UpFront with NGS

20 June 2017

History Unfolded -- US Newspapers and the Holocaust

History Unfolded -- US Newspapers and the Holocaust

From our friends at Newspapers.com … Learn about this newspaper-related project run by the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Make a Difference with History Unfolded!

Looking for an easy way to make a big difference? Newspapers.com invites you to participate in the History Unfolded project run by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum!

What is History Unfolded? History Unfolded is a project that seeks to expand our knowledge of how American newspapers reported on Nazi persecution during the 1930s and '40s so we can better understand what Americans knew about the Holocaust as it was happening.

To help achieve this, the History Unfolded project asks people like you to search local newspapers from the 1930s and '40s for Holocaust-related news and opinions and then submit them online to the museum. The newspaper articles you submit will be used to help shape the museum’s 2018 exhibit on Americans and the Holocaust and related educational materials. The articles will also be made available to scholars, historians, and the public.

Who Can Contribute? Everyone! History buffs, students, teachers . . . All you need is an interest in the Holocaust and access to a newspaper from the 1930s or '40s, either online (using Newspapers.com, for example) or through a physical archive, such as a library. Simply create an account with History Unfolded, and away you go!

How Do I Contribute? History Unfolded has created a list of more than 30 Holocaust-related events to focus on. Choose one of these events to research, then search for content related to that topic in an American newspaper of your choice from the 1930s or '40s. After you find an article related to one of the events, submit it online to the museum through the project's website.

Newspapers.com and History Unfolded You can contribute to this important project whether or not you use Newspapers.com to do so. But using Newspapers.com makes it even easier to submit the articles you find. Simply use Newspapers.com to create a clipping of an article you've found, then submit that clipping through the submission form on the History Unfolded website. The submission form has a special tool created specifically for Newspapers.com users that makes submitting your clipping a snap.

Your help with this project will help shape our understanding of the Holocaust and the lessons it holds for us today. For more information on how to get involved, visit the History Unfolded website.

What projects are you aware of involving a concerted and narrowly defined effort to cull news published in newspapers to learn more about a particular aspect of history?

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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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17 June 2017

Newest Edition of NGS Magazine Available to NGS Members, Digital Version Now IN FULL COLOR! (Apr/May/June 2017)

Newest Edition of NGS Magazine Available to NGS Members, Digital Version Now IN FULL COLOR! (Apr/May/June 2017)

The Apr/May/June issue of the NGS Magazine (PDF 6.6 MB) is online in the Members Only section of the website.

Please enjoy the editor’s note from Deb Cyprych introducing you to the inclusion of color along with an overview of the contents. A full table of contents list follows.

EDITOR’S NOTE

This issue commemorates the centennial of the United States’ entry into World War I on 6 April 1917.

In the first article, Tina Beaird offers tips for starting with local and state sources to identify a soldier’s unit and then expanding to federal records to obtain more information. Craig R. Scott presents a case study without even naming a soldier. His strategies for tracing the history of a military unit result in details that would not have been found by following a soldier only by name. David R. Hardin explores the mother lode of World War I records: the Official Military Personnel Files. Although a fire destroyed most of the Army files, some can be reconstructed, and the files of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard survived

Two of our columnists focus on World War I as well. Kathy Petlewski describes the disturbing experiences of “hyphenated Americans” on the homefront. Claire Prechtel Kluskens analyzes the records of more than six thousand enemy aliens interned during the war

Continuing the religious theme of the last issue, Michael Lacopo explains the value of religious periodicals in genealogical research and strategies for locating them. Elaine Kuhn presents the variety of nontraditional records associated with church members that may flesh out their lives. Fiona Fitzsimons introduces the content and locations of records of the dissenting churches of Ireland.

This issue features the final column (on autosomal DNA tools) by Debbie Parker Wayne, NGS Magazine’s expert DNA columnist for the past four years. Many readers have learned a great deal from her column, and we thank her for her contributions.

The image of Flora McDonald on the cover of the last issue prompted positive comments. However, the image isn’t relevant to Nancy A. Peters’s article about the Scots-Irish of the Carolinas. Flora and her husband were Highland Scots, not Scots-Irish. This error of association was ours, not Nancy’s.

As part of NGS Magazine’s changing design, the digital version of this issue is introducing full color. Log in as a member at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, click Members Only on the top right, and click Browse the NGS Magazine Online under Publication Archives. After downloading the issue, click a title in the table of contents to go directly to the article. All websites and advertisements are hyperlinked as well. Issues from 2005 to date are searchable individually. While on the members page, check out the many other benefits for NGS members.

