RootsMagic 7 Innovative New WebHints Work With MyHeritage & FamilySearch!

Wahoo!! RootsMagic 7 released today and look what's inside.

The following is from MyHeritage.

TEL AVIV, Israel & SPRINGVILLE, Utah – November 25, 2014: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, and RootsMagic, Inc., today jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies have been integrated into RootsMagic’s latest version of its popular genealogy software. This enables RootsMagic users to discover the life stories of their ancestors thanks to highly accurate matching between their family trees and millions of family trees and billions of global historical records available on MyHeritage.

RootsMagic, first released in 2003, is an award winning genealogy program for documenting and preserving family history. Its latest version 7, released this week, includes among its highlights a new feature named WebHints powered by MyHeritage matching technologies that transforms the program into a powerful research tool. WebHints also include hints from genealogy website FamilySearch for authenticated users. Information sent by RootsMagic to MyHeritage for matching is never collected or shared, and is deleted after matching to ensure the complete privacy of RootsMagic users and their data.

MyHeritage enables millions of families around the world to discover, share and preserve their family history on the MyHeritage website, mobile apps and desktop applications. In addition, MyHeritage is well known as a technology innovator. Its flagship technologies, Smart Matching™ and Record Matching, which generate automatic discoveries based on MyHeritage’s huge international database of family trees and historical records, are sought after within the family history space. Leading genealogy organizations are partnering with MyHeritage to integrate these technologies into their products.

“MyHeritage matches are a very exciting feature”, said RootsMagic, Inc.’s Vice President, Michael Booth. “It was like magic to me when the WebHints were first wired into RootsMagic and I opened my file and saw all the matches appear. I spent hours exploring and discovering newspaper articles, certificates, and records that I had never seen before. Our initial testers are also reporting that they have been having so much fun exploring the MyHeritage matches that they have had to pull themselves away to test the other features.”

“We’re thrilled to provide RootsMagic – an acclaimed genealogy software among the most popular in the USA – with our powerful matching technologies” said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “This partnership will significantly accelerate discoveries for RootsMagic users and will expand the tremendous reach of MyHeritage.”

This announcement follows other integrations of MyHeritage matching technologies by British genealogy software, Family Historian and Dutch genealogy services Aldfaer and Coret Genealogie. Available on MyHeritage and through a wide set of partnerships, MyHeritage matching technologies have become the de facto standard for automatic discoveries for everyone interested in their family history

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history. As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages.www.myheritage.com

About RootsMagic, Inc.

For over 20 years, RootsMagic, Inc. has been creating computer software with a special purpose - to unite families. One of its earliest products, the popular Family Origins software, introduced thousands of people to the joy and excitement of family history.
That tradition continues today with RootsMagic, its award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing family history fun and easy.
www.rootsmagic.com

ResearchTies Black Friday Special

The following is from ResearchTies.

Give the Gift of Organization The holidays are upon us, and ResearchTies is happy to announce a Black Friday special! From 12:00 am until 11:59 pm (MST) on Friday, November 28, customers will be able to purchase a new annual subscription for $20 and receive a 30-minute, one-on-one mentoring session at no additional cost. This is a great gift for all of your genealogy friends and family. This year, give the gift of organization. Spread the word and let everyone know about this great offer! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from ResearchTies

My Family History Calling

The following is from FamilySearch.

My Family History Calling Newsletter	November 2014

News you need to succeed-for priesthood leaders, consultants, and center directors.

Making Your Temple Experience More Sacred When You Find Names and Take Them to the Temple You may recall the impressive story in the Book of Mormon where King Benjamin shared his thoughts and teaching with the Saints. Feeling that his voice would not reach all who were gathered as families, he had his words recorded and sent out to families. Continue reading.

