Family History Library to Test a New Delivery Method for Training

The following email is from FamilySearch Support.

To: English speaking family history consultants

A new way of delivering Family History training is being tested beginning with a series of classes on handwriting. These will be taught in person at the Family History Library on January 31^st and at the same time will be broadcast over the Internet. Interested persons need to register for the classes by sending an e-mail message to FHLClassReg@ldschurch.org with the words “Internet Broadcast” in the subject line. Registered persons will receive instructions through e-mail on how to attend the event. Those attending the class through the Internet will be able to see the computer presentation and hear the presenter’s voice. They will also be able to ask questions by typing the question into a chat “pod.” The submitted questions will be relayed in person through the broadcast host and then answered by the presenter. The number of computers that can join these classes is limited, and registration will end no later than Friday, January 30 at 4 P.M. (MST). Below are the classes that will be offered.

Early American Handwriting
9:00 A.M. (MST)

Older English Handwriting
10:30 A.M. (MST)

Germanic Scandinavian Gothic Handwriting
1:00 P.M. (MST)

Sincerely,
FamilySearch Support
support@familysearch.org
U.S. and Canada: 18664061830

International toll-free phone numbers may be found on the Internet at contact.familysearch.org

New Book about Google Demonstrates Worldwide Interest in Genealogy & Family History

Book Reveals Deep Connections between Google and Genealogy Research

PROVO, Utah, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Google Your Family Tree, a popular new book designed to provide individuals with specialized tips for finding family history information on the Internet has generated worldwide interest since it began shipping just two months ago. Within the first 30 days following commercial availability, orders for the book were shipped to customers in all 50 United States, every Canadian province, and more than 20 other international locations. Visitors to the GoogleYourFamilyTree.com website have come from 81 different countries spread across every continent - a testament to the worldwide popularity of both genealogy and Google.

"I've always felt that Google was an exceptional tool for many different aspects of genealogy," said Dan Lynch, author, Google Your Family Tree. "I couldn't be more pleased with the feedback from customers around the world - beginners and professionals alike - who are just now discovering the hidden power of Google to uncover clues relevant for their family history research."

With nearly 5,000 copies shipped to date, Google Your Family Tree is believed to be among the fastest selling genealogy titles of all time and is quickly becoming a standard reference for individuals and libraries alike.

"I thought I was a Google expert, fully familiar with the search engine's operation. However, I learned a number of new tricks by reading Dan Lynch's book. I bet you will also," said Dick Eastman, editor, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. "If you want to conduct more effective searches on Google, be it about genealogy or nearly any other topic, reading Google Your Family Tree will increase your expertise."

While Google Your Family Tree was designed specifically for genealogists and family history enthusiasts, the content in this book can be readily applied to anyone who uses the Internet. "Whoever uses Google must get this book, whether you are a genealogist, a student with a homework assignment, or a cooking buff looking for a recipe," said Gary Mokotoff, author, lecturer and leading expert in the field of Jewish genealogy. "Google Your Family Tree is a must for every household, not merely for family history research, but for every family member that uses the Internet to glean information."

Google Your Family Tree is packed with useful content such as search engine basics, effective query structure, advanced search techniques, blog searches, language tools, how to get started in genealogy, and much more. "And, that is the magic of this book. It takes one of the most common Internet experiences--a Google search--and puts it in a new light, making it seem brand new," said Paul Allen, CEO, FamilyLink.com, Inc. "I vouch for its usefulness for both the serious web searcher as well as someone that is new to the world of Google."

The book is 340 pages, carries ISBN 978-0-9820737-1-1, and sells for $34.95 (USD). To learn more about the book, read reviews or to purchase a copy, visit: http://GoogleYourFamilyTree.com/.

Renee's Note: I've read the book and it is fantastic and lives up to the hype.

