UpFront with NGS

12 October 2016

New Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists and 2016 Winner of the ASG Scholar Award Announced

New Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists and 2016 Winner of the ASG Scholar Award Announced

From our friends at American Society of Genealogists …

The Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) held their annual meeting on Saturday, October 8, 2016, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nathan W. Murphy of Saratoga Springs Utah, and Alicia Crane Williams of Plymouth, Massachusetts, were elected to the Society as its 165th and 166th members, respectively.

Nathan W. Murphy has been a professional genealogist for many years, specializing in both British and Colonial Virginia research. His research ability is of the highest caliber, as evidenced by his numerous publications in the major genealogical journals over the last decade. His awards include, among others, the International Student Scholarship from the University of Leicester (2004) and the Donald Mosher Memorial Award for Colonial Virginia Research from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (2010). In addition to his publications, he created the Immigrant Servants Database, which has received high praise for its scholarship.

Alicia Crane Williams is currently the Lead Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s “Early New England Families, 1641–1700” project. Previously she served as the Assistant Historian General at the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Her scholarly publications, produced over the past thirty-five years, include numerous articles in all of the leading New England journals and many books on eastern Massachusetts families.

The Society granted its annual Scholar Award to Steven W. Morrison, MPA, of Olympia, Washington, for his article “Quaker John Starr of Antrim and Cavan, Ireland, and His Five Sons Who Sailed to Pennsylvania.” The ASG Scholar Award rewards talented genealogists with stipends to pursue advanced academic training in genealogy.

Congratulations to the new ASG Fellows and Scholar Award recipient.

Excellence in genealogical scholarship benefits all of us as we research our family histories.

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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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11 October 2016

It’s Fall – Time to Garden – What Seeds Might Our Ancestors Have Planted?

It’s Fall – Time to Garden – What Seeds Might Our Ancestors Have Planted?

Cooler air and a crispness to the air tell me that we are in fall. Fall is always another opportunity to plant some later blooming flowers, a winter garden, or otherwise, prepare our gardens for winter.

Most of us don’t live in the house where our ancestors did, though we probably have visited other historic homes. Even with that, most of us have no idea, beyond certain staple plants, what gardens of long ago might have contained.

We can now gain a bit more insight through a new digitized collection from the Smithsonian Libraries, Seed Catalogs. The collection includes 258 catalogs represented by over 500 images.

The physical collection, housed at the National Museum of American History Library (NMAH) is massive …

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries have a unique trade catalog collection that includes about 10,000 seed and nursery catalogs dating from 1830 to the present. Many of the trade catalogs were part of the Burpee Collection donated to the Horticulture Services Division by Mrs. David Burpee in 1982. The collection includes both Burpee and their competitors' catalogs.

Just looking at the images, gives us some sense of the popular products of the time period. The collection also gives us a sense of what companies they might have purchased from.

Of course, I couldn’t stop with the Smithsonian. I was intrigued – are there other seed catalog collections and are some of these catalogs online? And yes, there are many seed catalogs that you can access online.

· Iowa Seed Catalogs

· Nursery and Seed Catalogs (NYBG)

· Henry G. Gilbert Nursey and Seed Trade Catalog Collection (USDA National Agricultural Library) [can also access via Internet Archive]

· Seed & Nursey Catalogs (Biodiversity Heritage Library) [can also access via Internet Archive]

If I had more a green thumb, I might be inspired to actual acquire some heirloom seeds and maybe step back in time …

What plants did your ancestors grow?

What was your ancestor's favorite seed company?

What type of garden and/or farm did your ancestors have?

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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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07 October 2016

Coming October 15th -- Home Movie Day

Coming October 15th -- Home Movie Day

Home Movie Day celebrates …

… amateur films and filmmaking held annually at many local venues worldwide. Home Movie Day events provide the opportunity for individuals and families to see and share their own home movies with an audience of their community, and to see their neighbors’ in turn. It’s a chance to discover why to care about these films and to learn how best to care for them.

This is literally a worldwide celebration. Here is a list of participating locations.

Fun posters are often created in anticipation of the day and here are a few …

https://loftcinema.org/files/2016/09/HomeMovieDay2016-270x400.jpg

http://www.chicagofilmarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/calendar_image.jpg

https://www.metropole.at/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-11-at-15.21.42.png

https://www.thehowe.org/media/image/events/cine/homemovieday.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsK_2NeVYAAizI7.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsKy6nUW8AACURC.jpg

Are you the keeper of any Home Movies? What does your favorite show?

Please share the poster for a Home Movie Day event being held near you.

Editor’s Note: Other posts about Home Movie Day can be found 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.

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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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06 October 2016

Neat Idea -- Book-a-Librarian Service!

Neat Idea -- Book-a-Librarian Service!

I recently learned about a new service at the Government and Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina that I think will benefit many visiting this facility.

We all love to visit libraries. We do try to do our homework in advance. We definitely bring our patience.

With all that, sometimes there are questions you really could use answers to before you actually start diving into your research. Unfortunately, you cannot always count on a librarian to be available to assist you beyond possibly answering some brief queries.

Well, that is now changing at this library where you can now schedule 30 Minute 1-1 Consultation time with a Reference Librarian. These are great hard-working knowledgeable librarians and you will only benefit with spending 30 minutes picking their brains. Though, please don’t exhaust their brain cells so much that the rest of us can’t have the same experience!

