDF or a
number of popular graphics formats to be used in reports, books, or
websites.

"Family Atlas allows you to explore and publish your family history in a way
never before possible," explains Bruce Buzbee, president of RootsMagic, Inc.
"I'm amazed at the discoveries I've personally made by mapping my own
genealogy."

Other features in Family Atlas include the interactive Gazetteer, which
helps locate almost any place in the world, and the "Nearby Places List"
which finds all places and events within a given distance of any point.

Pricing and Availability
Family Atlas is available now in select retail stores at a list price of
$29.95. Family Atlas is also available direct through www.FamilyAtlas.com ,
or by calling 800-766-8762.

# # #

About RootsMagic, Inc.
Founded in 1986, RootsMagic, Inc. is a publisher of family oriented
software, with headquarters in Springville, Utah. RootsMagic's product line
includes its flagship genealogy software RootsMagic, Personal Historian,
Family Atlas, Family Reunion Organizer, and Daily Journal which is sold
under the Broderbund label. In addition, RootsMagic, Inc. also hosts
Family-Reunion.com, the world's most popular family reunion planning
website. Additional information on RootsMagic, Inc. can be found at
www.rootsmagic.com.

Contact:
Bruce Buzbee
801-489-3102
bruce@rootsmagic.com

Naturalization, women & New York

Naturalization, women & New York

From: Kate
DearMYRTLE,
I saw your latest post today and I have been trying to find more info on my father-in-law's great Grandmother, Clara ERICKSEN. I haven't been able to find her on any passenger lists or at Castle Garden. On the census records we have found for her she either came over in 1882, or 1884, and she was naturalized in 1887, again according to the census records. I haven't been able to find anything on her, other than her death record, and her appearance on the census records. 1900-1930. We haven't seen her death certificate yet, even though I keep asking my in-laws to order it.

Anyway, my biggest question is, could she have come to the US as Clara ERICKSDOTTIR and changed her name to ERICKSEN? Ericksen is the name on her son's birth certificate. And if she married in 1887, would that make her naturalization go through any faster?

Obviously, she isn't on an 1880 census and the 1890 census records are gone. I haven't been able to find her on the 1890 directories or the New York Police Census for 1890. - Thanks for any suggestions.

DearKATE,
Clara may indeed have chosen to change Ericksdottir to the more generic Ericksen. Alternately, a passenger arrival record may have merely included her with her brothers, and assumed her last name was the same as theirs.

With regards to naturalization, it is entirely possible that hers was processed with her husband's automatically. I'd check into a summary of the naturalization laws in Christina Schaefer's Guide to Naturalization Records in the United States. If your local public library doesn't have a copy,
consider purchasing the book through the publisher http://www.genealogical.com Format: Hardcover; Size: 6 x 9; Pages: 439 pp; Published: 1997; Reprinted: 2004; ISBN: 0806315326. From the publisher we read:

"State by state, county by county, city by city, the Guide to Naturalization Records identifies all repositories of naturalization records, systematically indicating the types of records held, their dates of coverage, and the location of original and microfilm records. The Guide also pinpoints the whereabouts of federal court records in all National Archives facilities. But perhaps the most unique feature of the Guide to Naturalization Records is that it identifies every single piece of information on naturalizations that is available on microfilm through the National Archives or the Family History Library System, including the call numbers used by each institution. Records that are available on microfilm through other facilities have also been included."

Ol' Myrt here reviewed pages 355-429 from the 2006 edition of The SOURCE: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. This chapter on Immigration Records was written by Loretto Dennis Szucs, FUGA; Kory L. Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA; and Marian Smith, Historian with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, formerly the INS. Pages 400-401 describe women's rights with regards to naturalization. Simplistically, from 10 Feb 1855 until 22 Sept 1922, women
and children "automatically became derivative US citizens when the husband or father naturalized or upon the woman's marriage to the citizen husband."

Note The Source can be ordered through the publisher, http://www.Ancestry.com.

---------------------------------------------------------
OTHER RESOURCES for New York genealogical studies include:
---------------------------------------------------------
-- Family History Library's New York Research Outline
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Aid=&Gid=&Lid=&Sid=&Did=&Juris1=&Event=&Year=&Gloss=&Sub=&Tab=&Entry=&Guide=New_York.ASP

It is in this online publication that I discovered there are indeed STATE CENSUS RECORDS for New York: "State censuses have survived for some counties for 1825, 1835, 1845, and 1855 and for most counties for 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, and 1925. Most censuses are in the possession of county clerks and are on microfilm at the Family History Library. There are few indexes, but some 1855 schedules are being indexed. The state archives has a name index to the 1925 census schedules for Albany County. Indexes for the 1892 census have been transferred to the Albany County Hall of Records, 250 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207." Ol' Myrt checked the Family History Library Catalog online at http://www.familysearch.org and found that these are available on microfilm through your local LDS Family History Center.

-- Guzik, Estelle M. Genealogical resources in New York. http://www.jewishgen.org Your ancestor didn't have to be Jewish for you to benefit from Guzik's book of ideas for research

-- Mailing Lists (for the surname) http://www.rootsweb.com

-- Message boards (for surname and locality) http://www.rootsweb.com

-- USGenWeb (particularly New York) http://www.usgenweb.com

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

________________________________

Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=42297/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailb
eta>

ACROSS MY DESK: Newspapers added in October 2006

NOTE: This is just in from Thomas Jay Kemp, from: http://www.GenealogyBank.com . All inquiries should be addressed to him at: info@genealogybank.com