Table of Contents

Features

+ Paths to Your Past: 2-5 May 2018, Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Janet A. Alpert FNGS

+ Recreating A World War I Veteran’s Service History, by Tina Beaird, MLIS

+ Tracing the Movements of US Army Units in World War I, by Craig R. Scott, CG, FUGA

+ Official Military Personnel Files of World War I Veterans, by David R. Hardin

+ “She Bore Her Suffering With Christian Fortitude”: Using Religious Periodicals, by Dr. Michael D. Lacopo

+ The Knights of Columbus and the Ladies’ First Circle: Beyond Basic Church Records, by Elaine M. Kuhn

+ The Records of Irish Dissenting Churches: Part 1, by Fiona Fitzsimons

Departments

President’s Message, by Ben Spratling

Editor’s Note, by Deb Cyprych

NGS News

Reference Desk, by Kathy Petlewski, MLIS

National Archives, by Claire Prechtel-Kluskens

Genetic Genealogy Journey, by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL

NGS Members’ Book Notices

Editor’s Note: Please note that online access to the NGS Quarterly and NGS Magazine are available only as long as your membership is active. If you wish to discontinue this option and continue to receive print copies of the journal, please with our website and update your profile to indicate the same.

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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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16 June 2017

Sometimes it takes awhile …

Sometimes it takes awhile …

After almost 200 years (well, 183 years to be precise), a slave who unwittingly changed law via a NC Supreme Court case, is now honored with a historical marker.

You can read about this bit of history via Slave who killed white overseer in 1834 honored with NC marker (Josh Shaffer, News and Observer)

Details on the case, the location of the marker and the text on it can be accessed here.

It was Gaston’s conclusion that the law must treat slaves as any other human in such a case. He stated, "If the passions of the slave be excited into unlawful violence by the inhumanity of a master . . . is it a conclusion of law that such passion must spring from diabolical malice?" The decision was praised by abolitionists, covered by newspapers around the country, and cited as precedent in other legal cases. Will’s bold act of resistance served to humanize slaves in the eyes of the law.

The Virginia Law Review has an article on it (FREE via JSTOR), The State of North Carolina v. Negro Will, a Slave of James S. Battle; A Cause Celebre of Ante-Bellum Times, and Columbia’s Law school has transcribed the verdict.

More on the case is available via Reports of Cases at Law, Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of North Carolina: From December Term 1834 to December Term 1839, Volume 1 By North Carolina. Supreme Court, Thomas Pollock Devereux, William Horn Battle.

It is never too late to recognize the contributions our ancestors made!

Have your ancestors been honored via markers, plaques, etc., for historical contributions to their community or state?

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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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15 June 2017

Digital Maine & More – Crowdsourcing to Make History More Accessible!

Digital Maine & More – Crowdsourcing to Make History More Accessible!

We always love to hear about records being digitized and when crowdsourcing is used to create full access to the content.

Digital Maine is doing just that …

DMTP started in 2016 as a collaborative project of the Maine State Archives and Maine State Library. The decision was made to open up access to as many digital images of original documents as possible, but staff lacked time to transcribe them.

Building upon other national projects such as those at the Smithsonian and University of Iowa, staff developed this partner project to encourage members of the public to participate. Individuals can now assist us by transcribing the documents which they find interesting and share their work with the world.

Volunteers can work from the comfort of their homes - just create a login and start transcribing!

Many familiar names use crowdsourcing and the article, Crowdsourcing Cultural Heritage: 'Citizen Archivists' for the Future, gives a nice overview of those projects. Since last year, The Huntington Library (CA) has been using crowdsourcing to transcribe Civil War Telegrams.

It’s not just a U.S. phenomenon either. The site Europeana Transcribe is in the process of getting over 22,000 documents transcribed while Volunteers transcribe WWI experiences of Queenslanders [Australia].

So, if you have a few minutes, maybe you can help out one of these projects.

What other genealogy-related crowdsourced projects do you know of?

Editor’s Note: Upfront with NGS has frequently talked about crowdsourcing.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Dick Eastman for letting us know about this project.

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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 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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14 June 2017

DNA News – Father’s Day Sales, History & Ancestry Sweepstakes

DNA News – Father’s Day Sales, History & Ancestry Sweepstakes

With Father’s Day just around the corner, some of you will consider “gifting” Dad a DNA test kit in order to help him further explore his ancestry … Here are some of the current sales. Most of these end 18^th June! Please read all the small print! This list is NOT nor meant to be comprehensive!

AncestryDNA has a 20% off sale running now.

FamlyTreeDNA has a 20% off sale on select DNA tests running now.

MyHeritageDNA is running a sale, $69 versus $99

23andMe is running a sale where you get $20 off each kit (limit 2 kits)

If you know of other Father’s Day-related DNA sales, please post a comment.

