Road trips ... a popular summer genealogy research activity!

Copyright 2014, Diane L Richard -- Alaska

With the kids out of school, warmer (if not hot) temperatures, and July 4^th on the horizon – it’s time for a Road Trip!  A genealogy or family history oriented one.

Many of us piggy-back, when possible, a genealogy research or a “let’s visit where the ancestors lived” trip with a vacation. We are already on the road traveling, we might even have built-in research buddies traveling with us, or it’s an opportunity to share with the family some of the more interesting bits of the family history as we visit the cemeteries where they are buried, the churches they attended, possibly the houses where they lived, etc.

To get the most out of such a research trip, planning is key!  I was reminded of this recently when I read Genealogy Roadtrip: 10 Tips for Researching at a Library or Archive (Ancestry.com Blog). Many of these same tips apply even when your road trip does not involve a library or archive. What to Bring When You Hit the Road for Genealogy (Genealogy Insider) also has some useful tips.  Not into reading, then check out this “Wordless Wednesday” post on the Michigan Family Trails blog about Diane Gould Hall’s first genealogy road trip (though the post is wordless, her “written” tips in answer to a question are definitely worth reading.)

If you are not planning a road trip yourself, you may find that a local genealogical society is planning one!  The Iowa Genealogical Society recently did a road trip to the Midwest Genealogy Center (Kansas City).  Speaking of the Midwest Genealogy Center, read Planning for a Trip to any Genealogy Library, Specifically Midwest Genealogy Center (Genealogy Decoded) – the article has great tips for any research trip, regardless of destination!

Maybe hearing from someone who recently took a genealogy road trip will inspire you to embark on your own. Read Genealogy Road Trip (Mid-Continent Public Library website) or Genealogy Road Trip! (Christine Bell, LDS Blogs).

As a person who loves to drive, I always find road trips fun.  Not everybody feels the same way (my husband is very glad that I like to drive as he doesn’t!). So, if you don’t like to drive, find a road trip buddy or take advantage of a planned trip set up by a genealogical group or similar (there are still openings for the fall NGS SLC trip (Unfortunately the Fort Wayne and DC trips are both sold out.  Check this page for all NGS research trip offerings). 

If you absolutely cannot physically get to where you want to visit you might find photographs posted by others (both modern and historic) or be able to take advantage of the Google street view feature to “virtually” travel to a locale that you would love to see.

Wherever you go, wishing you a safe and happy trip ...

Editor’s Note : Upfront with NGS discussed this previously in June 2013 in Frugal Alternatives to a Genealogical Road Trip [note that the link to the article on which the title is based no longer work though the links to the 1st three road trip articles also still work !]

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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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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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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 [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]

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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.

Death Online, or where to learn about online searchable death indexes

This is the first in a sporadic series where I talk about some of my favorite resources, sometimes put aside for awhile and then re-remembered in the course of a research project.

One such resource is Joe Beine’s website Online Searchable Death Indexes & Records.  I sometimes joke that if anyone looked at history of my online searches, they would wonder if I was nefariously planning something since I often search on death + online to get to Joe’s site!

Just yesterday I was focusing on seeking out death records, I think for Kentucky.  In the course of my research I stumbled across Joe’s website, immediately slapped my head, and wondered why I hadn’t thought to look there first.  I mean, I used to always start with his website.  I think I’ve been doing so much NC research lately (and I know where to look for its records) that I was a bit rusty in taking advantage of my old bag of tricks.

This great resource has a dedicated page for each state and a few places, like NYC, also have a dedicated page.  For each state he starts with any statewide resources and then lists any county records he has identified.  For the statewide resources, the typical order seems to be death records/certificates/indexes found on Ancestry.com and/or FamilySearch, followed by a mention of newspaper obits found via Obitsarchive.com and then any local or regional Obituary resources. 

For each resource, you can assume it is free unless he states (requires payment) or has otherwise indicated if there is a fee.  He will often tell you the time period covered by the listed resource.  Every item has a hyperlink to the landing page for the actual resource. 

This website is a great, quick and efficient way to easily find out what obvious sources for death records might be available online for the locale you are researching.  If not much is listed, it tells you pretty quickly that much of your research will be taking place offline instead of online.