This is such a great idea – focused one-on-one time with a library specialist when you have a complex question that requires more than a minute or two to answer.

Though I wasn’t familiar with this concept before reading the above blog post, this intrepid researcher went looking to see what other similar programs she could unearth …

· Brooklyn Public Library (NY)

· Highland Park Public Library (IL)

· Sno-Isle Libraries (WA)

· Los Angeles Public Library (CA)

· Lexington Public Library (KY)

· Arapahoe Libraries (CO)

· Austin (TX)

· Search on Book-a-Librarian + (where you live or where you are going)

Besides community libraries, I also found that some University libraries have a similar service like University of Wyoming Libraries, University of Texas Libraries, and others.

And, of course, there are other state libraries with such a service as the Maine State Library.

I also found that this service is not limited to the United States, I found many mentions of participation by United Kingdom, Australian, and Canadian libraries.

This is such a great opportunity for you to get the “low down” on resources that might assist you with a research issue via an easy-to-use scheduling system that assures you the dedicated one-on-one attention of a librarian. How can you lose?

Does your community have a Book-a-Librarian Program? Let us know. Tell us how it has worked?

Have you “booked” time at a library you plan to visit? Tell us how it benefited the quality of your time at the facility.

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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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05 October 2016

Clio -- a smartphone app to share real-time history info as you stand nearby

Clio -- a smartphone app to share real-time history info as you stand nearby

I shouldn’t be so gullible to images and it was the above image that caught my eye and introduced me to a new app, Clio. You can download the app via links on this page (also check out the video!).

Clio is your guide to the history around you. We have 11404 historical entries from all across the country… What will you discover about your city, town or neighborhood?

Basically, as you stand some place you can see what historical structures, places or events took place nearby.

You can learn more about the app and how it came to be via this article on the blog of the American Historical Association -- Delivering History through a Smartphone App: An Interview with Clio’s David Trowbridge.

What inspired you to create Clio?
The idea hit me as I was attempting to “discover” a city in those few hours we allow ourselves while attending conferences. I was curious about each building and monument, but in most cases, I did not have enough information to perform a useful Google search. After a few searches and a dozen pop-up ads, I gave up and decided to find something to eat. That search was easy, of course, thanks to mobile apps that offer concise and useful information about restaurants and businesses.

What a great way to bring history to where you are in real-time. It’s hard when planning travel to really appreciate a place until you are on the ground and it’s even harder to learn about less visible history that might be nearby.

Want to help provide content to Clio? Whether you are a student, part of a participating institution, or just a regular person, you can register with Clio and start contributing and editing entries. Another example of crowdsourcing at its best!

If you’ve installed Clio, tell us what you think?

If you’ve registered with Clio, share your impressions on contributing and editing entries and tell us about the ones you entered.

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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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04 October 2016

3rd Annual 2017 Rootstech Innovator Showdown Accepting Submissions

3rd Annual 2017 Rootstech Innovator Showdown Accepting Submissions

From our friends at Rootstech …

RootsTech, the world’s largest family history and technology conference, is now accepting entries for the 2017 Innovator Showdown—a “Global Innovation Competition” for developers and entrepreneurs seeking an opportunity to impact the growing multi-billion dollar family history industry while competing for $100,000 in cash and prizes. The Innovator Showdown seeks to support, foster, and inspire innovation within the family history marketplace. The deadline for submitting to the 2017 Innovator Showdown is December 1, 2016. The winners will present on stage and be selected by judges and live audience voting at RootsTech 2017 on Friday, February 10, 2017. Go to RootsTech.devpost.com for more information.

Last year, 50 contestants, including six international applicants, competed in the Innovator Showdown. In 2017, the total cash and in-kind Innovator Showdown prizes will again be $100,000—making it one of the most attractive innovator contests in the nation.

Showdown Calendar:

· Submissions will be accepted: ... through December 1, 2016

· Online Judging: December 1–20, 2016

· Semifinalists Announced: December 20, 2016

· Showdown Semifinals: February 8, 2017

· Showdown Finals: February 10, 2017 at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Out of all applicants, the field will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists. Showdown semifinals will be held during lunch at the RootsTech Innovator Summit in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 8, 2017 where we will introduce the semifinalists and their products. Five finalists will be announced that evening.

The exciting Showdown Finals are held during RootsTech before a panel of industry judges, including genealogy, technology and business gurus, and a live audience of 3,000 family history consumers, making the Innovator Showdown arguably one of the largest live audience tech competitions in North America. Finals will also be streamed live through RootsTech.org to tens of thousands of online viewers. This year, five finalists will pitch their innovations, field questions from judges, and await the announcement of the winners, while real time audience voting is taking place via texting to determine the winner of the People’s Choice prize.

Cash Prize Breakdown for Finalists:

· Judge’s 1st Choice: $20,000

· Judge’s 2nd Choice: $14,000

· Judge’s 3rd Choice: $6,000

· People’s Choice: $10,000

Besides cash prizes, winners will receive fabulous in-kind prizes from sponsors to assist in successfully launching their products to the awaiting world of family history enthusiasts, bringing the total prize value up to $100,000.

What would you like to see submitted as an idea?

Editor’s Note: Other posts about Rootstech can be found 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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