General Genealogy

The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.
Some PDF files can be searched for any word or phrase. Other PDF files cannot. Until recently, the ability to allow searches was at the PDF file creator's option: anyone who created a PDF file could decide whether or not to make the files searchable. That option has now become moot as several companies have created solutions to convert any non-searchable PDF files into searchable PDF files, regardless of what the file creator intended.

Why should you care? I would suggest there are many needs for genealogists to search PDF files. For one example, the books you download from Google Books are non-searchable PDF files. Wouldn't it be a help to be able to search every word in those books for specific names, locations, or even occupations? That is but one of hundreds of reasons you might want to search a PDF file.

In a series of articles, I will describe three of those solutions:

1. The first is this article that describes an easy method that will work with Windows or Macintosh, but costs quite a bit of money.
2. The second article will describe a rather inexpensive (but not free) method of converting non-searchable PDFs into searchable PDFs by using a Macintosh.
3. The third article will describe a free, but rather complex, method of converting non-searchable PDFs to searchable PDFs on any Windows, Macintosh, or Linux system but may require a second computer or a virtual computer. The second computer must be a PC, although it can be an older, obsolete PC that you have lying around in the closet. Yes, it's complex, but it’s also free, assuming you already have the required hardware. Quite often I will expend extra time and effort to save hard-earned cash. Perhaps you do the same.

The remainder of this article is for Plus Edition subscribers only.

If you have a Plus Edition user ID and password, you can read the full article right now at no additional charge in this web site's Plus Edition at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=10807. This article will remain online for several weeks.

If you do not remember your Plus Edition user ID or password, you can retrieve them at http://www.eogn.com/wp/ and click on "Forgot password?"

If you decide to subscribe to the Plus Edition right now, you will be able to immediately read this article online.

For more information about subscribing to the Plus Edition of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, visit http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/plusedition.html.

I have written quite a bit lately about ebook readers. I started with an Amazon Kindle several years ago. Amazon has since introduced newer models and has dropped the price several times. Only a month ago, Amazon dropped the Kindle's price from $259 to $189 in response to the introduction of Barnes & Noble's new $140 WiFi-only Nook ebook reader. Today, Amazon announced a brand-new Kindle. The third-generation member of the Kindle family will sell in two versions: a 3G wireless version for $189 and a Wi-Fi-only version for $139.
The new Kindle will ship on August 27. Details may be found at http://tinyurl.com/2u5x7q4 and at http://www.amazon.com

100 years ago this month, Hawley Crippen was an American homeopathic physician who was arrested for the murder of his wife in London, England. His wife had disappeared and a dismembered body was found under the basement floor of their home Camden Road, Holloway, London. The body could not be identified.

Of course, DNA did not exist 100 years ago. Crippen was arrested, convicted, and later hanged for murder at Pentonville Prison, London. The mild-mannered murderer became a national celebrity and his waxwork stands in Madame Tussauds to this day However, a recent DNA analysis of preserved body parts of the victim have cast doubts on the case. The body found in the basement clearly wasn't that of Hawley Crippen's wife, Cora. In fact, it wasn't even the body of a woman!  The 100-year-old piece of skin skin contains Y-chromosomes, clearly indicating it was a man.
There is a lot more to this interesting story. You can read more in the BBC News web site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10802059 and in Wikepedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawley_Crippen

So, who was buried in the basement? And what really happened to Cora?

FindMyPast.co.uk has just added 184,650 records and 1,003,794 images to the company's Chelsea Pensioners collection for the period 1760-1854. This brings the total amount of Chelsea Pensioner records and images on findmypast.co.uk to 691,520 records and 4,200,729 images.

These records are of men pensioned out of the British Army from 1760 through 1913. It is not limited to residents of The Royal Hospital at Chelsea. The records are referred to as the ‘Chelsea Pensioners’ because the office that administered the pensions was located in The Royal Hospital at Chelsea. That office kept the records for Chelsea Hospital residents (referred to as "in-pensioners") and non-residents (or "out-pensioners") alike. The great majority of pensioned soldiers were out-pensioners and did not reside at the Hospital itself.
The records are free to search, like all the records on findmypast.co.uk. If you find a record of interest, you do have to pay a fee to view the image of the original document. Even if you don’t think that any of your ancestors could have been Chelsea Pensioners, give searching the records a go. Your ancestor may have only served in the army for a short time before they were pensioned out.

Most of the records provide the soldier’s name, place of birth, regiment(s), year of discharge and dates of service within the British Army. They also contain detailed descriptions of a soldier’s physical appearance and any distinguishing features, such as tattoos or scars. The records are the next best thing to looking at a photograph of your ancestor; there are usually six or seven records for each soldier.

The Chelsea Pensioner records contain information about pensioned soldiers but not for sailors.

FindMyPast.co.uk will be adding another 5.6 million records to the Chelsea Pensioner Collection over the next fourteen months.

You might like to watch the video featuring Debra Chatfield and Caroline Kimball below that describes the collection.

Chelsea Pensioners Army Service Records - mini feature from findmypast.co.uk on Vimeo.

You can start your search at http://www.findmypast.co.uk/chelsea-pensioners-service-records-collection-search-start.action

I'm almost willing to travel to Fairbanks for this garage sale! If you live in or near Fairbanks, you might not want to miss this event. Candy Waugaman and her friends are again hosting a garage sale of historic proportions this weekend.