KEY:
State Title Dates Collection

AK Peninsula Clarion 8/18/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
CA Evening News 7/1/1914 to 12/30/1916 Historical Newspapers
CA San Jose Mercury News 5/1/1902 to 12/31/1916 Historical Newspapers
DC Catholic Standard 5/9/2002 to Current America's Obituaries
GA Athen's Banner 8/10/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
GA Columbus Daily Enquirer 12/20/1892 to 5/20/1893 Historical Newspapers
GA Georgia Weekly Telegraph 1/30/1880 to 7/8/1881 Historical Newspapers
GA Macon Weekly Telegraph 1/2/1883 to 12/31/1900 Historical Newspapers
IL News-Star 11/16/2005 to Current America's Obituaries
IN Fort Wayne News Sentinel 1/1/1918 to 11/25/1920 Historical Newspapers
KS Southwest Daily Times 8/18/2000 to Current America's Obituaries
KY Lexington Herald-Leader 5/1/1906 to 12/31/1907 Historical Newspapers
KY Morning Herald 11/1/1905 to 12/31/1905 Historical Newspapers
MA Dorchester Star 7/28/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
MD Bay Times 8/2/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
MD Record Observer 8/4/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
MD Times Record 8/9/2006 to Current America's Obituaries
MI Lake Superior News 7/4/1878 to 1/27/1881 Historical Newspapers
MI Lake Superior Review and Weekly Tribune 1/6/1876 to 2/10/1889 Historical Newspapers
NC Charlotte Observer 10/1/1913 to 12/31/1922 Historical Newspapers
NC Charlotte Observer 3/13/1892 to 12/31/1900 Historical Newspapers
NE York News Times 3/8/2000 to Current America's Obituaries
NM Carlsbad Current Argus 1/28/2005 to Current America's Obituaries
NY Observer Dispatch 12/21/2002 to Current America's Obituaries
PA Philadelphia Inquirer 10/31/1902 to 9/30/1908 Historical Newspapers
PA Philadelphia Inquirer 7/1/1892 to 8/31/1899 Historical Newspapers
SC State 1/23/1905 to 12/31/1922 Historical Newspapers
SC State 12/1/1899 to 5/15/1900 Historical Newspapers
SD Aberdeen Daily News 2/13/1885 to 5/12/1894 Historical Newspapers
SD Grand Forks Herald 11/13/1906 to 6/29/1910 Historical Newspapers
TN Daily Journal and Journal and Tribune 1/1/1895 to 4/30/1895 Historical Newspapers

READERS' FEEDBACK: 30 October 2006

READERS' FEEDBACK: 30 October 2006

-- External hard drives for backup
-- Converting VHS tapes to DVD
-- .pdf conversions
-- DNA & finding the parents
-- African American website
-- Paper copies

---------------------------------------------------------
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES FOR BACKUP
From: Tom
Re:
DearMYRTLE,
I also like that idea of using external hard drives with USB connections.
Since the price has come down I have purchased two external hard drives with
250 gigabytes of capacity and taking some good advice will dedicate one of
them to be only used to back up my files and not used for any other reason.
This should lengthen the life of the hard drives as daily use can subject
them to failure. For some programs I'm using flash drives with USB
connections.

---------------------------------------------------------
CONVERTING VHS TAPES TO DVD
From: NHBigRed@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
In issue 19 you mentioned saving your Dad's VHS tapes to DVDs to preserve
them. Good idea but don't throw away those tapes as you can make another
DVD copy if the first copy goes bad for some reason. The DVDs are not as
permanent as we might think. We have mentioned all the reasons that they go
bad and what we have to do before so will not go into that again. And for
those who use anything but a VHS tape to DVD machine - when you get done
copying the tapes be sure and *FINALIZE* the DVD as it will be useless on
another DVD player if that is not done. We learn the hard way sometimes.
Seems like it is harder to do than taping was.

---------------------------------------------------------
.PDF CONVERSIONS
From: Sharon Gorohoff
DearMYRTLE,
Just a note regarding the question you answered from Bernard Frink regarding
converting PDF files. I purchased a program by ScanSoft called "PDF
Converter" over a year ago (version 3.. They now have version 4) which will
take a saved PDF file and convert it to Microsoft Office documents, (which
are then editable!) This program can view, edit & create custom PDF
documents, if needed, and is compatible with (but does not require) Adobe
Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Reader. The new version (4) is sold at CompUSA
(among other stores which carry software) for about $50.00. Check it out to
see if it might be useful, I don't use all of the features, but I have used
it to print and edit my "book" created with FamilyTreeMaker, and find that
it worked well for me.

---------------------------------------------------------
DNA & FINDING THE PARENTS
From: Max Blankfeld [mailto:max@familytreedna.com]
DearMYRTLE,
I read today about "DNA and finding the parents" in your web site.

Family Tree DNA is the largest company in the world for genetic genealogy
purposes. Because of that, we also have by far the largest databases that
allow people that have tested to find matches. We have over 115,000 records
in our databases, which is 3 times as much as the other labs combined. For
example, in your column the person is saying "I have hit a brick wall
searching for my husband's grandfather, William James TAYLOR". Our database
has 241 Taylor that have tested with us and we also have a surname project
for the Taylor family, which tries to do exactly what this person is looking
for: go beyond the brick wall.

I would love if you could post this information in your page. By the way, we
are the DNA testing company that Ancestry.com is affiliated with, and we
also do the tests for the public participation of the National Geographic's
Genographic Project.
Here's our latest press-release:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-12
-2006/0004450409&EDATE=

Max Blankfeld
http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com
"History Unearthed Daily"
max@familytreedna.com
713-868-1438

NOTE FROM MYRT: I've continued to write back and forth with Max. Ol' Myrt is
recording an interview with FamilyTreeDNA founder Bennett Greenspan later
this week for release in next week's DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR
podcast. Should be interesting.

---------------------------------------------------------
AFRICAN AMERICAN WEBSITE
From: Margmcdo@aol.com
Re: LDS Church launches African American Resource Site
DearMYRTLE,
Your email on African American Resources came at the right time. However,
the first <web> address you listed tells me that the page is not there. The
one at the bottom of the page is fine and I have copied it. However, the
family I am working on starts much before the Civil War, 1816/1817. Do you
have any suggestions?

NOTE FROM MYRT: Some of the most well-regarded experts in African American
Research spoke at the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society's
recent conference. As the FamilySearch.org web page explains, the
audio/video copies of their presentations will be available at their new
African American Resources page:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp?page=home/welcome/site_resources
.asp

---------------------------------------------------------
PAPER COPIES
From: CJK1043@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
There is nothing like old-fashioned paper records keep in notebooks. Put
them in [archivally safe] plastic sleeves. Of course, the side effect is we
get buried in paper. <smile>

---------------------------------------------------------
Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Coordinating genealogy research tasks

Coordinating genealogy research tasks

DearREADERS,
Ol' Myrt has had on her genealogy "thinking cap" lately. I know it's a
shock, but I've come up with a good alternative to email. While this program
was originally designed to coordinate efforts in the workplace, such a tool
would help genealogists who need help:

-- coordinating research tasks
-- setting deadline goals
-- providing opportunity for feedback
-- receiving and distributing automatic reminders of upcoming deadlines
-- allowing visual report of % of task finished
-- planning a research trip to Salt Lake City with seven other participants
-- preparing for that upcoming wedding

Set your browser to http://iTeamwork.com and check it out.

