UpFront with NGS: March 2015

31 March 2015

Join New York experts Karen Mauer Jones, Terry Koch-Bostic and Jane Wilcox on the Forget-Me-Not Hour Radio Show as they discuss their NY lectures for the NGS Conference in St. Charles, MO on May 14, 2015

Terry Koch-Bostic, Karen Mauer Jones, Jane Wilcox

Join Jane E. Wilcox, host of The Forget-Me-Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told radio show, when she welcomes the presenters of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society-sponsored New York Track at the National Genealogical Society's 2015 family history conference in St. Charles, Missouri. On the show the New York Track lecture team will talk about the exciting lineup of New York genealogy topics at this year’s conference. The radio show airs at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, 1 April at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/janeewilcox/2015/04/01/ngs-st-charles-2015-and-the-new-york-track, and can be listened to on-demand any time afterward.

The New York Track includes Karen Mauer Jones with two topics: New York Land: Patroonships, Manors, Patents, Rent Wars & Land and Records Created by New York’s Towns and Cities: Uncommonly Rich Resources; Terry Koch-Bostic with City Directories: Antiquarian People Finders; and radio show host Jane Wilcox with two topics: The New York Gateway: Immigration and Migration and New York City and State Vital Records and Their Substitutes. Terry Koch-Bostic will also give the NYG&B Luncheon talk Intuition and Genealogy Success: A Sixth Sense, Chance, Coincidence, or Serendipity? The New York Track and Luncheon take place on Thursday, 14 May.

Find out what each of the presentations is all about on Wednesday, 1 April on The Forget-Me-Not Hour, and then join the presenters at the St. Charles Conference Center in St. Charles, Missouri on 13-16 May 2015.

Begun in November 2010 on WHVW 950 AM radio in Poughkeepsie, the Forget-Me-Not Hour features two one-hour shows each month with one on New York-area genealogy and history topics and one on a variety of genealogy and history topics. The New York show airs on the first Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox. The variety show airs on the third Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. Both shows can be accessed on-demand any time after the show airs. The program schedule and archives can be found on BlogTalk.

Host Jane E. Wilcox can be reached at www.4getMeNotAncestry.com. Please contact her with show ideas and questions for upcoming guests.

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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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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.

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30 March 2015

SCGS Offering the 2015 Student Genealogy Award + FREE SCGS Conference Registration (students ages 18-23 may apply)

This is a great opportunity for students (high school and college) who are planning to attend (or could attend) the 2015 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

March 17, 2015 – The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Committee is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Student Genealogy award. Student genealogists between the ages of 18 and 23 are eligible to apply for the $500 cash award.

The 2015 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society will provide a full conference registration to the SCGS Jamboree in June where the award will be presented. This is a unique opportunity for a young genealogist to attend a premiere regional conference and meet genealogists from throughout the nation.

The Student Grant was established in 2010 by family and friends in memory of Suzanne Winsor Freeman, family historian and life-long volunteer, and an enthusiastic annual attendee at the SCGS Jamboree. Past recipients include Elyse Doerflinger (Lomita, California), A.C. Ivory (Salt Lake City, Utah), Anthony Ray (Palmdale, California), Michael Savoca (Toms River, New Jersey), and Paul Woodbury (Provo, Utah).

“The Student Genealogy Grant pays tribute to Suzanne Freeman’s dedication to youth volunteerism and family history by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the SCGS Annual Genealogy Jamboree, Southern California’s premiere regional genealogy conference,” notes Denise Levenick, committee chair and Freeman’s daughter.

“We are especially grateful to Jamboree for providing a three-day conference registration to the grant recipient,” she adds. “SCGS is truly a leader in conference organizations by encouraging youth involvement in genealogy through the popular Kids’ Camp Interest Group and through the student grant project.”

Born in Olathe, Kansas, Suzanne Winsor (Brown) Freeman moved to Orange County, California with her family in the early 1930s where she attended school and lived most of her life. She developed a strong interest in family history sparked by the stories of her mother’s early life in Colorado and Kansas. After retirement Suzanne moved to Green Valley, Arizona where she was active in the local genealogy society. She enjoyed returning to Southern California each year in June to attend the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne passed away after a brief illness in Tucson, Arizona August 28, 2010.