The noted Fairbanks collector and archivist of Alaskana will be offering books, photos, postcards, magazines, certificates, brochures, buttons, pins, panoramic photographs, glassware, furniture and “all kinds of ephemera” from Friday through Sunday.
The unique thing about this sale is that the proceeds all go to one or more good causes. You have your choice of directing funds to the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, the Literacy Council of Alaska, the local 4-H Clubs, the Pioneers of Alaska Museum or Hospice of the Tanana Valley.

Read more in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner at http://newsminer.com/bookmark/8924983-Fairbanks-archivist-hosts-historic-garage-sale-for-local-charities

With all the genealogical information being made accessible on the Internet, some might think this is the golden age of family history. To Curt B. Witcher, however, we may be entering a new dark age where vital records and the memories of people alive today are lost forever.

"At the same time we have more (technological) ability we are losing interest and focus on keeping the thoughts and the words for future generations," Witcher said.
Witcher, the manager of The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind., was the plenary speaker at BYU's Conference on Family History and Genealogy on Wednesday.

You can rea the full story in an article by Michael De Groote published in the Mormon Times at http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16144/The-coming-genealogical-dark-ages?s_cid=queue_title&utm_source=queue_title

Are you planning to attend the FGS conference in Knoxville? If so, bring your old family photographs! The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

Schedule a Free Photo Detective Consultation at FGS with Maureen Taylor!

FamilySearch will be hosting Maureen Taylor, Photo Detective, as a free service to FGS conference goers in Knoxville, Tennessee August 18–21. The Photo Detective services will be offered as part of the FamilySearch booth’s activities in the exhibit hall during the conference.  Interested individuals can register for any available 10 minute session now online.  There are limited sessions available. Don’t delay! Register at http://photodetective.eventbrite.com/.

Registrants will have 10 minutes with Maureen during their scheduled time at the FamilySearch booth. It is recommended that you bring only ONE image/photo with you to the consultation. Be sure the photo you select fits one of the following criteria:

• An original photograph in a protective covering to prevent damage during transport.
• A high quality COLOR photographic copy of both the front and back of the image.
• A high resolution color scan (of at least 300dpi) of both sides of the photograph.

For the past 10 years, Maureen has been providing in-depth analysis of historical photos, primarily for people who are researching their family histories.  Maureen estimates that she’s studied over 10,000 photos in the past decade and The Wall Street Journal recently called her “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective.”  Maureen has been interested in old family photos since she was a child.  She has a graduate degree in history and has worked as a photo curator, genealogist, and writer. Combining all these interests as a photo identification/preservation expert, the focus of her work has centered on family photography, history and genealogy.

Maureen finds it extremely rewarding to be invited to play a part in piecing together the most important history of all – the story of your family! Don’t miss this terrific opportunity during your FGS stay in Knoxville, Tennessee!

Ancestry.com Inc., the world's largest online family history resource, today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 and the news was all good news:
Ancestry.com Subscriber Growth of 32% Year-Over-Year
Total Revenue Up 36% Year-Over-Year "Greater than anticipated subscriber additions drove impressive performance in the quarter and boosted our revenue and EBITDA expectations for the full year," said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry.com. "It's particularly noteworthy that retention rates and customer behavior trends are remaining consistent despite the rapid subscriber growth in the first half of 2010. As we move forward, we will continue our focus on building awareness of the family history category, improving the customer experience and adding important content collections to Ancestry.com."
Ancestry.com Web Sites Highlights:

• Subscribers totaled 1,311,000 as of June 30, 2010, a 32% increase over the end of Q2 2009 and an 8% increase over the end of Q1 2010.
• Gross Subscriber additions were 291,000 in Q2 2010, an 81% increase over Q2 2009 and a 4% increase over Q1 2010, driven by the continued success of marketing programs and the airing of Who Do You Think You Are? early in the quarter.
• Monthly Subscriber Churn1 increased to 4.3% in Q2 2010, compared to 3.8% in Q2 2009 and 3.3% in Q1 2010, as expected, reflecting the large number of new monthly subscribers added in the first half of 2010.
• Subscriber acquisition cost2 in Q2 2010 was $74.04, compared to $73.27 in Q2 2009 and $69.57 in Q1 2010.
• Average Monthly Revenue per Subscriber3 in Q2 2010 was $18.02, compared to $16.42 in Q2 2009 and $16.70 in Q1 2010.

Second Quarter 2010 Financial Highlights:

• Total revenue for the second quarter of 2010 was $74.5 million, an increase of 36.4% over $54.6 million in the prior year period, driven by growth in our core Ancestry.com Web sites of 41.9%.
• Operating income for the second quarter of 2010 was $15.8 million, compared to $8.7 million in the prior year period.
• Adjusted EBITDA4 for the second quarter of 2010 was $25.3 million, compared to $18.4 million in the second quarter of 2009. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the second quarter of 2010 was 33.9%, compared to 33.8% in the second quarter of 2009.
• Net income was $8.5 million, or $0.18 per fully diluted share, for the second quarter of 2010 compared to $4.7 million, or $0.12 per fully diluted share, in the second quarter of 2009.
• Free cash flow5 totaled $14.4 million in the second quarter of 2010 compared to $6.7 million in the prior year period.
• Balance sheet As of June 30, 2010, cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments were $134.0 million and total debt was $76.2 million.