From the site: "iTeamwork.com is a free, online, web-based team project
management application that you use with your web browser.
The methodology, implementation and interface are kept simple to insure that
the focus is on managing projects rather than learning a new system."

PC Magazine highly recommends this website: "Among the more than one-hundred
Web-based project management applications available, most have far more
features (read: are far more complex) than what's requested. iTeamwork
(free) is one of the more bare-bones project management programs and should
work well for this reader's application.

Getting started with iTeamwork couldn't be easier. You go to
www.iteamwork.com and sign up as a project member. A minimal amount of
personal information is required (name, e-mail address), and it's protected
by a clear privacy policy.

The first step after signing on is to create a project. This requires little
more than a name for the project and a target completion date. There are no
limits on the number of projects, tasks, or project members. Once a project
is entered, members can add tasks, which may include notes for description.
During the course of the project, tasks can be marked for percentage of
completion and modified or deleted as needed." See:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1164431,00.asp

This would be just the site to help:
-- coordinate genealogical research among distant cousins
-- prepare for your society's annual genealogy seminar
-- keep track of the progress of your by-laws rewrite committee
-- facilitate an Eagle Scout project to clean up the local cemetery
-- process the tasks for completing your society's new website

FOR FURTHER READING:
-- iTeamwork.com's Overview - http://www.iteamwork.com/cgi-bin/cgii/tw.page/overview.html where you will find topics including:
Add Project
Add Task
Adding Notes
Percentage Complete
Complete a Task
Reassign a Task
Changing Dates
Converting a Task to a Project
Manage Team Members
Delete a Project
Delete a Task
View Task Summary
View Open Tasks
View Assigned Tasks
Reminders
Daily E-mails

Members of your team sign-in to the website from any computer with internet
access. Each participant has a unique user name and password, and is allowed
access to the tasks you specify as the moderator. If there is a change in
leadership, reviewing all past communications and assignments is a SNAP,
since the data is stored online, and ISN'T BURIED IN SOMEONE'S OLD EMAIL
BOX, on a computer with a dead hard drive.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Swedish websites and when will the DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR return?

Swedish websites and when will the DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR return?

From: Anna-Karin Schander
DearMYRTLE,
First I would like to tell you how much I enjoy your podcast and columns. For me a Swede it was especially enjoyable to hear the last Family History hour June 20 were you spoke about Genline and their Swedish church records online. They are however not the only site offering church records online SVAR (Swedish Archival information in Ramsele) is a branch and a company founded by a branch of the Swedish National Archive (Riksarkivet) they have microfilmed Swedish church records and other archival material on microfische and in later year as scanned images on the internet. They have some material that Genline do not have (and also the other way around) so they both overlap each other I subscribe to both. They also have the searchable version of the Swedish census 1890 and 1900. Their website are at www.svar.ra.se

If you click the little English flag to the left on the screen you will get to a English language version of the site.

I also wonder when the next Family History Hour will be available as podcast. I enjoy the columns but it is still not the same as the Family History Hours with its interviews. I also hope you will tell something about searching for people who immigrated to the USA from Europe from the perspective of us European listeners who has relatives who immigrated to USA and want to search after them.

In my hometown Växjö in the province of småland we have a Museum and Archive about Swedish Immigration to USA, the Swedish Immigrant Institute www.swemi.se

Bye from
Anna-Karin Schander
Vaxjo
Sweden
e-mail: a-kschander2@netatonce.net
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~annakarin/annakarinscandersfamilyweb/annakarinschandersfamilywebsiteindex2.html

DearANNA-KARIN,
How's your English? My Swedish is terrible.

As a result of your email, I have written to Svar.re.se to ask if there is a representative who is available for an interview in an upcoming DearMYRTLE's FAMILY HISTORY HOUR podcast. I hope to schedule guests within the month.

Your website is cool. I particularly like the picture of your maternal grandmother Jenny Elise Strinnholms.

It may interest you to know that Bruce Buzbee, the developer of RootsMagic was at two of the genealogy conferences I attended in October. In fact, at both conferences, I demonstrated how to use the RootsMagic SHARE CD WIZARD to create a read-only version of my RootsMagic database, complete with all pictures and scanned images of documents attached to each ancestor. He will be delighted to hear that you've found his program useful. In fact, let me send a copy of this email to him.

On the topic of tracing relatives who emigrated from Sweden to the US, we need to keep talking. Usually we here in the US talk about ANCESTORS, but many breakthroughs come from COUSINS. We do have some Swedish research experts, who mostly explain to Americans about the Swedish records. I'll try to arrange an interview with one to talk about the migration patterns among Swedes who entered the US. I am only personally familiar with the very early group that settled on the Delaware River, in the 1600s, long before the US was established. It is a challenge with the US being so large, to know about every migration pattern. I think with your input, I should study this subject for the next while. THANKS, kiddo, for the assignment!

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

New DearMYRTLE podcast released today

New DearMYRTLE podcast released today

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
Sure hope you are having a great week. I've just completed and uploaded a
new podcast.

Go to: www.DearMYRTLE.com and click LISTEN ~ or ~ go directly to the new
podcast area at: http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com

NOTE: There are several EASY ways to listen:

1. Go to http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com and click the GREEN ARROW to play a
podcast.

~ or ~

2. Go to http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com and click "download" to place the
file to play on your computer, iPod or .mp3 player.

ADVANCED USER WILL WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED FOR DearMYRTLE's
PODCASTS: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/rss2.aspx

Remember this is NOT a webpage, it is the RSS code to insert into your
podcast software. (Yes, it is working through iTUNES, I just downloaded it
myself.)

Looks like Ol' Myrt is back in the game.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

DearMYRTLE's Podcasts

DearMYRTLE's Podcasts

From: lpc1530@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
I've missed your podcasts for some time now. I hope your family is doing OK since I know you have had some problems. I do read your blog using SharpReader. Are you planning any podcasts in the near future? I'll be sure and listen to them when they become available.

