DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 4 Sept 2007

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: Some of the hyperlinks have been corrected 20 Sept 2007.

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 4 Sept 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download the file. An alternative would be to download the file automatically via iTunes.

For a complete list of current DearMYRTLE podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com .

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK
Schelly Talalay Dardashti of Tracing the Tribe, joins Myrt to discuss Jewish genealogy, including pilot projects are being undertaken to reconstruct genealogically entire villages decimated in the Holocaust. Schelly, a Native New Yorker who has also lived in such places as Teheran, Iran (for 8 years, pre-Revolution) and now lives in Tel Aviv.

A journalist, Schelly has focused on genealogy since 1999, and wrote the "It's All Relative" Jewish genealogy column for the Jerusalem Post 1999-2005. She has written for the JTA, The Forward, Reform Judaism, Outlook, Avotaynu and other genealogy newsletters, journals and US newspapers. She also speaks internationally for Jewish genealogy societies and general and Jewish genealogy conferences.

Tracing the Tribe , under the JTA umbrella, went live in time for the (July 2006, NY) 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy and she blogged from there for the first time. Blogging has been an interesting learning curve for her as far as technology goes as she is NOT a techie, but is slowly learning about widgets and such. As the only focused Jewish genealogy blog, Tracing the Tribe provides information on specialized new resources, technology, publications, conferences and personalities and readers come from around the world. Schelly is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Association of Professional Genealogists.

MightyMouse Tour
Discover why Myrt thinks Google Books is the next big research tool for online family historians, without infringing on copyright restrictions.
http://books.google.com/

LINKS WE MENTION

• Finding Our Fathers A Guidebook to Jewish by Dan Rottenberg
• www.jewishgen.org
• Avotaynu.com
• International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies
• International Institute of Jewish Genealogy www.iijg.org
• FamilyTreeDNA
• Hidden children (from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum)
• Swedish language Ancestry.com site
• Mississippi State and Territorial Census Collection
• Patient genealogists #1

Titles of DearMYRTLE’s blogs since the previous podcast, which were not discussed in this podcast:
§ National Archives Oct 2007 events schedule
§ Feedback about radio interview
§ NARA seeks feedback for digitizing plan 2007-2016
§ Dumelle's suggestions: Illinois prisoner records
§ Northern Utah Jamboree 15 Sept 2007
§ Confucius' Family Tree Being Compiled
§ Famillion announces Gedcom Files Importing
§ ABC KGO 810am Radio San Francisco to Seattle - Dea...
§ Olden days of computers
§ The Value of State and Local Histories
§ Alabama preservation efforts remain unclear
§ Jamboree, naturalizations in newspapers & RootsTV
§ READERS’ FEEDBACK: Photo ID, Census & FTM 2008
§ RootsMagic teams with WVR
§ LISTENERS’ FEEDBACK: Photo ID software & more

Please note DearMYRTLE will resume her blog postings & genealogy podcasts in two weeks following some much needed R&R, and a trip to Ogden, Utah to participate as a presenter in the Northern Utah Genealogy and Family Heritage Jamboree co-sponsored by the Ogden Regional Family History Center and www.myancestorsfound.com.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
www.dearmyrtle.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

LISTENERS’ FEEDBACK: Photo ID software & more

FREEBIE PHOTO ID SOFTWARE
From: Al Jensen
DearMYRTLE,
Regarding footnoteMaven’s interview on DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 28 Aug 2007 genealogy podcast, you might pass on to your listeners that there are several FREE software programs that will store your captions, photo descriptions, and other particulars in pictures, and will probably be as suitable for most people as the expensive Adobe product. Among these are IrfanView, Pixvue, and Google’s Picasa. IdImager also has a free version. There are also a number of similar programs available for purchase at very reasonable cost.

I have recently been involved in digitizing old negatives and adding annotations to them before there’s no one around to provide the necessary information as to who where, when, etc. It’s the modern equivalent of writing on the back of the photo! The advantage is that it’s easy to provide multiple copies to others.

HOW TO OPEN THE PODCAST IN A NEW WINDOW
From: Teresa
DearMYRTLE,
Is there a way to get a link on your podcast to open in a new browser window. I clicked on a link and lost my place on the podcast. :(

DearTERESA,
YES, in any web browser, before clicking to view a new page, RIGHT-CLICK instead.

From the pop-up window select either:
OPEN in new window
or
OPEN in new tab

Older versions of web browsers do not support tabs. But either way, you can then easily switch back and forth between webpages while listening to DearMYRTLE's Family History Hour genealogy podcasts.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 21 Aug 2007 genealogy podcast

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 21 Aug 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download the file. An alternative would be to download the file automatically via iTunes.

For a complete list of current DearMYRTLE podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK

• Geoff Rasmussen of LegacyFamilyTree.com to discuss what’s coming down the pike for Legacy version 7 including compatibility with the much-anticipated new FamilySearch, also yet to be fully released.