Recent Business Highlights:

• The Company closed the acquisition of Genline.se, the leading Swedish family history Web site. At closing, Genline had more than 17,000 paying members with access to 26 million pages of digitized Swedish church records spanning more than 400 years from the 17th to the 20th century.
• NBC announced its renewal of Who Do You Think You Are? for a second season, which is currently expected to air in the first quarter of 2011.
• Season 1 of Who Do You Think You Are? is currently expected to air in re-runs starting on August 13, 2010.
• The Company added several new important content collections, including U.S. Land Ownership Atlases from 1860-1920 and the UK Waterloo Medal Roll from 1815.

The following announcement was written by the National Park Service:
NEW YORK, New York, July 28, 2010 - The National Park Service has awarded more than $29 million in contracts to repair the seawall on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, remove contaminants from one of the island's historic buildings and upgrade the communications infrastructure.

Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island became the nation's premier federal immigration station, processing more than 12 million immigrant steamship passengers before it was closed in 1954. Today, over 100 million Americans, one third of the population, can trace their ancestry to the immigrants who first arrived in America at Ellis Island.
Ellis Island is located just off the New Jersey coast, within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. A 1998 United States Supreme Court decision found most of the island to be part of New Jersey. Restored buildings on the island host a museum of immigration run by the National Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

The newly funded projects, all scheduled to start this summer, are part of President Barack Obama's economic recovery program and will provide jobs and economic stimulation to the region's economy while restoring one of our nation's most treasured historic sites, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey announcing the funding on Tuesday.

"These three projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide more employment opportunities to workers in the region while safeguarding the site where many of our ancestors first stepped ashore in the New World. The Recovery Act will leave a lasting legacy in America's great outdoors, while putting people back to work and strengthening our economy," Salazar said.

Indian tribes had called it "Kioshk" or Gull Island and it was known for its abundant oyster beds and plentiful shad runs. Samuel Ellis became the island's private owner in the 1770s, around the time of the American Revolution.

Through the years, this gateway to the new world was enlarged from its original 3.3 acres to 27.5 acres by landfill obtained from the ballast of ships, and excess earth from the construction of the New York City subway system.

In addition to serving as an immigration center, Ellis Island was used as a detention center for enemy aliens during World War II. It was also a processing center for returning sick or wounded U.S. soldiers, and a Coast Guard training base.
Visitors at the Ellis Island seawall with the Statue of Liberty behind them (Photo by B. Brelje)

"Ellis Island tells the story of our nation and connects millions of American families to their past, and I am pleased that we can finally begin to preserve it for future generations," said Senator Menendez.

"This federal investment will not only begin to secure the seawall and maintain buildings on the island, it will create hundreds of jobs that will support the region's economy. An enhanced communication system will also protect this iconic, historic site from any threats."

The Park Service has awarded a $20.9 million contract to Phoenix Marine Co. Inc. of Sayreville, New Jersey to repair Ellis Island's 6,700 foot long seawall. Small portions of the seawall have been stabilized and rehabilitated since the original construction, but the majority of the seawall shows deterioration.

A second contract for $6.7 million has been awarded to APS Contractors of Paterson, New Jersey to stabilize the deteriorated Baggage and Dormitory Building on Ellis Island, remove environmental contaminants, and install a temporary new roof.

The third contract for $1.5 million has been awarded to Cutting Edge Group, based in Lake George, New York to install electrical and communication infrastructure in conduit on Liberty and Ellis islands. The project will allow the National Park Service to better communicate between the islands and the mainland.

"These infrastructure improvements represent a significant investment in the future of two of America's most treasured icons," said David Luchsinger, superintendent of Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. "These have been priority projects for this park for some time, and we are pleased that they will now be funded through the Recovery Act."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed last year gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. Of that amount, $750 million in funding goes to the National Park Service.

More than $30 billion in Recovery funds has been made available to New York and more than $18.6 billion has already been spent. Meanwhile, more than $10 billion in Recovery funds has been made available to New Jersey and more than $7.4 billion has already been spent.

MacFamilyTree 6 has arrived. The latest version of the Macintosh genealogy program has been in public beta test for several weeks. (See my earlier article at http://tinyurl.com/2awyyb3.) Now the beta period has ended and the program is declared ready.

MacFamilyTree's new version 6 is claimed to be the most significant update in program's 12 year-long product history. Notable new features include:

• a brand-new user interface
• more and completely rewritten charts
• more reports
• integration of "New FamilySearch" for online research (currently in closed beta, available for all users by the end of 2010)
• To Do management
• web research
• greatly improved performance
• on any recent Mac with Mac OS X 10.6 installed, MacFamilyTree 6 is executed as a 64-bit application, squeezing out even that last bit of performance
• the new Family Tree Editor, a much enhanced version of the former Family Assistant, gives you both the structure, as well as the details. You'll see who is related to whom without searching lengthy lists, while editing a person's information is just a click away.

MacFamilyTree 6 costs $49 USD for new customers, upgrades from MacFamilyTree 1,2,3,4,5 are $25 USD. Mac OS X 10.5 or higher is required.