Adventures in FamilySearch Indexing: Week 71

It's been a wonderful day. I joined my fellow genealogists at Scanfest today. Between the chatting I scanned 30 pages of photographs. I would load each page up with various size photographs and then scan them. So, I don't know in total right now how many pictures are scanned. I still have to go through the images and crop the individual photos to size. It really felt good to get some of my scanning done. There are plenty more still to do!

It's snowing here in Utah and I am nice and toasty next to my space heater. I have my fluffy bathrobe and fuzzy slippers on. It really does seem like the perfect time to do some FamilySearch Indexing. As always I will look for any new messages for us.

We have only one this week:

From: Headquarters
Subject: Guerrero - Censo de Mexico de 1930
Date: 20 Jan 2009

El Censo de Guerrero Mexico 1930 contiene registros de Hidalgo. Por favor indexen esos registros y los envien. La administracion esta consciente de esta situacion. Se corregira antes que llegue a Record Search.

The Guerrero - 1930 Mexico Census project contains records from Hildago. Please index the records and submit them. Indexing Administration is aware of this situation. It will be taken care of before it reaches Record Search.

Sorry that I don't have the accents on the Spanish words. I haven't a clue where to find them on my computer/keyboard to type them.

Last night I was reading my Robert Ragan's Treasure Maps Genealogy Newsletter and found this interesting item I thought I would pass along.

Video Lesson about the New FamilySearch Pilot Site

Here's the link to the my video lesson on the "FamilySearch Record Search - Pilot Site" that was mentioned in the December issue of Treasure Maps. This online resource, to free copies of original genealogy records, is so important, I want you to see exactly how it works.

If you didn't try searching for genealogy records about your ancestors after reading the article about the Record Search Pilot site last month, then this video should inspire you. It is such a
fantastic resource. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth...?

* See:
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/genealogy-databases/free-original-genealogy-records-from-familysearch-new-pilot-site.html

NOTE: As you can see, the above link it is a mile long. So if it breaks into two lines in your email message, you can use this short link to get to the exact same page on Treasure Map's site:

*See: http://tinyurl.com/bsr994

This short link is safe. I set it up personally.

Enjoy, and TRY searches for your ancestors. ;-)

I watched the video and he did a really good job on it.

Well, it's time for me to choose which indexing project to work on this week. I worked on the Illinois 1920 US Federal Census last week. I see that is it available again this week so I picked that. Wrong! No current batches. So, I think I will try the Connecticut 1920 US Federal Census.

I downloaded three batches at one time. Just my luck to get a census taker that wrote really tiny and scribbled. They were tuff. One of my batches didn't even have the county filled out on the top of the page. I went to the previous page and that one wasn't filled out either. Since I had been indexing the same batches and they were almost in numeric order I could of guessed the county. I didn't because the next indexer wouldn't necessarily have that information available to them. That would be an arbitrators nightmare I am sure. So, I left it blank.

While I was indexing tonight I tried out a new internet radio station. It's called Your LDS Radio at www.yldsr.com. It was a great station. It had a mixture of LDS artist, country artist and pop-rock. Not exactly what I was expecting. The variety kept it interesting. It fit right into my indexing mood. If your looking for some mood music while indexing this station will keep you alert.

Three batches were enough tonight. I indexed 150 names for a grand total of 10,473 indexed to date. Now I am going to go back to cropping my scanned images until it's time for bed.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

Upload Your GEDCOM at We're Related on Facebook

The following announcement is from WorldVitalRecords.com

We're Related on Facebook has just added a major site enhancement, which will be available by noon on Friday. Now, individuals can upload their Gedcom files (up to 8 megabytes). The process is smooth and easy. The family tree section on We're Related is also much easier to use. Plus, every person on We're Related now has their own profile page that their relatives can view. We're Related is growing rapidly. We're Related currently has more than 19.2 million users with 10.5 million monthly active users. It is the number five application on Facebook for the "most active users." We're Related on Facebook is free. Join today!

Renee's Note: I am excited for the enhancement and can't wait to get home from the Family History Center to upload a current version of my GEDCOM.