Here is the Genealogy News summary for September that we briefly discussed in the CVGS Research Group today (and emailed to the CVGS members):
1. INTERESTING GENEALOGY WEB SITES
a) http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames -- The Public Profiler site plots eight million last names using data from electoral rolls and phone directories. The site covers 300 million people in 26 countries, showing the origins of names and where families have moved to. The site also reveals which of the five million first names (forenames) are most closely associated with different surnames and lists the top regions and cities for each surname.
b) http://howmanyofme.com/search/ -- This site tells you how many people in the US share your first name, your last name, and your first-last names.
c) http://www.indgensoc.org/membersonly/ -- The Indiana Genealogical Society recently added its own collection of searchable databases. These databases are available to IGS members as a benefit of membership. The databases are searchable by first and last name, and include the ability to search by Soundex.
d) http://www.veromi.net/ -- On this "people-finder" site, you can search dozens of databases and billions of records in a single search to locate your subject. Our database is the same database used by the government and law enforcement. This is the best site I've found for finding living people.
e) http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History_Family/State_Genealogy.shtml -- Genealogy Resources, by State. Official information and services from the U.S. government.
f) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/ -- The National Archives of the United Kingdom has this site on Paleography to read old handwriting 1500 - 1800, with a practical online tutorial.
2. NEW GENEALOGY DATABASES
a) at http://www.ancestry.com/ - subscription site (US = $155.40, World = $299.40) - now available for FREE at San Diego FHC (Institution with World databases) or Chula Vista Public Library (Ancestry Library Edition). Ancestry has over 7 billion names in over 26,300 databases. See new content at http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/recent.aspx. New databases include:
** Colonial Virginia and Maryland genealogy anthologies
** North Dakota State Census 1915 and 1925
** Cook County (IL) birth (1916-1935), marriage (1930-1960) and death (1908-1988) indexes
** England and Wales Christening and Marriage Records (need UK subscription)
** Many Canada books (need Canada subscription)
b) http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/ - subscription site (US = $49.95 for 2 years, World = $149.95) -- now available for FREE at the San Diego FHC. Over 10,700 databases, over 1.1 billion names. Recently added content is at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/recentcontentlisting.aspx. New items are FREE at WVR for 10 days. New databases include:
** More than 140 titles from Quinton publications: Many books in the collection are mid-western American records from Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, and updates for Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and British records from Yorkshire, York, Surrey, and Yarmouth.
** Hundreds of books and manuscripts about Canada family history (needs a World subscription to access)
c) http://www.footnote.com/ - subscription site ($59.96 annual retail, $7.95 monthly) - now available for FREE at San Diego FHC, they offer 7-day FREE trial. 405 Titles, over 43.8 million images, over 1 million free. Content list at http://www.footnote.com/documents.php. Information added this month includes:
** Confederate Soldiers compiled service records for Florida, Kentucky, Missouri
** Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 - the "Tan" Books (over 37,000 page images)
** Massachusetts Vital Records (1841-1895) Indexes
** Naturalizations for NY Southern, NY Eastern and Ohio Northern districts
d) http://www.genealogybank.com/ - subscription site (trial $9.95 for one month, $69.95 for 12 months). It has archives for over 2,500 U.S. newspapers in all 50 states, from the 1600s to the present day, with over 224 million family history records, over 28 million obituaries, more than 122 million historical newspaper articles, and more than 11,700 historical books.
** Added content from 87 newspapers in 25 states
e) http://www.findmypast.com/ - a UK subscription site (6 months 54.95 pounds, 12 months 89.95 pounds, also pay-per-view options) offers England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland databases (over 600 million names).