For more detailed information, look at http://www.syniumsoftware.com/macfamilytree/ or look at the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhmZt00rYaE or click on the image below:

GedView is an iPhone/iPod/iPad viewer and recording tool for your genealogy database when you are out and about researching local records, or visiting locations such as graveyards looking for information. GedView acts as a way to quickly check up on family relationships, dates/locations of events, sources of information, and view your notes, or record newly found information while you are out researching.  It is compatible with all iPhone/iPod/iPad devices running iOS 3.0 or above. Now author David A Knight has released a new version: 2.14.2 .

You can read my earlier review of GedView at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/07/gedview-for-the-iphone.html.

GedView works with any desktop genealogy program for Windows, Macintosh, or Linux. It imports data from standard GEDCOM files. All of today's genealogy programs can create GEDCOM files. GedView will:

• Import GEDCOM files by download over GPRS, EDGE, 3G,or WiFi
• Import GEDCOM files by uploading over WiFi (Bonjour supported)
• Import GEDCOM files from email attachments (2.14 and above, iPad / iOS4 and above)
• Import GEDCOM files from other apps, such as Safari or Dropbox. Compatible sites include RootsWeb, Ancestry, and FamilySearch(2.14 and above, iPad / iOS4 and above)
• Import GEDCOM files over USB cable via iTunes. (2.14 and above, iPad / iOS4 and above)
• Import zip compressed GEDCOM files. (2.14.2 and above)

GedView costs $3.99 US, £2.39, €2.99, $4.99 AU and is available at the iPhone/iPod/iPad App Store. You might want to read about it at http://www.ritter.demon.co.uk/Projects/gedview.html

Ancestry.com Inc. (ACOM) is scheduled to announce earnings after the market closes on Thursday, July 29th. The consensus amongst most analysts is that ACOM is going to announce a profit of about 15 cents per share.

ACOM has gained 37 cents (2.04 percent) during the past week and is currently trading above its 20-day, 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

The following was written by the Michigan Genealogical Council:

Dear Genealogists,
There has been some confusion and some misinterpretation about the MCIR Board report released by Governor Granholm.  With so much uncertainty surrounding the collections and the Library of Michigan this past year, rumors and misinterpretations increase exponentially each time they are repeated.
 The MCIR Board was appointed to serve in an advisory capacity to the Governor.  We are pleased with their conclusions and recommendations regarding the genealogical collections at the Library of Michigan (LM); however, the recommendations are just that; advisory recommendations.  The Governor will decide if she wishes to follow those recommendations.
 
Also, this is only one piece in the puzzle in the future of the collections at the Library of Michigan.  The Michigan Department of Education (MDE), is the department responsible for the administration of the Library.  They do this following the mandates and budget guidelines given them by the Governor and any legislation passed and signed into law by the Governor.
 
Unfortunately, with a projected 23 percent cut in funding proposed for fiscal year 2010-2011 (beginning October 1, 2010), MDE and the Library of Michigan have difficult choices to make.  These were spelled out in their February 12 memo that detailed how MDE and LM were going to comply with the cost saving measures dictated by the two Executive Orders issued last year, and still maintain a high-level of service and accessibility with their core collections.
 
Randy Riley, Special Collections Manager for the Library of Michigan issued the following statement recently to clarify several misunderstandings and faulty conclusions:
 
“The state’s current budget situation has required the Library of Michigan focus more closely on our core missions of collecting/documenting the history and heritage of Michigan and maintaining materials that assist state government agencies in doing their work. Facing a 23% reduction in the budget for the next fiscal year, the Library has been forced to re-examine every program and service. The Library’s staff will be “weeding” the Dewey and Main Collections in an effort to keep items that “fit” the core mission. After staff have thoroughly gone through the Dewey (4th floor) and Main (3rd floor) Collections and pulled items that align with our primary mission, Michigan libraries will be invited in to claim the remaining parts of those collections. The change of hours is temporary. It will allow staff to have the necessary time to work with the collections and evaluate the materials in question.
 
NO PLANS ARE IN PLACE AT THIS TIME TO MOVE THE NON-MICHIGAN FAMILY HISTORY COLLECTION TO THE ARCHIVES OR ANY OTHER INSTITUTION. Staff will only be working with the Dewey and Main Collections during the reduced hours. The family history collection will be accessible 1-5 (M-F) and 10-5 on Saturdays until September 7. Regular hours will resume on the 7th. If you have questions contact the Library of Michigan at (517) 373-1300 or librarian@michigan.gov.
 
Thanks for your support and kind wishes.”
 
As Randy has stated, currently nothing has changed as far as the availability of the genealogy collections at the Library of Michigan.  Hours of operation will be TEMPORARILY reduced from Aug 2 thru September 3 to permit staff to prepare the Main (third floor) and Dewey (fourth floor) collections to be distributed to other Michigan Libraries.  Items of genealogical and historical significance are being separated by staff to be added to the Michigan and Genealogy—both Michigan and non-Michigan – collections.
 
Nothing will be resolved until a new budget passes.  When this happens, final decisions will be made by the Library administration on the future hours, staffing, and services offered by the Library of Michigan.  Anything offered up before that is only speculation.
 
