UpFront with NGS: March 2017

30 March 2017

FamilySync to replace TreeSync in FTM 2017 [effective yesterday]

FamilySync to replace TreeSync in FTM 2017\7 [effective yesterday]

From our friends at Software MacKiev …

Software MacKiev introduces FamilySync™

Last year, Ancestry announced that Software MacKiev had acquired Family Tree Maker and that together we would ensure a smooth transition for users. From the beginning, our common goal was to maintain the capability to sync Family Tree Maker trees with online Ancestry Member Trees and we’re pleased to announce that we have done just that. Over the past year, we’ve worked together to co-develop a new syncing technology which Software MacKiev engineers have incorporated into the upcoming Family Tree Maker 2017. The new technology, which Software MacKiev calls FamilySync, will replace Ancestry’s TreeSync® when the new edition is released.

What you should know:

· On March 29, 2017, Ancestry will be permanently retiring TreeSync® which is being replaced by Software MacKiev’s FamilySync.

· Between Wednesday, March 29 and Friday, March 31, 2017 syncing functionality will be unavailable as Software MacKiev and Ancestry deploy the new syncing technology.

· FamilySync will be available only in Software MacKiev’s Family Tree Maker 2017 edition, which is planned for release on March 31, 2017. No other FTM edition will sync with Ancestry trees.

· Ancestry’s search, merge, and Ancestry hints will all work as they do now in FTM 2017 for users who sync with their Ancestry trees. After March 29^th these functions will no longer work in any other FTM edition.

· Among the new features of FamilySync is the ability for two or more computers in your home running Family Tree Maker, such as a desktop and a laptop, to sync with the same Ancestry Member Tree.

Pricing and Availability for FTM 2017

Family Tree Maker 2017 for Mac and Windows is available to pre-order today. If you purchased a Software MacKiev edition (FTM 2014.1 or Mac 3.1, both introduced on March 1, 2016) and have signed up for the FTM mailing list, you will receive a free downloadable upgrade by email. If you have NOT purchased a Software MacKiev edition or if you received FTM 2014.1 or Mac 3.1 as a free update, you can pre-order the upgrade from now until FTM 2017 is released for $29.95, and after release for $39.95. The price for those new to Family Tree Maker will be $79.95. All prices are for downloads. DVD and USB copies will be available for an additional cost. FTM 2017 is for both Mac and Windows, and the installer includes a choice of US, Canadian, Australian or UK editions.

Support for Family Tree Maker

Beginning last July, Software MacKiev took over responsibility for supporting Family Tree Maker, providing technical support for all editions back to the original version 1.0 that was released on floppy discs in 1989. Support is available without cost to all FTM users at support.familytreemaker.com, where you will find an extensive collection of useful articles. Software MacKiev also offers personal assistance through their live chat service seven days a week. All questions regarding Family Tree Maker and the transition to new syncing technology should be addressed to Software MacKiev going forward.

To Learn More

For additional information, news and discounted upgrade offers for Family Tree Maker, sign up for the Family Tree Maker mailing list at www.familytreemaker.com.

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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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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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29 March 2017

Deadline for Call for Proposals for NGS 2018 Family History Conference 1 April 2017

Deadline for Call for Proposals for NGS 2018 Family History Conference 1 April 2017

Arlington, VA, 29 March 2017 — Time is running out for speakers—as well as organizations interested in sponsoring lectures—to submit lecture proposals for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2018 Family History Conference, Paths to Your Past, to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2–5 May 2018. All proposals must be submitted electronically at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/call_for_proposals by 11:59 p.m. EDT on 1 April 2017.

Typically, an NGS conference attracts between 1,800 and 2,000 family historians and genealogists, as well as more than 80 exhibitors and sponsors. NGS promotes its conferences nationally and in regional markets as well as through online social media. Grand Rapids, Michigan, is an ideal site for the 2018 conference and promises to be especially popular. The Great Lakes were strategic waterways that aided Americans moving west, and immigrants coming from overseas through Canada, to settle and develop the Midwest in the nineteenth century. The growth of industries in the twentieth century brought wave after wave of migrants from the South and immigrants from abroad. Later, as manufacturing slowed down, many left Michigan and moved to the west and southwest.

Among the topics being considered by NGS are presentations on migration paths to the Midwest, including waterways, trails, and railroads; records and repositories for Michigan, the surrounding states, and Canada; records generated by France, Great Britain, and later by the newly established United States as they fought for control of the Old Northwest Territory; land grants, deeds, and maps; and laws and court records.

