Saturday, March 28, 2015

Who Do You Think You Are? – Sean Hayes


Who Do You Think You Are? – Sean Hayes 
Premieres March 29, 2015 at 10/9c on TLC

Sean Hayes is estranged from his father with a troubled past, and goes on a quest to discover the root of the problem. Sean’s journey takes him to Chicago where he uncovers the sad details of his grandfather’s early death on skid row. Sean then follows his ancestral trail to Ireland, where court documents reveal the chaos in the Hayes family runs generations deep. Through Sean’s search, he is able to deepen his understanding of his father and appreciate that he’s broken a turbulent family pattern on his own.

Here's a sneak peek

FamilySearch Adds More Than 5.8 Million Records

The following is from FamilySearch.


FamilySearch
 
FamilySearch Collections UpdateMarch 27, 2015
 

FamilySearch Adds More Than 5.8 Million Indexed Records and Images for Australia, Canada, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, and the United States

FamilySearch has added to its collections more than 5.8 million indexed records and images for Australia, Canada, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. Notable collection updates include 2,435,483 indexed records from the Canada Census, 1911 collection; 2,069,202 indexed records from the Australia, Queensland Cemetery Records, 1802–1990 collection; and 310,900 images from the Russia, Tula Poll Tax Census (Revision Lists), 1758–1895 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 world’s historical 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
2,069,202
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
2,435,483
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
218,865
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
66,106
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
20,262
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
170,900
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
0
310,900
Added images to an existing collection.
0
30,830
Added images to an existing collection.
0
17,333
New browsable image collection.
0
648
Added images to an existing collection.
225,314
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
7,931
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
0
4,826
Added images to an existing collection.
0
1,900
New browsable image collection.
551
0
Added indexed records to an existing collection.
0
5,799
New browsable image collection.
0
11,627
New browsable image collection.
0
103,303
Added images to an existing collection.
0
6,147
New browsable image collection.
0
162,191
New browsable image collection.

My Family History Calling

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch

My Family History Calling Newsletter
March 2015

News you need to succeed-for priesthood leaders, consultants, and center directors.
Elder Neil L. Andersen: Sharing the Challenge
"Prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the temple and help someone else to do the same." See how you can put to work right now Elder Andersen's updated temple challenge from RootsTech 2015.
What's New on FamilySearch.org
New Collections Recently Added to FamilySearch
Traditional View in Family Tree Has Received a Major Upgrade
Gathering, Healing, and Sealing Families
This powerful presentation by Elder Bradley D. Foster, Sister Linda K. Burton, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, and Brother Tadd R. Callister at RootsTech 2015 will not only teach but also touch and inspire you and others.
From Tree to Temple-Preparing Family Names for the Temple
This class by Jim Ison and Beth Taylor from the RootsTech 2015 consultant's track will help you prepare an ancestor's name for temple ordinances.
Clarion Call for Arbitrators: Worldwide Arbitration Event
It is time to mark your calendars for the worldwide arbitration event taking place onMay 1-8, 2015!
How to Order a Spiritual Passport and Other Support Materials
Are you hosting a family discovery day and looking to print customized posters, fliers, and other materials? Problem solved!
Partner News
FamilySearch is pleased to announce thatAncestorCloudEternal Reminder,Family.meLife's Journey Game, andScrambled Tree Game are now Readcertified.
A Recent Convert's Testimony
I joined the Church in the spring of 2014 following several years of investigation. My family wasn't supportive, and it was easy to feel isolated as the only member in my family. Just a few months after joining the Church, I began doing my family history.

New York State Family History Conference Registration Open





New York State Family History Conference in September

Registration for the New York State Family History Conference, September 17-19 in Syracuse, New York, is now open at the conference website.

The Central New York Genealogical Society and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society are pleased to announce that our 2015 New York State Family History Conference has been chosen by the Federation of Genealogical Societies as one of their regional conferences. The Second New York State Family History Conference is increasing in size and duration and will feature three simultaneous lecture tracks and more exhibitors. The Federation of Genealogical Societies is sponsoring the first day of the conference. At present, other conference sponsors include the Capital District Genealogical SocietyFamilySearchfindmypast.com, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the New York State Library and Archives and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

The 2015 NYSFHC Conference will be three days long and consist of three concurrent tracts, and will run from Thursday, September 17, 2015 through Saturday, September 19, 2015. We will also be scheduling a pre-conference research day. Thursday's programming will be organized and hosted by the Federation of Genealogical Societies. The Conference will be held at the Syracuse/Liverpool Holiday Inn, located at 441 Electronics Parkway, in Liverpool, N.Y.