For the latest factual information about Library of Michigan operations, collections and services, visit http://michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan.  You may also contact them by phone (517) 373-1300 or e-mail librarian@michigan.gov.
 
We will continue to update you as the situation necessitates.
 
Best wishes,
 
Tom Koselka, Legislative Liaison
Michigan Genealogical Council
http://mimgc.org

The 1802 Militia Survey is more than just a military record - it's a list of every man in the Burgh of Perth aged 18 to 45 in the area who was suitable for service, 40 years before the first official census. Each return includes the address, the householder's name and occupation, and a list of the eligible inhabitants. It serves as a great census substitute.

In 1802, a form was sent out to householders within the Burgh of Perth requiring them to list the name of every man in their house aged 18 to 45, who was liable for service with the militia. The returns may include:

• Name of the householder
• Occupation of the householder
• Street address
• Names of any inhabitants eligible for service

Names of women appear only if they are the householder.

The 1802 Militia Survey is available to Ancestry.co.uk subscribers and to subscribers to Ancestry.com's World Deluxe Membership at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1642

The following announcement was written by Art.com Inc.:
Seasoned Marketing Executive Andrew Wait Joins as Chief Marketing Officer for World's Leading Online Specialty Wall Art Retailer

SAN FRANCISCO, July 27 -- Art.com Inc., the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art products and services, today announced the hiring of Andrew Wait as chief marketing officer.  Wait brings more than twenty years of marketing, merchandising, and product development experience to this position.  He will oversee Art.com Inc.'s overall marketing operations and strategy, including online marketing, international marketing, user experience and product management, branding and business development. "We are very pleased to welcome Andrew to the Art.com Inc. executive team," said Geoffroy Martin, chief executive officer of Art.com Inc. "His proven track record for driving top-line growth and increasing brand awareness through innovative marketing campaigns and programs will be instrumental to the success and profitable growth of our global business."

Before joining Art.com Inc., Wait served as senior vice president and general manager of Ancestry.com, the world's largest online resource for family history, where he led marketing, content acquisition, business development, product management and engineering for the U.S. region.  Prior to Ancestry.com, Wait was senior director of marketing at Kodak Gallery, a leading online digital photo developing service. During his tenure at Kodak Gallery, Wait helped the company generate significant growth in customers and overall revenue through innovative direct marketing and customer loyalty programs, effective merchandising and usability improvements.  Before joining Kodak Gallery, Wait was senior director of marketing for EarthLink's PeoplePC Brand, where he oversaw customer acquisition, retention and brand development. Earlier in his career, he also held various executive marketing positions with Pacific Bell/SBC, Bank of America and Hilton Hotels Corporation.  Wait holds an MBA from St. Mary's College of California and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley.

"Art.com Inc. has built an incredible set of brands with over 10 million customers worldwide," said Wait.  "I'm excited to take on the marketing reins and look forward to helping the company achieve higher levels of customer and revenue growth."

About Art.com Inc.

Art.com Inc. is the world's leading online specialty provider of posters, prints, and framed art.  Since 1998, Art.com Inc. has sold high-quality wall art online to more than 10 million customers – including home decorators, interior designers, businesses, art collectors, and art lovers – in over 120 countries worldwide.  The privately-held company is headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands.  For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com.  "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks of Art.com Inc.

The following was written by the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree:
42nd Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree
Friday through Sunday, June 10 through 12, 2011
Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel
Burbank, California
 
The Southern California Genealogical Society announces a call for lecture proposals for the 42nd Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, to be held at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, Burbank, California, Friday through Sunday, June 10 through 12, 2011. With over 1700 participants, volunteers, speakers and exhibitors in 2010, Jamboree is the second largest genealogical conference in the United States.
Reflecting California's history of drawing people to its climate, mountains, deserts, shores, and "gold in them thar hills," the theme of the 2011 Jamboree is "They Came from Some Place Else."  The Civil War sesquicentennial provides a sub-theme for military records and substitutes for records that were lost in the War.

A wide variety of topics will be considered, including websites and electronic information sources, migration paths, use of records and repositories, research methodology, skill building, cultural and ethnic research, writing, computers and technology, genetics and DNA research, source records, immigration and naturalization, digital and brick-and-mortar record repositories, organization, recording sources and Genealogical Proof Standard, and others.  We are considering adding a special Family History Writers track at Jamboree and welcome those proposals as well.

Jamboree draws attendees of all experience levels. We encourage the submission of advanced level sessions, as well as beginner and intermediate levels.

We are looking for fresh presentations, particularly those that have not been given at Jamboree within the past two years. The committee will consider proposals for panels, hands-on mini-course workshops and other innovative formats.  The committee welcomes sponsored presentations and those from speakers whose 2010 presentations could not be scheduled due to capacity issues.

Customary presentation time slots are a total of 60 minutes in length, including a 10-minute question-and-answer period. If more time is required to adequately cover the topic, please explain that in the proposal. Sessions with two or more speakers may be proposed for 90 or 120 minutes.  Speakers may submit up to 10 proposals.  The SCGS Jamboree Committee, at its sole discretion, may select none, some, or all of the proposals submitted by any speaker.

Jamboree will accommodate speakers' requests to be scheduled on particular days or times to meet travel itineraries.  Those planning to attend IGHR in Samford will be scheduled on Friday and Saturday to allow travel to Samford on Sunday.

