UpFront with NGS

22 January 2013

Your chance to win travel upgrades for NGS Conference in Las Vegas

Win a free upgrade to a one-bedroom suite plus limousine service to and from McCarran Airport in Las Vegas!

If you haven't already booked your hotel room for the NGS Family History Conference in Las Vegas 8-11 May 2013, the LVH-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, our conference hotel, is offering a special incentive for you to do so by 31 January.

Every person who reserves a room at the LVH in the NGS block before 6:00 p.m. PST, 31 January 2013, will automatically be entered into the drawing. The winner will be notified 4 February.

Every person who has already reserved a room in the NGS block will be entered into the drawing.

Cross your fingers and see below for specific details.

Good luck and see you in Las Vegas!

LVH - LAS VEGAS HOTEL & CASINO LOOKS FORWARD TO HOSTING NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 2013 FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE!!!
MAY 8 - 11, 2013

To book your room Click Here

As a special incentive for any reservation booked in your room block before January 31st, we will enter your name into a drawing for a chance to win an upgrade to a premium Napa or Park Avenue one bedroom suite plus a round trip limo transfer from McCarran International Airport. You must make your reservation before 6:00 PM on January 31st.

The winner will be notified on February 4th, so don't wait!

We look forward to seeing you at NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 2013 FAMILY HISTORY CONFERENCE!!!

Thank you,
The LVH Team

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21 January 2013

Online Genealogy for Latinos -- Somos Primos and other resources!

GenealogyBank includes a selection of Spanish-language newspapers,
Source: http://www.genealo gybank.com/static/newsletter/1111/prospects/images/hispanic-american-newspapers-collage.png

Though we use terms like Latino or Hispanic to describe the Spanish-speaking population, the countries and traditions from which such individuals come is incredibly diverse. Spanish is spoken as essentially the national language in twenty-one countries.

This means that researching Latino or Hispanic ancestors brings its own challenges.

There is a website, Somos Primos, which is dedicated to supporting those researching Latino heritage as described in an article on politic365.com, Somos Primos Online Genealogy For Latinos

Somos Primos is a website with more than a decades’ worth of news and resources pertaining to Latino genealogy. The site started out as a quarterly newsletter in 1990, but when that became too unruly, founder Mimi Lozano moved the information online in 2000.

Online you will find an archive of issues starting in 2000. Additionally, there are other resource areas on the website.

Are you or someone you know researching Latino or Hispanic genealogy? If so, here are a few more resources which might help:

The Hispanic Genealogical Society of New York
Genealogy: Ethnic Heritage -- Hispanic (NARA)
Researching Your Hispanic Heritage (About.com)
Hispanic Family History Resources (FamilySearch)
Top Hispanic Genealogy Websites (Family Tree Magazine)
Latino Genealogy Blogs (GeneaBloggers)

Do you know of other resources for those researching Latino or Hispanic roots?

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18 January 2013

Newspapers -- a new site for genealogists to consider and a reminder of some older sites that are goodies!

Newspapers are an invaluable resource as we research our ancestors. Whether we are seeking an obituary, information on a court case, more knowledge about the community, etc, access to real-time “news” about people, places and events is critical to our understanding of your ancestors and their lives.

Just after Thanksgiving, Ancestry.com announced ...

November 29, 2012 – Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced the launch of Newspapers.com, a powerful and affordable new web site designed to offer a historically rich collection of more than 800 U.S. newspapers dating from the late 1700s into the early 2000s.

Comprising more than 25 million pages, Newspapers.com offers a trove of historical and present-day newspapers ranging from the New York Times to treasured small town and local newspapers throughout the United States.

Interested users will find centuries of amazing news articles and photos now captured online when browsing hundreds of years of breaking news headlines, searching for information about an ancestor or reading how the media addressed moments in history like the day Charles A. Lindbergh flew over the Atlantic, the opening of Disneyland or news from the fronts during World War I and World War II.

Read the full press release here.

Though I have not personally used this resource, others in our community have posted reviews/comments about this newest digitized newspaper collection. And, with a 7-day free trial (still being advertized as we post), you can try it out yourself. Please do share your thoughts about this newest newspaper resource with our research community!

Judy G Russell (the Legal Genealogist) wrote about this site & 2 other popular ones, Looking at the news sites
Kimberly Powell (About.com) wrote Why Newspapers.com

Other large-scale newspaper collections include and are not limited to:

Don’t forget to search locally. Many libraries, archives, newspapers and other institutions have digitized extensive runs of newspapers that are NOT to be found in the already-listed collections.

Have you used Newspapers.com? What’s your reaction?

What is your favorite source for newspapers? What is the best information you have found in a newspaper for your research?

