UpFront with NGS: April 2012

30 April 2012

Serendipity: It's a Wonderful World

There was a genealogy colleague and friend of mine who always referred to “Sarah N Dipity” or serendipity as being a key element of our genealogy research!

So, you can imagine my delight when I saw this Ancestry Insider post on this topic!

Have you experienced some great serendipity in your genealogy research? Please share!

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David L. Greene, PhD, FASG: “Becoming a Genealogist” New Release in Voices of Genealogy Video Series

Today NGS offers the fourth in the Voices of Genealogy series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the great genealogists of our time. This is also the fourth in the series featuring editors of the major US genealogical journals.

In “Becoming a Genealogist” David L. Greene, PhD, FASG, tells the story of how he discovered genealogy through his grandmother’s DAR papers, massive charts that looked like “basketball playoffs” groupings, and how he eventually became co-editor of The American Genealogist (TAG). The American Genealogist is the country’s oldest independent genealogical journal.

Inspired to create “good genealogy” after reading TAG and other genealogical journals’ articles, Greene describes his journey to becoming co-editor of The American Genealogist in 1984 by studying writers like Mary Lovering Holman and her careful explanations of how a conclusion was reached and Milton Rubicam, who he considers may be the best editor in the field of genealogy. Dr. Green has now continuously co-edited TAG for twenty-eight years.

In a future episode Dr. Greene will describe his own research, notably his studies of the personalities involved in the Salem witch trials.

To enjoy the interview, visit http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, log in, click the Members Only tab, and then click the Videos link in the menu on the left of the screen.

The video interviews represent just one of the many opportunities NGS offers its members for becoming successful genealogists. Members receive the society’s outstanding quarterly publications, The National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the NGS Magazine, and can also take advantage of free courses and significant discounts on publications, courses, and the NGS annual conference to be staged in Cincinnati 9–12 May 2012 and in Las Vegas 8–11 May 2013.

27 April 2012

Example of What One Person Can Do

Photo of Beverly Kittinger, Killeen Daily Herald (associated with 2nd article mentioned)

This is a great story about what one genealogy “volunteer” can do for a community!

“Every Monday and Wednesday, 71-year-old Beverly Kittinger can be found in the reference section of the Killeen Public Library's main branch.

Poring through birth, death and marriage records for eight to 10 hours a week, she's a one-person genealogy department for the library, creating a database that can be used not only by Killeen residents but also by people across the country trying to find out more about their family histories.

Kittinger, a former library employee, said she been working on the database for the past nine years...”

Read the full article and another article about Ms. Kittinger.

Do you know of such a volunteer? Please post a comment with a “shout out” to that person and all they’ve done to help genealogists!

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26 April 2012

Why can't I find my grandmother's passport?

Bobeyka Family Passport (Russian)

This article on Genealogy Today is a reminder to us that passports are a somewhat modern requirement for international travel. Even my emigrant ancestors from Finland in 1900 had a Russian Passport!

And, we are also reminded how important it is to know the laws of what documentation is required and for who to best understand what we find!

What is the oldest passport you have for an ancestor? Post a comment as we’d love to hear about it!

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25 April 2012

Ancestry.com Inc. to Acquire Archives.com

Ancestry posted the following message from Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com plus the press release that follows, on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

First a note from Tim Sullivan:

I wanted to send you a note to provide a little more information about our announcement today of an agreement to acquire Archives.com. As you know, Archives.com is a fast-growing family history site that has clearly attracted new users to family history with a product that is easy to use and one that has proven to be a great way for people to get started with family history.

Like Ancestry.com, the team at Archives.com has an extensive roadmap of product and technology innovation that we believe will make their service an even more unique and well-differentiated player in the dynamic and growing online family history category. Additionally, they’ve done a great job building strong partnerships with a number of key family history organizations, including a smart and strategic partnership with the U.S. National Archives, FamilySearch and findmypast.com to index and provide free digital access to the recently released 1940 U.S. Federal Census. These types of relationships, along with some creative content acquisition strategies, have helped build out Archives.com robust collection of family history records and expand the interest in family history.