Expectations of Jamboree Speakers:

• All conference materials, including signed contract, program brochure and website content, and syllabus inserts, must be submitted on or before stated deadlines.
• Failure to meet conference deadlines is grounds for cancellation of the speaker contract.
• Sessions will begin and end promptly as scheduled.
• Lecture visuals will be in digital format and prepared on presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint). 
• Syllabus material is required for every lecture presentation.  Content should summarize the content of the class and/or supplement the lecture material (e.g. bibliography).  Syllabus material should be between 2 and 4 pages per lecture.
• Acceptable formats are PDF (saved in high resolution), Word, WordPerfect, PowerPoint and Publisher.
• Speaker will provide website links, announcements and other assistance in promoting Jamboree.
• Speaker will provide his or her own laptop computer for digital presentations.  Jamboree cannot provide laptop computers for speaker use.
• Should the speaker not be able to participate in Jamboree, the speaker will notify Jamboree at the earliest possible opportunity so that a replacement can be found.

All Jamboree speakers will receive:

• Complimentary registration for all three days, with conference syllabus in CD format. Those who advertise in the Syllabus will receive a printed copy.
• One-year associate membership in the Southern California Genealogical Society.
• $75 per lecture honorarium for individual presentations.
• $150 for two-person presentations, divided equally between participants.
• $250 total honorarium per panel discussion, divided equally among all participants.
• $25 per lecture syllabus bonus, provided that camera-ready syllabus materials meet the stated requirements and are submitted on or before the deadline.
• $20 per lecture bonus if high-resolution digital projector is provided by speaker(s).
• Promotion, links from the Jamboree website and Jamboree Blog to speaker's website, and marketing collaboration.

Those speakers selected to conduct three or more lectures will receive:

• $200 toward reimbursement of airfare, OR mileage calculated by MapQuest and reimbursed at current IRS mileage rates. Maximum reimbursement is $200. 
• Reimbursement will be made upon receipt of documentation of airfare purchase.
• One day of single hotel accommodations (room + tax) at the Burbank Airport Marriott for each day the speaker is scheduled to speak, plus one day for travel as needed.
• Per diem of $20 per day for each day the speaker is scheduled to speak.

Honorarium payments may be traded on a dollar-for-dollar basis for space in the exhibit area (provided space is available) or for syllabus advertising. Exhibitor information is from Leo Myers at ltmyers44@gmail.com.


SCGS will not reimburse speakers or pay for the following:

• Car rental at either origination or destination.
• Expenses charged to the hotel room, including Internet access.  Wireless Internet access in the Convention Center is provided free of charge.  Public areas in the main hotel are also wireless zones.
• Parking fees at either origination or destination.
• Ground transportation to or from an airport.  Free shuttle service is provided by the Marriott to and from the Bob Hope Burbank Airport.  Exception:  If the combined airfare/shuttle service from another area airport (e.g. LAX, Ontario) is less than the airfare into Burbank, we will approve the combined reimbursement.

Distribution of Presentation Materials and Copyright Considerations

• Speakers retain copyright to all content and syllabus material.
• Jamboree will provide syllabus materials on CD as well as in printed form.  Both the printed and digital versions of the syllabus will be made available for sale after Jamboree.  Lecture material may be made available by electronic download to paid Jamboree registrants prior to Jamboree.
• SCGS is investigating fee-based methods of distributing Jamboree content after the event, including audio and/or video taped lectures and digital download of content. Speakers will have the option of participating in any such program, and revenue-sharing arrangements will be presented to each speaker at a later date.

Exclusivity
 
We understand that some speakers may wish to make other presentations while in the area to maximize exposure and income. We bring the best speakers to Jamboree and provide a fair honorarium and expense reimbursement in exchange for exclusive Southern California appearances by the speaker.  The Program Chair will be glad to discuss expense-sharing with other organizations if the speaker schedules other area appearances within two weeks of Jamboree.

Submission of Proposals
 
Speakers interested in presenting lecture presentations at Jamboree should submit proposals through the Jamboree Speaker Portal.  Only those proposals that are submitted through the portal AND accompanied by a faxed, emailed or postal mailed signed copy of the Call for Papers will be considered for the 2011 Jamboree.

By completing this online submission process, speakers will provide the information that Jamboree will use for communication, promote lecture sessions, and ensure that the correct information is included in the syllabus, on the Jamboree website, and in the program.

Key Dates

July 25, 2010 - Call for Papers issued
September 1, 2010 - Call for Papers deadline for submission
October 25, 2010 - Selection and notification of selected speakers
November 15, 2010 - Issuance of contracts
December 1, 2010 - Deadline for return of signed contracts
March 1, 2011 - Deadline for syllabus materials (2-4 pages per lecture)

If you wish to provide an audio recorded tape or CD of one of your former presentations, please send them to the Southern California Genealogical Society, c/o Jamboree Program Chair, 417 Irving Drive, Burbank, CA 91504.  Examples of syllabus submissions may be emailed to SCGSJamboree@gmail.com.  These materials will be used only during the selection process and will be returned when the selection process has been completed.

Questions, inquiries or submissions may be emailed to SCGSJamboree@gmail.com with the subject line Call for Papers [your last name], or mailed to the program chair at the address below.