DearAVID LISTENER,
OK, I've devoted much time to moving the location of Ol' Myrt's podcast files. In working with the DearMYRTLE FAMILY HISTORY HOUR podcasts created during the last year, I simply can't believe the variety interviews with genealogy experts on a broad range of topics.

I am proud to release a new section of Ol' Myrt's website:
http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com

TWO EASY WAYS TO LISTEN:

1. Go to http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com and click the GREEN ARROW to play a
podcast.

~ or ~

2. Go to http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com and click "download" to place the
file to play on your computer, iPod or .mp3 player.

ADVANCED USER WILL WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED FOR DearMYRTLE's
PODCASTS: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/rss2.aspx

In the mean time, many visually impaired researchers have begged me to place my columns in podcast format. You'll notice some of my columns have already been done in this format. Be sure to let me know if you have suggestions for topics to be discussed during my podcasts.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Parent Search in IGI

Parent Search in IGI

DearREADERS,
The IGI is the International Genealogical Index available for decades at the Family History Library, and its local Family History Centers on microfiche, then on CD-ROM, and most recently online at FamilySearch.org. There was a nifty function on the older CD version called the parent search. This is an important function since the IGI is not pedigree/family based but EVENT BASED. In a christening record entry in the IGI, it will list the child's name and the parent's names, but would not include anything about other children with the same parents. See how this becomes a problem for one researcher, who made a posting this morning on the PAF-5 genealogy mailing list at Yahoo:

---------------------------------------------------------
> With the present 'Windows version' (after year 2000) of Family
>Search...there is no 'Parent Search' function. The only thing I can do is
>order the Parish Register microfilms from Salt Lake, and search out the
>children the hard way. Then after finding the children's names, go to
>the IGI and get the Temple ordinance data. Seems awful lame?
>

>Is there a reason 'Parent Search' function was not included in present
>version of Family Search?

---------------------------------------------------------
This researcher had to be referring to the FamilySearch CD collection. Note
the reply from another researcher:

From: Dana Repouille
The search at www.familysearch.org does indeed have a parent search function. Click the Search tab at the top of the screen, enter the names of the father and mother, and click the Search button down below. This will return all the children of these parents in all available resources.

-----
I would like to qualify Dana's term "all the children of these parents."

Such a name search will return all instances where a child is listed as having parents whose names match the search criteria. There could be multiple sets of parents correctly named "John Weiser and Mary." My recent search returned 156 possible children, born from roughly 1751 through 1880 in Pennsylvania, Illinois, England, Germany and Austria.

Even after narrowing the search by date and locality, we might continue to note overlapping families in the IGI parent search at FamilySearch.org. Most of us have lamented over the occurrence of two families in the same locality, where the parents appear to have the same name.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Where have the PA Archives gone?

Where have the PA Archives gone?

DearREADERS,
One of DearMYRTLE's "Little Books" is titled "Accessing the Published
Pennsylvania Archives Online," referring to the online scanned images at
iarchives.com. These have been MOVED.

The new location (also available always for free) is http://www.footnote.com

If you go there today, you'll see that the complete set isn't yet available.
Right now you can search, browse and print pages from Series 1, 8, 9 & the
Colonial Records of the Pennsylvania Archives, including:
-- Early Settlements (1664-1780)
-- Revolutionary War (1775-1789)
-- Whiskey Rebellion (1806-1810)
-- More Pennsylvania history (1664-1880)

For updates on this collection and other historical collections please visit
Footnote.com's blog:
http://blog.footnote.com/

The published Pennsylvania Archives books are essential for documenting 17th
century ancestors and to work through your documentation on a DAR or SAR
application. (DAR= National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
SAR= Sons of the American Revolution.) These books began to be published in
1820 by Pennsylvania's Secretary of State who felt compelled to reference
the original loose papers of his government dating back to the provincial
time period and including early statehood. Since many of the original
documents have not survived, the published Pennsylvania Archives books are
considered acceptable proof for various lineage applications. (Yes, I know
this is secondary info.)

As more improved-quality images of the pages from the Pennsylvania Archives
become available online, Ol' Myrt will let you know. Eventually I'll write a
new version of the "Little Book."

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Why PAF isn't being updated

Why PAF isn't being updated

DearREADERS,
There has been much discussion on the PAF-5 genealogy mailing list at Yahoo
among users wishing that PAF (Personal Ancestral File) would be updated to
include options available in other genealogy database programs.

This was my response:

---------------------------------------------------------
TO: PAF5-USERS@yahoogroups.com
FROM: Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
Subject: RE: [PAF5-Yahoo!] PAF Upgrades Wanted

LDS Church Historian, Elder Marlin K. Jensen, also in charge of Family History, gave the keynote address at the October 6-7 2006 Northern Utah Family History Conference and Symposium sponsored by MyAncestorsFound.com. In the old days, PAF was the thing. He explained that when the LDS Church looked at all the genealogy things that could be done, it was decided to concentrate on the items they could do uniquely well (i.e.. digitizing microfilm & developing the new FamilySearch.) He said that there were a number of commercial genealogy entities that were doing a fine job, and that it was the Church's challenge to learn to become good neighbors with these other entities.

He spoke of the new FamilySearch [website] as needing to be easy enough for "a little old lady wearing tennis shoes in Blackfoot Idaho" to use.
---------------------------------------------------------

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

LDS Church launches African American Resource Site

ACROSS MY DESK: LDS Church launches African American Resource Site

From LDS News: October 27, 2006
CHURCH LAUNCHES AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESOURCES WEB PAGE See
http://www.lds.org/newsroom/showrelease/0,15503,3881-1-24233,00.html

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
launched a new Web page that will make doing African American genealogy
research easier. The announcement came during the Afro-American Historical
and Genealogical Society's 28th annual conference, which is being held in
Salt Lake City. The African American Resources page on FamilySearch.org will
provide links to valuable African American genealogical sources.

FROM THE SITE WE NOTE:
The new Web page will also have digital downloads of keynote speakers and
certain classes from this year's AAHGS conference.