• Pierre Cloutier of ProgenySoftware.com to discuss GeneLines , software to place your ancestor's life in a timeline format, in relation to other family members and to points of local and national history.


• Genealogy bloggers “Jasia” of CreativeGene and Schelly Talalay Dardashti of Tracing The Tribe to compare & contrast the use of the terms “genealogist” and “family historian”.

MightyMouse TOUR – dropped this week in favor of the extra interview.

LINKS WE MENTION

• Downloadable free version of Legacy Family Tree software. The Standard edition is free!
• Online Legacy video tour
• Legacy Training Videos
• 2008 Legacy Family Tree European Cruise Myrt is going!
• Genelines for Legacy
• Genelines for Ancestral Quest
• Genelines Universal Edition - reads all file formats, including PAF, Family Tree Maker, Legacy, Ancestral Quest, Ancestry Family Tree, and GEDCOM. Great for anyone using more than one genealogy record manager.
• Download free historical timelines for use with your Genelines 2.1 Universal Edition. There are over 80 timelines to choose from, including one from each US state.
• AmazonFresh - home delivery of groceries.
• Are we family historians or genealogists? UPDATE by Schelly Talalay Dardashti.
• Genealogist vs Family Historian, Who Are You? by Jasia.
• Carnival of Genealogy The 30th edition focus on genealogical conferences & seminars. Coordinator Jasia explains “Our group of writers are for the most part veterans of the conference circuit. Read on to hear their insights, observations, and fantasies. Let the carnival begin...”
  
  The 31st edition will be edited by Craig Manson at GeneaBlogie , and the topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: "Confirm or Debunk: Family Myths, Legends, and Lore." The deadline for submissions is September 1st. You can submit your blog article for the next edition using our carnival submission form . Past posts and future hosts can be found on the genealogy blog carnival index page .

DearMYRTLE’s Blog entries since the last podcast:

• Coweta Georgia fire closes genealogy collection


• Eastman: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Dept Video


• Triangulation: Analysis of historical documents also in podcast format


• WorldVitalRecords.com Now Available in 100 Family History Centers


• North America Local and County Histories to go Online


• Italian & German database access through Steve Morse


• Keeping Genealogical Records Open Workgroup (KGROW)


• DearMYRTLE's genealogy podcasts


• What’s on DearMYRTLE’s iPod?


• Mobile website for The National Archives, UK


• Records Preservation & Access Committee (FGS/NGS)

For more information about listening to Myrt’s genealogy podcasts see DearMYRTLE’s Podcast how-to info .

For more information about other genealogy & history podcasts see What’s on DearMYRTLE’s iPod?

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE's genealogy podcasts

Myrt, you forgot your own podcast

From: Stacey
DearMYRTLE,
Thanks for the big list of genealogy and history podcasts in yesterday’s blog "What's on DearMYRTLE's iPod?" .However, you forgot one important podcast – YOURS. I love your upbeat podcasts, especially the interviews. Keep up the good work. I know you’ve had challenges with your father’s health, but it is great when a new podcast comes out. I look forward to each edition. -- If YOU won’t toot your own horn, I WILL.

DearSTACEY,
Heavens, thanks for the heads up and your kind comments. I’ll amend the previous column to add my own podcast to the list.

YES, Ol' Myrt here does have DearMYRTLE’s FAMILY HISTORY HOUR and the individual column podcasts on her iPod, but she doesn't actually listen to her own podcasts using her iPod…

BECAUSE she has already listened to each podcast at least four times during the production process.

When creating each week’s DearMYRTLE’s FAMILY HISTORY HOUR podcasts, I complete the recorded telephone interviews with my special guests by saving each to my hard drive. Next, I listen to each segment using Audacity to edit out sound checks, dead space and too many “ummms”. I am lucky because the talented folks I get to interview are dynamic speakers, so it’s easy to talk with them, and there is very little editing to be done. I then record my own parts of the podcast, hoping that everything will equal about an hour of content. Using Mixcraft, I splice all the segments of the podcast together including such things as:

• bumper music
• intro
• interviews
• ads
• PSAs (public service announcements)
• readers & listeners’ feedback
• titles from the past week’s blog entries
• across my desk
• MightyMouse segment
• the wrap up
• interesting bits of background music to spruce things up

At this point, Ol' Myrt listens to the entire show again for sound leveling and continuity. In true multi-tasking form, I usually fold laundry right next to my computer desk while listening, so I can edit something immediately if there is a problem.

Continuity can be a challenge some times, because the interviews may have been recorded weeks in advance of a podcast’s release. To overcome potential continuity problems, Ol' Myrt usually schedules the interviews within a day or so of release, so that breaking news (like new FamilySearch affiliates access or photocopy price changes at the NARA) can be reflected in the content of an interview.