As always, do recognize that any online list is obsolete almost as quickly as it is written and Joe does regularly update this page.  He posts notices on the associated Facebook (FB) page, Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records and if you Like this page (with or without notifications) you will be informed of any updates.

So, do take a few minutes and check out Joe's page -- I think you will be very happy that you did!

Editor’s Note: I have just talked about one of Joe’s useful resource pages.  He has created several of them and you can access the whole bunch via Online Genealogy Records and Resources.

Editor’s Note: If you know a neat resource of great help to family history researchers, please do drop me a note.  If it’s one of my favorites also, it could show up here or as a Mini-Byte.  If it’s new to me, I’ll check it out and I might then also write about it or post a quick link on the NGS FB page.  Thanks in advance for any tips!

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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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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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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 [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]

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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.

National Atlas Being Combined With National Map

Don’t you hate it when you learn that something is disappearing when you didn’t even know it existed?

Though I love maps and know of many map resources, I really didn’t have the National Atlas on my radar.  Now, come 30 September 2014 it will be no more when it is combined with The National Map.

The announcement states ...

We recognize that not having the same access to information about the population, economy, infrastructure, natural resources, environment, government, and history of the Nation, organized for display on national and regional maps, may place a burden on USGS customers. Please take advantage of the remaining months to browse and download anything you need from the National Atlas.

So, I went and played around with the map layers available which include a History layer called Territorial Acquisitions, a Boundaries layer called Indian Lands, a Geology layer called Earthquakes (1568-2009), and many more layers.  Granted, most of the information encompasses from say the mid 1980s to the present and as mentioned, there are are layers relevant to our historical research needs.

There is also a section on articles and I found the History of Railroads and Maps (Parts 1, 2, and 3) very interesting.

So, don’t almost be like me and find that this resource has disappeared before you even knew it existed !

Do you know of a soon to disappear resource that might interest family history enthusiasts ?

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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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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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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 [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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to [email protected]

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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.

Are You Using Historic Editorial Cartoons As You Research Your Ancestors, Community, or a Time Period?

Google Image search on term "editorial cartoons" -- select images

Sometimes we get information from unexpected places – or shall I say less usual places.

For example, with all the complexity of modern politics, a nice single panel editorial cartoon will often tell me more than the two page article in the newspaper.

As we research our ancestors, we are often seeking to learn more about the context of the times in which they lived.  What better way than through editorial cartoons!??!  This came to my mind when I read Teaching with Editorial Cartoons (ProQuest).

Of course, then I had to see if there are collections dedicated to editorial cartoons and there are quite a few!

·    [Dirksen Center] http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/  

·    [Sykes Editorial Cartoon Collection] http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/syk

·    [British] http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/

·    [Wikipedia] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorial_cartoon

·    [International] http://www.globecartoon.com/ & http://www.cartoonmovement.com/

·    [Montreal] http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/caricatures/page.php?Lang=1&file=156.xml

·    [Political/editorial cartoons in the classroom] http://www.weberberg.de/skool/cartoons.html

I'm sure there are more ... If you know of any other large collections, let us know.

So, when you next need to learn some history and brevity will best suit your needs, consider checking out a collection of editorial cartoons.

Do you know of another type of resource that puts history into bite-size digestible chunks?

Editor's Note: My family are particular to The Cartoon History of the Universe series by Larry Gonick.

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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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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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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 [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, Google+, 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]

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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.

Informal Poll (Part 2) -- Thanks for your time, please keep comments coming, NEW questions about Upfront with NGS Mini Bytes (please respond)

Google Image search on term "poll box" -- select images

Thanks to everyone who emailed, posted on Google+ or posted on FB responses to: Informal Poll -- What kinds of genealogy and family history news do you like to read?  If you haven’t yet responded, please do so!  Your comments, thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.

I have read every response so far received and I will re-read them in a few days as I “plot and plan” future posts.

That said, many respondents talked about learning about new “resources” ...

As you may know, Upfront with NGS Mini Bytes has been a platform for periodically sharing “eight tasty bits of genealogy news that will help give you a deeper byte into your family history research.” Many of these bits of information are about new resources (databases, websites, etc).

This feature has been a vehicle for sharing “more” news than can be handled by the blog’s a piece-a-day format.  It has also allowed the blog to share news of a more localized nature (a local archive, a database for a particular emigrant group, etc) which may not be of interest to everyone and yet of immense interest to some of our readers.  

To create this feature, many, many genealogy newsletters, blogs and news outlets are monitored and yet, it’s not possible to bring attention to everything that crosses our desk nor can I spend the time to read every genealogy-related newsletter, blog post or news outlet in existence.

Now to the questions (again – please directly email to [email protected] or post on FB or Google+):

+ Would you like to see this as a weekly feature or continue with it as a biweekly? (Note: we paused in producing this piece this month due to personnel changes at NGS)

+ Would you be willing to help contribute to this piece by passing news items along to us that you haven’t seen reported on? We love to share news and would be happy to credit your contribution.

+ Are you happy with the variety and brevity of the pieces?

+ Do you have any suggestions?

Again, your input as dedicated Upfront with NGS readers is invaluable to ensuring that the blog remains a part of your regular reading routine.

Editor’s Note: I am not tweet savvy (though I did dabble at it while at the NGS conference this year in support of the NGS staff getting news out).  All Upfront with NGS posts are “tweeted” to @ngsgenealogy.  Please feel free to respond via a response tweet to either of these posts.  I can check your twitter “replies.”

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 [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, Google+, 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]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

Special offer! 50% off My Heritage for NGS Members. June 22-July 1

Dear NGS Member, We have arranged a great offer. FULL ACCESS to everything on MyHeritage for HALF THE PRICE! Hurry, this offer is good for 10 days only! Offer expires Tuesday, July 1, 2014 Take this offer now for 50% off MyHeritage [use Click here link below to take advantage of this offer] "I was amazed at the results. Within minutes MyHeritage.com showed me more information about a number of my ancestors than I had found in 35 years of searching on my own!"  Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter MyHeritage has billions of records and is an industry leader with records and tree matching technologies, that they say allow you to 'Research in Your Sleep.' MyHeritage technology finds records automatically, with a claimed 97% accuracy and in 40 languages. The technology extracts the data from those records into your tree and creates new people where they were missing. Now is the perfect time to give them a try with this half off special offer! [use Click here link below to take advantage of this offer] MyHeritage provides you with: 1790-1940 US census 1841-1911 UK census Billions of historical names NEW: Millions of Nordic records Birth, marriage, and death records NEW: 815 Million US Public records just added! Vital Records from 48 countries Newspapers dating back to 1739 Hundreds of exclusive databases 1.5 billion exclusive family tree records  Powerful extraction and sourcing For a limited time, NGS Members can join for only $119.40 for a one-year full access subscription, including a PremiumPlus Family Tree account and the MyHeritage Data Plan. To get this low price, join before Tuesday, July 1. That's a savings of 50 percent! Click here to join MyHeritage today for only $119.40! Jordan Jones President, NGS Note: This affiliation offer also provides funding to allow NGS to continue its work in genealogical education, publishing, events, and advocacy. If you are considering a MyHeritage subscription, join now to also support NGS!

The Giessen Emigration Society Genealogy Project

It’s always fun to read about a project and in the process learn a bit of history too! 

Read this piece sent from the Missouri Germans Consortium.

The Giessen Emigration Society Genealogy Project

Imagine yourself trying to locate the descendants of 500 German emigrants.  They're not the same family, religion, nor do they come from the same village or province. The only thing in common is that they immigrated to the United States from Bremen in 1834, as members of the Giessen Emigration Society. Some of them left in March and arrived in New Orleans in June on board the ship the Olbers. The rest left in June and arrived in Baltimore in July aboard the Medora.   There are passenger arrival lists, newspaper accounts, written accounts, diaries, journals, and histories written about the group. Add to the problem, they didn't settle together in Arkansas as originally planned. Some of them even returned to Germany after arrival or within a few years. Known as the Giessen Emigration Society, no one is certain if all passengers on each ship lists were members. 

Where to start

Fortunately, the Passenger lists exist for both ships so the first step is to create a database of all names. Written accounts state that membership in the Giessen Emigration Society was closed at 500, even though thousands had applied to join. The first ship, the Olbers, had a female passenger become ill with Typhoid before it had even passed the British Isles. The second group, which came on the Medora, became stalled near Bremen when the ship they had chartered did not arrive. Stranded, and living on the island Harriersand in the Weser River, some gave up hope and abandoned the group, or may have have taken another ship. Journals and diaries of members tell us about many who died, married and were born on the island and on each ship. Even though no account book or journal listing the members has been found yet, we chose not to eliminate any passengers listed, without definitive answers, we won’t eliminate any possibilities for information. Next, we map out their pathways.

Meet us in St. Louis

When Giessen Society founders Friedrich Muench and Paul Follenius issued the Call in Giessen, Germany, published in July 1833, it was considered an illegal act by their government. They didn't follow Duden’s recommendation of sending a scout or "agent" until their organizational meeting in September 1833, when Müeller and Schmidt headed to the Territory of Arkansas, to report back on the location. When they returned to Bremen in time to tell Paul Follenius, leader of the first group about to board the Olbers, not to go to Arkansas, there was a sudden change in plans. Needing to leave, Follenius sent word to Friedrich Muench, to meet him in St. Louis, and departed for the U.S.  Within the first few days, Typhoid broke out on the Olbers, but that was not the worst problem. As they were about to enter port, June 4, 1834, they learned from departing ships, that Cholera was epidemic in New Orleans. Getting through port as quickly as possible, they headed by steamboat up the Mississippi towards St. Louis. Many members did fall ill, were lost, only to be buried along the route. When they reached St. Louis, they waited for a bit, hoping for the rest of the group, before heading west on the Boone's Lick Road. The road, running west from St. Charles, was a common pathway for thousands heading to the far west.  Some members aboard the Olbers settled first in New Orleans and Cape Girardeau, but most came on and purchased land in Illinois and Missouri. 

Given up for Lost 

As the second group of the Society arrived in Bremen, they learn that the ship they had chartered had not arrived yet. Not knowing when a ship that had room would arrive, they were desperate, not wanting to use up funds destined for land purchase in the U.S. At that time, Bremerhaven was new, and lodging establishments had not been built. Trying to save funds, many took refuge in a hausbarn as cattle were pastured on the Weser River, across from Brake, on the Harriersand Island. Finally, weeks later, the group was able to charter the Medora and head for America. 

Baltimore was in the midst of a heat wave. One died from sunstroke, and one actually returned to Germany, according to some accounts. The group then followed the suggested route of Gottfried Duden, to Cincinnati, then down river and up, to St. Louis. Yes, some stopped, deciding to establish homes, along the way. Even though they found St. Louis embroiled in Cholera, some would stop and make their home, as the best place to earn a living if you were not "farmer" material was the big city. Those that could not tolerate the practice of slavery chose Illinois, with many settling in St. Clair County there. 

Where to go from here

By now you have gathered that the Giessen Emigration Society Genealogy Project is searching for German emigrants, with the only thing in common, is that they either came in on the Olbers to New Orleans around June 4, 1834 or the Medora to Baltimore where they arrived mid-July.  Descendants of many families have already been located.

Families that have visited the exhibition in Germany, learning their family had members, have contacted the exhibition’s organizers, and have been re-united with families in the United States. Others, who know their family were GES members, assist with clues found in their family history.  More information about the Giessen Emigration Society, can be seen in the exhibition Utopia – Revisiting a German State in America, while in Bremen, Germany, Washington, D.C., or St. Louis, Missouri or in the companion book by the same name that is available from the University of Chicago Press.

If you have ancestors that you suspect were members of the Giessen Emigration Society we would like to hear from you!  Please contact us by email at [email protected] or visit our website http://mo-germans.com today.

Whether your ancestors emigrated from Germany in 1834 and may have been a part of the Giessen Emigration Society, or not, I found their story a compelling read.

Are you a member of or participating in a project which focuses on a unique group of individuals?  If so, tell us about it and we may share their story with the readers of Upfront with NGS.

           

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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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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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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 [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, Google+, 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]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

Informal Poll -- What kinds of genealogy and family history news do you like to read?

Google Image search on term "poll box" -- select images

I’d like to informally poll, you, the readers of Upfront with NGS, about what type of blog posts interest you the most.  Meaning – these are the posts that you are more likely to read.  You have a choice of many many blogs to read to get your information from.  

We recognize that no one blog can possibly give you all the family history news that is relevant -- after all, our community is quite diverse and there is a lot of news that could have relevance.  With that in mind, what types of posts keep you coming back to Upfront with NGS ?

Please post a comment to the blog post, or comment on FB or Google+, or send an e-mail to [email protected] with your responses.  Times change, people’s needs/interests change, and it’s always good to get a sense of what’s important to the community.

Here is a list of some types of blog posts, besides those related to NGS news, in no particular order. Do NOT feel limited by this list (I know it’s not comprehensive).  You can always share ideas for other topics of interest.

+ Upfront with NGS Mini Bytes

+ NARA, LOC News

+ Access and Preservation News (e.g. RPAC, Vital records access, etc)

+ Industry News (e.g. Ancestry.com changes in services, promotional sales, consolidations, new offerings, etc)

+ New databases

+ Conferences besides NGS (FGS, Rootstech, SCGS Jamboree, etc)

+ Case studies

+ Guest bloggers (a range of topics)

+ News items that are not specific to genealogy and yet related

+ Resource Pieces (e.g. a list of resources pertaining to a particular research strategy or record type)

+ Genealogy TV shows (e.g. WDYTYA, Genealogy Roadshow, etc)

+ Opinion Pieces (e.g. Disappearing Newspapers, What’s the truth behind the legend)

+ Award winning “new” projects

+ Social Media

+ Video series

+ Infographics (one page images that summarize a topic)

+ Technology Tips & Tools (e.g. Blogtrottr, Dropbox, Evernote, Flipboard, Phone Apps, etc)

+ Genetic Genealogy

... and, many more topics.

Again, what types of blog posts do you enjoy and/or value reading!  Thanks in advance for your input. 

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 [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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

In case you missed the news -- Ancestry.com dropping several services

Ancestry.com has announced that it is discontinuing the following offerings as it focuses on its core business.

+ MyFamily

+ My Canvas

+ Genealogy.com

+ Mundia

+ Y-DNA testing

+ mtDNA testing

Here is most of the original announcement ...

We’re proud of the variety of products we’ve created over the years that enable people to discover, preserve and share their family history. We recognize that there are a lot of ways that we, as a company, can make family history easier, more accessible and more fun for people all over the world. And we’re continually innovating to make it a reality.

We’re always looking to focus our efforts in a way that provide the most impact, while also delivering the best service and best product experience to users. To that end, we’ve decided to retire some of our services: MyFamily, MyCanvas, Genealogy.com, Mundia and the Y-DNA and mtDNA tests.

We will note that the AncestryDNA (autosomal) test is not affected by this change and will continue to be available as we continue to invest in this new technology. Only the y-DNA and mtDNA tests will be retired.

Starting September 5, 2014, these services will no longer be available to access. Genealogy.com is the exception to the rule, and will continue in a slightly different form. If you are an active member or subscriber to one of these services, you will be contacted directly with details of how to transition the information you’ve created using these services.

We know these services have provided value to you. We think they’re pretty cool too, which is why this wasn’t an easy decision for us to make. In the end, it came down to priorities and we think our core offerings are a great place to spend our time and resources.

So here’s to revolutionizing family history, focusing on providing the best product experience we can offer and to the limitless possibilities that lie before us.

Read the following to learn more :

+ [EOGN] Ancestry.com to Drop MyFamily, MyCanvas, Genealogy.com, Mundia and the Y-DNA and mtDNA Tests

+ [Family Tree Magazine] "Retirement" Tips for Ancestry Y-DNA & mtDNA, MyCanvas and MyFamily.com Customers
+ [The Legal Genealogist] Why, Ancestry? Why? and Ancestry Responds [accidentally left off original post]

+ [Ancestry.com] Comments on Y-DNA & mtDNA tests

Editor’s Note : Due to the recent DDoS attack on Ancestry.com, you may or may not be able to access the original announcement or Ancestry.com websites at any given time.  If you cannot, try again in the future.

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