In some ways, we view our deal with Archives.com as a coming-of-age moment for the online family history category. The success of companies like Archives.com, and the innovation we see across our industry, in many ways validates the work we have all done over many years to build category awareness. Archives.com has found an area of excellence in the family history category and they are a welcomed addition to the Ancestry.com family.

We very much view the acquisition of Archives.com as a way for us to accelerate our strategy of serving multiple customer segments with well differentiated offerings. I want to emphasis that our plan is to keep Archives.com as a distinct brand and site, to continue to nurture its existing partnerships, and to continue to invest in new content, product and technology.

There have never been more products and services available to genealogists than there are today, and I’m sure you will agree with me that that is a great thing. We are excited to help the talented Archives.com team continue to grow alongside Ancestry.com and look forward to helping them achieve their vision for a great online family history service.

Tim Sullivan

ANCESTRY.COM INC. TO ACQUIRE ARCHIVES.COM

–“Simple and Affordable” Fast-growing Start-up Adds Complementary Offering to Ancestry.com–

PROVO, Utah, April 25, 2012 – Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Archives.com, a family history website, for approximately $100 million in cash and assumed liabilities.

This transaction will enable Ancestry.com to add a differentiated service targeted to a complementary segment of the growing family history category. In addition, Ancestry.com will welcome a team of talented engineers, digital marketers, and family history innovators into the Ancestry.com fold and also gain access to a proprietary technology platform that has supported Archives.com’s rapid growth.

Archives.com is owned and operated by Inflection LLC, a Silicon Valley-based technology company. Since Archives.com’s launch in January 2010, the site has rapidly grown to more than 380,000 paying subscribers who pay approximately $39.95 a year. Archives.com offers access to over 2.1 billion historical records, including birth records, obituaries, immigration and passenger lists, historical newspapers, and U.S. and U.K. Censuses.

“Archives.com has built a fantastic and fast-growing business that we think is highly complementary to Ancestry.com’s online family history offering,” said Tim Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry.com. “We love their focus on making family history simple and affordable, and we are excited to help the talented Archives.com team continue to grow alongside Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and Family Tree Maker.”

“Family history remains a dynamic and growing online category,” added Sullivan. “Archives.com’s focus is consistent with our mission to help everyone discover, preserve and share their family history, which will help continue our efforts in delivering amazing discoveries to an even broader audience.”

Over the past two years, Archives.com has partnered with multiple well-known family history organizations that have helped build out Archives.com robust collection of family history records. Most recently, Archives.com partnered with the U.S. National Archives to provide free digital access to the recently released 1940 U.S. Federal Census.

“We are proud of the experience we’ve built with Archives.com and believe strongly in its future potential,” said Matthew Monahan, CEO and Co-Founder of Inflection. “Combining with Ancestry.com positions Archives.com to best capitalize on that potential, pairing complementary visions of the marketplace and the opportunity. We’ve long admired Ancestry.com’s content and technology and the innovations that the Ancestry.com team continues to bring to market. We’re excited to see how this transaction expands the reach of family history to an even larger audience.”

Upon completion of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including expiration of the HSR waiting period, Ancestry.com will continue to operate Archives.com separately retaining its brand and website. Multiple Inflection employees, including key product and engineering executives are expected to join the Ancestry.com team.

About Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with more than 1.8 million paying subscribers. More than 9 billion records have been added to the site in the past 15 years. Ancestry users have created more than 34 million family trees containing approximately 4 billion profiles. In addition to its flagship site, Ancestry.com offers several localized Web sites designed to empower people to discover, preserve and share their family history.