Improvements to the My Family Booklet Capture Tool MyHeritage's Institutional Service Now at Family History Centers To Help You Find Family Names What's New to Help You Find, Take, and Teach

Moms and Tots Find Names Together As we encourage our ward and stake members to find family names, to take them to the temple, and then to share that experience with their families, we are finding that one of the most successful experiences involves moms and tots. FamilySearch Announces Milestones for Retirement of new.FamilySearch.org The continued effort to enhance and improve FamilySearch Family Tree now requires the decommissioning of the program that Family Tree replaced, new.FamilySearch.org. Accordingly, we are announcing the final milestones for retiringnew.FamilySearch.org. See the details. All LDS Members, Including Youth, Can Now Get Free Access to FamilySearch Partner Websites All members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as LDS youth ages 13-17, can now create their own personal accounts with Ancestry.com, findmypast, andMyHeritage. These resources are helping Church members find more ancestors needing temple ordinances. RootsTech Family Discovery Day for Your Stake Will Help You Find Names If you are unable to attend Family Discovery Day at RootsTech and are looking for a new and fun way to help the members of your stake find family names for their tree, prepare those names for the temple, and be enabled to teach others how to do the same, consider hosting a RootsTech Family Discovery Day (formerly called Family History Fair) in your stake in 2015. Get the details here. Call for Papers-Teach Others What You Know About Family History Proposals are now being accepted for the 2015 BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy which will be held Tuesday, July 28 through Friday, July 31, at the BYU Conference Center in Provo, Utah. See details here.

FindMyPast Latest Releases

The following is from FIndMyPast.

Findmypast releases 953,000 District of Columbia birth, marriage and death records, 18 new US periodicals, new Irish Survey Maps & Plans and thousands of UK School & Prison Ship registers

Every Friday, leading family history website Findmypast reveals thousands of new records to explore over the weekend on its dedicated Findmypast Friday page. This week’s new additions include 95,000 Griffiths Survey of Ireland records, over 953,000 US birth, marriage and death records for the District of Columbia, 18 new PERSI titles and thousands of new UK school admissions and Prison Ship records.  

The new District of Columbia Births & Baptisms 1830-1955 contain over 109,000 records. These records provide information on births and baptisms that occurred in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, between 1830 and 1955. Although the district began officially collecting this information in 1874, many records are from years earlier and do contain some duplicates that often contain slightly different information. Each record consists of a transcript that lists the child’s name, date of birth, date and place of christening, parents’ names and ethnicity.

The District Of Columbia Marriages 1830-1921 contain over 479,000 records that provide information about marriages performed in the city during the 19th and 20th centuries. The records generally list the individual’s name, age, ethnicity, the date and place of their marriage as well as their spouse’s name and age. You may find duplicates in these search results, as entries are often created for each individual mentioned on a record, including parents' names and spouse's parents' names. Some marriages occurred outside of the District of Columbia but were then registered later in the city.

The District of Columbia Deaths & Burials 1840-1964 contain over 365,000 records. Each record represents a death in the district over the 19th and 20th centuries and can contain useful biographical information. Most will list the deceased’s name, age, date of birth, date of death, place and date of burial, street address, marital status, ethnicity and parents place of birth. The information contained can then be used to search other collections from the District of Columbia or to search our collection of local newspapers for an obituary.

Griffith's Survey Maps & Plans, 1847-1864 contains over 95,000 Ordnance Survey (OS) maps and town plans used by the team working on Griffith's Primary Valuation of Ireland. Sir Richard John Griffith (1784 –1878) was an Irish geologist, mining engineer and chairman of the Board of Works of Ireland, who completed the first complete geological map of Ireland. He was commissioned by the government to oversee the first valuation of Ireland in 1827.  Each record includes a survey transcript and most also contain images of maps and town plans. Unfortunately we do not have maps, only transcripts, for Northern Ireland.

New UK Schools and Admission registers for Anglesey, Plymouth and West Devon have been added to our collection of National School Admission Registers & Log-Books 1870-1914. The Registers allow you to trace your ancestors through their school years and provide information such as the name of the school, name and address of each pupil, date of admission, date of leaving and the names of parents or guardians. Some may also include date of birth, whether parents are living or dead and a parent’s occupation.

Over 4,000 Prison Ship (Hulk) Registers 1811-1843 records have been added to our collection of Crime, Prison and Punishment records. These new records come from 6 prison hulks; Discovery, Captivity, Antelope, Dromedary, Weymouth and Coromandel and list the details of over 13,300 inmates held on the ships between 1811 and 1843. Each record consists of a transcript that can list an inmate’s name, age and trade as well as details of their crime, sentence and character.

Timpanogos Storytelling Events

The following is from Timpanogos Storytelling.