In 2001, the Church released the Freedman's Bank Records - documents that
contained information regarding several generations of African Americans
immediately following the U.S. Civil War - on CD. The CD contains indexes
which make the documents searchable.
See:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp?page=home/welcome/site_resources.asp

READERS' FEEDBACK: 27 October 2006

READERS' FEEDBACK: 27 October 2006

-- Disk life
-- Japanners
-- Disk compatibility
-- British parish site
-- Making copies of documents
-- Re: Family traditions

---------------------------------------------------------
DISK LIFE
From: nhbigred@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
I read a thing in your latest column about disk life. I think we had better
prepare to rerecord those disks every 5 years as Dick Eastman recommends.
Whatever the medium used it will be obsolete in a few years. How many 8"
computer drives are out there? For that matter how many 5" drives are still
out
there. The last two computer I have bought have no 5" drives. Then there is
software to worry about. I have a bunch of disks that I recorded with
software that no longer is out there. Most software is backwards compatible
but not this new software so those disks are no longer of any value. I
suppose I could find someone who could rescue these disks but I'm sure I
could not afford to do so. We must face up to the fact that the technology
is changing so fast we may have to run pretty fast to keep up with it.

PS. I'm 90 years old so I have seen a lot of technology changes in my
lifetime

---------------------------------------------------------
JAPANNERS
From: Robert Loomes MBHI info@clockrepairer.co.uk
DearMYRTLE,
Japanners were painters & varnishers, not just of furniture, but also
metalware to make it look like enamel. Also (hence my own interest) clock
dial painters (at least twixt about 1770 and 1830) Best wishes & see our
company website www.dialrestorer.co.uk if you're interested in more.

---------------------------------------------------------
DISK COMPATIBILITY
From: floyd martin

DearMYRTLE,
In reference to an earlier reply from a reader about MAM-A DVD gold
archival discs being not usable in most computers, I was looking just the
other day on their site and they have just now released info that the DVD+Rs
are available as well as the previously mentioned DVD-Rs which were not
compatible. I haven't tried them. Thought you may wish to check it out. I
just burned a lot of the CD gold archival and would have used DVDs but -R
was all that was available when I ordered.

NOTE FROM MYRT: How about an external hard drive, with USB connection?

---------------------------------------------------------
BRITISH PARISH SITE
From: CarasRam@aol.com

Re: Locating all by a surname in a certain parish
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0922.htm

DearMYRTLE,
Thank you for [article about] the Hugh Wallis site. I have been cleaning up
my family file with the REAL DEAL extracted dates. I love your helpful
emails.

---------------------------------------------------------
MAKING COPIES OF DOCUMENTS
From: Margaret LaGue-Hobler
Re: making copies rather than transcribing on the spot
DearMYRTLE,
My research is done at the Allen County Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana,
considered the 2nd best genealogical library (after the Mormons). They have
excellent records for the French-Canadians, I make hard copies of
everything. Usually a day's research takes 6-weeks to record, and I couldn't
accomplish much if I recorded at the library. The good part is I have a hard
copy to refer to: I have made errors in recording, and can recheck if
necessary. I am researching ALL my ancestors, because the information is
available. Sometimes later I find other information on the same page. I
wouldn't want to give up my hard copies!

---------------------------------------------------------
RE: FAMILY TRADITIONS
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0309.htm

From: Barbara A. H.
DearMYRTLE
The entire article was beautiful and I enjoyed reading it as I do all your
postings to the DearMYRTLE RootsWeb listserv. And you are so right when you
said: "Ol' Myrt is thankful she could take this journey to support her young
grandson in 2006 not 1906, 1806 or 1706. Now, I cannot begin to imagine what
life will be for our great-great-grandchildren, but I do know someone
[probably one of yours] will someday write: "I am thankful I could take this
journey to support my young grandson in 2106 not 2006, when it took them two
days to travel from Salt Lake City to Phoenix in a vehicle that had rubber
tires, heated leather seats and burned fossil fuel, not to mention that
their only means of communication was a cell phone and that they had to
carry a plastic card to pay for the provisions. "

I agree with you, life was hard for our ancestors, but I VENTURE TO SAY they
did not feel it as much as we feel it for them. Difficulties, adversities
and discomfort are all in the eyes (or the tushes) of the beholder and
forgotten when appreciating the reward at the end of the journey.

My hope is that in 100 years my descendants appreciate the "hardships" I
lived through in order for them to have a good and rewarding life.

Regards from the Roots Hunter,
Barbara
For a genealogist, hunting season is all year long.

---------------------------------------------------------
Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

DNA and finding the parents

DNA and finding the parents

From: SondraT375
DearMYRTLE,
I have hit a brick wall searching for my husband's grandfather, William
James TAYLOR. We are contemplating a DNA search but want to get the most
"bang for our buck." Can you suggest a strategy to find a reliable DNA
project to follow and do you know if once you have a DNA result, can you
search other databases for a match? Thanks.

DearSONDRA,
The simplistic answer is that DNA tests can provide likelihood of
parent/child relationships, but CANNOT PROVIDE THE NAME of the parent. You
would need DNA from both the grandfather and the great-grandfather to prove
paternity.

So, you'll have to do the research the old-fashioned way. Find grandfather's
obit, then death record for reference to his age and birth place (perhaps
also clues to parent names.) Then work the angle of the birth record. Find
him on US federal census records at:
-- http://www.ancestry.com (usually free through your local LDS Family
History Center)
~and~
-- HeritageQuest Online (through local libraries)

FOR FURTHER READING

-- United States Research Outline (also for individual states, Canadian
provinces, and major countries and regions of the world. There are also
specialty research outlines on such topics as Jewish, African American, and
early LDS ancestry; in addition to Hamburg Passenger Lists, Norwegian
genealogy words, Hiring a professional genealogist, Ireland's Householders'
index, etc.)
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp

-- SMGF Updates online DNA database http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0729.htm
-- DNA Swab & DNA Analysis http://www.dearmyrtle.com/05/1122.htm

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

READERS' FEEDBACK: 26 Oct 2006

READERS' FEEDBACK: 26 Oct 2006

-- IGI, PAFInsight & Legacy
-- Rare genetic deletion
-- Misfiling at the Library of Congress
-- Noisy library
-- Adopted children in obituaries
-- Preserving digital files
-- Ships passing in the night

IGI, PAFInsight & Legacy
From: Kristine Farley
DearMYRTLE,
I just wanted to share what I have recently found out. I'm sure other FH
experts are way ahead of me. I love Legacy Family Tree, but found out about
PAFInsight, so I transferred my files over to PAF only to use insights IGI
function. Yesterday I found out through some gracious FH buffs that Legacy
has the same function. So now I'm going to use Legacy without transferring
files back & forth. Hurray!!!