The $500 cash award pays tribute to these interests by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the Jamboree. In addition, a complimentary three-day conference registration to the Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will be provided by the Jamboree conference.

Any genealogist who is between the ages of 18 and 23 and is a current student (full-time or part-time) is eligible to apply. The recipient must attend the 2015 SCGS Jamboree in Burbank, California to receive the award.

Funding for the cash award is provided by the family grant program; Jamboree registration is provided by the conference. Individual contributions to the grant program are welcome at the Student Grant Webpage.

Application deadline is April 10, 2015 midnight Pacific Daylight Time.

Application details and forms are available at the Student Grant Webpage http://www.thefamilycurator.com/swf-grant. Suzanne Winsor Freeman’s Obituary is available here.

Editor’s Note: We have posted about this grant opportunity in the past -- 2013 Student Genealogy Grant + Free Admission to the SCGS Jamboree for Winner

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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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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.

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27 March 2015

New StoryCorps App (FREE) -- Your "story" could end up archived with the Library of Congress

StoryCorps has released an app. You can read more about it here.

The StoryCorps app—a free mobile application—seamlessly walks users through an interview by providing all the necessary tools for a wonderful experience. You will receive help preparing questions, finding the right environment for your conversation, recording a high-quality interview on your mobile device, sharing the finished product with friends and family, and uploading your conversation to the StoryCorps.me website.

This site is a home for the recordings and also provides interviewing and editing resources. In addition, all interviews uploaded to the platform during the first year of the program will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

As mentioned, all interviews uploaded during the 1^st year will be archived at the Library of Congress (LOC). The LOC has posted a blog piece about this project, Ethnography, 21st century-style.

What I also learned in reading out the new app is that this project is the 2015 TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) winner.

Each year Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) awards the prize to someone working on a project with a global impact.

Dave Isay has spent the money on a smartphone app that will allow anyone to contribute conversations.

He hopes to create an "archive of the wisdom of humanity".

The name StoryCorps may ring a bell as each November for the last 2 years we have posted a piece about treating the day after Thanksgiving as a National Day of Listening -- a new national holiday started by StoryCorps in 2008. On the day after Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks everyone to take a few minutes to record an interview with a loved one. You can use recording equipment that is readily available to you, such as computers, iPhones, and tape recorders. How you do it doesn’t matter!

This new project is now making it even easier to capture stories and to do so any day of the year!

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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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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.

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26 March 2015

NGS 2016 Family History Conference Call for Papers Closes 1 April 2015

ARLINGTON, VA, 26 MARCH 2015—Time is running out to submit lecture proposals for the NGS 2016 Family History Conference. Speakers and sponsoring organizations must submit their proposals by 1 April 2015. The conference, entitled Exploring the Centuries: Footprints in Time, will be held 4–7 May 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The ethnic makeup of Florida is, and always has been, diverse. Native Americans—including Miccosukees, Choctaw, Creek, Timucua, and Calusa—lived throughout the area, which became known as La Florida after the arrival of Ponce de León in 1513. The Spanish were followed by other groups such as the French, British, Irish, German, and Greeks. The importation of African slaves also affected society in Florida as did the formation of the Seminole alliance. All of these people have left many footprints in time and a rich repository of records to trace our ancestry.

NGS will consider lectures covering the following topics: Florida history (especially early settlements), records, repositories, ethnic and religious groups, neighboring areas (i.e., the Caribbean, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina), and migration to, from, and within Florida. The Society will also consider regional topics of interest, including land and military records, especially those pertaining to the Revolutionary War, Indian wars, Civil War, and World War I. Additionally, proposals may cover broader genealogical categories, including federal records, the law as it relates to genealogy, methodology, genetic genealogy, analysis and problem solving, and technology.

