UpFront with NGS

12 May 2015

Veterans History Project -- Let's Make Sure That No More of Their Stories are Lost!

As the Library of Congress reminds us, “with Memorial Day approaching, you can help us save the story of a veteran you might know, through our Veterans History Project.”

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

The Project collects first-hand accounts of U.S. Veterans from the following wars:

· World War I (1914-1920)

· World War II (1939-1946)

· Korean War (1950-1955)

· Vietnam War (1961-1975)

· Persian Gulf War (1990-1995)

Afghanistan

and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)

If you or a veteran you know would like to participate, details can be found here. If you want to see if a particular veteran’s recollections are already included you can search the database. If there is a digital collection available that will be indicated with a box stating “View Digital Collection.” The digital collections can include audio of an interview, photographs, letters written, diaries, and so much more.

Even if you don’t have a veteran in your family, the collective history assembled here is just incredible and invaluable to us as a nation.

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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 UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. 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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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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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11 May 2015

Avotaynu Online -- Wonderful Jewish (and Eastern European et al) Genealogy & Family History Resource

Though I do not have any Jewish ancestry, the announcement below from Avotaynu greatly excited me! This is because I have always found its published articles to have great relevance to my Galician ancestral research. There are often articles published about locating places in what was the Austro-Hungarian Empire (where many of our ancestors originated from), doing Polish Research, the journey from Eastern Europe to

America

via Hamburg and Hull, and so much more of interest to anyone researching Eastern European or elsewhere where Jewish communities were/are to be found.

Avotaynu Inc is pleased to announce the creation of “Avotaynu Online,” an exciting new venture intended to stimulate collaboration among Jewish genealogists in all its forms, including conferences and meetings, DNA studies, online family trees, social networking, the development of genealogical standards suitable for the Internet age, and developments in related fields (i.e., history, law, computer science) that have an impact on Jewish genealogy. Leading participants in these areas will provide in-depth reports on events and discoveries on a regular basis.

Avotaynu Online will be available free of charge from the venture’s website athttp://avotaynuonline.com, which will be shared simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter. Reports will be delivered in different formats, including text, video, and podcasts.

As a bonus to readers, all articles from 2007–2011 published in AVOTAYNU, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy, are available at no charge at the Avotaynu Online website. Articles from all other years will continue to be available on a subscription basis by visiting http://www.avotaynu.com/books/Anthology.htm.

Subscribe Now!
Readers are encouraged to subscribe to the Avotaynu Online news feed by registering their e-mail address at the top of our web page, and to also follow public commentary on its articles by “liking” the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AvotaynuOnline as well as our pages at Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social media outlets.

By virtue of its focus on the in-depth reporting of specific subjects, Avotaynu Online is intended to be entirely distinct from the existing print journal, AVOTAYNU, which for over three decades has covered the broad spectrum of Jewish family history research, and from the weekly Nu? What’s New?, which reports breaking stories in the world of genealogy...

You can read the rest of the press release here. Do check out this incredible new resource.

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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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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08 May 2015

20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, Part 7

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

Missouri State Penitentiary (1836-1931)
Danish Historic Image Archive (BBC news article about in English)
BCG Webinars Available On Demand
Knowles Collection (online Jewish Genealogy Database)
US Civil War Regiments, Companies, and Counties of Origin
Bomb Site -- Interactive map of every German bomb dropped on London during WW2 Blitz
Kingston Penitentiary (Canada) Inmate Mug Shots (1913-1916)
Marriage Notices Appearing in Lansingburgh (NY) Newspapers 1787-1895
Milford (MI) Time Obituary Index (1929-1939, 1940-1949)
Charles City County (VA) Genealogical Databases
Free Irish Newspaper Archives
Louisiana Digital Media Archive
Pikes Peak Newsfinder – citations to Colorado Springs (CO) news articles and obituaries, death registers, church registers, etc
England’s Immigrants Database (1330-1550)
[New] Jersey Genealogy: A Research Guide Using Local History Collections
Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States (1872)
Historic Places LA (Los Angeles, CA)
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Association (UK) – annual report aka “Flag Book” (1914)
Boys in Blue – photographs of Illinois soldiers who served in the Civil War
Connecticut Town Clerks Portal (mostly Land Records – includes some 19^th century records)

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of the series published in January & February – 20 Free and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources (see blog for parts 1-6 published in February and March 2015). Know of a neat and/or overlooked database that you think Upfront With NGS members would benefit from knowing about? Drop an email to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org.