About Archives.com
Archives.com is a leading family history website that makes discovering family history simple and affordable. The company has assembled more than 2.1 billion historical records all in a single location. Archives also partners with other leading family history websites to provide a comprehensive resource for researching your family history. Archives.com is free to try for seven days, allowing anyone to explore the benefits of membership without risk or obligation. For more information and to start discovering your family history, please visit http://www.archives.com/.

About Inflection
Inflection is a Big Data and e-commerce startup headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley. Leveraging its proprietary technology platform, the company has built innovative data services like Archives.com, PeopleSmart.com, and Identity.com. Inflection was founded in 2006 and is backed by tier-one venture capitalists Matrix Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "appears," "may," "designed," "expect," "intend," "focus," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "should," "continue" or "work" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include statements concerning among other things, the proposed transaction between Ancestry.com and Archives.com, including the consummation and anticipated timing of the transaction as well as the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, and the effects of the proposed transaction on Ancestry.com, our subscriber base or reach. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In particular, such risks and uncertainties include the risk that the transaction does not close when anticipated, or at all; difficulties encountered in integrating acquired businesses and retaining customers, and the additional difficulty of integration when continuing the acquired operation; the adverse impact of competitive product announcements; failure to achieve anticipated revenues and operating performance; changes in overall economic conditions; the loss of key employees; competitors’ actions; pricing and gross margin pressures; inability to control costs and expenses; and significant litigation.

Information concerning additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and in discussions in other of our SEC filings. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date and we assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Old Maps Online

As genealogists, we love maps! They are such helpful tools for our research and sometimes just fun to look at!

The OldMapsOnline Portal is an easy-to-use gateway to historical maps in libraries around the world.

It allows the user to search for online digital historical maps across numerous different collections via a geographical search. Search by typing a place-name or by clicking in the map window, and narrow by date. The search results provide a direct link to the map image on the website of the host institution.

Basically you can move the “base map” around to select “where” in the world you are interested in. You can zoom in as needed and also select a time period range. On the right, you will then see the search results and you can click on any map to learn more about it (e.g. it’s source) and then you can click on “view this map” to go to it directly. I found a lot of maps from the David Rumsey Map Collection listed which is an excellent resource for maps!

About.com has a nice article about this site.

Any particular maps really catch your attention?

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24 April 2012

The National Genealogical Society Announces New Director: Robert Raymond

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announces the appointment of Robert Raymond to the Board of Directors. Robert, a resident of Utah, was selected to serve as an NGS Director at Large by President Ann Christnacht Hilke. Ms. Hilke stated, “We are pleased that Robert Raymond has agreed to join the board of NGS as he adds to the breadth of excellent business, technology, and genealogical skills our organization has set as goals for our future board development.”

Robert Raymond is a deputy to FamilySearch Chief Genealogical Officer, David Rencher, helping to increase genealogical soundness of FamilySearch products and improving relationships with the genealogical community. Additionally, Robert helps set the record acquisition and publication strategy.

Robert is a popular speaker and writer. His blog (authored pseudonymously) has won many awards and recognitions and is consistently ranked among the top ten genealogical blogs. He is the author of an acclaimed family history website where he has published hundreds of digitized genealogical records and personal histories, written numerous articles, and created several maps. Before FamilySearch, Robert worked at Ancestry.com and before that he was vice president of an award-winning technology company.

Robert is a genealogy technologist with more than forty years experience in genealogy, and thirty years in technology. Robert holds over a dozen technology patents and earned a masters degree in electrical (computer) engineering from Brigham Young University where he was honored as a Kimball Scholar. He is a volunteer at a FamilySearch Family History Center where he can be found in the trenches every Wednesday night.

Republic of Ireland -- Will Calendars

Image from PRONI, http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/will_calendars/history_of_probate.htm

Irish research continues to get easier with more and more resources becoming available online.

“The National Archives of Ireland has been busy updating its online catalogue with an entry for each of the Calendars of grants of probate of wills and letters of administration from 1858-1982.

... the updated catalogue is in good shape if you're looking for wills dating from Independence to the 1980s...”