** 3.2 million Parish Records added - now over 18 million records
f) http://pilot.familysearch.org/ - the LDS FREE site for indexed and browsable databases -- new content includes:
** 1885, 1935 and 1945 Florida State censuses
** Norway baptisms, marriages and burials, 1700-1900
** West Virginia births, marriages and deaths
3. GENEALOGY EDUCATION
a) The Genealogy Guys Podcast celebrates its 150th episode this week! Co-hosts George G. Morgan and Drew Smith published the first episode of the weekly podcast at http://www.genealogyguys.com/ on 4 September 2005. Since that time, the free podcast has become the longest continuously running, regular podcast in the world.
b) The Corona Genealogical Society (CGS) is proud to announce their "2nd Annual Stones, Bones, and Ancient Tomes" Genealogy Event. This event is FREE and open to the public. A combination of presentations and displays, it will be held at the Corona Public Library, 650 S. Main St., Corona, California, on Saturday October 25, 2008.
c) Two genealogy related classes, taught by Pam Journey, are available at OASIS in the San Diego area - see the post at http://www.geneamusings.com/2008/08/genealogy-classes-at-san-diego-oasis.html
4. SOFTWARE
a) FamilyTreeMaker 2009 -- The Generations Network has released the Family Tree Maker 2009. The 2009 version includes many new features suggested by users as well as many new bug fixes. Registered owners of Family Tree Maker 2008 can obtain a free upgrade to the new version.
b) The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding Version 7.01.1 was announced and is now available on the v7 downloads page - http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php.
c) Legacy Family Tree, is now available in two new languages: Deutsch (German) and Svenska (Swedish). The software, used by beginners and professionals to record, plan, and share their family trees, is now the premier choice for German and Swedish researchers. Legacy is also available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and English editions - see http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/.
d) There are Family Tree Maker software deals at http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/ - see my post at http://www.geneamusings.com/2008/09/familytreemaker-deals-at.html.
e) A series of blog posts demonstrating use of FamilyTreeMaker 2008 is online at http://www.geneamusings.com/2008/08/using-familytreemaker-2008-summary-of.html
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a) ProQuest formed a partnership with Google to digitize hundreds of millions of pages of local newspaper content for the open web. The old newspapers which are now digitized will be accessible by searching the Google News Archive at http://news.google.com/archivesearch.
b) Ancestry was chosen to digitize and host City of London’s historical ‘London records’- the most comprehensive collection of historical London records, covering 500 years of the city’s history, from London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) and Guildhall Library Manuscripts. It will take several years to digitize and index these records.
c) Ancestry.com launched the World Archives Project to Preserve and Provide Online Access to Historical Records. The World Archives Project is a global public indexing initiative designed to give individuals everywhere the opportunity to help preserve historical records. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has partnered with Ancestry.com, enlisting genealogists and family history enthusiasts to help test the software and prepare it for a more public release.
d) Library and Archives Canada (LAC) announced the launch of a new online database -- Second World War Service Files: Canadian Armed Forces War Dead. Through this online database, researchers can access references to the service files in the Department of National Defence Forces (RG 24) for the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who lost their lives during this conflict. The database is available at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/index-e.html
e) General Register Office (GRO) of the United Kingdom declared the suspension of a major effort: the £16 Million (roughly $30 Million US Dollars) project to digitize 250 million records of births, marriages, and deaths in England and Wales from 1837 to the present day.
f) A lineage society for Early Settlers of Spanish and Mexican Land Grants (ESSMLG) was formed. This is the first national lineage society that recognizes and preserves the contributions of the Spanish / Latino culture in the early settlement of the United States. Even before Jamestowne was founded and the Pilgrims landed, Texas and the southwestern U.S. were being explored. By the 1600s there was a rich Spanish culture in place. The early settlers of the southwestern U.S. included such diverse groups as Spaniards, Canary Islanders, French, Irish, English, Scots, Jewish, German, Dutch, Portuguese, and Native Americans from both sides of the present day U.S.-Mexico border. See their web site - http://spanishgrants.com/
g) The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, and JewishGen, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching and promoting Jewish genealogy and an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, announced a partnership designed to provide easier online access to millions of important Jewish historical documents. JewishGen’s collection of databases will be integrated and be made available for free on Ancestry.com, making these historical Jewish records and information more accessible than ever before. As part of the agreement, the JewishGen site will also be hosted in Ancestry.com’s data center. To get a sneak peek of the Jewish collections that will be available on Ancestry.com, visit www.ancestry.com/JewishHeritage.
That's the news as I see it. What did I miss?
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