We look forward to another record-breaking year at Jamboree and look forward to including you on the Jamboree schedule.

The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

Hundreds of articles about immigration to the United States have been published over the years in various magazines, books, and online sites. Indeed, a few dozen articles about immigration have been published in this newsletter alone. To my knowledge, the numbers and facts mentioned in all of those articles have been quite accurate. I would suggest, however, the more interesting facts and statistics are the ones that were never mentioned in most articles.

(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

Much has been written about the 47 million Europeans and Asians who entered the various ports of entry from 1820 through 1960. For all that, how many of those articles ever mention the fact that more than one-third of those immigrants RETURNED to their homelands?

The remainder of this article is for Plus Edition subscribers only.

If you have a Plus Edition user ID and password, you can read the full article right now at no additional charge in this web site's Plus Edition at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=10760. This article will remain online for several weeks.

If you do not remember your Plus Edition user ID or password, you can retrieve them at http://www.eogn.com/wp/ and click on "Forgot password?"

If you decide to subscribe to the Plus Edition right now, you will be able to immediately read this article online.

For more information about subscribing to the Plus Edition of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, visit http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/plusedition.html.

The following announcement was written by FamilySearch:

FamilySearch’s microfilm conversion initiative is beginning to sail. Over 12 million digital images from thousands of microfilm, representing 8 countries, were published online for free viewing this month. FamilySearch’s online image viewer makes it easy for online patrons to view the newest digital images from Argentina, Costa Rica, France, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

This week the complete U.S. 1910 Federal Census name indexes for Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Missouri were also published online at FamilySearch’s Record Search pilot (FamilySearch.org, click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot) and coming soon to Beta.FamilySearch.org.

See the chart below for the complete list of all the newly added or improved collections.
FamilySearch plans on digitizing and publishing online the bulk of its 2.4 million rolls of microfilm—representing 132 countries. In addition, it is now capturing millions of new images each year digitally “at birth” from its 185 field camera teams worldwide. It all translates to a steady stream of new digital image collections for genealogy enthusiasts to anticipate and enjoy. Collection Digital Images Indexed Records Comments Argentina, Buenos Aires, Province, Catholic Church Records, 1642–1931 1824476   New Images Costa Rica, Church Records, 1595–1992 605658   New Images France, Coutances, Catholic Diocese, 1802–1907   87000 Indexed Records Only Luxembourg Civil Registration, 1793–1923 114000   New Images Mexico, Aguascalientes, Civil Registration, 1860–1950 438725   New Images México, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886–1933, Part 1 1572682   New Images Mexico, Hidalgo, Catholic Church Records,1546-1963 1605822   New Images Mexico, Tamaulipas, Church Records 1703-1964, Part 2 172951   New Images Netherlands, Noord-Holland Province Civil Registration 1811-1940 599639   New Images Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Amsterdam Civil Registration 1811-1940 576189   New Images Netherlands, Overijssel Civil Registration 1811-1952 - 496541   New Images Netherlands, Utrecht Province Civil Registration 1811-1950 347867   New Images Netherlands, Zeeland Civil Registration 1796-1940 - 497188   New Images Netherlands, Zuid-Holland, Leiden Civil Registration 1812-1882 83129   New Images Netherlands, Zuid-Holland, Rotterdam Civil Registration 1811-1942 273199   New Images Netherlands, Zuid-Holland, 's-Gravenhage Civil Registration 1811-1882 84124   New Images Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1836–2001 3255102   New Images Spain, Alicante, 1762–1921, Part 1 34666   New Images Spain, Barcelona Civil Registration, 1886–1936 265084   New Images Spain, Cordoba, Civil Registration, 1841–1870 63198   New Images Spain, Sevilla, Civil Registration, Archivo de la Diputacion de Sevilla, 1841–1882 76939   New Images Spain, Sevilla, Civil Registration, Archivo Municipal de Carmona, 1841–1871 15512   New Images Spain, Sevilla, Civil Registration, Archivo Municipal de Marchena, 1841–1870 7237   New Images Spain, Sevilla, Civil Registration, Archivo Municipal de Sevilla, 1841–1882 272132   New Images Spain, Valencia, Census, Archivo Municipal de Torrent, 1875–1912 2462   New Images Spain, Valencia, Municipal Census 59312   New Images Spain, Valencia, Municipal Census, Archivo Municipal de Corbera, 1825–1920 2007   New Images Spain, Valencia, Municipal Census, Archivo Municipal de Gandia, 1611–1935 22401   New Images Spain, Valencia, Municipal Census, Archivo Municipal de Sueca, 1797–1921 62809   New Images Spain, Valencia, Municipal Census, Archvio Municipal de Carcagente, 1847–1920 15609   New Images U.S. 1910  Federal Census, Idaho   405504 Indexed Records Only U.S. 1910  Federal Census, Montana   482328 Indexed Records Only U.S. 1910  Federal Census, Nebraska   1218668 Indexed Records Only U.S. 1910  Federal Census, North Carolina   2176988 Indexed Records Only U.S. 1910  Federal Census, Oklahoma   1919280 Indexed Records Only U.S. 1910 Census, Missouri   3543000 Indexed Records Only

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I believe that online genealogy programs are the wave of the future. Accessing your genealogy database "in the cloud" makes a lot of sense, especially in research collaborative efforts with your cousins or perhaps as an effort by a family society. Groups of genealogists can work together on projects, even simultaneously, even if some use Windows, others use Macintosh, and perhaps some even use Linux.