Read the full article.

All calendars from 1923 to 1982 have been scanned and links are available here on the Council of Genealogical Organisations page.

Chris Paton of British GENES (British Genealogy News and Events) notes that the equivalent probate calendars for the counties of Northern Ireland, both before and after partition, from 1858-1943 are also available in database format at www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/will_calendars.htm.

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23 April 2012

Everyone Makes Mistakes: Why You Should Review Your Research Notes

This article on Olive Tree Genealogy (5 March 2012) caught my eye since just recently I had been reading someone else’s research notes about a census entry for a family. When I looked at the index entry at Ancestry.com and an image of the original census page – what becomes evident are two things – one, the handwriting is slanted across the page making it easy to get off “one” line when reading across AND two, that for this particular head of household, entries were erased and over-written with “corrected” entries [the researchers notes included both those erased and added – making for a much larger family].

The funniest part about this – is that the “corrected” entries are actually consistent with all the other records found for this family whereas the transcription that has been used as the basis for most of the research, actually required one to explain “away” the other individuals purportedly listed!

Again, we are reminded that both our own research notes and those of others may contain “errors” of interpretation and that it is critical to see original documents. We all do make mistakes when writing our notes, in how we interpret found records, etc. Be willing to re-look at your own notes and collected documents and you may find “new clues” hiding in plain sight!

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20 April 2012

Celebrate Preservation Week 2012!

It’s that time of year again – Preservation Week! As genealogists with an interest in preserving family history, our support of any events this week is valued!

Any “Preservation Week” events happening in your area? Let us know!

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19 April 2012

Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842

This collection contains approximately 2,000 documents and images relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States from the collections of the University of Georgia Libraries, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville Library, the Frank H. McClung Museum, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Tennessee State Museum, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and the LaFayette-Walker County Library. The documents are comprised of letters, legal proceedings, military orders, financial papers, and archaeological images relating to Native Americans in the Southeast.

Editor’s Note: The website includes this warning and it reminds us that it is always important to remember that historical documents reflect the time period and social conventions of the time at which they were written. We do not “rewrite” history, even though we may find it offensive.

This site includes historical materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as part of the historical record. Please see Issues of Cultural Sensitivity for more information.

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18 April 2012

findmypast Will Tell You When They've Found Your Ancestors!

If you are like me and just don’t have the time to trawl through the newly released 1940 census pages and so are waiting for them to be indexed, well, findmypast.com has a new feature to make this practically hassle-free ...

If you tell us who you are searching for in 1940, we will email you once we've tracked them down.

The only information we need is which state the person was living in at the time of the 1940 Census. “As soon as that state is indexed, we will run a program against the data to find the individual you’re looking for you and then email you the links we find”, says Brian Speckart from findmypast.com. “We’re taking the hassle and delay out of searching.”

Findmypast.com is the new U.S. addition to the global network of findmypast family history websites, launched in a limited, early form in time for the 1940 Census. Its unique new, customized feature, created for the 1940 Census, is called “We’ll find them for you” and is now live. http://www.findmypast.com

I’ve signed up to have my dad searched for – this is the first and only census where he will show up with his mother and father (his father died a few years later). I’ve got my fingers crossed! I’ll let you know how it goes! And, if you use this service, please let us know your experience!

Editor’s Note: You do have to be registered with findmypast.com, which is free, to take advantage of this service. When you submit a request, you will get an acknowledgement, though, the acknowledgement doesn’t contain the details you provided and so you may want to note those separately!

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17 April 2012

Most-wired Generation Gorges on 1940 Census Data

How’s that for a headline! Though in its source newspaper, Bloomberg News, it is “Most–Wired Generation meets greatest Generation in Census Frenzy,” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-12/most-wired-generation-meets-greatest-generation-in-census-frenzy.html

I have been very impressed with how much press coverage the release of the 1940 census has been receiving in the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC).