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Currently running is a History [Channel] & Ancestry [DNA] sweepstake [Journey Through Your History]. Rules are found here and you can enter the sweepstake here. The sweepstake ends 22 June 2017. Prizes are Ancestry DNA kits. You select where you think your ancestors were from.

This sweepstake is linked to the History Channel program, America: Promised Land. You will need to provide your name, email address and birth date to enter.

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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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13 June 2017

Read Worthy Stuff Posted to NGS FB Page That is NOT Blogged About on Upfront with NGS!

Read Worthy Stuff Posted to NGS FB Page That is NOT Blogged About on Upfront with NGS!

Hello, everyone …

I like to periodically remind Upfront with NGS readers that in addition to doing blog posts, I also post material to the NGS FB Page.

A blog is suitable to many topics where a bit more than a “sound bite” is needed. A blog is suitable for topics that are a bit more “generic” in scope and have wide audience appeal. A blog is suitable to address the series issues of legislation that impact records access and preservation, and much more.

Sometimes there are neat blog posts, news articles, new resources and more which don’t fit the above criteria. Sometimes there is material that I stumble across that is either a bit narrow in scope or it’s so generic that anyone with an interest in history might find relevant. Basically, not all material is suitable for a blog post. In those situations, such might get so-called cross-posted to the NGS FB Page.

My point is to remind you of this additional place where the material of interest to genealogists might be placed. The blog is always given priority for material suitable for that platform and the FB page then provides a platform for some of the other material that I want to share with readers and for which the blog is not the best place to share. Every FB post comes with an image that directly connects to the article shared.

Remember also that you can “share” any Upfront with NGS Blog post or NGS FB page cross-post to your own FB page or via other means.

Here are some examples of items recently posted to the NGS FB page [and yes, I realized after creating this list that I was on a jag using “neat” in many of my comments ] and NOT posted to Upfront with NGS …

· Though the U.S. Census informs us, it can also entertain us as with this 1880 census entry where the occupation of this individual, a 15-year-old female" is listed as "does as she pleases!" That sounds like how many today, might describe their children! https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNHX-2RQ

· Neat grant opportunities that will benefit family historians ... https://www.facebook.com/nhprc/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

· Interesting new collection ... https://asunow.asu.edu/20170608-solutions-asu-archivist-makes-japanese-internment-camp-collection-digitally-accessible?utm_campaign=SFMC_Now+6-9-17_ASU+Now&utm_medium=email

· Neat DC project. The ability to visualize late 1949s early 1950s … http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/dc/new-database-allows-you-to-see-the-world-as-your-grandparent-did/447411185?utm_content=bufferc6c8d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

· Neat bit of history ... http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vintage-photos-bookmobiles-traveling-libraries?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

· The magnitude was staggering ... https://military.id.me/firepower/lets-never-forget-just-how-enormous-d-day-really-was/?utm_source=SOV&utm_medium=post&utm_term=kevin&utm_content=060517

· Who has responsibility for and how do we preserve old decaying records of interest to many ?!?! … http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/prison-documents-hmp-museum-1.4128972

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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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Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter

09 June 2017

Is There an App?

Is There an App?

Reading the newspaper, I learned that the North Carolina Museum of Art now has an app full of information. My mind immediately wondered if armchair genealogists might not be taking advantage of apps from places afar, just because they didn't know that such exist or hadn't thought to look ?!?!

Just because we won’t physically visit a museum, historic site or related, doesn’t mean that we cannot sit on our couch and learn about something relevant to our family history research.

An obvious place to start is the HISTORY Here^TM app. I say obvious because it is GPS driven and will tell you about what history is near you and also places you might be visiting and locales where ancestors were found. Similarly, there is Next Exit History (includes over 60,000 sites)

Many apps for historic sites help you navigate around – which is very helpful – though, not quite as helpful when sitting on your couch. Some though, provide an in-depth look at history such as the Slavery at Monticello app. Others fall in-between – useful info when visiting and then historical elements such as found in The Mount Vernon App.

What about event apps? The Civil War Trust has some battle location apps. Additionally, you can find apps for Revolutionary War battlefields (android – there also is a French and Indian War one) and Revolutionary War history (itunes).

Family connected to Savannah – a couple of options are AIA Savannah’s Historic District and S.G. Adventures Historic Savannah (itunes, android)

There are also apps for the Smithsonian, NARA, Library of Congress, and National Park Service.

Because some apps are only available on iTunes or Google Play (for Android), you will need to do some store-specific exploring to identify apps to check out.

I guess it’s fortunate that at the moment my smartphone is a bit short on memory, otherwise, I’d be very distracted trying out all these apps!

I have just scratched the surface of what I am sure is out there! Now it’s your turn to explore and share what you discover!!!

What history-related app have you found most beneficial to your genealogy research?

What is your favorite history-related app?

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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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Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter