UpFront with NGS: December 2011

30 December 2011

Solve a Family History Challege and Win $5,000! Must Register by 1 January 2012!

Have you recently been doing something family or genealogy-related and thought, "There should be an app for that!"? Now is your chance. Solving that problem and entering the RootsTech 2012 Developer Challenge could earn you $5,000.

Tens of millions of people around the world are interested in some facet of family history. These people need software solutions—whether on the desktop, online, or through mobile delivery—that help them engage and succeed in their efforts to discover, preserve, and share their family history. RootsTech will reward developers who introduce the most innovative new concepts to family history with $10,000 in cash rewards and increased visibility.

Visit the Developer Challenge page on RootsTech.org to find out more about rules, prizes and deadlines. Developers wishing to enter the challenge must register by January 1 , 2012 but actual submissions are not due until January 15. Spread the word and register today!

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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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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 [email protected]. 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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29 December 2011

Former Synagogues of NYC

The boroughs of New York City, including Manhattan, were once home to a lot of synagogues (and mutual aid societies).

This webpage lists the names, addresses and when available, the names of the rabbi and other personnel for those synagogues that once stood in Manhattan. Additionally, if the synagogue (or society) was associated with a particular town or country, that is noted. Most of these synagogues are no longer active.

If you believe the list is missing a synagogue or you know which town and country it was associated with, please do contact the museum.

Also check out the following related webpages:

The gateway page to all of these lists can be found here.

Editor’s Note: This is just one helpful resource found on the Museum of Family History website. Do check out the resources listed for the “Education and Research Center” which include “The Schools of New York City,” “Genealogy and Family History,” etc.

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28 December 2011

National Genealogical Society December Video Releases

Arlington, VA, 9 December 2011: The National Genealogical Society has released a new video for the month of December about the National Genealogical Society Quarterly featuring Dr. Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS.

This December issue of NGS online videos is the final segment from our first series of interviews based on the Paths to Your Past production. The series and the year 2011 fittingly end with one of the editors of the NGSQ speaking about the journal from his personal experience of having first read the journal, the learning opportunities its pages offer, and becoming the editor.

2012 will be the 100th anniversary year of the NGSQ, and a new video series will begin in tribute. Titled Voices of Genealogy, this series will be an archive of oral history of some of the most revered members of our community, preserving their presence for this and future generations of genealogists.

To see Tom Jones speaking about the NGSQ, visit any one of the following:

· The NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org

· The NGSGenealogy channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/NGSGenealogy

· The NGS Page on Google+ at http://gplus.to/NGSGenealogy

The video, produced by Kate Geis and Allen Moore, is available to the public and all NGS members.

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records. The Arlington, VA-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected].

27 December 2011

Personal Digitization -- Thoughts on by Dick Eastman and His Readers ...

Back in the summer, Dick Eastman posted a piece about using the 1DollarScan service in essence, to get books, magazines, paper documents, etc, scanned and digitized in order to make them more portable (along with other benefits as Dick has frequently discussed) . This post is interesting just not for what he shared and for the many comments made regarding using the service, including responses provided by this particular company, and discussions about copyright issues and much more.

If you have considered digitizing your vast (or not so large) book collection, you might want to read this post. Additionally the 1DollarScan site has posted pieces written by TechCrunch, Forbes, The Economist, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles and Times and Yahoo! which provide additional perspective on this particular service.

Editor’s Note: Do note that whatever you send will NOT be returned.

Have you used a scanning service for print publications or documents? If yes, what service did you use and what was your experience?

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26 December 2011

Social Security Administration extends FOIA restriction to 100 years

Example of a Case Where I Did NOT Know Who The Parents Were Until Receiving This SS-5

Last month, Megan Smolenyak Smoleynak on her Roots World blog, posted that it’s now official that the Social Security Administration has extended its FOIA restriction to 100 years. This is very, very unfortunate. I have frequently used such requests of someone’s SS-5 to learn the “parents” of that person in order to be able to extend research back a generation.

According to Megan’s blog post ...

“... A few years ago, I noticed that they were starting to block out names of parents on the applications – which is very unfortunate since that’s the primary reason for ordering them. Still, the restriction seemed to pertain to applications for those born from 1940 or so on, and the explanation was that their parents could still be alive. So though I wasn’t keen on it, I could understand the logic.

But recently – without any announcement – the Administration extended the restriction to 100 years – that is, 100 years from the birth of the applicant, so you can now only obtain this record in an unaltered state for those born prior to 1912 ... I can apparently receive the full application if I can prove that the parents are deceased, but 1) that’s a catch-22 since that’s exactly why I usually ordered the document in the first place...”

Read the full post.

Editor's Note: See this Genealogy Insider post about Rootsweb no longer providing free SSDI access and some of your options with regard to where you can still access the SSDI.

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23 December 2011

Seasons Greetings from Ann Christnacht Hilke, CG, President of the National Genealogical Society

祝聖誕節快樂 * Joyeuses fêtes * Glædelig Jul og Godt Nytår * Felices fiestas

Frohe Feiertage! * メリー クリスマス* Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta

Hello all,

I would like to take this opportunity to extend Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year from the NGS board and staff. As we join together with family and friends during this holiday season, let us reflect on the many blessings we have. One of our resolutions for the coming year should be to capture the family stories that have been shared through the years and preserve them for future generations.

Warm wishes,

Ann

Ann Christnacht Hilke, CG^SM
President
National Genealogical Society
3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300
Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370
[email protected]

"CG" & "Certified Genealogist" are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and are used by authorized associates following periodic, peer-reviewed competency evaluations.

Editor’s Note: Check out this site for more Season’s Greetings in different languages, http://www.lingo24.com/useful-phrases-seasons-greetings.html

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 [email protected]. 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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Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and Twitter.
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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 [email protected].

22 December 2011

The Root -- African Ethnicities and their Origin

Source: David Eltis and David Richardson, Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

In October The Root recently published a couple of articles that discuss how advancements in DNA research have made it so that most African Americans can trace their ancestry to one of just 46 ethnic groups.

Read these two articles to learn more:

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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 [email protected]. 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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Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and Twitter.

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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 [email protected].

21 December 2011

Cincinnati Birth and Death Records, 1865-1912

Example Entry From The Collection

How fitting that the 2012 NGS Family History Conference is being held in Cincinnati and that the University of Cincinnati is in the process of making available Cincinnati Birth and Death Records from 1865-1912.

There are a few records with earlier dates and these are believe to reflect the “restoration” of vital documents by citizens after the 1884 Hamilton County Courthouse fire.

You can search the records within a collection (reflecting a few years) or browse images in the collections.

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20 December 2011

Who's Been Sleeping in My House?

The title of this Australian show really caught my eye -- "Who's Been Sleeping in My House?" It's a series that has pieced together the history of eight houses to reveal a "past that isn't always recorded in the history books."

What a great program idea! Though we can't watch the content (only those living Australia can) you can learn more about the houses and see photos of them. There is also a research page describing the various Australian resources for learning more about houses and their owners.

If you are like me, it might inspire you to do the same type of research either into the house you live in or for those that your ancestors lived in.

My "closest" example of this was a house purchased by my grandparents in the UK -- called Croftlands. My grandfather died shortly after they purchased the house. Though I remember visiting it as a 7 year old, it had the highest beds, unfortunately, that was all I remembered of that visit -- nothing of my grandfather. In the course of researching further into my gran and grandad after her death, the local library put me in touch with the house's owners -- they were the couple who purchased the house from my Gran over 45 years earlier! And, they remembered my grandparents and wrote me a letter sharing their recollections of them; invaluable to me.

Croftlands

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