Then I have Mixcraft convert the file to an .mp3 file, adding tags and identifying info before I press the “Save” button. Once the file conversion is complete, the podcast begins playing automatically using my default .mp3 player that came with my computer. At that point, I’ll listen to the podcast 1 more time to be sure there were no hiccups or chipmunk-speed problems. Now with faster, more reliable computers, and streamlined audio editing software, there is seldom a challenge with the finished product. But it is my responsibility to put my best foot forward, and make sure my guests interviews sound great.

If I were really a “MASTER Multi-Tasker” I’d spend that hour filing all these genealogy papers stacked in piles around my computer desk, but I’m not.

YES, Stacey, by the time I’ve created a DearMYRTLE’s FAMILY HISTORY HOUR podcast, I have listened to the podcast all the way through at LEAST four times.

So when Ol' Myrt does her power walks, she likes to listen to the audio files produced by other podcasting genealogists.

PS - I hope some would-be podcasters will look into the software I've mentioned. Mac users would tell you that those of us with PCs have to work a bit harder to get podcasts produced, but don't let that deter you. I hope you are encouraged to do your own podcasts -- starting right now!

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

What’s on DearMYRTLE’s iPod?

Post comments to add your favorites to the list
updated 18 Aug 2007

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
Yes, I, know Ol' Myrt swore she would never wear those ear-buds that came with her iPod. See WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod 15 Nov 2006. Nevertheless, Ol' Myrt has changed her mind – and she isn’t even running for president.

There are so many great podcasts about genealogy and family history, that I now listen to them during my once or twice daily walks around the neighborhood. Since I don’t want to carry around portable iPod speakers, I’ve had to actually resort to using ear buds since I want to continue to learn about family history research. I have to agree with DearMYRTLE listener DougB81042 that it helps to multi-task.

Ol' Myrt uses the free iTunes software to organize and automatically download the newest episodes of my favorite podcasts. All of these podcasts are available at no cost to listeners. YES! That gives us more money to spend on photocopies.

So for the fun of it, I thought I’d list the podcasts in DearMYRTLE’s 80 gigabyte audio/video iPod, by category and then alphabetical order.

ETHNIC & REGIONAL GENEALOGY PODCASTS
· Anna-Karin's Genealogical Podcast - Swedish. Delightful background on traditions. I hope to meet her in person when I travel to Stockholm next summer.
· Irish Roots Café Genealogy Podcast , by Mike O’Laughlin of http://www.irishroots.com. When I listened to his “White/Whyte” podcast today, I was intrigued by his invitation for folks to leave a voice message with comments or queries. I had given that up call-ins when I quit doing live internet radio streaming, but I think it is a good idea. A little more personal in a digital world. See also its sister podcast Missouri Irish History & Legend: Ireland to America.
· Waynesville Voices Hostess Karen Campbell from the Mary L. Cook Public Library takes listeners on tour. The most recent podcast interview features Dr. Spencer R. Crew of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
· Nuestra Familia Unida - Coordinator Joseph Puentes has compiled a variety of audio interviews & recitations providing insight to “indigenous” history. Indigenous “as in Latina/Latino, Hispanic, Chicana/Chicano, Mexicana/Mexicano, and all other descriptors identifying the peoples of the America's and Western Hemisphere.”
· Under the tree - African American Feb 2006 – Aug 2007 with host Meredith C. Williams. She has an amazing collection, but in particular, I learned much from Episode 8: Slave auction process in Baltimore, MD and slave plantations in PG County, MD. The lengthy bibliography posted for each episode provides further study materials for interested researchers.
· US Holocaust Memoriam Museum’s Voices on Genocide Prevention with Jerry Flowler with links at oprah.com. Topics not limited to the Jewish WWII Holocaust, but include Darfur, China, Eastern Chad, and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. These podcasts don’t properly load through though iTunes, so right-click on an episode to save it to my computer’s hard drive, and go from there.

GENERAL GENEALOGY PODCASTS
· DearMYRTLE's Family History Hour - practical, down-to-earth advice for family historians featuring interviews with genealogy's leading authors, software producers, and web site managers, readers feedback and a weekly MightyMouse tour of great genealogy websites.
· Family History Minute – Enjoy nine episodes of Brian Mickelson’s thoughts about doing family history. Great ideas for looking at our ancestors through different eyes.
· Family Roots Radio Genealogy Hour – Season one is complete. Listen as Host Kory L. Meyerink masterfully interviews genealogy greats Paul Allen, Christine Rose, Tom Kemp, Martha McCartney, Megan Smolenyak, Dick Eastman, Leland Meitzler, Myra Gormley, Karen Clifford, Craig Scott, Kathleen Hinckley, Matt Helm and John Philip Colletta.
· Genealogy Gems – ideas including Episode 21 where you’ll find out about host Lisa Louise Cooke’s idea for creating a “Sweet Memories” candy bar wrapper. Never thought of THAT one before!
· Genealogy on Demand – Shamele Jordon does a great job: Don’t miss “Pedigree Analysis: Back to the Basics: Can you prove that your grandparents are really your grandparents?" I hope that more podcasts will be added to the mix. However, on their own, the existing collection of podcasts is noteworthy.
· The Genealogy Guys Podcast – George Morgan and Drew Smith have recently celebrated the release of their 100th podcast. Way to go!