Interested individuals and organizations should adhere to NGS guidelines. Speakers may submit up to eight proposals electronically through the NGS website. Organizations wishing to sponsor a lecture or track of lectures should review the details and sponsor requirements. All proposals must be submitted by 1 April 2015.

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.

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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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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.

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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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25 March 2015

The People of the British Isles Project Announces a Genetic Map of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Guest Blogger, Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD is the author of www.TheGeneticGenealogist.com, one of the longest-running blogs devoted to genetic genealogy. He is a trustee of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, a member of the NGS Genetic Genealogy Committee, and a leading member of the Genetic Genealogy Standards Committee.

by Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD

The People of the British Isles (PoBI) is an ongoing population genetics project based at the University of Oxford. Initiated in 2004, this project seeks to understand the modern-day genetic structure of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the historical events that led to that structure.

A long-awaited study, “The fine-scale genetic structure of the British population,” published in Nature, 19 March 2015, by the PoBI reveals for the first time the fine-scale genetic structure of the people of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland

. Fine-scale genetic structure has been described by David E. McCauley, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, as “the nonrandom distribution of genetically similar individuals within populations.”

In order to create this detailed genetic map, the researchers analyzed the DNA of 2,039 white volunteers from rural areas throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. To be eligible, all four grandparents of a volunteer had to have been born within 80 km of each other. The study, therefore, effectively analyzed DNA as it was in 1885, the average date of birth of the volunteers’ grandparents.

To provide context to the DNA of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to determine the potential sources of this DNA, the researchers also analyzed the genetic information of more than 6,000 people throughout the rest of Europe.

The DNA of the volunteers clustered into 17 regions that aligned well with historians’ current understanding of European history, although there were some surprises. Among the most interesting findings:

· People in Wales are most similar to the early settlers that arrived in Great Britain after the last ice age (approximately 12,000 to 8,000 B.C). This could be explained by the many genetic influences that the rest of Great Britain and Northern Ireland continued to experience, while Wales remained more isolated.

· There is no clear Celtic genetic group, as might have been expected. Indeed, the Celtic regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall appeared to be genetically very different rather than traceable to a single Celtic origin.

· Surprisingly, Danish Vikings left behind very little genetic contribution despite controlling parts of England between the 800s and 1100s AD.

· Norwegian Vikings also had little genetic impact except for the Orkney Islands where about 25% of the DNA was identified as Norwegian in origin.

· Anglo-Saxons, who invaded England around 400-500 AD, had perhaps the strongest impact on British genetics. About 30% of the DNA of most of the volunteers appeared to be Anglo-Saxon in origin.

The genetic map created by the PoBI can now be used by archeologists, linguists, and historians to better understand the peopling of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the years since the last ice age.

For genetic genealogists, these findings will help further refine the biogeographical estimates of people with genetic ancestry from Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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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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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]

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

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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23 March 2015

Early Bird Discount for NGS Conference Ends 30 March

Arlington, VA, 23 March 2015—If you are planning to register for the NGS Family History Conference in St. Charles, be sure to take advantage of its early bird discount. The discount, as well as the opportunity to order a printed syllabus, ends 30 March 2015. After that date, the NGS member price will increase from $195 to $230 for all four days, the non-NGS member price will increase from $230 to $265, and the syllabus will only be available as a flash drive.

This year’s conference features more than 25 tracks and 150 lectures, as well as social events, luncheons, and the NGS banquet. It is a great opportunity to network with other genealogists and enhance your knowledge. The conference will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center and will run from 13-16 May. For conference information and to register, go to the 2015 NGS Family History Conference.

Social Events, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet

Participating organizations sponsor several luncheons at which guest speakers address many fascinating topics such as

· “Have You Tested Your DNA? Is there a Non-Paternity Event in Your Family?”

· “Germans in the American Civil War”

· “Intuition and Genealogy Success: A Sixth Sense, Chance, Coincidence, or Serendipity?”