---------------------------------------------------------
RARE GENETIC DELETION
From: DC Small
DearMYRTLE,
I have a very rare genetic deletion syndrome called 5p- or Cri du Chat
[French meaning 'Cry of the cat]. The deletion causes the infant's voice to
sound like a kitty's cry, hence the name 'cry of the cat. For 53 years, I
didn't know what caused my voice to be weak sounding. But almost 2 yrs ago,
a friend asked me for research sources for this subject. I got tested early
last year/2005, and received a report called 'Cytogenetics Report'. My son
was tested this summer, and got his 'Cytogenetics Report'. [He had the voice
as a child; he grew out of it; he's now 28.] My question is how do I include
these reports as sources into PAF, and Family Tree? 'Cytogenetics Report' is
the title. Who would be the author: the medical group who did the actual
work, or the doctor who ordered the test?

NOTE FROM MYRT: Although a lab might do the workup, it is the physician who
evaluates the test, and in conjunction with your other medical indications,
it is he not the lab that gives the final diagnosis. Some tests might be
"borderline" but the physician might go forward with the diagnosis based on
tests and various other factors.

---------------------------------------------------------
1880 US Federal Census Image Availability

From: Andy E. Wold (UtahGenWeb State Coordinator)
DearMYRTLE,
Actually, the 1880 US Census images are still viewable via FamilySearch.org
-- to signed in registered members of the LDS Church. The key is to first
sign in to FamilySearch.org, then do the search of the 1880 US Census.

-----
The LDS Church made an announcement regarding this in 2003:
The 1880 U.S. Census Index is now linked with digital images of the original
census documents; made possible through an agreement between MyFamily.com,
Inc. and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 1880 U.S.
Census index and images can be accessed at both www.ancestry.com and
www.familysearch.org

Agreement Benefits to Users:
The 1880 U.S. Census index can be searched for free at both www.ancestry.com
and www.familysearch.org
The digital images of the original census documents are available at
Ancestry.com and can now also be accessed from FamilySearch.org.
Patrons of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and any of
the 4000+ family history centers worldwide can view the images at no charge.
Church members who sign on or register as members through FamilySearch.org
can also view the images at no charge. Other users through FamilySearch.org
can view the images for $9.95, which will give them access for 30 days.
(updated: July 31, 2003)
-----

Ancestry.com has removed the ability to save these images, and has limited
the viewing options. Initially, the census page will come up in 50% zoom.
If you try changing the zoom to another percentage, the website will state
that an Ancestry.com subscription is needed to perform that function -- but
you can work around it. Simply close the pop-up window that the census
image appeared in, and re-select the link to the census image from the
FamilySearch.org search results screen. This will then re-open the image
with the last zoom percentage value that you had selected previously.

At that point you cannot save or print the image. I work around this by
using Mozilla as my browser with the "Screen Grab!" extension, which will
make a single screen shot out of a multi-screen page (as long as the image
fits within the width of the window.)

---------------------------------------------------------
MISFILING AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Re: Library Manners & Filed Wrong http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0502.htm

From: Name withheld
DearMYRTLE,
Yes, misfiling can be a big problem but it is not always the patron who
misfiles things. I went to the Library of Congress to look up a Newspaper
article on my New Orleans relative and I left a request at the desk to have
a reprint made of the article. About 3 weeks later I got a letter from the
Library of Congress stating that they could not find any article about my
relative. The rules there are "only the employees can refile anything" so
any misfiling was done by the employees of the Library of Congress. Since I
had read it there was no doubt that an article did exist. It had been
misfiled so they could not find it. A year later they still had not found
it so the search was discontinued. I finally got a copy of the article from
a person in New Orleans who found the article and copied it for me. Please
don't publish my name, [even though] I'm 90 and will [probably] never again
get to the Library of Congress!

---------------------------------------------------------
NOISY LIBRARY
Re: Library Manners & Filed Wrong http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0502.htm

From: John C
DearMYRTLE,
In reference to the noisy people in the library, we solved it by allowing me
to have a noisy Thursday group. All of the patrons are able to talk to
anyone during my shift. When a person finds a long lost person we all get
excited. My shift is the most filled on a yearly basis and people who want
quiet have the five alternate shifts but many come back to the noisy shift
after awhile. As a Family History Consultant I have started many people on
the Genealogy trail and they generally become noisy shift patrons. If the
patrons are bothered they should speak with the Director and make their
opinions known. I also fill in for other workers and my patrons always come
in on those shifts when others have had few patrons. Peace.

---------------------------------------------------------
ADOPTED CHILDREN IN OBITUARIES
Re: Step-children in obituary http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0425.htm
~and~
READERS' FEEDBACK: Step-children in obituary
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/06/0426.htm

From: Jan Turner
DearMYRTLE,
What about adopted children? I have an unusual situation in which my husband
allowed his first son to be adopted by his sister and her husband before we
were ever married. At the time, he was in the Navy and had divorced his
Japanese wife, but insisted on obtaining custody of the child whom he took
to his sister to care for and ultimately felt it was best to allow them to
adopt him.

Thus far, I have listed him in my genealogy program as a son of the first
wife, but also as an adopted son for my sister-in-law and her husband using
his original name Turner, and as a hyphenated name Turner-Sullivan for his
adoptive parents' name. This is really a bit awkward and would love some
other possibilities.

NOTE FROM MYRT: In the obit, just list them as "children." I recently helped
me father write his obituary. We listed all his children in their birth
order (regardless of their mother's name) and then listed his step-sons.
Those who know won't need any more of a label than "children" and those who
don't know the difference will be fine as well. Genealogical purists would
balk at the thought. However, we don't want to separate the living folks
with unnecessary labels. As long as your compiled genealogy reflects the
true relationships you are ok. OBITS ARE NOT PRIMARY source documents
proving family relationships.