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.

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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

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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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07 May 2015

WDYTYA Live (UK) Speakers' Handouts Available Online for FREE

In the

, when one thinks of WDYTYA, you think of the TV show. In the

, besides there being a TV show, there is also an associated conference held called Who Do You Think You Are? Live

Since many of us have not nor will not ever attend this conference, it’s great that select presentation handouts are available online.

This link is to an archive of WDYTYA? Live Speakers’ Handouts (created by the Society of Genealogists) for conferences held in 2014 & 2015. These are FREE to access and it’s a great collection of topics and not just about UK research!

Editor’s Note: Related posts about WDYTYA? include -- WDYTYA is not just a US or UK Phenomenon .... (2014) and WDYTYA (UK) -- Check out these audio files for select talks! (2012)

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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

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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06 May 2015

Genealogy + Journalism = ISFHWE Excellence-in-Writing competition (Deadline is 15 June 2015)

The International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) is sponsoring its annual “Excellence-in-Writing” competition. This contest is open to members and non-members of ISFHWE, both published and unpublished authors. Members of ISFHWE will receive an entry fee discount. The contest is judged by professionals in the fields of genealogy and journalism. The contest has six categories:

Category I – Columns

Category II – Articles

Category III – Genealogy Newsletter

Category IV – Unpublished Authors

Category V– Unpublished material - Published Authors

Category VI – Poetry

Read this document for more details on categories, submissions, judging and more. The deadline is 15 June 2015.

The online entry form is available here.

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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

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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05 May 2015

Cinco de Mayo - Let's Research Hispanic Heritage!

Cinco de Mayo is TODAY. Many will celebrate this holiday even if not of Mexican heritage!

That doesn’t mean though that those of Mexican heritage can’t both celebrate the holiday and also their ancestry.

Kimberly Powell (About.com) has posted today about Researching Mexican Ancestors. I suggest just visiting directly her collection Genealogy of Mexico – Tracing Mexican Ancestors.

Upfront with NGS has also posted previously on this topic -- Hispanic Genealogy & You -- La genealogía Hispana y usted. Since there are always some new resources that become available, here are a couple more.

+ Mexican Genealogy (check out the posts on Mexican Newspaper Archives, 500 Years of Mexican Documents) & associated Facebook (FB) page, Mexican Genealogy

+ Cyndi’s List -- Mexico

Do you have Hispanic/Mexican ancestry? ¿Tiene ascendencia hispana/mexicano?

What else would you add to this resource list? ¿Qué más se puede agregar a esta lista de recursos?

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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

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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04 May 2015

FREE WWII Records Access at Fold3 (through 15 May)

Through 15 May you can have FREE access to the World War II collection at Fold3.

Visit http://www.fold3.com/ for details.

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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

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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01 May 2015

Annual Awards for Federal Librarianship are Announced!

Federal libraries and their employees are invaluable resources as we research our ancestors.

Award winning ones even more so in the sense that their recognition might bring to our attention a library that we weren’t aware of or have been underutilizing as we didn’t know what a gem it is!

The Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) has announced the winners of its national awards for federal librarianship, which recognize the many innovative ways that federal libraries, librarians and library technicians fulfill the information demands of government, business and scholarly communities and the American public.

FEDLINK will honor the 2014 award winners at the FEDLINK Spring Exposition on May 5, 2015, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The names of the winners will remain on permanent display in the FEDLINK offices at the Library of Congress.

Federal libraries and staff throughout the United States and abroad competed for the awards.

Learn who the winners are here! Congratulations to all the winners.

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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 UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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

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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