The first day of the three-day event is a regional FGS conference featuring David Rencher, Josh Taylor, and Curt Witcher as lead speakers; the second and third days of the conference include both general and New York-focused tracks, and a full track on genetic genealogy.

Nationally known speakers include Henry Hoff (NEHGS); Josh Taylor (FindMyPast); Judy Russell (the Legal Genealogist); Thomas W. Jones; Eric Grundset (DAR); and Blaine Bettinger (the Genetic Genealogist). Conference sponsors include NEHGS; the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; Findmypast; FamilySearch; the New York Public Library; the New York State Archives and Library; the Central New York Genealogical Society; the Capital District Genealogical Society; and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Early bird registration is available through May 31.

Members of the Central New York Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society will be eligible for discounted conference rates. We also encourage genealogical and historical societies to attend and are offering discounted exhibit space.

For more information visit: http://www.nysfhc.org/


Popular Online Jewish Genealogy Collection Surpasses One Million Entries

The following is from FamilySearch.

Popular Online Jewish Genealogy Collection Surpasses One Million Entries
SALT LAKE CITY—The Knowles Collection, a quickly growing, free online Jewish genealogy database linking generations of Jewish families from all over the world, reached its one-millionth record milestone and is now easily searchable online. The collection started from scratch just over seven years ago, with historical records gathered from FamilySearch’s collections. Now the vast majority of new contributions are coming from families and private archives worldwide. The free collection can be accessed at FamilySearch.org/family-trees.
The databases from the Knowles Collection are unlike other collections in that people are linked as families and the collection can be searched by name, giving researchers access to records of entire families. All records are sourced and show the people who donated the records so cousins can contact one another. New records are added continually, and the collection is growing by about 10,000 names per month from over 80 countries. Corrections are made as the need is found, and new links are added continually.

“With the Knowles Collection so visible at FamilySearch.org, researchers will have the chance to compare their Jewish family histories against the collections of FamilySearch, giving families more opportunities to expand, preserve, and share them,” said Todd Knowles, a Jewish genealogy specialist at the popular Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and founder of the popular Knowles Collection.

The popular Knowles Collection started from Knowles’s desire to know more about his Jewish ancestors. “My search for my great-great-grandfather Morris David Rosenbaum, a Polish Jew, eventually led me to begin compiling the genealogical records of the Jewish people,” recounted Knowles. “The genealogy of Morris David Rosenbaum became the backbone of the Knowles Collection.”

Knowles began by following Rosenbaum from Poland through England to the United States. Knowles discovered the Mordy Collection in England, which had been compiled by Isobel Mordy from Middlesex, England. “She had literally used individual scraps of paper to compile 150 individual pedigrees, with over 7,500 records,” said Knowles. Mordy’s work was very important, but because of the complexity and numbering system of her collection, searching it was difficult, so Knowles decided to make it electronic.

“Mordy did not have access to the Internet or the resources we have available to us today to fill in sources and gaps,” said Knowles. So Knowles used the tools available to him at FamilySearch.org, such as census records, probates, synagogue records, and cemetery records, to begin publishing more than 10,000 Jewish names hailing from the British Isles. Eventually, his collection of Jews of the British Isles grew to 40,000 names.

Today, Jewish communities worldwide are adding their own records to the popular Knowles Collection online. The Knowles Collection has grown from Jews of the British Isles (now with 208,349 records), to Jews of North America (489,400), Jews of Europe (380,637), Jews of South America and the Caribbean (21,351), Jews of Africa, the Orient, and the Middle East (37,618), and the newest one, Jews of the Southern Pacific (21,518).

“So many of our ancestors left their native lands for new homes. That diaspora [scattered colonies of Jews] are now in six different searchable databases in the Knowles Collection,” said Knowles, “These collections show how universal our families are.”

Knowles said many difficulties exist in Jewish genealogical research. “The records of one family may be in hundreds of places. Very few records are in a central archive. The records collection at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City is the largest outside of Israel,” Knowles says.