---------------------------------------------------------
PRESERVING DIGITAL FILES
From: Floyd martin
DearMYRTLE,
Just got through listening to a archived [podcast] .mp3 file of yours
mentioning on conserving our records. I have just started a process. I
didn't know until my wife read an article from AARP magazine about the short
life of CDs.

I have done some research on the subject and found it to be true about short
life times of CDs and DVD. There are special Disks available--Gold Archival
CDs and DVD-Rs. They are more expensive but at considered to be archival for
a longer life. There are at least two brands available MAM-A and Delkin. The
DVD-R disks will not burn on the standard burners for most computers now.
The new computers will only burn DVD+Rs for the most part.

You may wish to do a little research on this yourself and mention it. I
have been doing genealogy for about 4 years and about 8 years on computers
and I did not know of this problem. They claimed a few years ago that a CD
should last 40 or 50 years but apparently this is not true from what I have
been able to find out.

Another option that I have exploring and have already ordered is an external
hard drive that can be used like another D, E or F drive for your computer
to be used to backup of files.

I plan on backing up everything on my external hard drive and make some
archive disks. I think this information might shock a few folks besides
myself. I shudder to think about losing my restored pictures and data.

Below are a couple of sites you may wish to check out.

-- What's the most archival CD blank media for storing image files?
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-05-09-04.shtml
-- Digital image storage
http://jimdoty.com/Digital/image_storage/image_storage.html

NOTE FROM MYRT: I am currently reproducing Dad's old VHS tapes on DVDs. He
had previously transferred all his 8mm home movies to those tapes. I think
it is each generation's responsibility to transfer the info to the latest
technology to preserve these precious images for the next generation.

-----------------------------------------------------
SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT

From: Linda S.
DearMYRTLE,
Hello. I have been meaning to send a short note about Salt Lake City. Do you
remember the day [last winter] that the Family History Library closed early
due to snow? I left the library that day early and went back to the Plaza
Hotel and logged on to my computer, only to find a message from DearMYRTLE
telling us the library is closing early and you were there. DARN!!!!!!!!!!!
I was right there in the library at the same time as you were and didn't
know it. It sure would have been fun to meet you in person.

DearLINDA,
Just ran across your delightful email. It is a joy to meet you, my loyal
readers from time to time. Though once, I went to the ladies' restroom after
presenting at the Nashville NGS Conference in the States, perhaps in 1998.
Just as I sat on the 'throne' someone called through the walls of the stall
"Are you the real DearMYRTLE? I need help with my Rhode Island ancestors."

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Wrong Name

Wrong name

From: Marcia echolerton@sbcglobal.net
DearMYRTLE,
When going thru the LDS [databases] online I have found my great-grandmother listed as a spouse with the wrong maiden name. She was Florence Traer and she is listed as Florence Fraer. I e-mailed the gentleman who had listed the information but I notice that it hasn't changed. I know the correct name but for people in later years who are doing research this is going to send them off on a wild goose chase. How can this be corrected? I inquired of LDS and
they had no solution.

DearMARCIA,
When deciphering cryptic handwriting, it is easy to see how the letter "F" and the letter "T" could easily be misinterpreted. Unfortunately, mistakes in the FIRST LETTER of a name really mess up where names appear in indexes. It is much less upsetting to see a "son" instead of a "sen" at the end of a name such as Peterson/Petersen.

While it is aggravating to have "wrong names" out there, researchers must accustom themselves to the phenomenon. I have an ancestor, Christopher GIST, who purchased property along the Pautuxent River in Maryland in 1679. On one land record, his name is spelled 2 ways and he signed it a 3rd way. Standardized spelling in the US didn't come into play until the
establishment of the Social Security Administration in the 1930s.

YOUR BEST DEFENSE is to submit your own database to LDS with living individuals blanked out, so that it will appear correctly in the future. Remember that the LDS site is going through a major revision, which should be going into BETA-2 testing sometime this century. It has been forestalled a number of months now. This may be why LDS offered no immediate solution.

Fortunately, RootsWeb.com and Ancestry.com allow you to attach virtual "sticky notes" on a database entry with your comments about the correct spelling.

It would also be advisable to join the Traer surname mailing list at RootsWeb, and write a paragraph or two describing the situation. Be sure to reference the exact bibliographic citation of the documents you've obtained that clarify the spelling. If the mailing list does not automatically cross-post to the Traer message board, then make your own posting there as well.

---------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER READING
---------------------------------------------------------
-- Name Variations in United States Indexes and Records
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Aid=&Gid=&Lid=&Sid=&Did=&Juris1=&Event=&Year=&Gloss=&Sub=&Tab=&Entry=&Guide=US_NameT3_Name_Variations.ASP

There is also a .pdf version of this research guide.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Starting your own computer users group

From: Michelle
DearMYRTLE,
Does anyone out there know how a group of us could create a PAF User group in our area? I have checked to see if one is here already and the closest one to us is in Denver which is a two hour - three hour drive for most of us. We are wondering if there are any guides or specifics needed to do this? Or any programs we have to follow etc.

DearMICHELLE,
Thanks for being motivated to begin a genealogy computer users group in your area. Here are a few suggestions from Ol' Myrt to get you started:

SELECT A MEETING PLACE
-- Find a meeting place that is free, to keep your costs down.
-- Charge a minimum of $10 annually to pay for expenses, but keep the meeting "open" to non-members.
-- Consider meeting at the local public library, which will most likely have a computer projector, microphone and internet access.

SELECT MEETING TIME
-- A 2 or 2.5 hour meeting each month (except the summer?) should suffice.
-- Consider that Saturdays will allow working people to attend.
-- Remember that evening meetings will be impossible for older folks who have trouble driving in the dark.