Stories & Music with the Utah Valley Symphony and storyteller Steffani Raff December 3-4, 2014

Enjoy an amazing evening as storyteller Steffani Raff and the Utah Valley Symphony celebrate the holidays with two special nights of stories and music on December 3-4, 2014 at the Covey Center for the Arts. Tickets are available by clicking here. Group pricing is available.  For more information, call the ticket office at 801-852-7007. The event will start at 7:30 pm at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, Utah.  A map can be found by clicking here.   The performance is recommended for ages 6 and above.  No babies or babes in arms will be allowed.

Stories for a Holiday Season with Storyteller Donald Davis December 16, 2014 Free Event

Join master storyteller Donald Davis for a special performance on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm at the Springville Library. This free performance is a great way to catch the Holiday spirit. Donald Davis is a longtime Timpanogos Storytelling Festival favorite and has performed on some of America's most prestigious stages including at the Smithsonian, National Storytelling Festival, and World's Fair.  Donald has appeared also on PBS, NPR, CNN, and ABC. The performance is supported by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums and the National Endowment for the Arts. The program is recommended for ages six and above.

Want other Timpanogos Storytelling gifts for Christmas? Click here to see our full line of products. Also check our website timpfest.org on Black Friday for some special deals.   And Festival and Conference tickets will be available soon.

Holiday Special Boot Camp Webinar

The following is from Thomas MacEntee of HackGenealogy.

We have a very special Boot Camp experience for you this year. In celebration of our first year providing these exciting and fun genealogy education events, and to get into the holiday spirit, Lisa and I are holding our very first Holiday Special Boot Camp! 

Title: Holiday Special Boot Camp 
Topic: Grab Bag! 
Date: Saturday 29 November 2014 
Time: 7:00 – 10:30 pm Eastern / 6:00 – 9:30 pm Central 
Price: PYWY 

Topics: Remember that there is no specific topic for this Boot Camp! Instead we like to call it a Grab Bag since we'll cover many different topics, many submitted by you the attendees! While Lisa and I will have some great content to share (and we guarantee you will learn at least one new genealogy trick!), we’d love to have you submit a genealogy topic that you want covered. Visit http://hackgenealogy.com/bcholidaytopics to submit your topic! 

Price: Since this month’s Boot Camp uses a different format and since we’ll be covering a variety of topics, we’ve decided to use a Pay What You Want model. This means that you decide how much this knowledge is worth to you. You can donate $5, $10, the regular $12.95 or even more. We know some people will likely throw in a few dollars just to say thanks for making the Boot Camp concept available. It doesn’t matter what you pay or if you pay. Lisa and I just want you to come ready to learn and to have fun. 

Visit http://hackgenealogy.com/donate to donate and remember that 25% of the proceeds go to the Preserve the Pensions project! 

David Archuleta and Studio C to Perform at RootsTech 2015

The following is from RootsTech.

David Archuleta and Studio C to Perform at RootsTech 2015 SALT LAKE CITY, 19 November 2014—American Idol finalist David Archuleta is teaming up with the popular comedy sketch group Studio C from BYUtv to perform at RootsTech, the largest family history conference in the world happening February 12–14, 2015. The two talents will be performing at the RootsTech Closing Event at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both will be featuring new original pieces for the event, including a new song written by David Archuleta and a never-before-seen sketch byStudio C. For more information, go to RootsTech.org. David Archuleta has sold more than 1 million albums and earned numerous awards. According to David, being part of RootsTech gives him a chance to celebrate his family and the influence they have had on his music. “When people ask me what has influenced my music, they are often surprised when I tell them it’s my family. My family has made me who I am and my music what it is.” Archuleta’s mother is from Honduras, and he has embraced the Latin influence in his music, even performing songs in Spanish. His father was a jazz musician who introduced the family to jazz, as well as gospel, pop, rock, and soul. His family’s heritage and history helped craft Archuleta’s unique style. “Music was always a part of my life growing up. My mother was also big on dancing and would teach my older sister and me to dance to traditional music,” he remembers. “I can’t think about celebrating my family without thinking about celebrating music.” The sketch comedy group Studio C from BYUtv has grown to become a household name for people across the nation of all ages, but especially among teens and millennials. Since its launch in October 2012, its loyal fan base has helped grow the show’s online presence to more than 70 million YouTube views to date. David Archuleta and Studio C will be performing for thousands of attendees at the RootsTech Closing Event on the final day of RootsTech, February 14, 2015. To reserve your ticket to see David Archuleta and Studio C, visit rootstech.org.

The following is from the Association of Professional Genealogists.

2015 APG Professional Management Conference

Register today for APG’s Professional Management Conference – offering TWO FULL DAYS of presentations designed just for genealogical professionals. PMC 2015 will feature 16 sessions – 12 classes and 4 workshops. 

For more details visit: https://www.apgen.org/conferences/

Early bird pricing until 21 Nov 2015.

FREE UGA Webinar Today!

The following is from the Utah Genealogical Association.

FREE UGA Webinar - Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m. MDT

“Using Technology to See Things More Clearly” - presented by Peg Ivanyo

Having difficulty figuring out exactly where you are in your research? Have you read through the records multiple times and still can’t see past the brick wall? Consider a more visual approach. There are many technical tools available to us today that can help us analyze problems, develop research plans, understand geographical and social context, and more. This presentation will review simple ways to utilize spreadsheets, mind-maps, geographical maps, census track overlays, timelines, historical photos, and interactive online products to help us see our research more clearly, and perhaps even break through a brick wall or two.

Click Here for more information and to register.

This UGA Virtual Chapter meeting is open to the public but requires registration. To Register for this FREE seminar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3992143464106431233 

Can't attend? Remember that UGA Members can watch or re-watch previous webinars on the Virtual Chapter Members Archive.

FamilySearch New Collections Update 17 November 2014

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Adds More Than 3.7 Million Indexed Records and Images to Australia, Canada, Isle of Man, South Africa, and the United States FamilySearch adds more than 3.7 million indexed records and images to Australia, Canada, Isle of Man, South Africa, and the United States. Notable collection updates include the 1,395,009 images from the Canada, Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760–1993 collection; the 396,405 images and 396,405 indexed records from the US, BillionGraves Index collection; and the 389,387 indexed records from the South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801–2004 collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org. Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org . FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection Indexed Records Digital Images Comments Australia, New South Wales, Census (fragment), 1841 1,385 2,249 New browsable image collection. Canada, Nova Scotia Probate Records, 1760–1993 0 1,395,009 New browsable image collection. Isle of Man, Isle of Man Parish Registers, 1598–2009 0 44,050 Added images to an existing collection. South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801–2004 389,387 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. US, BillionGraves Index 396,405 396,405 Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. US, California, San Mateo County, Colma, Italian Cemetery Records, 1899–2011 0 91 Added images to an existing collection. US, Idaho, Lincoln County Records, 1886–1972 0 1,232 Added images to an existing collection. US, Kentucky Death Records, 1911–1961 173,963 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. US, Louisiana, Orleans Court Records, 1822–1880 0 7,376 Added images to an existing collection. US, Louisiana, Orleans Parish Will Books, 1805–1920 0 1,829 Added images to an existing collection. US, Louisiana, State Penitentiary Records, 1866–1963 0 78 Added images to an existing collection. US, Maryland, Register of Wills Records, 1629–1999 0 17,565 Added images to an existing collection. US, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, Probate Estate Files, 1886–1900 0 3,926 Added images to an existing collection. US, Ohio, Crawford County Church Records, 1853–2007 0 695 New browsable image collection. US, Ohio, Cuyahoga County Probate Files, 1813–1932 0 152,511 Added images to an existing collection. US, Ohio, Licking County, Hartford Township Records, 1881–1962 0 989 New browsable image collection. US, Ohio, Northern District, Eastern Division, Naturalization Index, 1855–1967 0 196,148 New browsable image collection. US, Tennessee, Cocke County Records, 1860–1930 0 3,659 Added images to an existing collection. US, Utah, Cache County Records, 1861–1955 0 3,045 Added images to an existing collection. US, Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1920–2009 328,371 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. US, Virginia, Isle of Wight County Records, 1634–1951 0 115 Added images to an existing collection. US, Washington, County Marriages, 1855–2008 0 202,454 Added images to an existing collection. US, Washington, Pierce County Marriage Returns, 1891–1950 0 732 Added images to an existing collection.