· “Then and Now: Changes in Methodologies and Sources”

The NGS Banquet is another event not to be missed! Registration for all meals and social events closes on 29 April 2015. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Be sure to sign up as quickly as possible. The StLGS Host Event BBQ is $39; luncheons are $21; and the banquet is $38. Menus are in the registration brochure.

Society Showcase

On Tuesday afternoon 12 May 2015, many Missouri genealogical and historical societies will be available in the St. Charles Convention Center from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. to answer questions about local repositories and resources, discuss their group’s activities, and sell their publications.

St. Charles Area Tours

There’s still time to sign up for several exciting tours on Tuesday, 12 May 2015, prior to the NGS Family History Conference. For more information, please see St. Charles Area Tours. Registration for the tours closes on 29 April 2015.

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 St. Charles in May!

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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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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.

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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 March 2015

20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, Part 6

My present continues ... 20 more FREE resources ....

British Library – Digitised Manuscripts
Adobe PDF Guide – Everything You Wanted to do with PDFs – we are always dealing with PDF documents!
Directory Database (Ireland) -- Database of nearly 850 links to Historic Directories of Ireland
Métis Scrip (Canada) -- more than 24,000 references about money scrip (certificates) given to Métis family members
The European Library – Newspaper Collection
Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau
Coroner’s Inquest Papers (Northern Ireland) (1872-1920)
Chicago in Maps
Chicago Architecture Data
Children’s Homes -- providing information on children's homes in the British Isles, Canada, Australia and Jamaica
ShapeCatcher – we often come across written characters and don’t know what they are or have forgotten their name. This tool might help.
Utah Digital Newspapers
Lives of the First World War (UK)
Map of 73 Years of Lynchings (1877-1950)
Chattanooga [TN] History Center Online Collections Database
The most mispronounced Irish names in America
Facebook for Canadian Genealogy
Landscape of Liberation – The African American Geography of Civil War Tennessee
Unknown No Longer (Virginia Historical Society) – A Database of Virginia Slave Names
York [UK] Cause Papers Online (1300-1858)

Editor’s Note: This is the last of this series. I will continue to collect links to neat resources and I will possibly continue these in the future. I hope you’ve enjoyed this 6 part series of eclectic databases. Know of a neat and/or overlooked database that you think Upfront With NGS members would benefit from knowing about? Drop an email to [email protected].

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!

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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.

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

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.

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

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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19 March 2015

Ohio opens adoption records for Jan 1964 - Sep 1996 this Friday (20 March 2015)

It was great to see the headline Ohio set to open adoption records sealed for 50 years. As we continue to read about threats to records access, it’s nice to read about increased access.

Birth certificates and court decrees — some sealed as long as 51 years — will become available to adoptees or their direct descendants for the first time without a court order. It remains to be seen, however, whether the papers that many adoptees have longed to hold in their hands will contain the information they want.

For the last year, the birth parents of those who were adopted between January 1964 and September 1996 have had the option of having their names redacted from the records. The window to do that will close forever on Thursday.

Birth parents who chose to maintain the anonymity that the 1963 law promised them were required instead to submit lengthy medical and social histories for the files.

Do read the full article for more details on the law and some of those looking forward to gaining access to their records. You might also read Impact of New Law on Adoptions Finalized Between January 1, 1964 – September 18, 1996 from the Ohio Department of Health.

Starting March 20, 2015, adult adoptees adopted in the relevant years may submit an application to ODH for a copy of their adoption file. The requesting adoptee must be at least 18 years old. The adult lineal descendants (lineal descendants are described as children and grandchildren of the adoptee) of the adoptee may also submit an application for a copy of the adoption file. An adoption file usually contains the original birth certificate and a court order decree of the adoption. It may also include biological parent release forms and/or biological sibling release forms that were submitted to ODH before March 20, 2014 and any of the contents located in the current "Birth Parent Information Packet".

A video has been produced to explain how an adopted person adopted between the date range provided above.

I valued reading about the process where birth parents could opt to have their names redacted though had to submit lengthy medical histories. A way to achieve a balance between the needs of those put up for adoption and the birth parents, some of which may want to remain anonymous.

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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.

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

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.

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

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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