Conference tracks under consideration include ethnic and religious groups, migration into and out of the Midwest, military records, occupations and trades, and other organizations including masons, abolitionists, prohibitionists, and unions. NGS encourages the submission of proposals for broader genealogical categories, including methodology, problem solving, Internet websites, apps, and other technology tools. Proposals may also include presentations about DNA and how to use DNA to solve genealogical roadblocks.

Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals, and organizations interested in sponsoring tracks or individual lectures, should follow the published guidelines at the NGS website page: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/call_for_proposals.

All proposals must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. EDT on 1 April 2017.

Speakers may submit up to eight proposals electronically by completing all the requested information at https://goo.gl/forms/5DHIlumuOuTMAn7J2.

Organizations wishing to sponsor a lecture may submit proposals at https://goo.gl/forms/Wpr1gyZ2U00V2WhX2.

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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.

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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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28 March 2017

The Stars and Stripes – news for the average guy in a foxhole

The Stars and Stripes – news for the average guy in a foxhole

A few years ago, a project necessitated that I look into The Stars and Stripes newspaper. Back at the time, this necessitated a trip to the Library of Congress (not that I’m complaining!).

Did you know that this iconic military-based newspaper is now partially digitized? I learned this via World War I: From Red Glare to Debonair on the Library of Congress blog.

The handful of enlisted men who began cranking it out insisted that it be written with flair and cover the things the average guy in a foxhole would want to know about.

The digitized collection is called -- Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918 to 1919.

This online collection includes the complete seventy-one-week run of The Stars and Stripes World War I edition. The Stars and Stripes was published in France by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) of the United States Army from February 8, 1918, to June 13, 1919.

If your ancestor served in the Army during WWI, read the news just as they did.

Did your ancestor serve during World War II (WWII) or later? There is a subscription-based online archive of the newspaper (including various editions produced) 1942-1999 via The Newspaper Archives of Stars and Stripes.

What other military newspaper archives are you aware of?

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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 2017

Small Town Newspapers -- a hidden gem!

Small Town Newspapers -- a hidden gem!

So many newspapers, so little time! And, this collection is worth your time.
The other day I was getting ready to contact a library to see if they had a local newspaper (Spring Hope Enterprise) in their holdings. None of the big newspaper sites include it. Then, as I often do, I just did a google under the name of the newspaper + archives. I first came across a modern archive and I needed something from back in the 1980s. I then came across what appeared to be a different archive – I put in my person’s name and voila, next thing to pop up was the newspaper page with his obituary!

You are probably wondering, the source of this success. SmallTownPapers. The link takes you to a listing by state or an alphabetical listing of the newspapers included. With only 6 newspapers found for North Carolina, I was just thrilled that the one I sought is included.

Choose from over 250 small town newspapers you can read free every week!

Browse and search the scanned newspaper archive from 1846 up to the current edition!

SmallTownPapers gives you free access to the people, places and events recorded in real time over the decades or even centuries!

In a bit of serendipity, as I researched further into this “new-to-me” resource, I discovered that Kenneth R. Mark (of The Ancestor Hunt) had just blogged the day before about additions to another collection, really service, that enables small town newspapers to digitize elements of their collections, Search 40 Million Historic U.S. Newspaper Pages for Free!

For the last 3 years I have been tracking the online collections made available by the Advantage Preservation company who has contracted with several hundred libraries across the U.S. to digitize and host their online newspaper collections.

The great majority of these links have been Incorporated in the state collection summaries found in the Newspaper Research Links page on this site. But some are so new that they have not been included as yet. And I have just been made aware of about 150 new collections!

The most recent update of the Advantage Preservation collections now totals 434 from 37 states and is still growing. The total pages now exceed 40 million!

Kenneth actively maintains a list of links to online newspaper archives. Check them out, you may find that a newspaper of interest to you is at your fingertips.

So, in the course of a day I learned about not one and two new-to-me newspaper archives.

Makes me wonder what other newspaper gems I’ve been missing out on!

What are your favorite resources for digitized newspapers?

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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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25 March 2017

Early Bird Discount Ends 27 March for 2017 Family History Conference

Early Bird Discount Ends 27 March for 2017 Family History Conference
#NGS2017GEN

Arlington, VA, 25 March 2017— Time is running out for family historians to get a discount on registration for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. After 27 March 2017, the price of registration for NGS members will increase from $205 to $240 for all four days. Non-members will pay $275, up from $240. Genealogists also will no longer be able to order a printed syllabus or flash drive version of the syllabus. To qualify for the early bird discount, your registration must be received online or postmarked by 27 March.