I cannot think of a genealogical topic that has generated as much press as this has! Are you also finding expanded coverage in your local newspaper?

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16 April 2012

2012 March NGS Quarterly Now Online

The March 2012 edition of the NGS Quarterly is now available under the Members Only Section at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/members_only/publications_archive/ngsq_online/ngsq_disclaimer. Please be sure to log in under the User Login area to the right of the screen.

Please note that access to the NGS Quarterly online is available only as long as your membership is active. If you wish to discontinue this option and continue to receive print copies of the journal, please with our website and update your profile to indicate the same.

Feature Articles

A Century and More: The National Genealogical Society Quarterly
The Genealogist’s Contribution to History, Milton Rubincam, FASG
Weighing Genealogical Evidence, Archibald F. Bennett
Genealogy, Handmaid of History, Lester J. Cappon
Who Was the Widow Anna Maria Lenz? Walter Lee Sheppard Jr.
Creative Imagination in Research, Dorothee Hughes Carousso
A Century of NGS Quarterly Editors

Communications

Editor’s Corner

Enduring Value

NGS Administration

Sidelights

“Anything But a Dull Magazine”
Genealogical Publication Advice
Advocacy for a National Archive
Genealogical Research Advice in 1931
Institute of Genealogy, Alabama
The Institute on Genealogical Research
Standard Certificate of Death
An Advocate of Scholarly Research and Writing
Some Old American Families

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13 April 2012

Fold3: All WWII Content Free Through April 30!

In 1940, Americans were recovering from the Great Depression and on the brink of entering a world war. The recently released 1940 U.S. Census gives us data snapshots of people and families poised between two of the most devastating world-wide events of the 20th century.

After you locate someone in the 1940 Census (on Ancestry.com), use that information to find records on Fold3, especially within the World War II Collection. Then build their personal histories with images and other details you've discovered.

Examples of what you might find include:

"Old Man's Draft" Registration Cards. Any man between the ages of 43 and 62 in 1940 would be required to register in 1942. It's called the "Old Man's" draft because it was a registration of an older generation with skills that would be useful on the home front, not in military action. (Hint: You can also use the addresses on these cards to help you search for people on the census before the index has been created.)
Missing Air Crew Reports recount riveting tales of planes shot down with and without survivors. Some of these reports include names and addresses of family members back home, as in this examplefor the men in this crash report.
War Diaries are official Navy accounts of command units' strategies and actions in battles on land, sea, and air, as well as between engagements.
European Theater Army Records. Shortly after the 1940 census, millions of Americans were serving in Great Britain and Europe. These records include virtually all administrative and strategic documents relating to U.S. operations in the European Theater during World War II.

There are also many compelling records and images within WWII Photos, the Interactive USS Arizona Memorial, WWII Hero Pages, and Holocaust Records. Pair the people you find in the 1940 Census to their service in World War II through documents, pages, and photos in Fold3's World War II Collection.

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12 April 2012

Youth Program at the National Genealogical Society 2012 Family History Conference

(Arlington, VA)–The National Genealogical Society's thirty-fourth annual Family History Conference, The Ohio River: Gateway to the Western Frontier, will be held 9–12 May 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A highlight of the NGS 2012 Family History Conference will be the Genealogy Youth Kamp on Saturday, 12 May 2012, at the Duke Energy Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The Kamp, designed to develop an understanding of family history, is intended for youth 8 to 16 years old. Scouts and 4-H groups are encouraged to participate in the event with their leaders. The morning will be composed of a variety of hands-on activities including a workshop focusing on genealogical merit badges. A special program is planned for interested parents, grandparents, and adults who are welcome to attend.

The Genealogy Youth Kamp is free, but registration is required. Space is limited. Go to http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration to register. After registering, please prepare for the Kamp by following the directions on the NGS Genealogy Youth Kamp web page http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/annual_conference/youth_kamp

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. Please visit the NGS Pressroom for further information.

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