There has always been an interest in family history among Jews. With the advent of the Internet and electronically accessible databases online, that interest is growing rapidly. “Jews are doing family history like crazy,” Knowles says. “Rabbis have kids doing their family history before their bar mitzvahs. Everyone has a desire to know who they are and where they came from. Once you spend a little time looking at your family’s past, you will find a fascination you never thought possible.”

The Knowles Collection can be accessed at FamilySearch.org (click Search, and then click Genealogies). If you would like to add your Jewish family records to the collection, Knowles says that the easiest and best way to add records to the collection is contact him at knowlescollection.blogspot.com.

Upcoming ISGS Webinars - April 2015


Illinois State Genealogical Society

The following is from the Illinois State Genealogical Society.


Upcoming ISGS Webinars – April 2015



Join us on TuesdayApril 14, at 8:00 PM Central, when Drew Smith will present Using Evernote as Your Primary Tool for Capturing Notes and Ideas. To attend this webinar, register athttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8189883145839699201.

Our March  webinar, Finding Your Femme Fatales: Exploring the Dark Side of Female Ancestors, presented by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A., is now available to ISGS members in the Members Section of the ISGS website (http://ilgensoc.org/members.php).

Upcoming Webinars
Apr 14 – Using Evernote as Your Primary Tool for Capturing Notes and Ideas
Presenter:  Drew Smith
Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8189883145839699201

May 12 – Need Direction? Try City Directories!
Presenter: Jean Wilcox Hibben
Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6094939660972982529

June 9 – Understanding Our Families, Understanding Ourselves
Presenter:  Ron Arons
Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4967076026363157761

For the complete list of upcoming webinars, visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=234.

Make a Contribution:  Support the ISGS Webinar program by making a financial contribution, which will help ISGS expand its educational offerings in a virtual manner.  To learn why we need your help, or to make a contribution, please visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=345.

Please direct any questions to the ISGS Education Committee at isgseducation@ilgensoc.org.

Early Bird Discount for NGS Conference Ends 30 March

The following is from the National Genealogical Society.





Arlington, VA, 23 March 2015—If you are planning to register for the NGS Family History Conference in St. Charles, be sure to take advantage of its early bird discount. The discount, as well as the opportunity to order a printed syllabus, ends 30 March 2015. After that date, the NGS member price will increase from $195 to $230 for all four days, the non-NGS member price will increase from $230 to $265, and the syllabus will only be available as a flash drive.
 
This year’s conference features more than 25 tracks and 150 lectures, as well as social events, luncheons, and the NGS banquet. It is a great opportunity to network with other genealogists and enhance your knowledge. The conference will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center and will run from 13-16 May.  For conference information and to register, go to the 2015 NGS Family History Conference.
 

Social Events, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet
Participating organizations sponsor several luncheons at which guest speakers address many fascinating topics such as
 
·       “Have You Tested Your DNA? Is there a Non-Paternity Event in Your Family?”
·       “Germans in the American Civil War”
·       “Intuition and Genealogy Success: A Sixth Sense, Chance, Coincidence, or Serendipity?”
·       “Then and Now: Changes in Methodologies and Sources”
 
The NGS Banquet is another event not to be missed!  Registration for all meals and social events closes on 29 April 2015. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Be sure to sign up as quickly as possible. The StLGS Host Event BBQ is $39; luncheons are $21; and the banquet is $38. Menus are in the registration brochure.
 
Society Showcase
On Tuesday afternoon 12 May 2015, many Missouri genealogical and historical societies will be available in the St. CharlesConvention Center from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. to answer questions about local repositories and resources, discuss their group’s activities, and sell their publications.
 
St. Charles Area Tours
There’s still time to sign up for several exciting tours on Tuesday, 12 May 2015, prior to the NGS Family History Conference. For more information, please see St. Charles Area ToursRegistration for the tours closes on 29 April 2015.
 
Add Items to an Existing Registration
To add meals, tours, and pre-conference events to your current registration, log on to the NGS website, click on My Account, select My Events, and then click to Add Sessions.
 
We hope to see you in St. Charles in May!
 
 
 
Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogical education, exemplary standards of research, and the preservation of genealogical records.  The Arlington, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, and guidance in research. It also offers many opportunities to interact with other genealogists.