GENERAL HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY PODCASTS
· A Prairie Home Companion’s News from Lake Wobegon
· Ancient & Medieval History with Catherine Loomis
· American History before 1870 with Gretchen Ann Reilly
· American History Rules with Chuck Taft for his 8th Grade Am Hist class
· BBC History Magazine
· China & the Chinese – Henry Allen Giles (1845-1935) with David Barnes
· Great Moments in History with John G. Stockmyer
· History 132 (US since 1865) by David Hoogland Noon of Univ of Alaska Southeast spring semester 2007.
· History Hints with Larry Kreiger, A study guide for the AP history exam.
· HistoryPod with Alan Joyce
· LearnOutLoud’s Biography Podcast
· Military History Podcast with George Hageman
· Oxford University: Podcasts from Medieval English Lectures
· Sparkletack – The San Francisco History Podcast with host Richard Miller.
· Talking History – Although production ceased over a year ago, due to cutbacks in funding, the archive includes 2005 podcasts, 2006 podcasts. Notable podcasts included “Marriage: A history”, “The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin” and “Washington’s slaves”.
· The Biography Podcast – Stories of Life
· This HistoryNetwork.org Fortnightly podcast essays covering military history.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES - UK & US

· NARA (US) "Presidential Archives Uncovered"
· National Archives (UK) – Of particular interest is Dave Annal’s “In the name of God, Amen: wills for family history” where I learned the difference between pre-1858 and post-1858 wills. I had to take in two extra blocks in my walk to finish learning from this detailed explanation.

OTHER STUFF

· Classic Tales Podcast with BJ Harrison.
· Larry King Podcast
· Law of Attraction Tips – as mentioned on Oprah, with Karen Luniw.
· Learn to Meditate by the Meditation Society of Australia.
· NPR’s Classic Kids - From the Top - best young classic musicians in the country.
· NPR's Science Friday I particularly like how the interviews during the 2-hour podcast can be listened to individually, or combined as a complete podcast.
· NPR’s This I believe.
· NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me One of my favorites for “this week’s news in review” mental quizzes.
· You, the Owner’s Manual with Dr. Michael Roizen (often a guest on Oprah.)

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 14 Aug 2007

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 14 Aug 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download the file. An alternative would be to download the file automatically via iTunes. For a complete list of current DearMYRTLE podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK
Cecil Wendt Jensen, CG, author and editor of several books of interest to Polish American researchers. Cecil, daughter of Elzbeta Przytulska, is devoted to dispelling the myths that Polish records were destroyed during the wars and the language barrier makes research too difficult.

Using the techniques she once used with her high school students and in her own family research, she is completing a "how to" book on Polish genealogy. "Sto Lat" highlights the techniques she employed to find the ancestral villages of her grandparents who hailed from Prussia, Russian Poland and Austrian Poland (aka Galicia).

After a thirty year career in education she transitioned to professional genealogy in 1998. She is a Certified Genealogist (CG) and maintains a website "Michigan Polonia". http://mipolonia.net/. Contact her via email: cjensen@mipolonia.net Cecil’s books include:

• Images of America: Detroit's Polonia
• Detroit’s Mt. Elliott Cemetery
• Detroit’s Mt. Olivet Cemetery
• STO LAT: A modern Approach to Polish Genealogy (soon to be released)

MightyMouse TOUR

• http://www.googleguide.com/ (then click Cheat Sheet (2-page quick reference)
• GoogleGuide: Making Searching even faster

LINKS WE MENTION

• Wiki Polish Americans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-American
• Polish Partitions http://www.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/ausgeruss.html
• Polish Genealogical Society of America http://pgsa.org/
• Hoffman's Books http://www.pgsa.org/Books/books.htm
• Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, Second Edition by William F. Hoffman “The first half consists of 12 chapters explaining the origins and meanings of Polish surnames. The second half is an index of some 30,000 common surnames, organized by the roots they came from, with indication of how many Polish citizens bore each name as of 1990. Published 1997, 592 typeset pp. (xii + 580), perfect bound, paperback, 6 x 9". US $25.00
• First Names of the Polish Commonwealth: Origins & Meanings by William F. Hoffman and George W. Helon. “This book is a collaboration between William F. Hoffman, the author of Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings, and George W. Helon, former president of the Polish Genealogical Society of Australia; which provides information on thousands of first names encountered during the course of researching ancestors who came from any part of the old Polish Commonwealth. It includes names of Czech, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Latin, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish origin. When relevant, it also gives the equivalent forms of names in most of those languages, e. g., Polish Piotr = English Peter = Latin Petrus = Russian Hemp, etc. An introduction and three chapters of historical and linguistic background are followed by a 300-page list of names. Appendices include charts with information on the Polish, ancient Greek, ancient Hebrew, Russian Cyrillic, and Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabets, as they apply to name derivation and usage, as well as a list of Cyrillic forms of common Jewish first names. The format is soft-cover, 6 x 9 inches, perfect bound, vi + 426 pages, ISBN 0-924207-06-X; cover design by Lisa Terlecki.” US $20.00
• Discovering Roots, Kasia Grycza http://www.discovering-roots.pl/
• Poznan Project Lukasz Bielecki http://www.discovering-roots.pl/poznan_project/project.htm
• Kartenmeister http://www.kartenmeister.com/preview/databaseuwe.asp