SELECT MEETING TOPICS
-- Even though you are calling your group a "PAF" users group, keep an open mind about the use of other programs.
-- Divide the time as follows: 30% genealogy software, 30% basic genealogy research topics, 30% internet research topics.
-- Use the other 10% for audience participation (show & tell, usually arranged in advance.)
-- Some programs, such as PAF and Legacy Family Tree have their own tutorials.
-- See what other genealogy users groups are doing, and emulate their best work. See:
---- Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group http://www.svpafug.org/
---- Utah Valley PAF Users Group http://www.uvpafug.org/
-- Show 15 minutes of a genealogy video each month, such as Kip Sperry's "Reading Early American Handwriting" from http://123genealogy.com
-- Schedule 1/2 of each meeting's topic for the next year, and then fill in the rest of the time based on:
---- new topics that come up in the mean time
---- the evolving needs of your members

ADVERTISE YOUR MEETINGS
-- Obtain free webspace through RootsWeb.com
-- Post meeting dates, times, topics on your website.
-- Provide links to regional genealogy events (classes, seminars, society meetings).
-- Send permanent 8.5" x 11" flyers to each Family History Center and public library in your region.
-- Send info to the local newspaper's "what's happening about town" section.

GET MEMBERS INVOLVED
-- Remember that with most societies, genealogical or otherwise, 10% of the members do 90% of the work. That is just the way it is, kiddo.
-- Have a hospitality chairperson to manage light (very light) refreshments.
-- Ask RootsWeb for a mailing list to keep members and interested parties informed of upcoming events.

BE GRATEFUL and happy for the input from members and attendees. I think back on my days with the Manasota PAF Users Group with great fondness because the MEMBERS were so wonderful about sharing their knowledge with others at our meetings. We saw things like displays of Civil War period clothing, descriptions and discussions about Bob Jones' grandchildren trip to plant trees in the family cemetery and such. I remember that Dorinne and Bud were the first to get digital cameras and showed us how to digitize old documents. Elsie called a member if they didn't show up at a meeting, providing a great sense of continuity and belonging. Of course, for the fun of it, I always picked on Chuck Fitzgerald, until he moved, and Jim Connoly took his place. You know, have fun with it! OK... I'm going to start to cry just remembering old friend and great times!

Be open to suggestions, and learn about each member's personal interests and talents. Each of us have different strengths when it comes to computers, software, research, obtaining unusual original documents, preparing our work for publication, etc. Give each member a chance to SHINE.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Regional genealogy seminars

Regional genealogy seminars

---------------------------------------------------------
MIDWAY UT SEMINAR
Susan Easton Black and Kip Sperry will speak, Friday and Saturday, 3-4 November 2006 at the Homestead Resort, Midway, Utah. Topics will include writing biographies and personal histories, organizing your family history collections, making the most of your resources, establishing family history databases, using the computer to locate family history resources, using the computer to locate original records, what's new on the Internet for family history, and successful online research. Seminar begins 1:00 pm Friday and continues all day Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is an optional lunch buffet Saturday. Door prizes will be awarded Saturday afternoon. See
http://home.byu.net/ks4

---------------------------------------------------------
BYU-IDAHO HOSTS FAMILY HISTORY WEEK FOR STUDENTS
REXBURG, Idaho - The Brigham Young University-Idaho Department of Religious Education and the local family history center will cosponsor Family History Week from Thursday, November 9, through Saturday, November 11. Family History Week will consist of a number of workshops allowing students the opportunity to become familiar with resources on campus. See
http://www.byui.edu/News/NewsReleases2006/061019FamHistoryWeek.htm

---------------------------------------------------------
BELLEVUE WA - NW FAMILY HISTORY EXPO
Saturday, November 11th, 2006, Ol' Myrt will be among many presenters and exhibitors at this annual event. My topics will be:
-- Getting from an Index to the original document
-- GenSmarts Research Software

See: www.nwfamilyhistory.net

---------------------------------------------------------
TO FIND SEMINARS IN YOUR LOCALITY, check http://www.USGenWeb.com and check
out the state genealogical society's "EVENTS" page in your area for more
info.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

Connecting with others

DearREADERS,
This past weekend Ol' Myrt received a genealogical shot in the arm by attending and presenting at the Cheyenne Family History Jamboree sponsored by MyAncestorsFound.com. Isn't that always the way? We join local genealogical societies and take family history classes whenever possible, to get that genealogical "fix".

70mph wind gusts and daytime temperatures of 27 degrees provided sharp contrast to the hot topics discussed among hundreds of happy Jamboree attendees. At the beginning of my class sessions, I asked for opinions about the conference -- and all but 2 were very positive:

-- One participant said "THANKS A LOT, I thought I was almost finished with my research, but I didn't know I had to find original (primary) records. Now I've got tons of work to do."

-- One gentleman wished we could REPEAT THE FIRST DAY CLASSES on a different schedule the second day. Fortunately, the syllabus on CD has the handouts from all classes. That makes for easy searching, viewing and printing of topics that interest you now, and others later. If you'd like to order one see: http://www.myancestorsfound.com/jamboree/jamboreeCW.htm

The RUNAWAY HIT of the vendor's area was GenSmarts, the artificial intelligence software available for free to Family History Centers. I recommend buying your own copy to use regularly at home. My keynote address included screen shots demonstrating how GenSmarts creates research suggestions based on the data we type into our genealogy management programs (names, dates, localities, etc.) Then Beau Sharborough, from Footnote.com and past president of GenTech, mentioned GenSmarts in his 1st hour presentation. I think by lunch time GenSmarts partner Bruce Buzbee (from RootsMagic.com) sold his entire inventory.

On the subject of CONNECTING WITH OTHERS, one topic I discussed in the RootsWeb/USGenWeb class was ROOTSWEB MAILING LISTS. After explaining the easy method for subscribing to these free genealogy email lists, I asked for audience input. Many had received replies to their mailing list postings:

-- One connected with someone who had inherited the family bible of a great-grandmother.

-- One received a reply 6 years (!) after her initial posting, while another received her answer 3 hours after pressing the send button on her email form.

Newbies decided that genealogy mailings lists such as those at http://www.rootsweb.com are definitely worth the effort.

---------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER READING
---------------------------------------------------------
-- MyAncestorsFound (genealogy conferences and SLC research trips) http://www.myancestorsfound.com

-- GenSmarts (artificial intelligence for genealogists) http://www.gensmarts.com

Ol' Myrt needs all the extra intelligence she can get, artificial or otherwise!

A big thanks for the wonderful enthusiasm of the Jamboree participants. The atmosphere was simply electric -- positively! A special thanks to Sharon Collier for the sweet note and two tatted snowflake ornaments. (((((Hugs to all.)))))

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)

Snail Mail Address:
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB 544
Bellevue, WA 98004
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com