21 March 2016

Transcribing -- a great way to celebrate Sunshine Week and you can do it year round!




The NARA Citizen Archivist initiative celebrated it by having transcription missions ...

Every transcription helps "unlock" the information and helps open government records. Each day of this week-long event we’ll release a mission based on an historical era. Our goal is to transcribe 2,000 pages this week. Transcriptions created by Citizen Archivists will enhance searches in our catalog and the transcriptions will be added to DocsTeach, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives.

·        Sunday, March 13 – 
·        Monday March 14 – Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
·        Tuesday, March 15 - The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900) 
·        Wednesday, March 16 – The Emergence of Modern American (1890-1930)  
·        Thursday, March 17 – The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945) 
·        Friday, March 18 - Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
·        Saturday, March 19 - Contemporary United States (1968-Present) 

I wonder how successful they were.

Did you transcribe something last week for a genealogical or historical society, library, archive or repository?  

Every document transcribed is one that becomes “open” to researchers to use!











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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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20 March 2016

Don’t Miss Out on the Early Bird Discount For the NGS 2016 Family History Conference Offer Ends 31 March


Register early for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference in Ft. Lauderdale and take advantage of its early bird discount. Not only will you save money, you will also be able to order a printed syllabus or flash drive version of the syllabus. Your early bird registration must be received online or postmarked by 31 March 2016. After that date, the NGS member price will increase from $205 to $240 for all four days and the non-NGS member price will increase from $240 to $275.

The Conference will feature more than 180 lectures from basic to advanced genealogical research, including four days of BCG Skillbuilding lectures and twelve lectures on genetic genealogy. Diversity is another focus of this year’s conference. Eighteen lectures discuss African-American genealogical research, five focus on Jewish genealogy, two on Cuban genealogy, and nine on women. Floridians and those with ancestors from Florida will want to consider the nine lectures that focus on Florida’s rich archival history.  In addition, the conference will provide a number of lectures on European ancestors, including French, Spanish, Scandinavian, Italian, Scots-Irish, and others.

The NGS Conference will be held at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center and will run from 4-7 May.  For conference information and to register, go to the 2016 NGS Family History Conference.

Social Events, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet
Participating organizations sponsor several luncheons at which guest speakers address many fascinating presentations such as
·       “Lost Eyes, Whipping Posts, and Wife Swapping: Lessons from Yesteryear”
·       “To the Rescue: 10 Times A Local Society has Saved My Bacon”
·       “Genetic Surprises, DNA and ’Non-paternity‘ Events”

The NGS Banquet is an event not to be missed! Guest speaker David E. Rencher, AG, CGSM, FIGRS, FUGA, will discuss what matters most to genealogists and family historians. Registration for all meals and social events closes on 22 April 2016. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Be sure to sign up as quickly as possible. The Florida State Genealogical Society Host Event, “Taste of Florida,” is $42; luncheons are $32; and the banquet is $45. Menus are in the registration brochure.

Society Roundup
On Wednesday, 4 May 2016, many of Florida’s genealogical and historical societies will be available in the Convention Center’s Exhibit Hall Lobby from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to answer questions about local repositories and resources, discuss their group’s activities, and sell their publications.

Local Area Tours
There’s still time to sign up for two exciting tours on Tuesday, 3 May 2016, prior to the NGS Family History Conference. For more information, please see Local Area Tours. Registration for the tours closes on 22 April 2016.

Add Items to an Existing Registration
To add meals, tours, and pre-conference events to your current registration, log on to the NGS website, click on My Account, select My Events, and then click to Add Sessions.

We hope to see you in Ft. Lauderdale in May!

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records.  The Arlington, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists. Please visit the NGS Pressroom for further information.


The words Certified Genealogist are a registered certification mark, and the designations CG, CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.













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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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18 March 2016

Middle Names and their Popularity (1880-2000)


We often talk about surnames and forenames. What about middle names?

I love middle names when doing research, especially when common forenames and surnames are involved.  Other than that, I don’t often think about them.  Many years ago, my middle name just became an initial “L.” in my signature since I’m not fond of my middle name.

I was reminded of middle names recently when I read, The most common middle names from the last 12 decades.  For each identified top ranking middle name, you will find a graph showing the rank of that particular middle name from 1880 to 2000. If the name is also prevalent in the UK or the Scandinavian countries, graphs depicting such will also be included.  The US data is based on the Social Security Death Index.


Have you successfully used information about name frequency, locale-specific trends or other name driven demographic type data to help your genealogy research?  If so, please share.




Editor’s Note: Related posts -- Using Name Popularity to Determine Someone’s Age (2014) and Names -- A Blessing or a Curse (2013)












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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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17 March 2016

Celebrate your inner Irish -- It's St. Patrick's Day

Source: https://openclipart.org/detail/237466/republic-of-ireland-map-flag

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.