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17 January 2013

WSJ Article Mentions NGS -- When a Genealogy Hobby Digs Up Unwanted Secrets

Source: http://www.livedigitally.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/spoilers-ahead.jpg

The Wall Street Journal published an article on genealogy yesterday interviewing NGS board member, Terry Koch-Bostic. The article highlights the secrets most of us find when researching our family history. Terry says that "everyone is caught off guard by some findings," and "some are really shocking and surprising."

Be sure to also watch the video that accompanies the article.

Unfortunately, the reporter made an error on our name, calling us the 'National Genealogy Society' instead of the 'National Genealogical Society,' which we will just consider yet another example of a reason to double check your source citations: Anyone can make a mistake!

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Newest Edition of NGS Magazine Available Now!

The Jan/Feb/Mar 2013 issue of the NGS Magazine (PDF 4.9MB) is now online in the Members Only section of the website.

Features
NGS Conference in Las Vegas, by Betteann Meyers

Why genealogists blog (or why they should!), by Thomas MacEntee

Information overload: organizing your genealogy records, by Barbara Becker Meehan, CG

Kentucky tax lists: a valuable resource for pre-1850s research, by Gail Jackson Miller, CG

A window into the lives of black and white ancestors: Freedmen’s Bureau field office records, by Sharon Batiste Gillins

The perfect puzzle piece, by Malissa Ruffner

The frugal genealogist: photography and genealogy, by Philip Hermann

Columns
National Archives, by Claire Prechtel-Kluskens

Reference desk, by Kathy Petlewski, MSLS

Review, by Gary M. and Diana Crisman Smith

Technology, by Jordan Jones

Writing family history, by Harold E. Hinds Jr., PhD

Web of deceit, by Susan Zacharias

Departments
President’s message, by Jordan Jones

Editor’s corner, by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CG

NGS news

Genealogy news

To access, please be sure to log in under the User Login area in the right-hand column of the screen. If the above hyperlink does not work, copy and paste, or type, the following URL into your favorite browser: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/members_only/publications_archive/magazine_online.

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16 January 2013

Lists, lists and more lists -- Great apps including some Genealogy ones!

Source: http://seattlemag.com/sites/seattlemag.advantagelabs.com/files/article/best-restaurants/1212bestofopener.jpg

The start of a new year (and sometimes the end of the previous year) brings out a lot of “lists!”

I am not normally a “lists” person unless we are talking “to do” lists. Yes, I still hand-write up my daily to-do list so I can cross off all I’ve accomplished and then throw it out! So much satisfaction.

That said, I noticed that on some “top” apps lists for 2012, there are some directly genealogically-related ones as well as others that can be invaluable to family researchers both personally and with regards to research.

Here are a few of the ones I came across. I have highlighted some of the apps with direct genealogy applicability. And, in the interest of full disclosure, there were a lot of apps that were “new” to me!

And, remember yesterday’s post and my new year’s resolution to start a food diary – well, I am using MyFitnessPal as recommended on a few of these lists (both the web interface and android app). So, even if you are seeking apps which are specifically genealogical, I suggest you check out these lists for any “new” app which might just make life better!

Google, Best Apps of 2012 – Evernote [check out NGS President Jordan Jones take on Evernote], Pinterest [Upfront with NGS post], Ancestry [as in Ancestry.com]
Tech crunch, The 20 Best iOS And Android Apps Of 2012 – Google Maps, Atlas by Collins
PC Mag, The 50 Best Free iPhone Apps of 2012 – Dropbox [I love this app], Evernote, Facebook, Google Translate [Upfront with NGS article on online translation], Wikipedia and many more!
USA Today, Best of 2012: Top apps for smartphones and tablets – Google Maps

Did you see any apps in these lists that you think are “must haves” for genealogists? Or are just good all-around apps that any of us might benefit from using?

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15 January 2013

A new year is a new opportunity to bring needed focus to our research!

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14 January 2013

Finding Cousins -- DNA testing now more sophisticated and affordable than ever

Image from original article

When the Wall Street Journal does an article about DNA testing in the context of genealogy and family history research, Finding a Few Hundred Cousins, by Anne Tergesen, it feels like our hobby/profession has really hit a milestone!

In recent decades, DNA tests were mainly used to prove paternity. But since 2000, a handful of companies have commercialized tests that connect a wider array of relatives, sometimes going back centuries to find common ancestors.

As recently as 2007, such tests cost as much as $1,000. Today, they generally run between $100 and $300 and offer users more information ....

Do read the full article.

I will fess up that I have NOT done DNA testing. The main reason is that I’m too busy doing research for others. Another reason is that many years ago, I chose to focus more on the details of each “found” ancestor’s life than on identifying who I didn’t know anything about and pursuing those individuals. As always with researching ancestors, we each determine what goals work best for us.

Given the decrease in price and the expanded results one can expect, have you or someone in your family recently undergone DNA testing? Did you get the answer you hoped for? Or, did you end up with more questions than ever?

For those new to DNA testing, what one bit of advice would you give them?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com