DearMYRTLE’s Blog entries since the last podcast:

• Was on-site 1907 research any easier?
• National Archives Celebrates Hispanic American Heritage
• Conversation on the Congressional Black Caucus
• MacFamilyTree 5 Sneak Preview
• Find A Grave: 16 Million Grave Records & WorldVitalRecord.com
• SSDI goes over 80 Million records
• Redesigned Family Tree Maker 2008 software
• READERS’ FEEDBACK: Footnote & preservation
• Alabama: Loose Record Project web indexing initiative
• Accessing Footnote.com
• Preserving old family bibles
• RootsTelevision & Megan at FGS
• Legacy Genealogy Cruise 2008 - Europe
• WorldVitalRecords.com traffic surges 400%
• Podcast how-to info
• Another link for heartbreaking courthouse video
• Courthouse video: a picture is worth a thousand TEARS
• Cornell University: newest partner in Library Project at Google
• Footnote.com's newest images
• WWI British Army Pension Records online at Ancestry.uk

For more information about listening to podcasts see DearMYRTLE’s Podcast how-to info .

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

Podcast how-to info

From: Pam Ingermanson
DearMYRTLE,
I am sorry to bug you but I need some help. I have an iPod and I am struggling to learn how to download podcasts and I want to download the ones from your website. I went to your website and it says that an alternative is to download from iTunes. I cannot find the podcasts at iTunes. Where do I find them? Thanks for your help!

DearPAM,
Although you subsequently report that your husband found the podcast link, thank-you for this initial email. It’s a great lead-in for this blog entry explaining the process to potential listeners. As your husband discovered, it is easy to “pull in” the podcast entries so you can listen via an iPod.

GETTING PODCASTS FROM DearMYRTLE TO YOUR iPOD

1. Download & install the free iTunes software at www.iTunes.com
2. While connected to the internet, open the program, and click “iTunes Store” on the left menu bar.
3. In the top right search box, type “DearMYRTLE”.
4. You will find two listings, each labeled free. Click the “Subscribe” button for the newer podcasts if you want to
   
   · DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour (new server, newer podcasts)
   · DearMYRTLE’s Media (old server, no longer adding podcasts here)
   
   
5. THEN NOTE:
   DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour will be added to your iTunes, with a list of the individual podcasts. The most recent podcasts will begin to download to your computer. You may have to click the tiny “get” button beside a podcast entry to activate the download. Note there is also a “get all” button, which can simplify the clicking for you.
   
   Later, whenever you plug your iPod into your computer, open iTunes, by default it will transfer the files to your iPod.
   
   NOTE: Ol' Myrt here has observed that if she deletes a podcast file from iTunes, it may also delete the file from her iPod, unless she is careful with the settings.

OTHER MP3 PLAYERS WORK, TOO
I just ran an experiment using iTunes and successfully copied a podcast from iTunes to my mp3 player. Open iTunes and find the podcast you wish to copy by clicking 1 time to select the item. Right-click on the selected podcast(s) and choose “copy” from the pop-up menu. Plug your .mp3 player into your computer. When viewing the folder for the contents of the player click “Edit” from the menu bar, and select “Paste”. One by one, the files will show up on your .mp3 player. I used my WS-331M Olympus Digital Voice Recorder (with .mp3 player capability) for this experiment.

Listener DougB81042 is correct that on some computers the “download” button on the new DearMYRTLE podcast site provided by my web server can act as a “play” button. Ol' Myrt can only edit the page’s text & layout, but does not have access to edit the function of buttons that automatically appear on the page when I upload a podcast. I hope that the work-arounds described above will help you, Doug.

WHY TRANSFER TO PORTABLE .MP3 PLAYERS?

MULTI-TASKING is the name of the game. Ol' Myrt agrees with DougB81042 who also wrote: “I just listened to the one hour broadcast with PAF Insight, which I use, and John from MasteringFamilyHistory.com. I enjoyed the interview and hope to listen to more but just chafe at the thought of having to sit still [at the computer] that long without doing something else also.”

Whether you listen to genealogy podcasts while jogging, doing yoga (yes, one listener reported this!) or each morning when deleting spam from your email box -- THANK-YOU, thank-you, thank-you for listening. Ideas for upcoming interviews and topics are greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.DearMYRTLE.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 7 Aug 2007

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 7 Aug 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download the file. An alternative would be to download the file automatically via iTunes. For a complete list of current DearMYRTLE podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK

John Vilburn from OhanaSoftware.com to discuss PAF Insight, a program to augments PAF Personal Ancestral File. URL: http://www.ohanasoftware.com/ Contact: Support@ohanasoftware.com

• Edit Places
• Improved IGI Search features
• Compare and update between two PAF 5 files
• Improved Merging

John Willis from MasteringFamilyHistory.com to discuss his growing collection of online video tutorials. URL: http://www.masteringfamilyhistory.com/ Contact: cpacfp@pacbell.net. This website is the MightyMouse Tour site for the week.

• Compiled Genealogies - Introduction (5 minutes) Overview of compiled genealogies. What they are and how they can be used to find information about your family
• Pedigree Resource File (9 minutes) Searching and viewing compiled genealogies in the Pedigree Resource File
• Ancestral File (15 minutes) - Searching and viewing compiled genealogies in FamilySearch.org - Ancestral File.

OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE PODCAST

• Getting the FHC computers to sync with major websites
• FINALLY, new databases are accessible through FHCs
• Improving society presentations
• New NARA podcast series: Presidential Archives
• Epson's Free OnlineCourses: Preserve and Share Family History
• Footnote is PC Magazine's "Site of the Week"

DearMYRTLE’S BLOG ENTRIES NOT MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST

• Conference in Ogden 15 Sept 2007
• GenealogyBank.com - July 2007 Additions
• Genline on the road Aug-Oct 2007
• ACROSS MY DESK: 3 Aug 2007
• ACROSS MY DESK: 2 Aug 2007
• Footnote.com partners with Allen County Public Library
• HistoryKat Completes First Phase of U.S. Postal Dept

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s FAMILY HISTORY HOUR 31 July 2007

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 31 July 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download the file. An alternative would be to download the file automatically via iTunes. For a complete list of current DearMYRTLE podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK:

• Sally Jacobs, Accessioning Archivist for the Wisconsin Historical Society to discuss acid-free and lignin-free archival bond paper and other preservation concerns. Contact: sally@jacobsarchival.com Personal Blog: The Practical Archivist.


• http://www.dictionary.com/ explains that lignin (as in the wood fiber in cheap paper such as newsprint) is distinctly different from lingon (as in lingonberry, the mountain cranberry.)


• Gordon Clarke, FamilySearch Developer Services Manager, to discuss http://www.familysearchindexing.org/ with over 100,000 volunteers and the new FamilySearch Affiliate Prgrams, Developer Services and Web Services. Contact: clarkegj@ldschurch.org Website: http://www.familysearch.org/ .



• Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. The publisher’s website explains: “It begins with a simple question: Why do we invest so much of our energy into the citation of sources? Followed immediately by the intriguing answer: Because all sources are not created equal.
  


• The Autobiography Box: A step-by-step kit for examining the Life Worth Living by Brian Bouldrey that includes a small black book (with memory joggers) and flash cards to assist in modifying the structure, style, point of view and drama of your personal history anecdote. It is kind of like English Composition 101/102 in a box.
  
• “Why microfilm is the first choice” where Ol' Myrt “agrees wholeheartedly about the need to view microfilm of original documents rather than bother a courthouse clerk.[…] I consider it frivolous to write to a courthouse when the cited source is already available on microfilm.”

MYRT'S MightyMouse TOUR visits two websites this week:

• http://www.timeanddate.com/ for calculating time zone differences in preparation for that family history interview with Great Aunt Matilda.
• Archaic Medical Terms including links to definitions of obsolete and old medical terminology you may encounter in your ancestral quest, and a timeline of diseases and epidemics in the UK.

LINKS WE MENTION

• The FamilySearchIndexing.org project and how volunteers can assist with the work.
  Volunteers: Have you indexed your 50 names this month?
  READER'S FEEDBACK: FamilySearchIndexing
  Are you indexing your share?
  How to sign up for FamilySearch Indexing
  FamilySearch RECORDS ACCESS program featuring affiliates which are named in More Web Site Service Providers Team With FamilySearch 25 May 2007
  
• The Genealogy Guys Podcast – congrats on your 100th episode. Producing a weekly podcast is a big job, and you guys do it with flair.

THIS WEEK'S DearMYRTLE’s Blog posts include:

Puget Sound Chapter APG meets 11 Aug 2007

National Archives Films to Be Made Available (on DVD)

CSI software used to create a family tree

Add your story to Muskegon history compilation

Trouble getting into the FH Fair?

Why microfilm is the first choice

Getting to the original will - Part II

Tuscaloosa & Greene County AL courthouse records at immediate risk

Code for attending FamilyHistoryLiveOnline classes

Getting to the original will

National Archives Sept 2007 events schedule

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s FAMILY HISTORY HOUR 24 July 2007

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
This week's DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 24 July 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download it automatically through a service such as iTunes. For a complete list of current podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK:

• Diane Rapaport, author of New England Court Records: A research guide for genealogists and historians, to discuss the difference between case “at law” and case “in equity” and Admiralty courts, in addition to what to expect at state courts and federal courts within a given state. Contact: info@Diane-Rapaport.com Website: http://www.diane-rapaport.com/
  
  
  
  Raspberry Jam - Ol' Myrt describes the actual cooking & canning process. Note the three pictures below include a water bath canner, jam making tools, and three new jars of freshly made jam. The taller jar on the right did not get turned rightside up in time for the jam to settle in the jar before jelling, hence the odd clear space at the bottom of the glass jar. So be sure to observe the Certo recipe's 5-minute suggestion if using the inversion method for sealing the jam jars.
  

LINKS WE MENTION

• MightyMouse website: Encyclopedia of Genealogy


• Quill Pen Press – (for submitting updates you uncover about New England court records access.)


• Sure Jell's website for CERTO Liquid Pectin


• Australian British Convicts database online


• Pioneer Day 24 July & Missouri Mormon War documents online


• Tuscaloosa County Courthouse to scan & destroy original records


• Accessible Archives' Content Now Online at WorldVitalRecords.org


• New Collection of Claims by Early American Citizen from ArchiveCDBooksUSA.com


• READER’S FEEDBACK: FHC Volunteers


• READER'S FEEDBACK: Training ourselves up


• Google Reader

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 20 July 2007

DearLISTENERS & READERS,
Although Ol' Myrt was away this past week for the big family reunion up on Orcas Island, that didn’t stop cool things from happening in the world of genealogy. So I decided to do a podcast this week anyway – on Friday instead of Tuesday.

Today’s DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 20 July 2007 genealogy podcast is available for listening via computer or transferred to your .mp3 player if you choose to download it automatically via iTunes. For a complete list of current podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/ . NOTE: The figures for number of downloads on my podcast page do not include the number of listeners who tune in via iTunes.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK

• Justin Schroepfer from FOOTNOTE.com about the relationship between the (US) National Archives and Footnote; the difference between Footnote spotlights and story pages; and how individual researchers can create annotations when deciphering old handwriting that subsequent readers will find. Contact: justin@footnote.com
• Jeff Harmon & Neil Harmon from FamilyLearn.com to discuss “MemoryPress” that has prompted Myrt & her 43 extended family members to collaborate online and ultimately publish a book about our family’s reunion last week. See my blog entry titled MemoryPress – Publish your family history . Contact: jeffrey@familylearn.com

LINKS WE MENTION

• U.S. County Land Ownership Atlases, c. 1864-1918
• Video: family trunks revealed during house remodel
• MemoryPress – Publish your family history
• Online Family History Fair 28 July 2007
• FamilySearch adds Jewish Resources Center
• Photo book publishers: iPhoto, MyPublisher, Shutterfly
• Blurb.com & Lulu.com
• PAF Personal Ancestral File (free download)
• GEDCOM file defined at Dick Eastman’s Encyclopedia of Genealogy

SPECIAL SHOW NOTE

• SnapzProX is the “little program” talked about during this podcast that is preferred by MemoryPress to create their helpful “how-to” videos. Neal Harmon writes “This is the best screen capture software we've found. It's made for the MAC."

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley, All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 10 July 2007

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
Hooray! Another podcast has just been uploaded.

Today’s DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 10 July 2007 genealogy podcast is now available for listening via computer or transfered to your .mp3 player if you choose to download it automatically via iTunes.


For a complete list of current podcasts visit: http://podcasts.dearmyrtle.com/ .


TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK

• FTM 2008 Beta available
• Editor for GSG newsletter
• MightyMouse segment – Lippincott’s 1895 Gazetteer free at WorldVitalRecords.com through 17 July 2007.
• “Changes we’ve noticed at our local Family History Center” with Bob Mullen, Stake Family History Center Director, Bellevue Washington Stake.

LINKS WE MENTION

• BYU Genealogy Conference 31 July-3 Aug 2007
• Budget passed, Pennsylvania closures ended
• Change isn’t always easy to take
• When is raspberry jam NOT just raspberry jam?
• Pioneer Doctor: The Story of a Woman's Work by Mari Grana (Paperback - Jan 1, 2005)

Next week, Myrt will be away on a big family reunion up on Orcas Island, so there will be no podcast on Tuesday 17th. But expect great things on the next scheduled podcast on the 24th.

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

Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE's Family History Hour 3 July 2007 Show Notes

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
New things are happening all this time in the world of genealogy research. Today’s DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 3 July 2007 genealogy podcast reflects some of those changes.

Listen to the podcast with your computer or download it automatically via iTunes.

For a complete list of current podcasts visit: http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com .

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK

• “Why genealogists like WIKIS” with Dallan Quass from WeRelate.org
  ..
• MightyMouse segments – Sign the Declaration of Independence & Bartleby.com
  .
• Podcast Remix: “Ideas for interviews at upcoming family reunions” with Elizabeth Powell Crowe, author of Genealogy Online. Myrt can't wait for the latest edition of the book to come out some time later this year.

LINKS WE MENTION

• Garmin GPSMap 60CSx (This is the official Garmin site, where this hand-held GPS is listed as winning Outside Magazine's 2006 GEAR OF THE YEAR. However, Ol' Myrt bought this for a lot less through Amazon.com
  ,
• WikiPedia.org
  .
• The American Folklife Center (interview questions)
  .
• Teachers’ Guide to Folklife Center
  .
• Veterans History Project
  .
• StoryCorps (more interview examples and ideas)
  .
• DoHistory.org

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
www.DearMYRTLE.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour 26 June 2007

DearREADERS & LISTENERS,
New things are happening all this time in the world of genealogy research. Today’s DearMYRTLE’s Family History Hour genealogy podcast reflects some of those changes.

Listen to the podcast with your computer or download it automatically via iTunes.
http://podcasts.DearMYRTLE.com has the complete list of current podcasts.

TOPICS & GUESTS THIS WEEK:

• “Five important things about MAPS for genealogy” with Holly Hansen, President, MyAncestorsFound.com
• “Look at microfilm online at FamilySearch TODAY” MightyMouse Segment
• “Update for Personal Historian” with Michael Booth, software developer PersonalHistorian.com

LINKS WE MENTION:

• MyAncestorsFound.com
• AniMap old maps software extraordinaire
• Map Guide to US Federal Census Records Thorndale & Dollarhide
• MyAncestorsFound.com GenTeacher CDs
• Northern Utah Genealogy & Family Heritage Jamboree (Ogden, Utah)
• DearMYRTLE’s Blog
• FamilySearchLabs Blog
• FamilySearch Record Search pilot program
• Personal Historian
• RootsMagic (genealogy management software)

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

Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com
www.DearMYRTLE.com

(c) 2007 Pat Richley All Rights Reserved.

RE: WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod

RE: WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod

From: Terry Grumbles
DearMYRTLE,
Re: WHY Myrt finally bought an iPod, how did this turn out?

DearTERRY,
I love my iPod. Since I got the 80GB video model, I have been able to put a lot of my "grandma's brag book" pictures on it in addition to CDs of music I've collected over the years, and of course, some of my favorite genealogy podcasts. I did download the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN to watch when I fly to Vegas for my oldest daughter's wedding the 16th of December. Actually I'll fly down on the 15th, the wedding is the 16th, but I digress...

Ol' Myrt has done a lot of research and has made the following additional purchases:

-- iHome (model iH5B) - a clock radio docking/recharging station with AM/FM tuner & alarm. Yesterday I woke up to the Family History Minute podcast instead of a buzzing alarm clock. The time is set automatically, once you tell iHome which time zone you live in. There is a battery backup. The only thing I don't like about it is that there are only 3 settings for the digital readout for the time (high beam, low beam and off). The low beam is still too bright for overnight in my opinion. The speakers are adequate for playback of anything on my iPod so I can walk around the room, work on my computer, etc. Alternately I can hook the iHome into my home stereo system, to take advantage of the speakers. This would only apply to those classical
music CDs I loaded. For the talk-radio format of the typical genealogy podcasts, the speakers on the iHome are more than adequate. I purchased mine from Radio Shack on sale for $99. The website lists it at $199, so I thought this was great.

-- iCarPlay Wireless Plus - (Model A IP FM-CH PS by Monster) to play wirelessly through an unused FM position on my car radio while also charging the iPod. This purchase took a lot of experimenting and thought. From everything I've read on the web, the major complaint with this sort of connection to your car stereo system is that there will be static. The cassette tape versions were even worse. On my system, if you turn the volume WAY up, you will find static. However, of the three models I purchased and installed, this one had the least. I purchased mine at Radio Shack for $69, though the website lists it now for $79.99.

-- Tough Skin (model S50-BLACK-TS by Speck products) a black rubberized plastic case and clear plastic overlay for the video screen on my iPod to use when I am out and about for an extended period of time (like the trip to Vegas). This takes a little effort to place this on the iPod, and has to be removed to place the iPod in the iHome, but works fine with the iCarPlay
Wireless Plus.

-- Socks for iPod - something to quickly put over the iPod, when on a short trip away from home, when I don't feel like going to the effort of putting the Tough Skin in place.

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