A new program is now in late beta test and is expected to launch soon as a version 1.0. Best of all, this is FREE software, issued under the GNU General Public License.

Please take note of the program name: WebTrees. I suspect you are going to hear a lot more about it in coming years.

WebTrees is based on the popular phpgedview application. Whereas phpgedview aimed to do everything for everyone, webtrees aims to to be efficient and effective by using the right combination of third-party tools, design techniques and open standards.

Quoting the WebTree web site at http://www.webtrees.net:
Web based Family History Software...

webtrees is based on the popular PhpGedView ('PGV') application. Whereas PGV aimed to do everything for everyone, webtrees aims to to be efficient and effective by using the right combination of third-party tools, design techniques and open standards.
 
Finding your way around

Here is some more detailed information about the menu items above here:

    * Home - Clicking on Home at any time will return you to this page.
    * Forums - Here you will find a list of discussion forums related to various aspects of webtrees. At present they include:
          o Help - the place to go for assistance with any problems you are having installing or using webtrees.
          o Translation - somewhere to discuss issues related to translating webtrees into one of the huge range of languages it is available in.
          o Customising - ask questions or give advice about making custom themes, modules or anything related to those non-standard webtrees modifications.
          o Open Discussion - a forum to raise the wider issues related to webtrees, NOT to be used for help requests.
          o Request for New Feature - Record the details of any new features you would like to see included in webtrees in the future.
    * Wiki - This provides a link to the webtrees' WIKI pages. These supplement the pop-up Help screens available throughout webtrees, as well as many other useful information topics. (NOTE: not yet developed)
    * Demo - Here we will, when it is ready, provide a demo of the current release of webtrees. This will allow you to view its features exactly as they will appear on your own installation. Later we may also include demos that show examples of developmental code, so you can see possible new features of webtrees.
    * Add-ons - If you are interested in using or developing non-standard or customised features, themes, or modules, this is a place where they can be uploaded, and made available for others to download.
    * LaunchPad - A VERY IMPORTANT LINK to the home of our code base. Select this option to download the latest version (currently a BETA test version only), submit report bugs, or help with translations. It has sub-links for:
          o Translations - the place to go if you are able and willing to help translate webtrees into other languages. Its a very simple process using Launchpad.
          o Bugs. Use this link to go direct to our Bug Tracking page on Launchpad.[End of quote from the web site]

WebTrees is a software product that installs on most any web server. Apache and IIS are the most common types of web servers. There are no requirements to use a specific type or version. It requires PHP5.2.3 or later as well as MySQL. Those last two products usually are included on all web servers. WebTrees has been tested with tens of thousands of individuals in its database and speed appears to not be a problem.

You can enter data one person at a time or else upload a GEDCOM file that was created by most any other genealogy program.

You can access a demo version of WebTrees by following the instructions at http://www.webtrees.net/demo

Webtrees is still in beta test. The full release version 1.0.0 is expected to be released on the 26th of August.

For more information about WebTrees, look at http://www.webtrees.net/

Someone asked this question today so I thought I would reply here where everyone could read the answers. The question is: "I want to forward an article from this newsletter to a friend of mine by email. How do I do that?"

In fact, there are several possible answers, depending upon where you read the newsletter.

If you are reading an article online at this newsletter's web site at http://www.eogn.com:

1. At the end of every article, you will notice a small green icon followed by the words "ShareThis."
   Click on the icon or on the words "ShareThis." You will be able to share the article with others by email, FaceBook, Twitter, Google Buzz, MySpace, Digg, AIM Share, or you can repost the article to Blogger, Windows Live, or any of a number of other online services.
2. Another method is to use the normal copy-and-paste commands built into the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. First, display the full article in your web browser. Click at the top of the article, hold the mouse button down, and drag the mouse to the bottom of the article. Then click on EDIT and then on COPY. Next, change to your normal email program, compose a message to your friend, move the mouse to inside the text area of the message, click on EDIT (at the top of the screen) and then click on PASTE. That will paste the entire article into the message to be sent to your friend.

If you are reading the Standard Edition newsletter in an email message that is sent to you every day, click on the "Email to a friend" link shown below every article in the email message.

If you are reading this newsletter in an RSS newsreader, use the newsreader's commands to forward articles.

Finally, don't forget that you can also send a link (the URL, or web address) to a friend. I am not sure if this works in all web browsers, but it does work in the three or four browsers that I tried. When looking at ANY web page, look at the top of the browser, click on FILE, and the click on "Mail Link to This Page" or "Email Page Location" or whatever it says. The exact words will vary from one web browser to another. Select that and then your email program will appear and the web address (URL) of the page you have been viewing will automatically be inserted into the body text of the email message. You will need to enter your friend's email address. Click on SEND. Your friend will receive an email message from you that displays just the link. When he or she clicks on that link,  a web browser will launch and the web page you specified will be displayed in that browser.

In short, you have multiple methods of sharing articles in this newsletter with your friends. Please feel free to do so!