Genealogy News - May 2007

Here is the Genealogy News summary for CVGS readers for May 2007:

1. Announcements:

a) At the NGS Conference, World Vital Records announced that they were partnering with Quinton Publications, Historic Ellis Island Passenger Records and FamilySearch.

b) At the NGS Conference, FamilySearch announced that they were partnering with World Vital Records, Footnote, and Godfrey Memorial Library. The content on these sites, and the index to the content, will be available for free at the Family History Library and the Family History Centers.

c) FamilySearch also announced that they intend to add 80 billion new records to thier web site through a "Records Access program." The church is creating partnerships with various archives and other records depositories in a move to become the world's premier international "clearinghouse" for family history.

d) There was an announcement (first posted on DearMYRTLE's blog) that FamilySearch is also partnering with Kindred Konnections and HeritageQuestOnline.

2. Databases

a) http://www.footnote.com/ will digitize the entire set of Revolutionary War Pension Files (HQO has selected pages, not the complete files).

b) http://www.ancestry.com/ added US-Mexico Border Crossings Collection, 1903-1957 (need subscription for index and records)

c) http://www.ancestry.com/ added Minnesota Divorce, 1970-1995 and Minnesota Territorial and State Census, 1849-1905 (the index is free, need subscription for census records)

d) http://www.ancestry.com/ has added many databases with military records - RevWar through World War II (many have free index, need subscription for records)

e) ProQuest has added Civil War Era historical newspapers and government records to their subscription site, which includes ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

3. Other genealogy news

a) www.Ancestry.com and the LDS Family History Library have worked out a way for subscribers to use their personal subscriptions at LDS facilities.

b) Ancestry.com sent notices to Michael John Neill to withdraw his record images that were obtained from Ancestry from his web site, or face legal action. There may have been other web sites warned. Michael did so and other bloggers decided to withdraw theirs also.

c) The Dick Eastman seminar on 12 May hosted by SDGS/CGSSD was successful - see Steve Danko's summary of the meeting here.

d) http://www.footnote.com/ has offered a 7-day free trial. They have also dropped their subscription prices to $7.95 per month and $59.95 per year.

I will update this if more breaking news crashes through this week.