Here are a few genealogical resources that might interest you as you research your inner Irish today:



Where would you direct Irish descendants to look for family history records?











~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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16 March 2016

You Don’t Need a Pirate’s Map to Discover Genealogical Treasure


You Don't Need a Pirate's Map to Discover Genealogical Treasure

And you won’t have to dive off Florida’s coral reefs either to discover a treasure trove of topics at this year’s Family History Conference in Ft. Lauderdale. However, you may want to sign up before 31 March to save on the cost of registration. After that date, the NGS member price will increase from $205 to $240 for all four days and the non-NGS member price will increase from $240 to $275. Click here to get your Early Bird Discount.

Diversity is the hallmark of this year’s conference, which will take place at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, 4-7 May. The impressive array of lectures include titles such as “Women in the World of Piracy,” “Separate but Unequal: Slave Laws and their Records,” “Judaism in Dixie,” “Identifying Women: The Ultimate Brick Wall,“ “Cuban Genealogy: A Current Review,” and “Finding Freedmen Marriage Records.” In addition, the conference will provide a number of lectures on European ancestors, including French, Spanish, Scandinavian, Italian, Scots-Irish, and others.

Floridians and those with ancestors from Florida will want to consider nine presentations that focus on Florida’s rich archival history, including “The French Heritage in Florida” and “Laws of the Indies: Spanish Florida Laws and the Records They Produced.”  More than ten lectures address DNA and genetic genealogy. In all, the conference will feature 180 lectures from basic to advanced genealogical research, including four days of BCG Skillbuilding lectures.

Network with fellow family historians in Florida, soaking in the sun and absorbing greater knowledge of genealogy. Register now at the discounted rate. Go to the 2016 NGS Family History Conference.

See you in Ft. Lauderdale!













~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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15 March 2016

It's Sunshine Week -- Is the Sun Shining Brightly on an "Open Government" near you?


Sunshine Week is “the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community.”

As genealogists and family historians access to public records and “freedom of information” are critical to our success in documenting the lives of interest to us. Since many of the records that interest us are created by government entities, open government is invaluable.

Unfortunately, open access is often sought, as it should be, about malfeasance by those responsible for managing programs or providing services.  One can also use open access though to learn about more mundane.

And, threats to records access continue.  In the most recent IAJGS Public Records Access Alert – (US) Sunshine Week and the Right to Know – Worldwide, Jan Meisels Allen shares...

... This is a good time to look what is happening with the “right to be forgotten” and the tension between the US Freedom of Speech and the European Union’s right to privacy—which is being emulated in other countries.  How will the US First Amendment fare with the new requirements being imposed on information technology?

Whether it is the myriad of court cases and EU rulings against Google and Facebook, the impending EU Data Privacy Regulations or the newly proposed Privacy Shield replacing the Safe Harbor regarding data flow from Europe to the United States, the “right to know” is being challenged ...

A reminder that access to information is not a given and that access we have now may disappear in the future, which is reinforced by “Sunshine Week: Session included attempts to roll back access” as recently reported in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA.)

Rejoice in the public information and records that you do have access to and also help ensure that such access continues into the future.

  





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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14 March 2016

Re-cap -- 20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, 2016 Version -- 5 parts



I hope you enjoyed our presents -- “20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, 2016 Version” -- which just ran in 5 parts.

In case you missed any, here is a complete list.


And, though I cannot vouch for whether the links work or not, here are the 2015 version links.


I will now start collecting links for my next series which will be published either later this year or early in 2017.  Know of any neat websites that family historians would consider hidden gems?  Drop an email to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org.








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!
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20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, 2016 Version, Part 5


My present continues ... 20 more FREE (or mostly FREE) resources ...

CANADA

DENMARK
6.     Dutch Archives

EUROPE
7.     GenTeam -- You will find here databases made by and for genealogists. More than 32.000 user have access to this collection. After registration you may use these databases free of charge. The collection currently contains 12,867,090 entries and will be continually updated.

GEORGIA (country in Eurasia)

MEXICO

NORWAY

UNITED STATES
18. Beinecke Library digitizes papers of Thomas Thistlewood (Yale) -- Jamaican planter and slaveowner








Editor’s Note: As of today, each of the above links worked.  Now, whether the links in any of the identified articles work, I cannot vouch for that.  And, armed with the information provided, it should be relatively easy to get to determine where the discussed database currently resides.  If you get really stuck, drop me an email and I’ll try to ferret out the recalcitrant link or cross out my entry in the above list!

Editor’s Note: Know of a neat resource that you think might be a hidden gem?  Drop an email to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org.
















~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!
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