The Conference will feature more than 175 lectures from basic to advanced genealogical research, including four days of the Board for the Certification of Genealogists (BCG) Skillbuilding lectures and eighteen presentations on DNA science and methodology. Finding records and effectively using them is another focus of this year’s conference. Eleven lectures discuss a wide variety of religious records and their appropriate use; eight focus on military and associated records; twenty-three feature North Carolina and regional US records; nine highlight African American families; and six present Native American records. There will be sessions covering maps, libraries, historical context, solving problems, and technology. In addition, the conference will provide lectures on European ancestors, including German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Scots-Irish, Swiss, and others.

The NGS Conference will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center and will run from 10-13 May. For conference information and to register, go to the 2017 NGS Family History Conference.

Social Events, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet

Participating organizations sponsor several luncheons at which guest speakers address many fascinating presentations, including:

· “Christoph von Graffenried’s Grand Adventure and the Palatine and Swiss Founding of New Bern”

· “Keep Your Professional Cool in Hot Situations”

· “Lectures vs Talks: Documentability on a Sliding Scale”

· “NIGR to Gen-Fed: The Tradition Continues”

The NGS Banquet is an event not to be missed. Guest speaker Stuart Watson, an award-winning investigative reporter, will take you along on the journey of finding his birth mother, and discovering a powerful story of alcoholism, recovery, and forgiveness. Registration for all meals and social events closes on 27 April 2017. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Be sure to sign up as quickly as possible. The North Carolina Genealogical Society Host Event, “Pig Pickin’,” is $45; luncheons are $32; and the banquet is $45. Menus are in the registration brochure.

Local Area Tours

Several tours have already reached capacity. The 4 p.m. Evening Tour on Tuesday, 9 May 2017 has just eight spots left. Check the conference website for more information, please see Local Area Tours. Registration for the tours closes on 27 April 2017.

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 Raleigh in May!

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

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

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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.

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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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24 March 2017

The Beyond Kin Project

The Beyond Kin Project

We are all part of one big puzzle! All families hold a piece or pieces to that puzzle. The best way to successfully research family histories is to link up with others doing the same.

And, always think of the FAN Club, as coined by Elizabeth Shown Mills – Friends, Associates and Neighbors.

Additionally, recognize that there are always two sides to every transaction. For example, the Freedmen’s Bureau was created to address the needs of freedmen, and, many many non-freedmen are documented. If they are not getting rations alongside freedmen, they are on the other side of an employment contract, they are supervising the building of schools and short-term relief buildings, they are in court for assault & battery against freedmen or their neighbors, they are hospitalized ex-soldiers, and much more.

Records viewed as traditionally important to African-American ancestral research are also important to the research of the plantation owners and vice versa. The records of one person and/or family always include the records of others in a community. Think of all the business transacted in a community. Think of store, physician, blacksmith and other business ledgers. These ledgers often mention slaves doing business on behalf of their masters or being treated for an illness. Think of family bibles that document everyone on the farm – whether biological family members, in-laws or those enslaved. Thinks of church records where mentions of slaves and free persons of color can often be found.

Essentially, many records created on a farm/plantation, mention those living on the farm/plantation, including those enslaved.

This is part of the impetus of The Beyond Kin Project. How those descended from slaveholding families can facilitate the documenting of enslaved persons …

Genealogists who descend from slaveholders (SHs) are uniquely positioned to revolutionize genealogy for their African American colleagues. You undoubtedly feel sympathy for the genealogical challenges facing the descendants of the enslaved persons (EPs) who once gave your ancestors wealth, comfort, and social status. But what if you start seeing their challenge as your own?

Because it is.

The challenge of documenting an ancestors’ enslaved persons (EPs) logically falls to you for many reasons:

· The answers for antebellum African American family trees lie predominantly in the records of the white families who claimed ownership of them.
(See “The records of slaveholders.”)

· The puzzles of enslaved identities can best be solved by studying them as groups, working outward from the SH’s records.
(See “The group approach to slave identification.”)

· You will neither know nor understand your ancestors until you fill in the fuller picture of those who were integral to their most intimate daily lives.
(See “The rest of the family picture.”)

· If you’ve read this far, you might be ready for the genealogical challenge and enlightenment opportunity of a lifetime. This will be it.
(See “The challenge of a lifetime.”)

If your family were slaveholders, consider taking on the challenge of unraveling the puzzles of the identities of those enslaved.

Were your ancestors slaveholders? Does paperwork survive from their farm/plantation? Is that documentation readily available to researchers?

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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.

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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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